AirPods do not support Apple Music Lossless Audio
Bad news for AirPods owners looking forward to Apple Music Lossless Audio. This new standard promises better sound quality, but is not supported by Apple’s own earbuds and headphones.
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No Lossless Audio for AirPods
Apple announced Apple Music Lossless Audio earlier today. This new version of the music service promises better sound quality. Unfortunately, you don’t take advantage of that if you have AirPods, AirPods Pro, or even the AirPods Max. Apple’s own earbuds and headphones do not support Lossless Audio.
Because AirPods play music via bluetooth, they cannot handle the higher quality. Apple says you can enjoy Lossless Audio on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, but only if you use wired headphones or separate speakers. Moreover, they must be of good quality. Otherwise, the question is whether you will hear much difference with the ‘normal’ sound of Apple Music.
Lossless Audio is less compressed and thus shows more details in the music. A Hi-Res Lossless Audio mode is also available for Apple Music, which promises even better sound. To take advantage of that, however, you need a very sturdy amplifier and speakers.
Spatial Audio on AirPods does
There is also good news. AirPods do not support Lossless Audio, but do support Spatial Audio. This mode simulates surround sound on AirPods or Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.
Artists choose themselves whether they want to use Spatial Audio. Presumably more and more singers and groups will do that. Apple promises to create special playlists in Apple Music with songs available in Spatial Audio. The songs will also be recognizable by a logo.
Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio will be available from the June release of iOS 14.6. Apple Music subscribers don’t have to pay anything extra for the better sound quality.
