What you need to know
- Spotify has confirmed that it doesn't have "timing details" for the rollout of its HiFi tier.
- The lossless streaming feature was formally introduced early last year.
- Spotify promised that the HiFi tier would be available in 2021, but it is now behind schedule.
After announcing the service early last year, Spotify has remained silent about the rollout of its much-anticipated HiFi tier for the rest of 2021. It promised to release the lossless tier later that year, but we're now a few weeks into 2022 and there's still no sign of Spotify HiFi.
In a community forum post, the service finally admitted that the feature has been postponed indefinitely. A company representative confirmed that there is currently no timeline for its release, which may disappoint those who have been anticipating its arrival.
"We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you. We feel the same, and we're excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don't have timing details to share yet," Spotify's representative said.
Spotify HiFi was first announced in February of last year, but it may have been available to a small number of users as part of an experiment a few years prior. Back in 2017, a small group of subscribers were prompted to upgrade to the lossless tier for an additional $5 to $10 per month on top of their existing premium subscription.
Spotify's latest admission should not completely deflate your hopes of one day being able to listen to lossless, CD-quality audio. When it is finally released, the HiFi tier will face stiff competition from some of the best music streaming services, such as Tidal. Tidal's HiFi tier costs $10 per month and includes access to curated playlists and unlimited skips.
Spotify's HiFi tier, on the other hand, will require premium subscribers to upgrade their plan in order to access high-quality streams. This entails paying an additional fee on top of their current subscription, though the price is currently unknown.
