[Update: Sept. 22] Spotify HiFi hopefuls growing frustrated now that the promised "later this year" release window is almost over

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on December 08, 2021) follows:

Earlier this year in February, the popular audio streaming service Spotify announced that they would bring Spotify HiFi in the coming months. They said that the feature would roll out sometime in 2021 to premium subscribers in select markets.

Spotify HiFi will enable subscribers to listen to their favorite songs in CD quality and lossless format and enhance the overall user experience.

But months have passed by and there is no update from the company concerning Spotify HiFi. Premium subscribers are now growing restless and wondering if the feature will be available before the end of the year.

Moreover, Apple has already jumped on the bandwagon back in June and joined the likes of Deezer, Amazon, and Tidal who already offer lossless audio.

What is going on with this feature/service offering? I just got a nice pair of Sennheisers that I hope to pair with some high quality audio. Problem is, I don’t want to switch to another service and can’t find any information about Spotify HiFi. Anybody have any insights or care to speculate?
(Source)

Like, its been how long since the announcement for Spotify HiFi and even now approaching ‘holiday season’, there still seems to be no sign on the horizon of a release date.I left Spotify at the start of the year in search of higher quality music, and after dabbling with Tidal for a while I moved onto Amazon Music due to Tidals high price, and to be honest, Amazon has much better quality tracks and is cheaper, but my god its dreadful to use.

The PC app UI, and for some part the mobile UI, is just awful and unintuitive, and the recommendations and auto-genenerated playlists are just…abysmal, and it makes me miss Spotify too much, which is super frustrating that their long announced upgrade into the modern day of music streaming hasn’t even battered an eyelid. Seriously Spotify, when will you take my money? Just release HiFi already or at least throw out an update. Please, I miss you.

(Source)

This has left users wondering if Spotify forgot about the feature altogether or if the feature is still under development.

There is a small chance that Spotify might make Spotify HiFi available as a Christmas gift. Whatever the case might be, we hope the streaming service breaks its long silence and gives subscribers an update on how long it will take for Spotify HiFi to come out.

That being said, we will be keeping a keen eye on the topic and update this article as and when required. In the meantime, make sure to share your thoughts on the matter in the comment section below.

IST 10:51 am: One of the frustrated users has since gotten in touch with Spotify on the lossless quality issue and clearly, they don’t have any meaningful news to share.

IST 06:16 pm: In response to the user’s queries over the Spotify Hi-Fi, the company said that currently, they don’t have any timing details to share as to when it will arrive. More on that here.

IST 10:51 am: Spotify HiFi streaming could finally be launching but not as many speculated earlier. It could be part of the new $20 ‘Platinum’ tier with other extra benefits. More on that here.

01:08 pm (IST): Spotify’s co-president has confirmed that the HiFi feature is still coming. However, he didn’t tell exactly when it will be available. More on that here.

04:18 pm (IST): There has been an interesting development in this story, indicating that Spotify HiFi has been ready to go for more than a year and is accessible to employees.

However, the availability of the service has been impacted by the actions of Apple and Amazon, eliminating the financial incentive and prompting Spotify to reassess its plans.

11:51 am (IST): Spotify is planning to launch new Premium Tier subscription plan which is expected to include HiFi audio feature. More on that here.

02:42 pm (IST): The new Spotify plan reportedly called ‘Supremium’ now include 24-bit Lossless (Hi-Fi) music. However, they didn’t refer to this feature as HiFi.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Spotify Section so be sure to follow them as well.

Featured image source: Spotify Newsroom

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