After three years of promises and pivots, Spotify is finally turning on lossless audio. The HiFi upgrade is bundled into a new top-tier Premium plan with 16-bit/44.1kHz streaming, upgraded personalization, and a certification badge for gear that can actually render the extra detail.
Spotify announced today that HiFi streaming is rolling out to Premium subscribers in select markets, starting with the United States, U.K., Canada, and Germany. The HiFi plan adds CD-quality audio to the company's catalog of 100 million tracks, finally catching up to Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Tidal, all of which have offered lossless tiers for years. The upgrade also introduces a new "Ultra" subscription priced at $19.99 per month, $6 more than Spotify's standard individual Premium plan.
Spotify framed the launch as a response to persistent user demand and the growth of high-resolution wireless headphones. "Listeners have told us they want Spotify's discovery experience without sacrificing fidelity," said Gustav Söderström, co-president and chief product officer, during a streamed press briefing. "HiFi brings that to life with a seamless upgrade that works across mobile, desktop, and home audio." The company says the rollout will extend to 50 markets by the end of Q1 2026.
HiFi arrives with a new app experience
Subscribers who upgrade to the HiFi-enabled tier will see a new diamond badge in the Now Playing bar and an audio quality selector with five options ranging from "Automatic" to "Lossless." A new fidelity meter displays the quality of the current stream and whether the device path—Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or wired—can sustain 1,411 kbps playback. Spotify is also adding an info card that outlines the source quality for each track, including mastering notes when labels provide them.
On iOS and Android, lossless playback requires either a wired connection or support for the forthcoming Spotify Connect Plus protocol, which can stream 16-bit audio over Wi-Fi to compatible speakers and soundbars. Desktop apps receive a new exclusive mode that bypasses the OS mixer to reduce resampling artifacts, mimicking Tidal's implementation.
The company is keen to emphasize that discovery remains central. Daily Mix and Spotify DJ now include "HiFi picks" sections that highlight newly upgraded albums and engineer-curated playlists. Spotify says its personalization models have been retrained to account for the longer load times and larger file sizes of lossless tracks, pre-fetching segments to keep playback smooth even on spotty connections.
Pricing and bundles shift the Premium ladder
The Ultra tier costs $19.99 per month in the United States, with regional pricing adjusted by purchasing power. Family plans can add HiFi streaming for an additional $9.99, while Duo subscribers will pay $5 more. Spotify is also experimenting with annual billing at a 15% discount for HiFi to lock in long-term subscribers.
Existing Premium users won't be forced to upgrade. The standard $13.99 plan (up $1 from last year) continues to offer the same algorithmic playlists, audiobooks allotment, and 320 kbps streaming. However, Spotify is adding a seven-day HiFi trial to tempt undecided listeners. Student accounts can access lossless audio for $10.99, while eligible households in the U.S. can pair HiFi with the company's Car Thing hardware through a beta program launching later this year.
Industry analysts point out that the pricing keeps Spotify slightly below Apple Music's $19.99 Lossless Family bundle but above Amazon's $9.99 High Definition tier. "Spotify is betting that users will pay a premium for its playlists and social features," said MIDiA Research's Mark Mulligan. "The company has to show that the discovery engine adds value even when everyone has similar catalogs."
Certified gear and partnerships aim to reduce friction
Alongside the software update, Spotify is introducing a "Spotify HiFi Certified" badge for audio equipment that passes latency, jitter, and bitrate tests. Launch partners include Sonos, Denon, Audio-Technica, and Samsung. Certified devices will automatically surface in the app's device picker with Lossless pre-selected, minimizing the troubleshooting users faced when attempting high-resolution playback via Bluetooth.
Spotify says it worked with Qualcomm and Sony to ensure that upcoming earbuds supporting the lossless-capable LC3plus and aptX Lossless codecs will integrate with the HiFi tier. For now, Bluetooth streams will top out at "Enhanced" quality (up to 576 kbps), but the company will open a beta for truly lossless wireless later this year as those chipsets reach consumer devices.
The company also negotiated new agreements with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group to share premium revenue when HiFi subscribers stream catalog tracks. Independents can opt into the program through Spotify for Artists, with a higher payout rate for albums supplied in 24-bit masters even though the service currently limits playback to 16-bit.
What happens to Supremium and the audiobooks bundle?
Spotify once teased an expanded bundle nicknamed "Supremium" that combined HiFi with extra playlist tools, audiobooks, and podcast exclusives. Today's launch cherry-picks some of those features without the all-you-can-read audiobook model that Spotify debuted in 2023. The company says audiobook listening will continue to be metered at 15 hours per month for standard Premium and 20 hours for Ultra, but lossless tracks do not count toward that cap.
Podcast creators will see a new analytics dashboard showing how many listeners have HiFi enabled, which Spotify claims will help networks decide when to mix episodes in higher bitrate AAC. The streaming giant is also rolling out "Golden Ear" badges in Community profiles for users who log at least 100 hours of lossless listening in a quarter, mirroring Xbox-style achievements meant to drive retention.
Competition, accessibility, and the road ahead
While lossless audio improves fidelity, it also raises accessibility questions. Spotify says it has optimized compression for screen readers and will include transcripts for its HiFi explainer videos. The company is expanding partnership with the National Association for the Deaf to ensure the new visualization features remain usable for hearing-impaired listeners.
Apple and Amazon both include lossless audio in their standard plans, so Spotify must lean on exclusive content and social listening to justify its premium. The company plans to host live "Studio Sessions" events where artists walk fans through mastering choices, available on demand in the HiFi hub. Spotify is also expanding Blend playlists to support four friends streaming lossless tracks simultaneously with synchronized lyrics, banking on the idea that sharing better-sounding music will keep groups engaged.
Analysts believe the HiFi launch will spur hardware upgrades. Futuresource Consulting expects sales of DAC-equipped USB-C dongles to spike 25% year-over-year as Android and iPhone users look for affordable ways to unlock the feature. Meanwhile, retailers like Best Buy and Richer Sounds are preparing in-store demos that pair Spotify Connect Plus with midrange bookshelf speakers, positioning the service as an accessible entry point to audiophile culture.
Spotify is already planning the next step: a 24-bit/96 kHz tier for studio catalogs, potentially launched in partnership with major labels that want to upsell deluxe editions. Söderström hinted that hi-res support would follow "once we can guarantee playback quality across the device ecosystem." That suggests Spotify is waiting for Bluetooth LE Audio adoption to mature before pushing beyond CD quality.
How to upgrade and what to check first
Premium subscribers can upgrade through the account portal today. The company recommends running through a five-step checklist to ensure HiFi performs as expected:
- Update the app. Make sure your Spotify mobile or desktop app is version 9.4 or later.
- Check your output path. Use wired headphones or a Spotify Connect Plus device for true lossless playback.
- Adjust audio quality settings. Set Streaming and Download to "Lossless" in the Audio Quality menu.
- Test multiple tracks. Spotify's curated "HiFi Starter" playlist mixes genres mastered for 16-bit delivery.
- Monitor data usage. Lossless tracks consume up to 12 times more data than "Automatic" mode, so adjust downloads if you're on a capped plan.
Spotify says it will monitor server load and listener feedback over the next few weeks before expanding the rollout. If the launch avoids the technical hiccups that plagued the 2021 Car Thing beta, the company may finally quell the meme that HiFi was vaporware. For millions of users who have grown accustomed to compressed streams, the upgrade promises a richer, more spacious sound—provided their headphones and data plans can keep up.
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