Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro confirmed to get huge audio quality upgrade.
The Pixel 8 series will add support for lossless USB audio in a future later release, according to Dave Burke in response to a comment from a Redditor.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 12, 2023
Android 14 added support for lossless audio formats over USB wired headsets. pic.twitter.com/XYPyvIrzrc
Instead of the music being compressed and altered, the audio flows directly from your phone to headphones in its original form, which is uncompressed. This will ensure users will hear every instrument, every subtle detail, and every vocal inflexion with crystal clarity.
Burke says that lossless USB audio will be available on the Pixel 8 series and other Android phones in a future release. However, app developers need to adopt the new API for lossless audio to make the audio format available for users. There are reports that Spotify is bringing lossless audio support soon.
Lossless audio hasn't made it big mostly because of the premium price tag, requiring customers to premium platforms like Tidal and Apple Music. Another reason is that lossless audio files are not easily accessible. Google adding lossless USB audio is not entirely a surprise considering Google added OS-level support for this audio format through wired headphones with Android 14 Beta 2.