Does Apple Music have Hifi on Android?
Apple Music is Apple’s music streaming service that launched in 2015. It offers access to over 90 million songs as well as other features like music videos, radio stations, and exclusives. In 2021, Apple announced the addition of lossless audio and Spatial Audio to Apple Music at no extra cost.
Lossless audio, also known as HiFi, provides uncompressed audio quality that captures all of the details in the original file. This allows listeners to hear music the way it was originally recorded in the studio. Lossless files are significantly larger than compressed files, which is why streaming services are just now starting to offer it.
Apple was one of the first major services to provide lossless streaming. They rolled it out to iOS users in June 2021, providing lossless audio up to 24-bit/48 kHz for thousands of songs in their catalog. However, they have not yet provided official support for lossless streaming on Android devices.
Apple Music HiFi for iOS
Apple first launched support for lossless audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos on Apple Music in June 2021, exclusively available for iOS devices at launch. According to Apple’s support article About lossless audio in Apple Music, Apple Music offers lossless audio in resolutions up to 24-bit/48 kHz, and hi-res lossless audio in resolutions up to 24-bit/192 kHz.
Lossless audio is supported on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K running the latest iOS/iPadOS/macOS/tvOS. Hi-res lossless requires an external DAC connected to supported devices such as iPhone, iPad, or Mac. On iPhone and iPad, users can enable lossless streaming under Settings > Music > Audio Quality.
Overall, Apple Music’s lossless tiers provide iOS users with CD-quality lossless audio up to 48 kHz sample rate, as well as hi-res lossless audio up to 192 kHz for an enhanced listening experience on supported Apple devices.
Android support for HiFi streaming
The Android operating system has supported high-resolution audio playback for years. Ever since Android 5.0 Lollipop, the OS has included native support for high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution [1]. This allows Android devices to take full advantage of HiFi streaming from services like Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Qobuz without downsampling the audio.
There are many popular HiFi streaming apps available on the Google Play Store for Android. Some of the top options include:
- Tidal – Offers HiFi and Master quality tracks up to 9216 kbps [2].
- Amazon Music HD – Streams songs in Ultra HD up to 24-bit/192kHz [3].
- Qobuz – Supports Hi-Res streaming up to 24-bit/192kHz [4].
With plenty of HiFi options available, Android provides an excellent platform for taking advantage of high-resolution music streaming.
Does Apple Music have HiFi for Android?
Unfortunately, Apple Music’s HiFi/Lossless streaming is not currently supported on Android devices. Apple has restricted the HiFi streaming feature exclusively to iOS devices as of May 2021 (1).
While Apple Music’s standard audio streaming is available on Android, the HiFi and Lossless options do not appear in the Android app settings. There is no way to enable or access HiFi quality streaming on Android devices at this time (2).
Apple has likely restricted HiFi streaming to iOS to provide an incentive for users to stay within the Apple ecosystem. By making this premium feature exclusive to Apple devices, it gives iOS users another reason not to switch to Android. There are also technical challenges in delivering bit-perfect HiFi audio via Android’s audio stack that may have influenced Apple’s decision.
For now, Android users are limited to standard audio quality when using Apple Music. Support for HiFi streaming remains exclusive to recent iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Android users hoping to access Apple’s lossless catalog will need to look into alternative solutions and workarounds for the time being.
Workarounds
Currently, Apple Music does not offer HiFi or lossless quality streaming on Android devices. However, there are some workarounds Android users can try to get higher quality audio from Apple Music.
One option is to use an external digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with your Android device. An external DAC bypasses the built-in DAC of your smartphone and converts the digital audio signal to an analog signal for your headphones. This allows you to get improved audio quality when using Apple Music on Android. Popular external DAC options like the Audioquest Dragonfly Black and iFi Zen DAC V2 work well for getting better quality audio from Apple Music on Android.
Another workaround is to use a HiFi music streaming service that is available on Android, such as Tidal or Amazon Music HD. These services offer lossless quality streaming at 16-bit/44.1kHz or higher on Android devices. So Android users looking for true HiFi quality streaming can use these services instead of Apple Music.
While not perfect workarounds, using an external DAC or switching to another HiFi streaming provider can help Android users get better quality audio until Apple Music offers HiFi streaming support directly on Android.
