Spotify HiFi Rolls Out: Lossless Audio Finally Arrives for Premium Users

It’s finally happening! After years of anticipation and a fair share of delays, Spotify is officially rolling out its long-promised HiFi lossless audio feature to Premium subscribers. The initial wave of countries to receive this audiophile upgrade includes Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK. Spotify has confirmed that the feature will expand to over 50 countries by October 2025 – here’s hoping our region, perhaps even Pakistan, makes that cut!

For those who’ve been following the saga, this announcement has been a long time coming. Spotify first teased a HiFi tier back in 2021. At the time, competitors like Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz were charging a premium for their high-resolution audio offerings. However, the landscape dramatically shifted when Apple Music jumped in, offering lossless and spatial audio at no extra cost to its subscribers. This move put Spotify in a tough spot, forcing them to re-evaluate their entire strategy and ultimately delaying their HiFi plans indefinitely.

So, what does Spotify’s new lossless audio look like? Eligible users will now find a ‘Lossless’ option in their media quality settings. This upgrade offers files in up to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, a significant leap from Spotify’s previous maximum of 320kbps Ogg Vorbis. For many, this will be a noticeable improvement in sound quality. However, it’s worth noting that while this is a welcome step, Spotify is still playing catch-up. Rivals like Apple and Tidal already support higher resolutions, going up to 24-bit/192kHz, and also provide spatial audio content – a feature Spotify currently lacks.

Naturally, the introduction of lossless streaming has been met with a mix of excitement and a touch of ‘it’s about time’ cynicism. Some users are calling it ‘too little, too late’ given the extensive delays. Industry analysts are also speculating that Spotify might eventually reserve these higher-resolution and spatial audio capabilities for a new, potentially more expensive, premium tier down the line.

While not every Premium user in the eligible markets will see the feature pop up instantly, Spotify assures us that most will gain access within the next month. This official announcement also puts an end to the recent whispers and hints, including references to the feature found in Spotify’s desktop app code earlier this year.