What you need to know
- Some Spotify users have noticed a HiFi icon in the app.
- This has increased rumors that the company is ready to launch its lossless tier.
It looks like Spotify might try to launch its HiFi streaming quality tier before Apple Music can roll out its lossless feature in June.
As reported by MacRumors, at least one user has discovered the option in the Spotify app. When they tapped on the icon, it brought up a screen that said the music would stream in 16-bit, 44.1kHz.
Spotify hifi icon is a timely discovery, hints of Spotify's lossless HiFi audio streaming service have again been spotted this week by Reddit user themonarc, who shared their finding with the accompanying image above.According to the Reddit poster, a hidden HiFi menu was accessed in the Spotify app by "quickly tapping the glitched icon" that briefly appeared on the Now Playing screen upon launch.Doing so brought up a separate screen explaining that the HiFi option supports 16-bit 44.1kHz streaming over wired earphones. The selected track didn't play in Hi-Fi quality, however, indicating that the server-side functionality isn't yet finalized.
It's still unclear if Spotify plans to charge more for its HiFi streaming tier, a feat that just got more difficult since Apple just announced that it will be bringing lossless audio quality to Apple Music for no additional cost in June.
Apple today announced Apple Music is bringing industry-leading sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity. Apple Music subscribers will also be able to listen to more than 75 million songs in Lossless Audio — the way the artists created them in the studio. These new features will be available for Apple Music subscribers starting next month at no additional cost.
