How to Stream and Download Tidal Music MQA on Mobile/Computer

Driven by new technology and a relentless pursuit of the best sound quality, the world of high-fidelity audio streaming is constantly evolving. If you are a music lover who enjoys high-fidelity audio, you won’t be unfamiliar with Tidal. Since the integration of Tidal and MQA, there are millions of tracks across all genres being added to MQA quality on Tidal. For years, Tidal users have been able to stream and download this studio-quality sound in a small file size. However, if you are searching for a guide on how to stream and download Tidal Music MQA, you may find that the landscape has changed dramatically.

No worries. This post is your authoritative guide to the current state of high-resolution audio in Tidal. We will cut through the misinformation and explain everything you need to know. More importantly, we will provide the only viable method to help you acquire permanent and high-fidelity downloads from Tidal on any device.

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Part 1. Tidal MQA in 2025: What You Should Know

Tidal MQA, known as Tidal Master, allows you to enjoy Master Quality Authenticated tunes. This is the original sound of the studio, the master version as signed off by the artists and recording engineers. Previously, MQA was Tidal’s signature feature. When you have a HiFi Plus subscription, you can access and download audio in MQA quality. However, as of July 24, 2024, Tidal has made some changes to its subscription tiers, as well as audio formats. All MQA tracks in Tidal were officially replaced by the highest available version of Tidal Hi-Res FLAC. In other words, music in the MQA format is no longer accessible via any Tidal application or integration.

This shift basically has no effect for audiophiles since FLAC is a lossless format. Unlike MQA, which uses compression, Hi-Res FLAC is an uncompressed resolution. It provides up to 24-bit, 192kHz. Also, it provides a higher degree of transparency and quality assurance than MQA. You can stream music in Hi-Res FLAC as long as you have a valid Tidal subscription.

If you had MQA songs or albums in your Collection, these tracks were replaced by the highest quality Hi-Res FLAC version automatically. If you have downloaded MQA tracks or albums, you should first update the Tidal app to the latest version. Then, it will prompt that if you’d like to re-download the former MQA tracks. Once you confirm, Tidal will replace all the previously downloaded MQA tracks with the Hi-Res FLAC version.

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Part 2. How to Listen to MQA on Tidal [No Longer Available]

If you wish to play an MQA file, you need software or hardware with an MQA Core Decoder built-in. Thankfully, the Tidal app has the core decoder which can unfold part of the audio source natively so you can play Tidal MQA directly. Stream a Tidal Master track and you will hear music in its highest possible quality. Here’s how to.

2.1 How to Enable Tidal MQA for Listening

Before playing Tidal in MQA, you have to enable Tidal MQA settings. Otherwise, songs labeled MQA can’t be played in MQA. Note that Tidal MQA is only available in the Tidal app.

On Mobile:

Step 1. Launch the Tidal app and go to Settings from the upper right corner.

Step 2. Select Quality and then Streaming.

Step 3. Tap Master under both WiFi and Mobile data sections.

On Desktop:

Step 1. Open the Tidal desktop app and click the three-line icon in the upper left corner.

Step 2. Choose File > Settings > Streaming.

Step 3. Under the Quality section, toggle the Master option.

2.2 How to Play MQA on Tidal

After setting the streaming quality as Master, now you are allowed to play songs labeled “M” in MQA quality with your HiFi Plus membership.

Step 1. Open the Tidal app on your mobile or desktop device.

Step 2. Go to Home and scroll down to find the Master Quality Authenticated Albums and Master Quality Authenticated Playlists selections.

Step 3. Hit on the View all button to see more albums and playlists.

Step 4. Select one and use the Play button to start playing.

Step 5. On the Now Playing screen, you can see the Master icon which indicates the song is being streamed in Master quality.

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Part 3. How to Download MQA from Tidal [No Longer Available]

The Tidal mobile app empowers HiFi Plus subscribers to download songs in Master for offline listening. Now grab the steps below to download Tidal MQA Android/iPhone.

Step 1. On Tidal, head to Settings > Quality > Download to enable Master as the downloading quality.

Step 2. From the bottom menu, go to Home and scroll down to find the MQA album or playlist. Alternatively, search the album you want to download to see if it is labeled Master.

Step 3. Tap into the album or playlist and hit on the Download icon.

Step 4. Once the downloading is complete, head to the Profile page and select Downloaded to view them.

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Part 4. How to Get Tidal MQA Quality Downloads

In the past, Tidal offered MQA audio for members to download. Although it is not available anymore, you can still get lossless audio downloads with your Tidal subscription. However, the downloading process can be tricky since the Tidal desktop app doesn’t offer a download option. Don’t worry. There’s still a way to download Tidal songs on the computer – using a Tidal Music Converter. TunesMake Tidal Music Converter is your best choice.

As a professional and powerful music converter, TunesMake Tidal Music Converter has the ability to download songs, playlists, albums, and podcasts from Tidal to MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF without compromising the sound quality. What’s better, the TunesMake tool supports personalizing the output audio settings. You can not only change the output format but also decide on other parameters, such as bit rate and sample rate, to have a better listening experience. Once downloaded, your high-resolution Tidal tracks will be saved as local music on your computer. You can listen to them on other platforms and devices offline, even without the Tidal app.

Step 1 Import Tidal Songs to TunesMake

First, install and start TunesMake Tidal Music Converter on your Windows or Mac computer. In its interface, the Tidal web player will be launched automatically. You can find the playlists or albums you want to enjoy offline. Then, enter its detailed page and click the Add icon in the lower right corner. After that, it will analyze this playlist or album. You just need to click the Add to List option so that all the songs will be loaded to the conversion list.

Step 2 Configure the Output Parameters

Now, click the three horizontal lines icon in the upper right corner and select the Preferences option. After a window pops up, click the Convert section. From here, the output format and some parameters, including bit rate, sample rate, and channel, are available. Please change the default MP3 format to FLAC format. And adjust the sample rate to 96kHz and bit depth to 24 bit. Then don’t forget to click OK to save your settings.

Step 3 Download to Get Tidal MQA Files

Just one click the Convert button at the bottom right corner, and the TunesMake tool will automatically download the songs you add. After conversion, all the high-fidelity songs will be saved to your computer locally. You can click the Converted icon at the top to browse and view them.

Done! These Hi-Res FLAC files are now permanently saved to your computer. They are completely DRM-free, allowing you to transfer and play your downloaded Tidal music on any device or media player while preserving the maximum quality previously associated with MQA streams.

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Part 5. Conclusion

The era of MQA on Tidal is over, but the pursuit of high-fidelity audio downloads never ends. While you cannot access Tidal Music MQA, there is still an official option to enjoy music in high quality - Hi-Res FLAC. If you have a Tidal subscription, you can download Hi-Res FLAC music on your mobile phone. But if you want to enjoy high-quality Tidal music on your computer, TunesMake Tidal Music Converter is what you are looking for. It can save your favorite Tidal songs offline as local files and keep the original sound quality at the same time.

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