Let me preface this post by stating, somewhat cheekily, that I would rather not use Electron apps where possible (for the same reasons most of you wouldn’t).
But, in the face of no alternative I am willing to suck it up.
And so it is with TIDAL Hi-Fi, an Electron-based music player that, to my knowledge, is the easiest way to stream music from TIDAL on Linux outside of a web browser (TIDAL’s web-player works in most web browsers but lacks integration with the underlying OS).
“Easiest” is the important qualifier in the above sentence as other TIDAL-supporting apps are available on Linux.
My old go-to was a TIDAL CLI app (no longer works), and while Clementine-fork Strawberry offers (unofficial) Tidal streaming (and is quite good at it, I hear) you need to generate a client ID and API token to use it — hassle, innit.
This is why TIDAL Hi-Fi is so appealing: it’s a no-fuss way to listen to TIDAL on Linux. Download the app, login with a TIDAL account, hit play, and enjoy.
TIDAL Hi-Fi Electron App
As mentioned, TIDAL Hi-FI is an Electron-based wrapper for the official TIDAL web player. That web player supports (using the Widevine DRM plugin) the music streaming service’s High & Max audio quality, which is neat.
But this goes further.
TIDAL Hi-Fi adds in a number of ace features one would expect of a modern Linux music player, including MPRIS support, track change notifications, and media key integration.
It can also connect with Discord to show your track status; scrobble tracks to ListenBrainz; and themes let you personalise the appearance. It can also general service-agnostic links so you can share tracks with friends without them being directed to TIDAL to listen.
On Ubuntu, this app uses a menu bar by default which does look out of place amongs the distro’s other apps (different DEs it may not). To hide it, open the settings dialog by pressing ctrl + = and turn it off.
TIDAL Hi-FI app features:
- Hi-Fi (High & Max) audio via Widevine
- Supports theming
- MPRIS player integration
- Track change notifications
- Media key support
- Discord RPC
- Web API
That little list is in addition to all of the features you’d find in official Tidal web client, like playlists, charts, music videos, and so on.
Download Tidal-HiFi for Linux
Keen to tune in? You can download the unofficial TIDAL Hi-FI app in a variety of Linux package formats including an .appimage, 64-bit .deb, and a .snap.
You’ll find the latest installers(s) on the the project’s GitHub releases page (where macOS and Windows installers are also provided, should you want them).
You can also get TIDAL Hi-FI on Flathub.
Summary
I mainly listen to music on Spotify using the official Linux app, despite the fact I have access to a premium Tidal subscription (via a family plan). This is because of the lack of official Linux client. The web app is fine but it lacks desktop integration.
Which the unofficial TIDAL Hi-Fi app remedies.
Despite the Electron-sized elephant in the room, the apps delivers the simple “download, log in, and listen” experience most of us want. And it’s updated regularly with fixes and new features, and is an open-source project anyone can contribute to.
If you or someone you know wants to use TIDAL on Ubuntu, be sure to check out this unofficial TIDAL desktop app, because it’s official the next-best thing.