Apple Music to offer Dolby Atmos and lossless audio at no extra cost
I’m a big fan of Apple Music, and the good news for myself and other users of the service is the sound quality it offers is about to improve significantly.
Starting next month -- and for no extra cost -- Apple Music subscribers will be able to listen to more than 75 million songs in lossless audio (using ALAC -- Apple Lossless Audio Codec). The company will also be adding spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos to the service, so you can enjoy improved clarity and multidimensional sound on thousands of songs from popular artists.
"Apple Music is making its biggest advancement ever in sound quality," said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. "Listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like magic. The music comes from all around you and sounds incredible. Now we are bringing this truly innovative and immersive experience to our listeners with music from their favorite artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, and so many more. Subscribers will also be able to listen to their music in the highest audio quality with lossless audio. Apple Music as we know it is about to change forever."
By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones (with an H1 or W1 chip), as well as through the built-in speakers in the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Apple Music says it is working with artists and labels to create music specifically for the spatial audio experience.
The change in quality will begin next month. To start listening to lossless audio, subscribers using the latest version of Apple Music will be able to turn it on in Settings > Music > Audio Quality.
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