Apple Music Teaser References 'Hi-Res Lossless' and 'Dolby Atmos'

Earlier today, Apple Music began teasing a special announcement with the tagline "Get Ready – Music is About to Change Forever." This teaser comes amid a rumor that Apple is preparing to announce the third-generation AirPods alongside a HiFi, or lossless audio streaming tier for Apple Music on Tuesday, May 18.

apple music logo
Now, references to "Apple Lossless," "Free Lossless," "Hi-Res Lossless," and "Dolby Atmos" have been found within the ‌Apple Music‌ web app by 9to5Mac and confirmed by MacRumors. These references indicate that Apple is likely planning to announce that users will be able to stream songs at higher quality and potentially enjoy them in some form of Spatial Audio using Dolby Atmos with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.

Additional code also indicates that only certain songs may be capable of lossless, and Dolby Atmos audio streaming as Apple has references on multiple occasions to a badge that reads "Has Lossless" and "Has Atmos," which could be presented next to compatible songs within ‌Apple Music‌.

References to lossless and high-quality streaming were already found in the earliest beta of the upcoming iOS 14.6 update. A report regarding a lossless, or HiFi ‌Apple Music‌ tier first originated in early May, and according to that report, the new tier will cost the same $9.99 as the current individual ‌Apple Music‌ subscription.

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

Nimoy Avatar
62 months ago

Can the bandwidth of say, the Airpods Pro even handle lossless codec bitrate? Is this just going to be for people using Lightning port headphones and or Macs with sound outputting via the headphone jack?
Apple is all about wireless everything. I can’t see them introducing a new feature that requires people to bring back cords. I mean, if the AirPods Max can’t handle whatever Apple is introducing next week, that would be absolutely ridiculous.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Picklefoot Avatar
62 months ago
I hope I don’t get too much flac for this but you’ll need Atmos some good headphones or speakers for this.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MysteryMii215 Avatar
62 months ago

These references indicate that Apple is likely planning to announce that users will be able to stream songs at higher quality and potentially enjoy them in some form of Spatial Audio using Dolby Atmos with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
I wouldn't be shocked if you can also enjoy Atmos music through an Apple TV 4K hooked up to an Atmos sound system.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Seanm87 Avatar
62 months ago
My ears are ready!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
symphony Avatar
62 months ago

What I’m most impressed by is that Apple have not chosen to introduce a higher price tier for this and I’m glad.
They kinda did something similar to 4K iTunes movies which was awesome
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
obamtl Avatar
62 months ago
What I’m most impressed by is that Apple have not chosen to introduce a higher price tier for this and I’m glad.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)