Setting a New Standard: Apple Music's Lossless Audio Reshapes Music Streaming

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In a groundbreaking move in 2021, Apple Music underwent a significant upgrade by introducing lossless audio , allowing users to immerse themselves in music in its purest form. This revolutionary feature presents songs in their original state, capturing every nuance and detail exactly as the producers intended.


Unlike conventional audio compression methods that inevitably sacrifice some data from the source file, lossless audio preserves the entirety of the analog wave, ensuring uncompromised sound quality. This stands in stark contrast to the heavily compressed music files commonly encountered in today's streaming services, where audio quality may be notably diminished.

For those seeking the pinnacle of audio fidelity, Apple Music's Lossless audio emerges as the ultimate solution. Powered by the proprietary Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC), this seamless compression technology maintains the integrity of the music library, offering resolutions ranging from CD-quality 16-bit/44.1 kHz to high-resolution 24-bit/192 kHz.


iPhone users are advised to utilise Wi-Fi networks when downloading lossless audio from Apple Music, as these files consume more data compared to standard formats. Compatibility with Apple AirPods, AirPods Pro , and AirPods Max ensures an immersive listening experience, while Beats wireless headphones leverage the Apple AAC Bluetooth Codec to deliver superior audio quality. To further enhance performance, pairing AirPods Pro with Apple Vision Pro enables ultra-low latency.

Empowering users with customisable audio quality settings, iPhone users can tailor their streaming and download preferences for cellular data and Wi-Fi connections. Enabling lossless audio is straightforward:


  • Open the "Settings" app and navigate to "Music."
  • Under "Audio Quality," toggle the "Lossless Audio" option to activate or deactivate it.
  • Choose your preferred audio quality for streaming and downloading from Apple Music.
  • Opt for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz for lossless music, or 24-bit/192 kHz for Hi-Res Lossless.
  • For previously downloaded songs in standard quality, delete them before re-downloading in lossless format from Apple Music.

With lossless audio, Apple Music sets a new standard for audio quality, delivering an unparallelled listening experience that allows music enthusiasts to rediscover their favourite tracks with newfound clarity and depth.