Apple Music Adds Spatial Audio & Lossless Audio - New Playlists!

Apple Music Now Offers Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio

Apple announced last month its intention to integrate lossless audio streaming and Spatial Audio, featuring Dolby Atmos support, into its Apple Music subscription service at no additional cost. This upgrade is now live, as declared by Apple this morning, although many users observed the changes taking effect yesterday, immediately following the WWDC keynote.

The entire Apple Music library, encompassing over 75 million songs, will now support lossless audio.

Lossless Audio Specifications

The lossless audio quality begins at CD quality – 16 bit at 44.1 kHz – and extends up to 24 bit at 48 kHz, according to Apple’s prior statements. For dedicated audiophiles, a high-resolution lossless option is available, reaching up to 24 bit at 192 kHz.

To fully utilize the high-resolution lossless capabilities, an external USB digital-to-analog converter is required; connecting headphones directly to an iPhone will not suffice, Apple clarified.

Apple Music subscribers can activate the new lossless option within Settings > Music > Audio quality. This section allows users to select preferred resolutions for various connection types, including Wi-Fi, cellular data, and downloaded content.

iOS provides a warning upon selection in Settings, indicating that lossless files will consume “significantly more space” on your device. As an example, 10 GB of storage can accommodate approximately 3,000 songs at high quality, 1,000 songs in lossless format, or 200 songs with high-res lossless.

Spatial Audio Implementation

Spatial Audio is enabled by default on devices compatible with Dolby Atmos, such as Apple’s AirPods and Beats headphones equipped with an H1 or W1 chip. The latest iPhone, iPad, and Mac models also offer Dolby Atmos support.

Spatial Audio on Apple Music is also slated to become available on Android devices “coming soon,” as announced by Apple.

To celebrate the launch, Apple Music is introducing new playlists specifically curated to showcase Spatial Audio. These playlists include:

• Made for Spatial Audio
• Hits in Spatial Audio
• Rock in Spatial Audio
• Pop in Spatial Audio
• Hip-Hop in Spatial Audio
• Country in Spatial Audio
• Jazz in Spatial Audio
• Classical in Spatial Audio

A dedicated guide to Spatial Audio on Apple Music is also being added, designed to help listeners discern the differences in audio quality. This guide will feature tracks from artists such as Marvin Gaye and The Weeknd, among others.

Furthermore, Apple will host a roundtable discussion about Spatial Audio, featuring leading sound engineers and experts, led by Zane Lowe at 9 a.m. PT today on Apple Music.

Since songs require specific remastering for Dolby Atmos, these guides and playlists aim to provide music fans with an accessible experience of the new format without extensive searching. Apple confirms it is collaborating with artists and labels to expand the availability of new releases and catalog tracks in Spatial Audio.

To facilitate this expansion, Apple is undertaking several initiatives, including doubling the number of Dolby-enabled studios in key markets, offering educational programs, and providing resources for independent artists.

Apple also intends to integrate music-authoring tools directly into Logic Pro. An update to Logic Pro is planned for release later this year, enabling musicians to create and mix songs in Spatial Audio for Apple Music.