New Android beta APK for Apple Music describes two lossless audio options, “Lossless” and “High-Res Lossless”, at 24-bit/48 kHZ and 24-bit/192 kHz respectively
9to5GoogleKyle Bradshaw
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple Music’s Android app had already moved beyond its initial release phase with an equalizer and stability update. The beta code now points to audio-quality tiers becoming part of the Android product rather than a feature reserved for Apple’s own platforms.
Related coverage subsequently records an Android rollout of lossless and Spatial Audio, making this APK discovery an early signal of Apple Music’s broader Android feature expansion.
First-order effects
Apple Music’s Android beta users and prospective subscribers gain visibility into two distinct lossless-quality settings, with 24-bit/48 kHz and 24-bit/192 kHz labels establishing the product’s planned tiers.
Apple Music must support the lossless options in its Android client, extending a higher-fidelity listening path to a platform outside Apple’s device ecosystem.
Second-order effects
The later Android release pairs lossless streaming with Spatial Audio, turning the initial quality-tier work into a broader feature-parity push for Apple Music’s Android experience.
Android listeners evaluating Apple Music receive a more differentiated paid-service offering, while Apple’s lack of a free tier leaves subscription access as the entry point described in the related coverage.
Third-order effects
Apple Music’s Android roadmap points toward cross-platform service differentiation through premium playback features, rather than limiting those features to Apple hardware.
If this pattern continues, music-streaming competition will increasingly center on how consistently paid audio features reach users across operating systems, not solely on each service’s device affiliation.
The trend: Apple Music is broadening premium audio features across platforms as it competes for subscribers beyond Apple’s hardware base.
IMO it's totally happening. Apple only recently added support for Spatial Audio to the music app. Currently its only used for music videos, though. I feel that if they didnt plan on adding it to songs, they never would've enabled it for the music app. https://twitter.com/...
Amazon Music VP Steve Boom on Spotify and Apple launching competing Hi-Fi services: “Listeners and artists both care deeply about it. If we're in the business of serving listeners as customers and artists as customers, then I don't know what took them so long.”
NEW: I spoke with Amazon about its Hi-Fi music service, Amazon Music HD, which has grown 100% YoY and forced Spotify and (reportedly) Apple Music to follow and launch their own versions. The streaming services have a new battlefield. https://www.billboard.com/...
Interesting - seems like Apple will actually do both lossless (24-bit/48 kHz) and hi-res lossless (24-bit/192 kHz) for Apple Music, using ALAC. I wonder what hardware will support this 🤔 https://9to5google.com/...
Apple's latest beta of Apple Music for Android contains code that directly mentions lossless music streaming / downloads. Last year, the “Apple One” bundle was similarly discovered in Apple Music for Android... just days before it was announced. https://www.theverge.com/...
I have a lot of questions about lossless Apple Music. What are they going to do re: wireless? Come up with a proprietary codec for AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max? Will iTunes Match still exist? Can purchased songs be upgraded? Gimme. https://www.theverge.com/...