Let’s rewind the clock to early 2021 when Spotify announced its new HiFi tier, promising lossless CD-quality audio on its music streaming platform. It was planned to come out sometime later that year, but even after four long years, Spotify HiFi is nowhere to be seen. At this point, I feel it might be one of those things that won’t release before GTA 6.
The Feature That Refuses to Show Up
Spotify announced the HiFi tier four years back, and since then, there have been numerous leaks, snippets, and code references indicating its launch. In 2023, for instance, the app’s code suggested that the company might introduce a new tier called Spotify Supremium. It would cost $19.99 and bring lossless audio. Then last year, we saw some screenshots of the HiFi tier, but it went nowhere.
In February of this year, we heard reports that Spotify might launch a Music Pro plan. The subscription would have bundled that sweet, sweet CD-quality audio, but it’s been four months since. And just recently, we got another leak from the folks at Spicetify sharing a screenshot of Lossless 24-bit/44.1 KHz (FLAC + Widevine) in the Spotify desktop app. But we know better by this point.
Spotify 1.2.66 mentions lossless in more parts of UI 👇#NewSpotify #SpotifyLossless #Spotify
— spicetify (@spicetifyapp) June 19, 2025
Lossless (pigeon) is mentioned in "Connect to the device" sidebar & under the artist in NPB (Now Playing Bar)
Lossless will be available up to 24-bit/44.1KHz (FLAC + Widevine).
Lossless… pic.twitter.com/QYbqg1ZKN3
It feels like an eternity since the original announcement. Yet there are no clear signs of HiFi ever coming out. For us audiophiles who have been desperately waiting for high-quality audio on Spotify, this feature has become sort of an urban legend, as elusive as the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot.
Why Spotify HiFi Never Stood a Chance
Here’s the big question: If Spotify was set to launch HiFi back in 2021, then what’s been stopping them all these years? The streaming giant was prepared to take on rivals at the time. Like Amazon Prime Music and Tidal, which were offering the same privilege at a higher price. So what changed?
I think the problem could be Apple Music, which swooped in last minute and spoiled Spotify’s HiFi dreams. The Cupertino giant introduced Spatial and Hi-Res lossless audio at 24-bit/ 192 kHz the same year, at no additional cost. This even prompted Amazon and Tidal to lower their prices to match Apple’s pricing.
Spotify might be planning to release HiFi at an additional cost, but since the competition was offering the same benefits for less, there was no point in continuing with the HiFi tier. The service could have decided to add additional benefits other than improved audio to upcharge users. And have yet to find the right blend of features to attract users to buy the more premium subscription.
Some of you guys might argue that the lossless audio isn’t ready yet, and Spotify is taking its sweet time before launching the feature. This could be true, given Spotify’s ongoing issue with music rights. But we have seen enough glimpses and code references to argue otherwise.
At This Point, I’ve Moved On (And You Should Too!)
If there’s any better time for the music streaming giant to come out with Hi-Res lossless streaming, then it has to be this year. Especially, given that they have resolved their music rights issues, as The Verge reports.
But honestly, I have given up hope at this point. It is the third time in four years that we are writing about the missing mystery of Spotify HiFi, and I don’t plan on repeating the same next year. Instead, I have bought an Apple Music subscription alongside the Spotify Premium. And I am happy with the setup.
Spotify could conjure a perfect pack of features and come out with lossless audio later down the line, and I would get that in an instant. But, I am not willing to wait another four years to beta test Spotify HiFi. Maybe, the real Spotify HiFi were the friends (Apple Music) we made along the way.
