Don’t give up on Spotify HiFi – leaked code hints at pricing and hi-res audio features

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(Image credit: Spotify)

We first heard about Spotify HiFi in 2021 and since then haven't heard much else, which made us think that it was never coming, but it looks like it could finally be on its way if the latest round of rumors are true. 

Newly discovered code inside the Spotify app reveals details about a currently unannounced 'Spotify Supremium' service, which will deliver higher quality audio for a higher price. 

The code was discovered by Redditor Hypixely, as reported by the Verge, and it's quite the leak. It tells us what the service will offer, what options will be available and what it might cost.

What do we know about Spotify Supremium?

The new higher quality hi-res audio tier has been delayed for a long time due to negotiations with record labels, who own the rights to most of the music Spotify streams. 

But it looks like those negotiations are finally (or nearly) finished, because the code in the app strongly suggests that a launch is imminent. Rather than a "put HiFi stuff in here" placeholder, the app is reportedly very descriptive. According to Hypixely, here's what it suggests you'll get from Spotify Supremium:

  • 24-bit Lossless music with "no lag and delays"
  • The ability to make playlists with AI
  • 30 hours of audiobook listening every month
  • Individual, Duo, and Family plans
  • The ability to filter your library by mood, activity and genre
  • Advanced mixing tools
  • Customize the order of a playlist by BPM or danceability, or use "smart order" to create the best sequence using key and tempo
  • Enable smooth transitions, which use set cue points to seamlessly transition between tracks
  • Filter by moods and genres in a playlist
  • Soundcheck: tells you about your listening habits and discover what mix of sounds is "uniquely you"

The price appears to be $19.99 per month, and while that may be a placeholder it does fit with previous rumors of a $19.99 tier. The name change seems legit too, as that was first reported on by Bloomberg earlier this year.

As ever, Spotify won't comment on unannounced services. But it'll be interesting to see if this new service ends up doing significant numbers, especially given that the best music streaming services already offer this. 

With lossless music, Spotify intends to charge extra for something Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited users get as part of their standard subscriptions. 

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Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall (Twitter) has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR.