Apple Music offers lossless audio at no additional cost to subscribers, using Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) to preserve the original audio data. Apple Music offers two levels of lossless audio: Lossless, up to 24-bit/48 kHz, and Hi-Res Lossless, up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Support is available across Apple's major devices, as well as Android and Windows PCs.
Here's what you need to know about Apple Music Lossless, including supported devices, headphones, connection requirements, and more.
What is Lossless Audio?
In 2021, Apple upgraded its entire streaming music catalog to lossless audio using the ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) format. ALAC is a lossless compression format that lets Apple make smaller file sizes without impacting the integrity of the original audio recording.
Lossless means that after compression and then decompression, the audio that you're hearing is identical to the audio as it was recorded by the artist, preserving the texture, detail, and sound that went into the music when it was created.
With lossless audio, Apple Music subscribers can listen to songs exactly as the artists recorded them in the studio and intended them to be heard. Apple says its catalog is encoded using ALAC, with available resolutions ranging from 16-bit/44.1 kHz through 24-bit/192 kHz. The resolution available varies by song.
Lossless vs. Hi-Res Lossless
Apple Music offers two lossless quality levels:
- Lossless: Up to 24-bit/48 kHz
- Hi-Res Lossless: Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
Lossless includes CD-quality 16-bit/44.1 kHz audio as well as higher-resolution recordings up to 24-bit/48 kHz. Hi-Res Lossless includes resolutions above 48 kHz and goes as high as 24-bit/192 kHz. Playing Hi-Res Lossless above 48 kHz may require an external digital-to-analog converter (DAC), depending on the device and connection.
Also note that Hi-Res Lossless is not compatible with Apple's Automix and Crossfade features that blend tracks together as they transition from one to the next. Those are features are supported on regular Lossless and other audio quality settings.
Lossless Device Support
According to Apple, lossless audio on Apple Music can be listened to on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro, as well as through the Apple Music apps for Android and Windows. Lossless audio can typically be turned on using an "Audio Quality" option in the settings for each app across the various platforms. Some platforms may also allow you to select separate quality levels for downloads and streaming.
Headphone support will be the limiting factor for most users, as a conventional Bluetooth AAC connection cannot support lossless Apple Music. As a result, most AirPods and Beats headphones will not be able to deliver lossless Apple Music.
There are a couple of exceptions, however, and that includes the USB-C AirPods Max and the AirPods Max 2, which can support lossless audio when using a wired connection over USB-C. Certain AirPods and Beats models can also support lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro, including AirPods 4 and 5, AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case, AirPods Pro 3, and Powerbeats Pro 2.
Many wired headphones support lossless audio, although as mentioned above an external DAC may be required for Hi-Res Lossless.
Lossless Audio Songs
At launch, 20 million songs supported lossless quality, with Apple expanding it to the entire Apple Music catalog of over 100 million songs over time. Select content such as Apple Music radio stations and music videos are not available in lossless quality.
Can You Even Hear Lossless Audio?
Lossless audio preserves all of the original audio data, but that doesn't mean every listener will hear an obvious difference.
Audibility depends on the recording and mastering, playback equipment, listening environment, and listener. For many people, the difference between high-quality AAC and lossless audio can be difficult to identify in normal listening. Lossless audio is designed for audiophiles and many people will not miss lossless quality when listening over their Bluetooth headphones.
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
In addition to lossless audio, Apple Music also supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. With this feature, artists are able to record multi-dimensional audio that will make it sound like the music is coming from all around you.
Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio are distinct concepts, with Lossless Audio describing how music is compressed and delivered while Spatial Audio is an immersive audio format that changes how music is mixed and presented spatially. The two can coexist, with a song being available in both a lossless stereo version and a Spatial Audio version, for example. Lossless does not mean surround sound, and Dolby Atmos does not automatically mean lossless.
