Spotify is reportedly testing lossless audio streaming features. This is not the first time Swedish audio streaming service has made strides to bring support for lossless audio on the platform. Back in 2021, Spotify announced Hi-Fi tier to bring support for lossless audio format. However, it has since been in the works and has not made it to official release.
Now, however, the app’s interface has been updated to reflect new music streaming options for lossless – up to 1,411kbps. For reference, the app has music streaming limited to 320 kbps to date. While the streaming option remains 320 kbps in the latest version of the app, Spotify is reportedly testing lossless audio streaming option in its app version 1.2.36.
What is lossless audio
Lossless audio allows high-resolution audio streaming without compression. Therefore, the audio sounds detailed and without quality loss due to compression. Select other music streaming services such as Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, and Tidal already support lossless audio streaming.
Spotify Lossless
Though still in the works, lossless is expected to be offered to Spotify premium subscribers. It is expected to support up to 24-bit/44.1kHz bit rate using the FLAC audio format. According to media reports, Spotify would offer options to download the music in lossless format for which users will have to update download quality in settings.
Spotify is expected to recommend using Spotify connect speakers or wired devices for optimal lossless quality as Bluetooth devices do not fully support lossless audio. Additionally, it would show a compatibility checker for the devices, connection type, and bandwidth.
Recently, Spotify announced testing AI-generated playlist features based on text prompts. Currently in beta for premium subscribers only on Android and iOS platforms.
First Published: May 06 2024 | 1:08 PM IST
