My local files aren't syncing

[TotallyJustin]

I've added some local files to Spotify on my computer and added them to a playlist, and that all works fine. The metadata is showing correctly, and all is well.

That said, I can't play the playlist on my iPhone. It says "Song Not Downloaded", even though I've downloaded the playlist, and the album art for each track is missing.

Both devices are connected to the same network, local files are enabled on Spotify on the iPhone, and Spotify has Local Network permissions. Any ideas?

[TotallyJustin]

UPDATE: I read In this guide that Spotify does not support FLAC files, which mine were, so I removed, converted, and added them back, but I'm still facing the same problem.

[Yordan]

Hi there @TotallyJustin,

Welcome to the Spotify Community!

The provided article seems to be from 2022 and since then a few changes to the way local files work have been made. In order for the files to be playable on your iPhone, you'll have to upload them to your phone's internal storage (in the Spotify folder, to be more precise, which is located in the Files app > On My iPhone). You'll find an updated guide on how to that here.

In case you don't see a Spotify folder in the Files app after enabling Local files in Spotify's settings, try rebooting your device and it should show up.

Hope this helps. Cheers 🤘

[Fastmine]

Device

IPhone 12 mini

My Question or Issue

I have had an issue with Spotify for some time now, that after I sync my local files from my computer I can no longer play them once I leave my house. 

I used to be able to do this, what has happened?

[Fastmine]

@Yordan
(Since my post was moved here by the mods (even though my issues is different...), I'm going to reply directly.)

The files are synced across the local network, and the files are in the spotify folder when I check (see screen shot of the folder with my 60 songs/folders with songs).

I can play the songs, they appear as the should in the playlist. 

However they are either removed or become unplayable after some time after synchronizing.

I synchronized yesterday because I was unable to play said songs, and they were re-acquired to my iPhone seen by them being in the folder and being playable.

So why do they get deleted / or become unplayable in the first place after a time of not synchronizing?

[Maria]

Hey @Fastmine,

Thanks for sending over some more details!

Just to confirm, do you have the files stored locally on your phone as well? Keep in mind that you'll need to have files available on the device you'd like to listen from. For example, for the local files to show up on your phone, they also need to be stored on that device. You can find more details here.

In case you already stored them correctly and you're still unable to play the files, it will be a good idea to remove all the local files you've added to the app and try adding them again.

Shouldn't that do the trick, can you let us know if you've tried any troubleshooting so far? This will help us to avoid repeating any steps.

Let us know how you get on.

[Fastmine]

They are stored locally in the folder screenshotted above, as also is the designated folder from the details here.

Or am I supposed to store a copy of my .mp3 files somewhere else on the phone in addition to the folder specified?

[Maria]

Hey there @Fastmine,

Thanks for the reply!

The best option would be to have the tracks physically stored on your phone, this way, all playable track should stay available in the mobile app. Note that the local files sync process recently changed and is undergoing development. Instead of syncing & downloading the playlist, having the tracks available directly on the device is a more reliable process

You can also connect the files from your PC by following the steps here under iOS > Mac/Windows (depending on your device).

However, should you be unable to store them on your phone, you can still try the following:

1. Make sure your PC is discoverable on your network. You can check this in your network settings.
2. Remove all downloads > reboot your device > download the playlist again.

You can also create a hotspot from your phone and connect your computer to it, then give it another shot.

Hope this clears things up! Feel free to keep us posted on how it goes.

[Fastmine]

I will reiterate, as previously stated in my last two responses, the files are stored on the device as per the instructions found here.  

I have 3 copies of the songs which all are discovered and recognized by Spotify, but they are not playable in my Spotify playlist (as seen in the attached screenshots)

[Eni]

Hey there @Fastmine,

Thanks for your reply. 

Just to confirm, does this always happen with the same songs? 

On another note, could you let us know after how much time the songs get removed or become unplayable? We'd also like to know if this started happening after a specific event such as an update. 

We'll be on the lookout.

