Apple Music To Offer Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio at No Additional Cost

Beginning June 2021, Apple Music will officially be offering Dolby Atmos and lossless audio quality at no additional cost.

According to Engadget, the tech giant confirmed that it will feature curated playlists for and add badges to Dolby Atmos content to make it easier for subscribers. Apple didn’t specify the exact number but did share that “thousands” of songs utilizing Dolby Atmos will be made available on launch day. Furthermore, the company revealed that is working with Dolby to help artists, producers and engineers create projects in Dolby Atmos, as well as with artists and labels to upgrade its current catalog to the surround sound technology.

In addition to the new Dolby Atmos tech, subscribers can listen to Apple Music’s entire library in lossless audio. The lossless streaming will utilize Apple’s ALAC codec (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) at a quality of up to 48kHz, and its Hi-Resolution Lossless will be increased to 192kHz. The tech giant revealed that its Lossless streaming will begin at CD quality 16 bit at 44.1kHz and can go up to 24-bit/48kHz, but audiophiles who want to listen to music at 24-bit/192kHz will need something along the lines of an external USB digital-to-analog converter in order to fully appreciate the quality.

Apple shared that Music will automatically play material in Dolby Atmos on Apple AirPods and Beats earbuds that have the H1 or W1 chip, as well as via the built-in speakers on “the latest versions” of the iPhone, iPad and MacBook.

“This means Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio,” Apple said in a press release. “You can access lossless audio by adjusting the audio quality settings in the Apple Music app and opt for different resolutions based on your connection.”

Elsewhere in music, Migos shared an official release date for Culture III.