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If you want lossless audio (or anything over 256kbps) YouTube Music has no plans to deliver
July 18, 2025
YouTube Musicmight seem like a great service, but serious music listeners have likely balked up until now due to the absence of one integral feature: audio quality controls.
Today, YouTube Music is finally rolling outaudio quality control optionswhich will allow listeners to get better quality than the default “Normal” bitrate setting of 128kbps AAC. However, there are some significant limitations.
The biggest limitation that will no doubt ruffle the feathers of audiophiles is that the peak bitrate one gets with the “High” quality setting is 256kbps AAC. While that’s definitely better than 128kbps, it’s a far cry from the 360kbps most audiophiles would prefer.
These are the bitrates for each ofthe three audio quality levelswithin YouTube Music:
These new quality options are rolling out today to both Android and iOS versions ofthe YouTube Music app.
Audiophiles will likely also be disappointed to hear that not only is 256kbps the current max bitrate for YouTube Music, but we now know that the YouTube Music team has no plans to offer anything higher than that. That means no 360kbps bitrates and certainly no YouTube Music lossless audio.
This information came about froman online Q&A with the YouTube Music team. The relevant quote from team member Brandon Bilinski is reposted below:
Lossless audio may not be one of your priorities, but if it is you’re able to write off a YouTube Music lossless audio option for the foreseeable future.
What do you think? Is this a deal breaker for you, or is 256kbps high quality enough for your needs? Shout out in the comments!
NEXT:The best free music download sites on the Internet that are legal
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