On many Android phones the system audio path forces all playback through the system mixer, which resamples everything to 16-bit/48kHz. That means even if Spotify supports 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, users with quality USB DACs still get resampled audio and can’t hear the stream at the sample rate/bit depth Spotify provides.
What I’m asking for
Please add an exclusive USB audio mode / public API in the Spotify Android app (or expose it to partner apps) that allows the app to open the connected USB audio device directly and stream decoded PCM at its native rate/bit-depth (when the device supports it). Key points:
Allow the Spotify app to request an exclusive audio output to a USB DAC, bypassing the system mixer (with user consent).
Respect DRM/content policies — the flow can still perform any necessary license checks; this is about changing only the audio output path.
Fall back gracefully: if exclusive mode isn’t supported on a phone/DAC, fall back to normal playback.
Offer this as an opt-in user setting or device capability flag so it won’t break normal users.
Why this matters
Preserves the quality you already added: Users who pay for higher-quality streams (or when Spotify rolls out lossless) can actually hear the correct sample rate / bit depth on their external DACs.
Better user experience: Audiophile users currently must use complicated workarounds (Raspberry Pi, third-party servers, or separate players) which breaks the simplicity of “open Spotify and play.”
Competitive feature: Other streaming services and audiophile apps that support direct output already give users better fidelity on external DACs. Adding this would make Spotify the easy default for mobile hi-res listening.
Low risk if implemented correctly: The change is about audio routing. DRM and content licensing can remain unchanged — the decoded stream is sent to a specified, exclusive output rather than through the system mixer.