Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

How to improve the audio quality on your iPhone

read original get Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter → more articles
Why This Matters

This piece offers practical guidance for iPhone users on maximizing audio fidelity through built-in streaming app settings, a topic of growing consumer interest as more people use wireless earbuds and premium subscriptions. It matters because many users are unaware that default settings often prioritize data savings over sound quality, leaving noticeable performance on the table.

Key Takeaways
Worth a Look

Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter — Since the article notes that Lossless audio quality only matters with wired headphones, this adapter lets you plug high-fidelity wired headphones into your iPhone. It's a simple, affordable way to actually take advantage of those higher streaming quality settings you just enabled in Apple Music or Spotify.

See Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.

Major streaming apps have settings that adjust the audio quality delivered to your device. For Apple Music, go to Settings > Apps > Music, then tap Audio Quality and choose your settings for mobile data, Wi-Fi and downloads. High Quality is the best balance of data and sound; as we discuss below, Lossless is only worthwhile if you have high-quality wired headphones.

Spotify offers the same setting under your profile picture at Settings and privacy > Media quality. Free users can only select from Low, Normal and High, while Premium subscribers can also choose Very high or Lossless. For Wi-Fi streaming, Very High is good for most cases.

After enabled high-quality streaming, take a look at your equalization (EQ) settings, which let you boost or reduce certain frequencies. For Apple Music, you'll find these under the same Settings > Apps > Music menu. Select EQ, then pick from the list of music types depending on what sounds best. Unfortunately, you can't create a custom EQ in Apple Music. Meanwhile, the Sound Check feature normalizes the volume level across all tracks. People are mixed on this; some claim it reduces audio quality, while others appreciate not having to adjust the volume regularly. Give it a try both on and off to see what you prefer.

For Spotify, you'll find these options by tapping your profile icon, choosing Settings and privacy and selecting Playback. Tap Equalizer to enable it, then choose a preset or drag the dots for each frequency to fine-tune the sound to your liking. The Volume normalization slider is at the bottom of this page; if you use it, don't choose Loud for best quality.