Spotify's Hi-Fi Subscription Feature Potentially Leaked on Desktop App

Spotify is currently testing the much-anticipated Hi-Fi subscription feature on its desktop app, as indicated by screenshots shared by a Redditor. These screenshots reveal that the lossless audio function in testing supports a maximum bitrate of 2117kb/s.

A Reddit user shared some screenshots of Spotify's hi-fi feature, as discovered by The Verge. The 'lossless' option can be found under 'stream quality' in version 1.2.36 of the desktop app. According to the user, while the feature can be activated in the debug menu through a line of code, playing lossless audio is not yet possible.

The hi-fi audio function is shown to support a maximum bit rate of 2117kb/s, resulting in a data consumption of 15.9MB per minute. It is noted that the feature will offer 24bit/44.1kHz audio in FLAC format for a "limited number of songs." Currently, Spotify's maximum bitrate is 320kb/s, consuming 2MB per minute. Users can use the screenshots to check if their device connection type and internet bandwidth are compatible with lossless audio. Spotify advises using the feature with Spotify Connect speakers or a wired connection, as Bluetooth may not fully support lossless audio.

While Spotify has been promising a hi-fi subscription since 2021, the option has yet to materialize. Meanwhile, other music services have already introduced higher sound quality options in their subscriptions. Last year, Bloomberg reported that the high-quality audio subscription would be launched under the name Supremium. Recent findings in the code of the Android version of Spotify indicate that the name Supremium has been replaced with 'Music Pro'.