Engadget Guide Details How Spotify Users Can Improve Audio Quality

On iPhone or Android, users can open the Spotify app, tap their profile picture at the top-left and choose Settings and privacy, then Media Quality. On desktop, they can click the three-dot button at the top-left, choose Edit > Preferences and scroll to the Audio quality section. Mobile users can set quality independently for Wi-Fi and Cellular, while desktop has only one selector. The web player does not allow quality changes, so the guide recommends using the desktop app for best results.

All Spotify users can choose from Low, Normal and High. Premium subscribers also have access to Very high and Lossless. Each option displays its bitrate and approximate data usage per hour. Automatic adjusts based on connection strength. For the best quality, the guide says users should disable the separate Auto-adjust toggle so Spotify does not modify quality while they listen.

Further down the settings page, a Download quality section offers the same options for offline files. If a user has already downloaded music and later changes the quality, tapping Download here re-downloads everything to match the new setting. The guide suggests that users with limited mobile data but ample phone storage download music at High or Very high quality, then shuffle downloaded Liked Songs to enjoy high-quality CarPlay audio while driving.

Lossless quality delivers CD-quality audio using compression that does not delete information, but the guide says a listening setup can make that quality irrelevant. Bluetooth cannot carry true lossless signals, so selecting Lossless while using earbuds or Bluetooth speakers serves no purpose. On a phone, wired headphones are needed to enjoy lossless music. The phone's built-in speakers can theoretically play lossless audio, but the guide says listeners will not be able to appreciate it that way. Any pair of USB-C earbuds can carry a lossless signal, though a more powerful DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, provides a better experience. Wired speakers connected to a computer support lossless audio, and Spotify also works on other devices that support high-definition sound. A Wi-Fi-enabled speaker that works with Spotify Connect should support lossless playback because Wi-Fi is not subject to the same bandwidth limitations as Bluetooth.

Other devices, such as a smart TV running the Spotify app, may have lossless quality available depending on the model. If those devices do not offer their own quality selector, the guide says users can start playing music on them and then open the app on a phone to control the other device through Spotify Connect. At the bottom-left of the Now Playing screen, users tap the name of the desired listening device, then tap it again at the top of the Connect list. This shows the current quality, and tapping Change quality settings allows adjustment. An LG C1 TV and a PS5, for example, can play 16-bit lossless Spotify audio through an eARC connection to a soundbar. They cannot play full 24-bit quality, but the guide says the difference is likely negligible in most cases.

The guide also cautions that even if a setup can transmit lossless audio, the rest of the hardware may prevent listeners from telling the difference. A $10 pair of earbuds lacks the audio fidelity to distinguish between a high-quality lossy stream and a lossless one, so quality headphones or in-ear monitors are needed. The environment matters as well. Although CarPlay and Android Auto can transmit lossless audio, stock car speakers and road noise make the difference difficult to appreciate.

Outside the direct quality settings, Spotify offers other options that can affect sound output. Under Settings, users can visit Playback > Equalizer to pick a preset or manually adjust frequencies. The guide says this can make a difference, but warns against applying multiple layers of EQ. A phone may have its own EQ settings, Spotify has its own, and speakers or headphones may add a third. In the same menu, the guide says users may want to disable Volume normalization, which establishes a baseline volume for all music.

Editor's Summary

The Engadget guide outlines how Spotify users can adjust streaming and download quality, with Lossless available to Premium subscribers but limited by Bluetooth and playback hardware. It also points to equalizer settings and volume normalization as additional controls that can affect sound. The practical takeaway is that software settings and listening equipment must both support higher quality for listeners to hear a difference.