Spotify offers listeners a wide range of customizable features to enhance their music experience, and streaming quality is one of the most crucial. Music lovers often want to enjoy their favorite tracks in the best quality possible, especially when using high-end headphones or speakers. Setting the streaming quality to extreme ensures every note and beat is heard the way it was meant to be.
TL;DR – Quick Summary
To set Spotify streaming quality to extreme, open the app settings and navigate to the “Audio Quality” section. Choose “Very High” or “Extreme” (depending on your platform) for both Wi-Fi and Cellular streaming. Note that this option may require a Spotify Premium subscription. Higher quality also uses more data and storage, so be mindful if you’re on a data plan or have limited space.
Understanding Spotify’s Streaming Quality Options
Spotify offers several layers of streaming quality, which affect both the sound experience and data usage. The quality levels differ slightly depending on whether you are using the desktop app, mobile app, or web player. Below are the common tiers:
- Low: 24 kbps (mobile only)
- Normal: 96 kbps
- High: 160 kbps
- Very High (or Extreme): 320 kbps
The Very High or Extreme tier provides the richest audio clarity but consumes the most data. This setting is usually preferred by audiophiles or those listening over high-quality audio equipment.
Why Choose Extreme Quality?
Opting for extreme quality benefits users in several ways:
- Superior Sound: Great for genres with intricate instrumentation like classical, jazz, and electronic.
- Professional Equipment: Maximizes audio performance on high-end headphones or speaker systems.
- Offline Listening: Makes downloaded tracks sound better, especially in areas with no signal.
However, it’s also important to note that higher quality streams:
- Consume more data (about 150 MB per hour at 320 kbps)
- Take longer to buffer on slow connections
- Occupy more storage if music is downloaded for offline listening
Steps to Set Spotify Streaming Quality to Extreme
1. Open the Spotify App
Launch the Spotify app on your device. These steps work similarly on Android and iOS, although the user interface may vary slightly based on platform or updates.
2. Go to Settings
Tap on the gear icon usually found in the top-right corner of the home screen to access the settings menu.
3. Navigate to ‘Audio Quality’
Scroll down until you find the Audio Quality section. Here, you will see different categories for Wi-Fi Streaming and Cellular Streaming.
4. Choose ‘Very High’ or ‘Extreme’
Under both categories (Wi-Fi and Cellular), select the highest available option. It’s typically labeled as:
- Very High on recent app versions
- Extreme on older versions or certain regions
This ensures your music streams in 320 kbps, the highest possible rate Spotify currently offers for standard users.
5. Enable Download Quality (Optional)
If you often download music for offline listening, scroll further to the Download Quality section and set it to Very High or Extreme. This ensures that downloaded songs are also in the best available sound format.
Desktop App Instructions
The method for enabling extreme quality on the desktop version of Spotify is slightly different:
- Open the Spotify desktop app.
- Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select Settings.
- Scroll to Audio Quality.
- Set Streaming Quality to Very High.
- Optional: Also set Download Quality to Very High.
Settings are saved automatically when selected.
Do You Need Premium for Extreme Quality?
Yes, accessing the highest audio quality on Spotify generally requires a Spotify Premium subscription. Free-tier users may be limited to Low, Normal, or High streaming qualities depending on the device and region.
Premium not only provides extreme audio streaming but also offers other features such as ad-free listening, offline mode, and unlimited skips—enhancing the overall experience.
Things to Keep in Mind
While setting your Spotify streaming quality to extreme improves sound experience, remember the following:
- Battery Impact: Streaming high-quality audio may consume more battery.
- Data Usage: More megabytes per song—important when using cellular.
- Storage Space: Downloaded songs take up more space on your device.
It’s advisable to adjust quality settings based on your current data connection and storage availability. For example, set to High over Cellular and Extreme over Wi-Fi if your data is limited.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the bitrate of Spotify’s extreme quality?
- A: Extreme or Very High quality on Spotify streams at 320 kbps (kilobits per second) using the Ogg Vorbis codec.
- Q: Can I use extreme quality on Spotify Free?
- A: No, extreme quality is a feature reserved for Spotify Premium subscribers.
- Q: Does changing the quality affect song recommendations or playlists?
- A: Not at all. The quality setting only affects audio resolution, not the content Spotify recommends.
- Q: How much data does high-quality streaming use?
- A: Streaming at 320 kbps uses approximately 150 MB per hour. Consider this if you have a data cap.
- Q: What happens if my connection is slow or unstable?
- A: Spotify may buffer or reduce the quality temporarily to maintain playback. Downloads can help if you’re often on variable connections.
With settings adjusted correctly and a good pair of headphones, Spotify’s extreme quality setting can significantly enhance your listening experience and take your playlists to a whole new level.