Apple Music throws a lot of acronyms around: AAC, ALAC, M4A, Lossless, Hi-Res, Dolby Atmos. Converter websites add their own, usually “320 kbps”. Here's what each one actually means, which files you can play outside Apple's apps, and how to pick the right format for your phone, computer or car.
The short answer
- Standard quality: Apple Music streams and downloads songs as AAC at 256 kbps, a lossy format that sounds very close to CD quality for most listeners.
- Lossless: subscribers can switch to ALAC (Apple Lossless), from CD quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz) up to Hi-Res Lossless at 24-bit/192 kHz.
- Spatial Audio: some songs also come in a separate Dolby Atmos mix.
- Downloads are protected: anything you download from the Apple Music catalogue is encrypted and only plays inside Apple's apps while you're subscribed.
- Purchases are not: songs bought from the iTunes Store are DRM-free 256 kbps AAC files you can play anywhere.
AAC, ALAC, M4A, M4P and MP3: what the names mean
| Name | What it is | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| AAC | A lossy audio codec, Apple's default | Apple Music streams, iTunes Store purchases, much of the audio on the web |
| ALAC | Apple Lossless: compressed without throwing anything away | Apple Music Lossless, CDs you rip in the Music app |
| M4A | The file (container) that holds AAC or ALAC audio | Unprotected files: purchases, your own rips, TunesLoader's M4A downloads |
| M4P | Protected AAC | Older iTunes purchases and Apple Music downloads: only Apple's apps play them |
| MP3 | The oldest common lossy format | Car stereos, MP3 players, USB sticks, older software |
The point that trips most people up: M4A is a box, not a quality level. An M4A file can hold 128 kbps AAC, 256 kbps AAC or lossless ALAC. The extension tells you which apps can open it, not how good it sounds.
Can you play Apple Music files outside Apple's apps?
- Songs downloaded from the Apple Music catalogue: no. They're encrypted and tied to your subscription, so VLC, a car stereo or a video editor can't open them.
- Songs bought from the iTunes Store: yes. They're ordinary AAC files.
- Music you added yourself (CD rips, files you imported): yes, they stay exactly as you added them.
If you need a playable file of a song you stream, TunesLoader makes one from a publicly available recording of the same song. It doesn't decrypt Apple's files, so you get the matched recording's audio, not Apple's 256 kbps stream.
Is a “320 kbps” Apple Music converter better?
Not necessarily, and often not at all. Bitrate only tells you how much data a file uses, not how much detail it contains. Converting a 256 kbps AAC source, or a 128 kbps one, into a 320 kbps MP3 can't add detail that wasn't there; it just makes a bigger file. Worse, every conversion from one lossy format to another throws a little more away, so a re-encoded file can only match its source, never beat it.
AAC is also the more efficient codec. A well-encoded 256 kbps AAC file is generally regarded as at least as good as a 320 kbps MP3, which is one reason Apple chose AAC in the first place.
Lossless and Dolby Atmos: what you can and can't get as a file
Apple Music's Lossless and Dolby Atmos versions exist only inside Apple's encrypted streams. No legitimate web tool can hand you those as files, and any site promising “Apple Music lossless downloads” is either working around Apple's encryption or relabelling a lossy file. TunesLoader does neither and never offers lossless. If you want lossless files you keep, buy them from a store that sells lossless downloads, or rip a CD you own in the Music app with Apple Lossless selected.
Which format should you choose?
| You want to… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Play on an iPhone, Android phone, Mac or PC | M4A | Smaller files, no re-encoding, plays natively everywhere |
| Fill a USB stick for an older car or MP3 player | MP3 | The one format practically every device reads |
| Edit audio in a video or DJ app | M4A, or MP3 if the app refuses M4A | Fewer compression rounds before your edit |
| Hear the best quality Apple offers | Lossless in Apple's own app | Only available inside Apple Music, with a subscription |
File sizes at a glance
| Format | Bitrate | Per minute | 3½-minute song |
|---|---|---|---|
| TunesLoader M4A (AAC) | usually 128 kbps | about 1 MB | about 3.4 MB |
| TunesLoader MP3 | 192 kbps | about 1.4 MB | about 5 MB |
| Apple Music AAC | 256 kbps | about 1.9 MB | about 6.7 MB |
| Apple Lossless, CD quality | around 700–1,000 kbps | about 5–7 MB | about 20–25 MB |
Ready to save a song? Paste its link into the M4A or MP3 converter. For moving the files to a car or a flash drive, see how to put Apple Music on a USB drive.
