After years of anticipation, Spotify has officially launched HiFi lossless audio for Premium subscribers in select markets. Announced in 2021 but delayed multiple times, the rollout is now live in the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and more than 10 other countries, with global expansion to 50+ regions planned through October 2025.
What Is Spotify HiFi and How Does It Work?
Spotify HiFi allows users to stream music in FLAC format up to 24-bit/44.1kHz, delivering CD-quality playback. This is a major upgrade from Spotify’s previous maximum of 320kbps Ogg Vorbis files. Lossless audio preserves the original recording without compression, offering more clarity, detail, and dynamic range for listeners with quality headphones or speakers.
To enable HiFi, Premium users can head to Settings → Media Quality, where “Lossless” now appears alongside Low, Normal, High, and Very High options. Spotify also displays data usage per setting, since FLAC consumes significantly more bandwidth. The feature works across mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, as well as supported third-party devices like Sony, Bose, Yamaha, and Sennheiser systems.
How Spotify Compares to Apple Music and Tidal
While the launch is exciting, Spotify is still playing catch-up with competitors. Tidal has offered HiFi since 2015, Amazon Music introduced HD audio in 2019, and Apple Music stunned the industry in 2021 by including lossless and spatial audio at no extra cost.
Currently, Spotify HiFi caps at 24-bit/44.1kHz, whereas Apple and Tidal provide high-resolution up to 24-bit/192kHz, plus immersive formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio. Spotify also does not support spatial audio—for now. Many analysts suspect the company may reserve higher-quality tiers for future pricing models.
Why the 2025 Launch Matters
Despite being late, the HiFi rollout marks a turning point for Spotify, which has long been criticized for lagging in sound quality. Millions of Premium subscribers will now enjoy nearly every track in lossless format—something audiophiles and casual listeners alike have requested for years.
As Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify’s VP of Subscriptions, put it:
“We’ve built this feature with clarity and ease of use in mind, so Premium users can enjoy an even better listening experience.”
While it may not yet match Apple or Tidal’s offerings, Spotify HiFi finally closes a major gap in the world’s most popular music streaming platform. For those who have been waiting since 2021, the message is clear: the wait is over.