Spotify Lossless Audio: All You Should Know before Turning it on.

Last updated on November 24th, 2025 at 02:52 pm

Look, I get it. You have noticed Lossless Audio appearing in your Spotify settings and have wondered, Is this really worth having turned out? This is the question that I had when Spotify finally implemented this in September 2025- four years after they had initially promised.

This is what I discovered after putting it to the test.

What Spotify Lossless really Means.

Spotify functions under Lossless audio streaming, which flows music in the 24-bit/44.1 FLAC file. That is pretty much the CD-quality sound. Your music is now on the regular 320 kbps (which actually is the more listenable version) all the way to the full lossless where nothing is crowded in or shoved out.

The difference? Imagine that you are watching a 480p video on YouTube and a 1080p video on YouTube. You are not getting the version of what is going on rather getting the watered down version.

Also, you do not need to pay out of the pocket given that you are already a Spotify Premium. It’s included. None of the surprise fees or level upgrades.

The Catch Nobody Talks About

Here’s where things get real. My phone has a lossless option that I had turned on as I was getting to work and by lunch, I was almost through 2GB of data. Lossless consumes approximately 1GB/hour against about 144MB with the “Very High” mode.

This will destroy your month in case you are on a low-data plan.

The other thing? The Bluetooth is a killer of lossless quality. I have tried it on my AirPods, the Bluetooth system of my car, and my expensive, lovely wireless earbuds. Does not matter- Bluetooth is not capable of the bandwidth. It automatically reduces your sound to compressed sound.

Then when you are using wireless anything you are not getting lossless. You must use either wired headphones or speaker with Spotify connection.

Who Should Actually Turn This On?

I do not mean that lossless is a hoax. But it’s not for everyone.

Turn it on if:

• You listen at home using Wi-Fi wired headphones that are decent.
• You are concerned with overhearing subtleties in the classical, jazz or acoustic music.
• You are a musician who looks into the sound of your mixes on Spotify.

Skip it if:

• Mostly on your way to work, you stream wirelessly using earbuds.
• You have got rudimentary earbuds (they will not show the difference) that cost 20 dollars.
• You’ve got a tight data plan

I maintained lossless at home but had it back to Very High when I was on the move. That would not waste my data limit since I would receive the boost of quality when it is necessary.

How to Set It Up Right

And now that you are willing to give it a go, the easy set up:

Click the Open Spotify, and in your profile, select Settings and Privacy, and in the Media Quality section. There will be separate Wi-Fi, Cellular and Downloads options.

My recommendation? Turn off everything but Lossless in set Wi-Fi, everything but Very High in Cellular and only download any lossless tracks when spare storage exists. Both fresh songs consume 36-50MB as compared to standard 5-10MB.

Another reason – make sure you are on either the desktop or the mobile app. The web player does not support the lossless at all.

The Bottom Line

Having spent few weeks with Spotify Lossless, this is my personal opinion: the upgrade is nice provided that you have the appropriate setup. At the same time I am sitting at home with my wired headphones on listening to say one of the live jazz records, I can tell the difference. The separation of the instruments is more evident, the vocals become more apparent.

However when commuting with Bluetooth earbuds every day? Zero difference. And the data consumption is impractical to the mobile streaming either.

Turn it on for home listening. Keep it off when you’re out. That’s the sweet spot.

FAQs

Q: Do I need expensive headphones to hear the difference?

It is about quality, not necessarily. It does not require a cheap earbuds costing 500 dollars but at the same time, gas station earbuds will never work either. A lossless will actually be enjoyable by you, something in the hundred to two hundred unit of the world such as Sennheiser HD 599s. You need to give yourself–they must be wired.

Q: Why doesn’t lossless work with my Bluetooth headphones?

Lossless audio can not be physically transmitted using Bluetooth. Everything is compressed by the wireless protocol so as to fit in the bandwidth constraints. Even costly Bluetooth headphones, such as aptX HD, can not achieve any form of a lossless signal.

Your headphones have nothing to do with it: it is a limitation of the technology.

Q: How much data does lossless actually use per song?

A standard 3-4 minute song occupies approximately 40-50MB lossless compression space compared to 5-10 MB “Very High” quality space. An entire album? Around 400-500MB. With a 10GB data plan per month, you can stream lossless an approximate of 10 hours before exhausting your plan.

Unless you are willing to pay a huge phone bill, Wi-Fi streaming is basically necessary.

Read:

How to See Your Stats on Spotify: Free vs Premium Options That Actually Matter