Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
Music lovers and audiophiles have been waiting—impatiently and somewhat skeptically—for Spotify to deliver its long-promised lossless streaming service. Since it was first teased in early 2021, the idea of high-fidelity, CD-quality audio on the world’s most popular streaming platform has remained just that—an idea. Promises were made, deadlines missed, and competitors surged ahead, leaving many wondering if Spotify HiFi would ever become reality.
Now, after more than four years of silence, it seems the gears are finally turning. Recent discoveries by developers and reports from industry insiders suggest that Spotify HiFi, or some rebranded version of it, could finally be nearing launch.
Let’s break down what we know, what it means for listeners, and why this moment is so pivotal for Spotify’s future.
The latest buzz comes from a popular community tool known as Spicetify—a command-line utility that allows power users to customize their Spotify experience. The developers behind Spicetify recently found buried references to “lossless” audio in the newest version of the Spotify app. These weren’t just placeholders or developer notes; they were embedded in actual user interface components and feature toggles.
In screenshots shared online, “lossless” appears under the streaming quality options in the app settings and even as a playback method for connected devices, indicating compatibility with Spotify Connect. Even more revealing is the presence of lossless audio code in the Spotify web player, which would make it accessible without downloading a dedicated app.
These findings suggest that Spotify is actively preparing the infrastructure and user interface for lossless audio streaming across platforms—a strong indicator that an official release is in the works.
While it’s important to note that the lossless feature is not yet available to users, the signs are stronger than ever before. For years, Spotify has maintained that the feature is “coming soon,” a phrase that has lost much of its meaning. But now, with these backend updates and consistent signals from both developers and journalists, the anticipation is starting to feel justified.
These aren’t random rumors. They’re concrete technical changes, suggesting that Spotify is no longer just talking about lossless streaming—it’s actively building it.
Spotify originally announced its HiFi service back in February 2021, generating a wave of excitement across the audio community. The plan was simple: roll out a premium subscription tier offering CD-quality, lossless audio to compete with emerging high-fidelity offerings from other streaming services.
The company even committed to launching the service that same year. However, the entire year passed—then another, and another—with no HiFi tier in sight. Spotify offered vague explanations at best. In one instance, CEO Daniel Ek mentioned that the delay was due to “licensing issues” and efforts to “differentiate” their product.
By 2023, many had assumed that the project had been quietly shelved.
But in early 2024, Spotify shifted gears again. Ek spoke publicly about working on a “deluxe tier” of Spotify, and in February 2024, Bloomberg reported that a new premium option, possibly named “Music Pro”, was in development. According to the report, this upgraded tier would include high-quality audio and potentially other advanced tools—likely with a $5.99 monthly price increase.
If you’re wondering whether this all matters, the answer depends on how you listen to music.
Lossless audio is a type of high-fidelity audio that preserves the full dynamic range and depth of sound found in the original recording. Unlike compressed formats like MP3 or Spotify’s current Ogg Vorbis streams, lossless audio captures every detail—from soft vocal inflections to subtle background instruments—with zero degradation.
For everyday listeners using basic Bluetooth headphones, the difference might be marginal. But for audiophiles, sound engineers, musicians, and anyone using high-end wired headphones or studio monitors, the jump in quality can be dramatic. It’s not just louder or clearer—it’s more immersive and emotionally engaging.
One of the key criticisms Spotify has faced is that it has fallen behind the competition in the quality department. Apple Music began offering lossless and even Hi-Res Lossless audio to its subscribers for free in 2021. Amazon Music HD made a similar move, baking lossless into its standard plan.
Tidal, which once had the niche market for audiophiles to itself, has also revamped its pricing and accessibility. In this context, Spotify’s lack of lossless audio has increasingly felt like a glaring omission.
And if Spotify’s rumored $5.99/month upcharge for lossless access is accurate, it will need to offer much more than just better audio quality to justify the price.
