Hearing ‘Spotify HiFi is on its way’ feels like a recurring April Fool’s prank. But maybe this time, it’s different.
Spotify has been hot and cold over its HiFi service for a while now. Though official announcements have been scarce, recent developments suggest that Spotify HiFi may soon become a reality.
Here are five signs that Spotify HiFi is finally coming:
1. Music Pro Spotted in the Android App Code
Spotify’s HiFi plans might be happening under a new name: “Music Pro.”
Hypixely, a computer science student and Reddit user, found mentions of “Music Pro” in the alpha version 8.9.32.328 of Spotify’s Android app code. This feature seems to replace the “Supremium” plan that people had heard about before.
According to his findings, Music Pro will offer 24-bit/44.1 kHz lossless music, AI-driven playlists, and 30 hours of audiobook listening each month. Additional features focus on playlist customization, allowing sorting by beats per minute or danceability, and include optimized headphone settings for specific models like AirPods.
What’s interesting is that Music Pro seems to be an add-on. Users can choose to add it to their current plan instead of it being a whole new subscription. We don’t know how much extra it will cost, but this shows Spotify is actively trying to bring high-quality audio to its app.
2. Lossless Download Capabilities
Spotify’s web player has also been a place where people have found interesting things about the upcoming HiFi feature.
Reddit user Sjoseph21 said he found many references to lossless audio in the web player’s developer tools. he also saw signs that downloading lossless music will be possible.
3. Dolby Atmos Icon on iPad
Redditor Spotify_Support reported seeing a Dolby Atmos icon on the app’s interface, sharing a screenshot of the icon on r/truespotify.
The icon appears selectively on tracks available in Dolby Atmos on other services. This suggests Spotify may be testing or gradually implementing new audio enhancements.
But the icon only showed up on the iPad, not on other devices. It’s also only visible in the full-screen player mode and does not appear on every song.
Some people in the comments thought the person who posted might be part of a small group trying out this new feature. But the user said he didn’t hear any better sound with their AirPods Pro 2. He also checked the volume slider in the iPad’s Control Center, and it didn’t show any audio improvements.
Even though there weren’t any clear changes, many users think seeing the Dolby Atmos logo means Spotify is working on a Hi-Fi plan again.
4. Lossless Audio Option in Spotify Connect
Chris Messina, also known as the hashtag inventor, spotted an update regarding Spotify’s streaming quality settings.
He discovered a ‘Lossless‘ option within the Spotify Connect menu, which allows for streaming at up to 1,441 kbps—a far cry from Spotify’s standard 320 kbps. Based on what he saw, Messina also said Spotify seems to be using the FLAC format for its lossless setting.
He said this may be a sign that Spotify has already begun rolling out Music Pro.
This feature hasn’t been given to all users yet. But it suggests Spotify is actively testing and getting ready to launch its HiFi offering.
5. Additional Evidence in App Version 8.9.32
More proof of Spotify’s upcoming lossless audio feature has been found in version 8.9.32 of the app.
Chris Messina saw different messages and descriptions about lossless audio, like:
- “Get ready for Lossless”
- “Lose yourself in Lossless”
- “Listen in Lossless, offline”
- “Your favorite music in 16-bit and 24-bit high-fidelity sound”
These messages give us an idea of how Spotify plans to present and market its HiFi feature.
Another thing the app points out is that users should look for the “Lossless” label. This lets them know when they are streaming in up to 16-bit or 24-bit quality.
Interestingly, it also says to “look for the sparkles to know when your headphone enhancements are at work.” This suggests that a sparkle icon might be used to indicate when Spotify HiFi is active.
Messina also spotted carousel messages related to “Lossless compatible” playback. These messages cover topics like how Bluetooth affects lossless listening, tips for saving data, and the best way to enjoy lossless audio offline.