Spotify has started rolling out lossless audio streaming for its Premium subscribers. With this update, users can now listen to music in CD-quality using the FLAC format, which offers far greater detail and clarity than the compressed audio Spotify has traditionally used. Importantly, the feature is included at no additional charge, and it is being introduced gradually across more than 50 countries throughout September and October.
The launch of lossless audio is a major milestone for the music streaming giant, which first teased the feature back in 2017 and formally announced it under the ‘HiFi’ label in 2021. However, repeated delays left many subscribers doubtful that it would ever appear. But now, after almost eight years, the company has confirmed that Premium users can finally enjoy higher-quality sound as part of their existing plan. This move also brings Spotify into line with competitors like ‘Apple Music’ and ‘Amazon Music’, which already provide lossless listening without requiring customers to pay more.
Spotify’s lossless streams are offered at 24-bit / 44.1 kHz in FLAC format. This is considered CD-quality and is a noticeable improvement over standard streaming, particularly for listeners using high-quality equipment. At launch, the feature is supported on a range of devices from brands like Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser. The company has also assured that support for Sonos and Amazon devices will be added soon.
Meanwhile, to enable the feature, Premium users need to adjust their settings. Within the Spotify app, they can go to ‘Settings & Privacy’ and select ‘Media Quality’, where the option to turn on lossless audio is available for Wi-Fi streaming, mobile data, and downloads. When enabled, a ‘Lossless’ badge will appear in the Now Playing bar and on connected devices to confirm that the higher-quality stream is active.
Notably, lossless music files are much larger. Therefore, the company recommends streaming them over Wi-Fi instead of mobile data. The company also advises listeners to use wired headphones, external speakers, or Spotify Connect-compatible devices for the best results. While Bluetooth headphones can still be used, the wireless format compresses audio during transmission, which prevents listeners from hearing the full quality of lossless playback.
The latest development comes as last month Spotify rolled out an in-app messaging feature to let users share music and podcasts more directly, while also announcing a Premium price hike outside the US that will raise the Individual plan to €11.99 per month starting September 2025.
However, despite these advancements and the price hike, the company continues to face financial challenges. Its monthly active users grew by 11% and paid subscribers increased by 12% year-over-year, but overall revenue increased by only 10%, missing expectations. In Q2 2025, the company reported a net loss due to high payroll taxes and increased finance costs, which also contributed to a drop in its market value. At the same time, the firm’s advertising revenue remains low, making up just 11% of total revenue, well below its target of 20%.
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