Spotify has officially rolled out lossless audio streaming to Premium subscribers after years of delays. The feature, which was first promised in 2021, is gradually becoming available in 50 markets including the US, UK, Australia, and Germany. Thankfully, Spotify includes lossless streaming at no additional cost for existing Premium members. That's particularly good news, since early rumors suggested Spotify would offer lossless as a higher-priced tier. Not so. This probably has something to do with the fact that in the intervening years Apple decided to include lossless audio as part of its regular Apple Music subscription at no additional cost. Shortly after, Amazon Music, which previously charged extra for its HD tier, matched the move. Spotify Premium users will receive in-app notifications when the feature becomes available and can enable it through the media quality settings. A lossless indicator also appears in the Now Playing bar when streaming high-quality audio. Spotify says nearly every song on the streaming service will be available in lossless, with a clearly labelled 'Lossless' symbol. The service supports 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC files, though this falls short of Apple Music, Tidal, and Qobuz, which offer up to 24-bit/192 kHz. The lossless quality being played also appears in the Connect Picker for compatible hardware, which includes devices from Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser at launch, with Sonos and Amazon integration expected next month. Spotify says the lossless rollout will continue over the next two months across all supported regions. First reports that Spotify was working on a lossless audio version of its streaming service appeared almost eight years ago, when the company started testing the option with a small group of users.Tag: Spotify This article, "Spotify Premium Users Get Lossless Streaming After Years of Delays" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Music is getting a new Automix feature when iOS 26 is released next month, and in a strategic counter-punch, Spotify has now launched its own mixing feature, allowing Premium subscribers to create seamless transitions between playlist tracks. Users can access the new functionality, which is still in beta, by opening any playlist and selecting "Mix" from the toolbar. An "Auto" option provides instant blending, or you can try manually customizing the mix to fit your style. When customizing, you can select presets like "Fade" or "Rise," then adjust specific settings to fine-tune volume, EQ, and effect curves (the app displays waveform and beat data to help you identify the optimal transition points). The key and beats per minute are also shown for each track whenever Mix is tapped. As you'd expect, the feature works best with music that shares similar tempos and keys, so expect lots of mixed house and techno playlists on the streaming platform. Apple's similar upcoming feature in its stock Music app differs slightly from Spotify's implementation – it creates DJ-style transitions automatically across the entire music library, whereas Spotify is focusing here on playlist-specific customization. If you prefer more control over transitions, Spotify's approach is likely to be the more appealing option. Playlists you mix can also be shared with other Premium users and toggled on or off at any time. If you're a Premium subscriber and you're not seeing the option, make sure to update your Spotify app.Tag: Spotify This article, "Spotify Debuts Playlist Mixing Tool Ahead of Apple Music AutoMix" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Setting custom ringtones on your iPhone is dramatically easier in iOS 26. Apple has eliminated the need for the cumbersome process of exporting a track from the GarageBand app, and now provides a simple four-step process that works directly from the Files app. The new streamlined approach means you can transform any MP3 or M4A audio file that's less than 30 seconds into a personalized ringtone in a just a few taps. Whether it's a favorite song snippet, a voice memo, or a sound effect you've downloaded, the process is now as straightforward as sharing a photo. Here's how to set up your custom ringtone without opening an additional app in iOS 26 (currently in beta). * Open the Files app on your iPhone. * Long press an MP3 or M4A audio file that's less than 30 seconds long. * Tap Share in the pop-up menu. * Scroll down to the actions menu and choose Use as Ringtone. The change will be made immediately. You'll be sent to Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics ➝ Ringtone, where you'll see the custom ringtone selected. From here, you can delete the ringtone (swipe left, then tap Delete) or choose another one in the default ringtones that's more to your liking. Note that the Use as Ringtone option also appears for audio files in select other apps, including Voice Memos. Unfortunately, it's not possible to set Apple Music songs as custom ringtones for free, even with a subscription. Apple still sells 30-second song ringtones for $1.29 each through the iTunes Store app. This article, "iOS 26: Set a Custom iPhone Ringtone in Seconds" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums