topic Re: Local Files and Spotify Files Don’t Mix When Shuffled in iOS (iPhone, iPad)

Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 23:36:48 GMT

Iv'e had spotify for years while using the local files feature to listen to my favorite songs that aren't on spotify. However, for some reason when I recently tried to add a new song via the local files, when synced to my IOS device it won't play on my iphone. It shows up on my iphone, its downloaded, but when I tap on the song to play it on my iphone it turns green like its playing for a fraction of a second, but then immediately deselects the song and doesn't play anything. What is even weirder is it will play fine on the desktop app.

I tried uninstalling the IOS app, but that only hid all my other local songs on my playlist and i can no longer access them on my iphone. I'm not worried about adding them back as i have them all on a folder on my pc, but I still cant play any of them if I re-add them. Ive tried using different wifi's to try and sync them, but i don't think syncing is the problem. Any help is much appreciated.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 23:52:08 GMT

Ive done some messing around and it turns out that only the new song I tried to add is broken. Ive tried to add other new songs and it turns out any new local file I add will not play on my Iphone but will play fine on my pc. Hope this narrows the issue down a bit.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Eni — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 16:16:47 GMT

Hey @benmusic,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community.

You mentioned that you've already reinstalled the app, but would you mind going through the steps of a clean reinstall, as it's more thorough than a normal one?

If this doesn't do the trick, another useful step is to change the source folder of the local files on the pc. The steps are: Uninstall Spotify on both devices > create a new folder somewhere else on the pc and move the local files there > install Spotify again > remove any potential source folders and add the new one > download the playlist again.

Lastly, could you check the firewall and the anti-virus to be sure Spotify is not blocked?

Keep us posted on how it goes.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 19:48:03 GMT

I tried a clean reinstall, then tried changing the source folder. Nothing worked. Still, only my older local files will play on my iphone, no new songs will play, however they will show up just fine in the playlist. I can even add it to the queue, but when it comes on spotify skips over it and plays whatever would come after.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Alex — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:20:23 GMT

Hey @benmusic,

Thanks for the reply.

Can you let us know if the new files you're trying to sync are in a different format or obtained from a different source compared to the old files which are playable?

Looking forward to your reply.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:16:35 GMT

No, both my old local files and any new ones I add are all mp3 files, and they are all sourced from the same youtube to mp3 converter.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Keeling165 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 03:32:20 GMT

@ACEFlare wrote:
Iv'e had spotify for years while using the local files feature to listen to my favorite songs that aren't on spotify. However, for some reason when I recently tried to add a new song via the local files, when synced to my IOS device it won't play on my iphone. It shows up on my iphone, its downloaded, but when I tap on the song to play it on my iphone it turns green like its playing for a fraction of a second, but then immediately deselects the song and doesn't play anything. What is even weirder is it will play fine on the desktop app.

I tried uninstalling the IOS app, but that only hid all my other local songs on my playlist and i can no longer access them on my iphone. I'm not worried about adding them back as i have them all on a folder on my pc, but I still cant play any of them if I re-add them. Ive tried using different wifi's to try and sync them, but i don't think syncing is the problem. Any help is much appreciated.

If you’ve tried all the suggestions listed in the solution to this thread and are still having issues with playing local files on your mobile device, I would recommend trying to sync your local files using a different network, such as by starting a hotspot on your mobile device and connecting your computer to the hotspot via wifi.

Let us know how it goes, as well as if you have any other questions.

Have a good day!

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:58:48 GMT

I just tried and sadly it did not work either.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 01:03:57 GMT

Perhaps this will help

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Eni — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 17:51:34 GMT

Hey @benmusic,

Thanks for getting back to us.

We're afraid that files obtained from converting YouTube videos aren't officially supported as this isn't a valid source, so we can't guarantee the proper functionality of the files.

If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

benmusic — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 21:37:16 GMT

used a different source and it works. thanks a bunch

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

OscarDC — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 21:43:34 GMT

Hey @benmusic,

Thank you for keeping us updated.

We're glad to know that everything is working well now.

If anything else comes up, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers!

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Micronomics — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 23:34:08 GMT

just wondering what different source you used? I'm having this same issue with youtube to mp3 converted songs, thanks!

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Zebraa — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:10:28 GMT

I’m sorry but I don’t believe that for a second I even put my own recordings and Spotify played them just fine. Then I upgraded to IOS 16.0.3 yesterday and this morning none of them play even though there in white and with the green dot indicating downloaded.

Re: Local Files Won't Play on IOS

Yordan — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 10:47:10 GMT

Hi @Zebraa!

It's worth reinstalling the app, then following the steps in this article to see if that does the trick. Note that the local files have to be manually imported to your phone as well in order to be played by Spotify.

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

Re: Local Files and Spotify Files Don’t Mix When Shuffled

Stringer2048 — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:53:52 GMT

I’m having a problem where my local file songs won’t add into my queue. i’ll swipe left and it will give me the message it’s been added, but when i check, it’s not there. please help

Re: Local Files and Spotify Files Don’t Mix When Shuffled

Yordan — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 07:55:34 GMT

Hey there, @Stringer2048,

Welcome to the Spotify Community!

Do you have Smart Shuffle toggled on? If so, could you check if disabling it does the trick?

If it doesn't, perhaps there was a caching issue, so I'd recommend clearing the app's cache, then logging out and signing back in to your account - this will force an internal refresh that may help here.

In case the issue persists, try performing a clean reinstall of the app.

Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes 👍