[Fastmine]

Hmm, I haven't thought too much about which songs up until now, but last time it happened most of my other synced songs were still playable (but not the ones in the screenshot + a few more). So it seems to only affect certain songs indeed.

The songs are never removed from the playlist or the phone, they only become unplayable. I'm sorry I don't have a specific time, but last time it happened it was after 1-4 days.

This has been a recurring problem for a longer time than I can could specify, but never tried to find a solution to it until now... So I can't say if it's the same problem or was a similar one that had the same effect.

[cmpickup]

I'm running into a similar issue. I uploaded these files from my desktop PC to Spotify, and they play correctly while I'm listening on there, but when I try to download them on my phone, I get an error saying they're not available.

I've tried clearing cache, fresh reinstall, signing out/in, nothing seems to work. I don't have an SD card, and I have enough internal storage.

I'm on Android v12 and the latest version of Spotify

[OscarDC]

Hey @Fastmine,

Thank you for keeping in contact and for the shared info. 

Since the local files were originally added to the playlist from your PC and taking into account that the syncing process is on its way to deprecation, would you mind removing the affected tracks from the playlist and adding them again but directly from the Local Files folder of your iPhone to see if it makes any difference?

Also, include in your next response the OS version of your device, along with the Spotify version you're currently running to continue investigating the case.

We'll be on the lookout.

[wouterbloemerts]

Hey, i think i got the same issue back then and my problem was a network/firewall issue.

Is your phone on the same network as your PC? This is mandatory for downloading.

If yes, try turning of your antivirus of firewall for a short time to see if it downloads.

And please make sure that the files you try to upload to your phone are in MP3 format. Spotify does not support FLAC or WAV.

Hope it works! Good luck.

Wouter

[Fastmine]

@OscarDC

OS: iOS 17.3.1

Spotify version: 8.9.19.571

Alright, I have removed the affected tracks from the playlist and added them through the local files on my phone. All of the songs now will play except for one, which appears as not available, even though it is playable in the iPhones "music" app...

Further more, now the songs from my phone are no longer playable through the Spotify desktop application, so I have to use my phone to play the songs. I have given the phone & computer 2 days to sync up, but hasn't happened yet.

[New user]

tengo muchos archivos locales, y presento problemas para sincronizarlas con mi IOS. Las canciones solo se sincronizan cuando la app de Spotify esta abierta en mi PC

[raustin]

Hi,
I imported a music CD (non-commercial) using Spotify on my Mac but it does not sync properly when I open Spotify on my iPad. The music is listed on the iPad but greyed out and will not play.
How can I get that imported music to play on my iPad Spotify?
Thanks for the help!
Richard

————-

I figured it out, must have local files turned on for each device, then the syncing started to happen. All is good!

[MartinT]

Hello @Fastmine, 

Thanks for the response. 

Just to make sure were on the same page In order to be able to play a local file on a device, the file needs to be on the device. If a specific file is causing you trouble then its most likely something to do with it.

We recommend checking this thread here as users have discussed a similar issue there.

Hope this helped out,

Cheers.

[Fastmine]

Hello @MartinT,

As pointed out in 4 out of the 6 posts I made in this thread, yes the files are located on the device.

The files were only unplayable via Spotify, other programs on the iPhone would play them fine.

The solution that almost fixed the problem was adding the songs to the playlist from the device(iPhone) which permanently makes the songs playable, however synchronization only seems to work from PC to iPhone and not the other way around, and unfortunately this means the songs are unplayable on PC.

[Susan_GP]

Hi @Fastmine,

 
Thanks for your reply and for explaining the situation.

The feature allowing syncing of local files between devices is in the process of being deprecated, so it's expected to see some issues with it. As long as you have the audio files stored on the device you're using, you should be able to play them from Spotify as Local Files. We're glad to know you're now able to play them.

Now, just to verify, you have the same audio files stored on your computer, but they're unplayable from the Spotify app there?

We'll be here.