Spotify lossless: Engineering manager answers key questions ahead of global rollout

Spotify’s long-promised lossless audio feature is now official, and the engineering manager behind the rollout took to Reddit to answer questions directly from users. The answers shed some light onto technical decisions, deployment criteria, UX enhancements, and the tape that held it all together.

When asked about how Spotify determines which countries receive early access to lossless streaming, the engineering manager made it clear that there’s no standardized formula or set list. The team has approached each feature independently based on what makes sense for subscribers. With tens of millions of users around the globe, Spotify’s method is reportedly centered on quality and reliability over speed of deployment.

For listeners concerned about audio quality, Spotify has added a labeling system in the Now Playing view and Connect Picker, which makes it clear when tracks are streaming in lossless quality. Raising the perennial question, multiple users pressed for a candid explanation for the extremely long delay. As per John (the manager in question), the team had long acknowledged the high stakes and the need for a solution working transparently across virtually every hardware setup and device ecosystem. He further cited extensive internal collaboration and an obsessive focus on reliability, which led to difficult decisions. Transparency and control for listeners were, as per John, the primary twin pillars of design.

As per another reply, the backend challenge was far more complex than just uploading and serving higher-resolution files. The effort required round-the-clock work from distributed teams. Seamless compatibility across platforms, devices, markets, and ever-changing territories meant the team needed advanced infrastructure and rigorous testing. 

One question zeroed in on bit-perfect output and WASAPI (a Microsoft technology that allows applications to manage audio data flow between the application and an audio endpoint device) Exclusive Mode support for Windows desktop. While not confirmed, the Spotify team did indicate that engineers share this priority and are eager to see support materialize.

The team is actively tracking feedback from Reddit and elsewhere. If you have questions of your own, you can head over to the AMA while it's still live. 

I’m John, engineering manager at Spotify. I helped develop the Lossless feature. AMA!
byu/ThisIsSpotify intruespotify