Local file not downloading/playing on mobile (but other local files are fine)

[theanniemarie]

I have an mp3 song that I'd like to play on my Spotify app (premium account) on my Android phone. The song is not available from Spotify itself. It plays fine in my desktop Spotify app (Windows 10), but it's greyed out and won't play on my phone, despite the fact that the "downloaded" switch for the playlist is turned on both on my desktop app and on my phone app. Both devices are on the same wi-fi network. 

I've seen a bunch of similar threads but nothing has helped me. I've tried logging out of the app and logging back in. Yes, I've tried turning it off and turning it back on again. The mp3 in question is also on my phone's SD card and plays fine in another music player.

I have other local files that aren't available from Spotify that play fine, but this song (and a few others) won't play. Any ideas?

[Joe]

Usually it's down to your firewall but here's a full list:

• Your PC and mobile must be connected to the same Network/SSID and spotify should be running on your PC.
• In your router settings, check that UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is enabled.
• Make sure that Windows shows your network as private and not public.
• Set exceptions for spotify in any firewall or internet security programme. If you are unsure how to do this, temporarily disable them.
• Check that you haven't already hit the limit of 3,333 downloads per device or 9,999 downloads across all devices.
• If you are using a wifi network outside of your home, there is every chance that the protocols used by spotify for downloading are blocked.

If you still can't make it work, you can create a mobile hotspot on your mobile and connect your PC to this hotspot via wifi. Syncing the local files should then work.

[theanniemarie]

I'm on college campus wifi, so maybe that's the firewall problem? We have both a secured and an unsecured network, but I've had no luck on either, even when I mess with the firewall settings on my own laptop. And my phone plan doesn't allow mobile hotspots. 

Am I out of luck until I find a better wifi network?

[Joe]

The chances are good that the ports spotify needs are blocked. Using a mobile hotspot is the solution. Alternatively, ask the sysadmin if you could connect your own wireless router to the network.