Is Apple Music lossless/uncompressed?


I gave up following what the hell Apple was doing with music long ago cause it’s just been a confusing and disappointing mess, but a friend is considering using Apple Music and asked me if it’s lossless so thought I’d ask here to hopefully get the latest poop.  I thought I recently read they were introducing some new lossless format but I dunno about resolution or what it might cost?  Also, how does the music selection/resolution compare to Qobuz or Tidal, and does Apple Music offer hi res?  My friend is planning on using the Lightning connection from his iPhone to an AQ Dragonfly Cobalt in case that’s important.  Thanks for any thoughts/info. 

soix

Yes, albums marked “Lossless” on Apple Music service is ALAC coded and has Hi Res potential after ALAC enabled DAC conversion, however we don’t have any hi end Apple Music streamers on the market so ALAC streaming is basically limited to Apple devices and several USB type portable DACs similar to Dragonfly Cobalt.

Apple Music streaming service is not comparable to Qobuz or Tidal streaming services due to absence of Hi End Apple Music network players - streamers on the market. 

Anytime you use Apple products or services you enter the Apple 'walled garden' that only works well with other Apple products. Some people like to refer to it as a 'walled jungle' to reflect the complexity and and challenges within - see discussion above. I tend to agree, and find other industry standards far more agreeable both technically and sonically.

Tell your friend to go with Tidal and Qobuz instead of Apple Music as they sound better than Apple Music and will always be lossless no matter what device you are using. Tidal now offers Tidal MAX, which is hi res FLAC files up to 24/192 just like Qobuz. Tidal has recently dropped its MQA. Qobuz has bigger selections of hi res FLAC files than Tidal. But either Tidal or Qobuz would sound better than Apple Music even the lossless version of Apple Music. 

Yeah, the multiple different responses here are indicative of Apple’s lack of focus on music and why I even had to ask this question in the first place.  ALAC reminds me of Betamax back in the day minus the superior performance, and it’s not like they don’t have the capital to just hit the ball outta the park if they really wanted to.  In the end I just told my friend to compare Apple Music to Qobuz and/or Tidal, and if he couldn’t hear a meaningful difference in his setup to just go with the one that has the music selection that best matches with his music preferences.  Thanks for all the thoughts/info.