After years of speculation and multiple delays, the time has finally come: Spotify Premium now offers lossless music streaming. Users in Germany can already activate the new function, and the international rollout will follow in over 50 other regions in October. Spotify is thus catching up with the competition and providing access to music in a previously unused audio quality.
- Lossless streaming with up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz in FLAC format
- Already available in Germany, international rollout by October 2025
- Support on smartphones, tablets, PCs and Spotify Connect devices
- No additional costs for Premium subscribers
An overdue feature for audiophiles
Spotify announced the introduction of lossless back in 2021, but the step has only now been taken. While Apple Music has been using lossless audio quality since 2021 and Amazon Music even introduced this standard in 2019, Spotify kept its users waiting a long time. This makes the launch all the more remarkable: Premium subscribers get access to lossless in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz, which is equivalent to CD quality in FLAC.
The new option is available for almost the entire music catalog. Users can select the “Lossless” level in the settings under “Media quality”. Lossless can now be found there alongside the previous “Low”, “Normal”, “High” and “Very high” levels. As lossless streaming generates significantly more data – up to 1 GB per hour – different quality levels can be set individually for streaming via mobile data or Wi-Fi.
Lossless also on supported devices
Lossless playback is not only available in the app on smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs, but is also already compatible with Spotify Connect. Manufacturers such as Sony, Bose, Samsung and Sennheiser support the feature immediately; Sonos and Amazon are set to follow in October.
One important note, however, concerns the transmission method: classic Bluetooth does not offer enough bandwidth for Lossless. This means that users will have to rely on WLAN or cable connections for true lossless sound. For many users of high-quality hi-fi systems or wireless systems such as Wi-Fi speakers, however, this changes very little, as these methods are suitable for the best audio quality anyway.
No extra charge for lossless
While there has been speculation in the meantime that Spotify could charge a higher price for Lossless, this has not been confirmed: Lossless is included in the existing Premium subscription. However, Spotify had already noticeably increased the subscription prices beforehand, so that the introduction without additional costs can be at least partially relativized.
In a direct comparison with Apple Music or Amazon Music, Spotify is now on a par in terms of the sound offering, but remains the most-used streaming service with the largest market share. For users who have had to wait years for this feature, the introduction marks a real leap in quality.
Conclusion
With the introduction of lossless streaming, Spotify is finally taking a long-awaited step and offering music fans CD-level sound quality. The function is free for Premium subscribers, but requires the use of Wi-Fi or cable for an optimal listening experience. The rollout has already started in Germany, with other regions to follow in October. Spotify is thus closing the gap to the competition and strengthening its premium offering – an upgrade that many have been waiting years for.
