The Apple WWDC 2021 keynote had a lot to offer. From the upcoming iOS to introducing several new features, the event was jam-packed with exciting news. During the keynote, Apple introduced a new feature for audiophiles.
The company announced that they are releasing the recently teased Spatial audio features and an option for lossless quality streaming. All you need is the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or the macOS and the Apple Music app.
If you are already there, just launch the Apple Music app. The Cupertino-based company allows users to stream their favorite music in both the standard lossless/CD-quality audio and the high-resolution lossless. However, you will need an external DAC for the latter.
Even though Apple said that the feature would be available during WWDC, users said they had to wait a couple of hours before it was publicly made available. As a result, some users are reporting that they are still unable to use the feature. If you are one of those, worry not since it’s a server-side change and has nothing to do with your device. Just make sure that you update the Apple Music app to the latest version.
Keep in mind that streaming lossless audio files can exhaust your mobile data in a couple of hours. They also take considerably more storage space in case you want to download the songs. One thing to note here is that the standard AAC streaming option will be the default one unless you change it via settings. To do that modification, head over to the settings section of the Music app and change the audio quality to lossless.
The tech giant says that more than 20 million songs will be available in the lossless format during release. Compared to Apple’s catalog of 75 million songs, it amounts to almost one-fourth of the total collection. Apple said they would convert all songs to lossless by the end of the year.
Experiencing lossless music on Apple Music requires you to have a subscription to the service. It is neither purchasable, nor your existing library can be upgraded to the same. Currently, lossless audio is supported by the iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, and the iPhone. Lossless audio for HomePod and HomePod is still under work and will be supported via a future software update.
The Spatial Audio feature is now also available; however, the current database is smaller than the lossless ones. If you want to check out Spatial Audio, Apple has some specially curated playlists that will help you experience Dolby Atmos. According to the company, the spatial audio powered by Dolby Atmos offers “true multidimensional sound and clarity.” You can read more about lossless streaming on Apple Music here.
