Apple has announced that it will be bringing lossless audio to its entire catalogue of 75 million songs in Apple Music by the end of this year.
Around 20 million songs will be available in lossless audio when it launches next month with no extra cost for Apple Music subscribers. This is almost 6 years since its launch that Apple’s music streaming service offers lossless audio. Its main rival Spotify announced its Hi-Fi lossless audio service in Feb but has yet to confirm pricing.
Apple said its Apple Lossless Audio Codec will be used to preserve every single bit of the original audio file. In other words, Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear exactly what artists have created in the studio. And this is the format audiophiles want.
To turn on lossless audio, subscribers must be using the latest version of Apple Music and can go to Settings > Music > Audio Quality. Here, subscribers can find different resolutions for different connections such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or for download.
Apple Music’s lossless tier starts at CD quality, which is 16-bit at 44.1kHz and goes up to 24-bit at 48kHz. But there is also a Hi-Resolution lossless tier of 24-bit at 192kHz, which is ideal for audiophiles.
At the same time, Apple will be bringing spatial audio through Dolby Atmos to Apple Music next month. Again at no extra cost to subscribers.
Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio technology that allows listeners to experience multi-dimensional or surround sound.
By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip. It will also do so with the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad and Mac.
