What Is Lossless Listening on Spotify? How to Use the Premium Audio Upgrade Feature

Ever stream your favorite track and feel like something was missing? Spotify thinks it has the answer. After years of speculation, the platform is finally giving Premium subscribers a new feature called lossless listening.

But what does that actually mean for your playlists?

The short answer: Spotify is letting premium users stream in higher-quality audio than ever before. The longer answer? It depends on how you listen and whether your gear is ready for it.

Spotify announced in September 2025 that premium users can now stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, the highest audio quality the service has ever offered. That’s the same resolution as CD-quality audio, delivering more detail than the previous “Very High” setting.

“We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood,” said Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP Subscriptions at Spotify.

When lossless is available in your account, you’ll see an in-app notification. From there, you can go into Settings & Privacy, choose Media Quality, and select “lossless” for Wi-Fi, cellular, or downloads.

Whenever it's active, a small “lossless” indicator will appear in the Now Playing bar or Spotify Connect menu.

At the time of release, Spotify says lossless works on mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, as well as on most devices that support Spotify Connect. That includes major brands like Sony, Bose, and Samsung. More devices will be added.

One small problem: Bluetooth can't transmit lossless audio, so Spotify recommends using wired headphones or speakers for the smoothest experience. Wi-Fi is also suggested for streaming, since lossless files are larger and can take longer to load.

At the time of release, lossless is not available everywhere. Spotify is rolling out gradually to more than 50 markets through October 2025. Premium users in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, and Sweden received immediate access.

If you don’t see the option yet, it may just be a matter of waiting for the feature to reach your region. Once you get the notification, you’ll need to enable lossless manually on each device you use.

For years, Spotify fans watched competitors like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal tout lossless audio as a standard feature. Spotify held back, promising it was in the works.

The feature arrives alongside other Premium tools like AI DJ, Jam, and custom playlists, showing how Spotify is trying to keep subscribers engaged. Lossless may not matter to every casual listener, but for those who appreciate detail in their music, it’s a long-awaited upgrade.

Lossless listening on Spotify is more than a tech buzzword. It’s a shift in how premium subscribers can experience their music: richer, fuller, and closer to the original recording. You’ll need the right setup to get the most out of it, but the promise is simple: every note, every lyric, and every detail exactly as it was meant to be heard.