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What is an M4A file?
The audio-only flavor of MP4, used by iTunes, Apple Music and iPhone voice memos. AAC in M4A sounds better than MP3 at the same bitrate.
Pros
- Better quality than MP3 at the same size
- Native on Apple devices
Cons
- Some older car stereos and players only accept MP3
How to open M4A files
VLC, foobar2000 and most music players open M4A. It also plays natively on Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android.
Is M4A lossy or lossless?
M4A is lossy: it removes sounds that are hard to hear to make files smaller. Quality depends on the bitrate — 192 kbps and above is transparent for most listeners.
When should you convert M4A?
AAC in M4A sounds better than MP3 at the same bitrate. If the app or device you need doesn't accept M4A, convert it to MP3 — the most widely supported alternative.
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M4A at a glance
- Full name
- MPEG-4 Audio
- Developed by
- ISO / Apple
- Introduced
- 2001
- Contains
- AAC (lossy) or ALAC (lossless)
- MIME type
- audio/mp4
- Best for
- Apple Music, iPhone voice memos, podcasts