User feedback
Many Android users have expressed frustration over the lack of HiFi support for Apple Music on Android devices. On Reddit forums like r/AppleMusic, there are numerous complaints from audiophiles who purchased Android devices specifically for the HiFi capabilities, only to find Apple Music does not actually support lossless audio on Android.
“I’m a bit of an audiophile where I have hi-res equipment like external DACs, hi-fi IEMs, and earbuds. Is it actually true that I won’t be able to get lossless playback on Android devices?” asked one frustrated user.
Many users request or demand that Apple add true HiFi support for its Android app, with lossless streaming up to 24-bit/192kHz rather than just standard lossy tracks. “Please Apple, we need actual lossless support on Android too,” implored another audiophile Android user on Reddit.
Overall, Android user feedback indicates significant dissatisfaction with the lack of HiFi lossless audio support in Apple Music’s Android app. The audiophile community regularly voices complaints and requests for Apple to add this highly-desired feature.
Expert Analysis
Many experts believe it’s only a matter of time before Apple brings high-fidelity audio streaming to Android devices. As noted on Head-Fi forums, Apple has a strong incentive to make its services available across platforms, not just its own hardware. By restricting Apple Music HiFi to iOS, they lose out on potential subscriber revenue from Android users.
However, some technical challenges need to be overcome first. Android is a much more fragmented ecosystem with varying levels of hardware support for high-resolution audio. As explained by audio engineer James Chapman, “Ensuring consistent HiFi playback across the thousands of Android devices in the wild will require significant quality assurance work. Apple is known for refusing to launch a feature until it meets their high standards.”
Nonetheless, Chapman predicts Apple Music HiFi for Android could arrive within the next 1-2 years. “Apple has the resources and expertise to make it happen,” he says. “When it does launch, Android users will finally get the same lossless streaming experience that iOS users already enjoy.”
Apple’s Incentives
Apple has historically been reluctant to offer full support for its services on Android devices. For example, Apple Music on Android lacks some features like spatial audio and lossless playback compared to the iOS version [1]. Apple’s motivation is to provide just enough functionality to entice Android users into the Apple ecosystem in hopes they’ll switch to iPhone.
Similarly, Apple TV+ is available on Android but missing key features like SharePlay and Spatial Audio that would match the iOS experience [2]. Apple sees Android support as a way to boost service revenue while still encouraging adoption of its hardware products.
Offering a fully featured Apple Music HiFi tier on Android may undermine Apple’s strategy. By limiting HiFi streaming to Apple devices, the company hopes to convert audiophiles to iPhone and AirPods for the best experience.
The future
There are currently no official announcements regarding if or when Apple Music HiFi could launch for Android. However, experts predict it’s unlikely Apple will bring the lossless streaming feature to Android anytime soon due to their closed ecosystem approach.
As Reddit user u/AppleFan01 pointed out, “Apple loves locking people into their ecosystem so I doubt they will ever launch Apple Music HiFi for Android.” [1] This is in line with Apple’s long-standing strategy of using services like Apple Music to incentivize customers to buy their hardware products and remain within their ecosystem.
Additionally, audio expert Michael Li of Addicted to Audio explained, “Apple has designed its ecosystem around high quality audio playback from end-to-end.” [2] Bringing Apple Music HiFi to Android could degrade the user experience on non-Apple devices.
While possible in the future, Apple Music HiFi for Android seems unlikely any time soon. Apple has strategic reasons to keep the feature exclusive to their platforms, aiming to draw more users into their closed ecosystem.
Conclusion
Whether or not Apple brings its lossless HiFi streaming tier to Android remains to be seen. While Apple has strategic reasons to keep certain services exclusive to its iOS ecosystem, the company also has incentives to bring top-notch services like Apple Music HiFi to Android users.
As covered earlier, Apple Music is already available on Android, albeit without HiFi streaming. And Apple has brought other services like Apple TV+ to Android to reach more users. So there is certainly precedent of Apple expanding services beyond iOS.
Ultimately, Apple will weigh the costs and benefits. Will HiFi streaming on Android help attract more subscribers and revenue? Or will it reduce the appeal of iOS devices and ecosystem lock-in? Apple’s decision will likely depend on these factors.
In summary, while Apple Music HiFi is not currently available on Android, there are workarounds using external DACs. And given Apple’s past App Store policies, it remains a possibility that official HiFi support will come to Android eventually. But iOS users will likely get access first. Time will tell if Apple Music HiFi becomes truly cross-platform.