FAQ Lossless Audio Apple Music
Starting this June, you can listen to Apple Music in Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio. Apple announced that from that moment on millions of songs in the higher sound quality can be listened to on a large number of devices. But you may still have questions about Apple Music and Lossless Audio. In this FAQ about Lossless Audio at Apple Music, we provide answers to frequently asked questions and share interesting details and discoveries with you.
- What is it?
- When?
- Price
- Which numbers?
- Requirements
- HomePod
- Setup
- How Much Data?
- Specs
- Difference Dolby Atmos and Lossless
# 1. What is Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos?
Apple is introducing both Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio for Apple Music. With both functions, the music sounds a lot better than before. It is a kind of successor to stereo sound, where the music not only sounds richer but also makes it seem like you are standing in the middle of the musical instruments. With the current stereo quality you have a left and right channel, but with Dolby Atmos it sounds from all sides. Lossless Audio streams the music in much higher quality with a higher bitrate. It is a compression technique that preserves the sound quality of the original file.
# 2. When can I listen with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio in Apple Music?
Apple has indicated that Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio will be available in Apple Music from June this year. You need iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4 and tvOS 14.6 or later.
# 3. What does Apple Lossless Audio cost extra?
To listen in Apple Music's better sound quality, you don't have to pay anything extra. Anyone who subscribes to Apple Music can use it, whether you are an individual, student or family subscriber. All you need is the right gear and software versions.
# 4. Which songs are available in the high sound quality?
Apple is going to make many songs available in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio. For Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio, Apple is talking about “ thousands of songs '' that can be listened to with this. Artists sometimes have to make specific versions that take advantage of this.
The range is much larger for Lossless Audio. As of June, it's about 20 million songs available. Before the end of the year, the entire Apple Music library will be available in Lossless Audio format. This concerns more than 75 million songs.
You can see with the songs and albums with logos whether the song is suitable for Dobly Atmos/Spatial Audio and/or lossless audio.
# 5. What do I need to listen to Apple Music in Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos?
Apple is quite generous when it comes to listening in Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos. Apple has established the following requirements:
Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio
To use the feature, you need at least iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4 and tvOS 14.6 or later. You also need one of the following devices:
- Any headphones with an iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV (can be switched on separately via settings)
- Apple and Beats headphones (AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, BeatsX, Beats Solo 3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro; automatic without further setting)
- Built-in speakers from compatible iPhones, iPads, MacBook Pro's and HomePod. Suitable models include iPhone 7 and newer, iPad Pro 2018 and newer, iPad 2018 and newer, iPad Air 2019 and newer, iPad mini 2019, MacBook Pro 2018 and newer.
- Apple TV 4K with a suitable TV or audio receiver.
Lossless Audio
These models are suitable for Lossless audio:
- All iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TV with iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4 and tvOS 14.6 and newer.
- Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment such as a USB adapter that converts the signal from digital to analog.
# 6. Does the HomePod work with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio?
The HomePod is suitable for playing music with Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio. It is not yet clear whether the HomePod can also play Lossless Audio. We are also not sure yet which models of the HomePod are suitable (large HomePod and/or HomePod mini). Presumably this concerns both models.
# 7. How do I set up Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio in Apple Music?
To listen in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio or Lossless Audio, you may still need to activate it. So you need at least iOS 14.6 and newer, which are expected in June.
Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio
If you use AirPods or Beats-compatible headphones, the music will automatically play in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio if the song is suitable for this. This also applies if you listen through the speaker of the iPhone, iPad or Mac. For other headphones you still have to enable this separately:
- On a device with the latest software version, go to the Settings app.
- Select Music & gt; Audio and choose Always on for Dolby Atmos.
Lossless Audio
For listening in Lossless Audio, you can choose a few settings yourself, such as the sound quality. You do this like this:
- On a device with the latest software version, go to the Settings app.
- Tap Music & gt; Audio Quality.
- Choose Lossless Audio or Hi-Res Lossless. You can choose this for both mobile data and WiFi connections.
# 8. How much data does Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio consume?
It is not yet known how much extra data Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio consumes, both for streaming and for storing music locally. With Lossless Audio, keep in mind that the file size increases as you choose a higher sound quality. That is why Apple also offers separate settings for both use with mobile data and Wi-Fi connections.
# 9. What are the specifications of Lossless Audio with Apple Music?
In the settings of Lossless Audio there are a number of settings that you can choose from. These are the options:
- 16 bit with 44.1kHz (CD quality)
- 24 bit with 48kHz (CD quality)
- 24 bit with 192kHz (Hi-Resolution Lossless)
Apple uses the ALAC format (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) for the Lossless Audio.
# 10. What is the difference between Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio with Apple Music?
Apple describes Dolby Atmos as follows:
Dolby Atmos is an audio structure in which artists can mix the music in this way that it sounds like the instruments are all around you.
With Dolby Atmos, you are in the middle of the music, where it not only comes from left and right like stereo, but also around you, from above and from behind. So it is a kind of 3D audio.
Unlike Spatial Audio for films and series, Spatial Audio for Apple Music does not require a specific set of AirPods.
Apple describes Lossless Audio as follows:
< blockquote>
Lossless audio is a compression & shy; technique that reduces the original file size of a song, while all data is perfectly preserved.
With Lossless audio, the music quality sounds better. With current music, the compression technique used always causes some loss of quality, especially with streaming. Lossless is also called CD quality, so the music sounds more like the original recording. There is also a higher version called Hi-Res Lossless.
Do you have any more questions about Apple Music? Read our Apple Music FAQ in which we answer frequently asked questions.