Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR Spotify’s long-promised HiFi lossless audio tier is likely nearing release, as suggested by new asset file leaks.
The upcoming tier will likely offer music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC files, consuming up to 1 GB of data per hour.
This feature may be part of a “Music Pro” tier, potentially costing an extra $5.99 monthly on top of your current subscription.
Spotify announced its “HiFi” lossless tier back in February 2021, but as you may already know, it’s still not here. Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of leaks about the feature, indicating the company hasn’t just abandoned its plans. More recently, Spotify’s CEO did mention that the Spotify Super Premium plan would offer “better sound quality,” once more indicating that it’s not dead yet. New asset files have now leaked, suggesting that Spotify’s “HiFi” lossless tier is still in the works, possibly nearing launch.
Reverse engineer Chris Messina spotted these strings within Spotify, which indicate that its Lossless tier is coming soon: Lossless music, now in premium
Introducing the best sound quality on Spotify: for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. Reddit user Ok_Improvement5956 spotted several graphics within the latest PC update of Spotify that give us more hope than they should after four years of excruciating wait:
There are mentions of “Lossless” across tracks that are served at the higher quality tier.
Further, the Lossless tier will consume up to 1GB of data per hour of playback to serve FLAC files at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. The Reddit user mentioned in another comment that Dolby Atmos is not on board.
From the graphics, we learn that you will need “compatible headphones” to experience the lossless tier. The header for the tier also mentions “wired connection,” which shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone.
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