Local files syncing broken with new version on iOS, local files deleted

[TagMax]

I've been using local files synced from my desktop to my iPhone for a couple years now, great for long DJ mixes, I listen to those local files pretty much every day on walks

Something has happened in the past couple of days though (presumably during an update) where it deleted all the synced local files on my iPhone, and now won't re-sync them no matter what - they just appear as greyed out in the playlist. Play fine as normal on the desktop app... and when I try and switch to playing it on the iPhone, it just says the songs aren't available on this device

I've tried removing the playlist from downloads then re-adding, and it just refuses to sync, Spotify playlists are syncing/downloading fine

I've also tried deleting the app completely and reinstalling. Again - it'll download/sync all Spotify syncs but just refuses to sync the local files

Done (and re-verified) all the usual tricks like private network, adding Spotify to the firewall, turning on "Local files" in settings etc. etc. - like I said it's been working fine for ages but has now just broken

Is this a bug in a new version? Anyone else suffering from this?

[TagMax]

Hey folks,

Thanks for posting in the Community and welcome. 

@TagMax, @Jenfa26, in this case, we'd like to add some insights. Keep in mind there's a new Local Files experience. We're presenting this new experience, in which there's no need to sync the files from one device to the other, as the files can be stored on phones.

That being said, we'd recommend starting off by clearing the cache on the settings' app. By doing that, you can make sure the cache stored on your devices won't lead to future issues. After that, go to the Spotify app’s Settings and tap Local Files. There, make sure the Show audio files from this device feature is enabled. If you go to your libraries, the folder Local Files should now appear.
 

Now you'll need to transfer the local files to the Spotify folder on the iOS device. This folder can be found on the iOS Files app, under ‘On My iPhone/iPad > Spotify. Depending on your computer OS, follow the steps below:

• Mac: Open Finder > Select the iOS device from the sidebar > Click Music or File in the button bar > Drag the file/s from the window into the Spotify folder
• Windows: Open iTunes > Select the iOS device from the sidebar > Click Music or File in the button bar > Drag the file/s from the window into the Spotify folder

On the Spotify app for iOS, go to Your Library > Local Files, you should now see all available tracks in this folder. You can refresh your local files by toggling Show Local Files on and off in case you're not seeing tracks there.

That should do the trick! So we invite you to try and let us know how it goes.
 

Keep us in the loop!

[Jenfa26]

I’m having the same issue. Can’t say when it started but only noticed today. No local files playlist and songs are greyed out no matter what I try. Annoying. 

[AlejaR]

Hey folks,

Thanks for posting in the Community and welcome. 

@TagMax, @Jenfa26, in this case, we'd like to add some insights. Keep in mind there's a new Local Files experience. We're presenting this new experience, in which there's no need to sync the files from one device to the other, as the files can be stored on phones.

That being said, we'd recommend starting off by clearing the cache on the settings' app. By doing that, you can make sure the cache stored on your devices won't lead to future issues. After that, go to the Spotify app’s Settings and tap Local Files. There, make sure the Show audio files from this device feature is enabled. If you go to your libraries, the folder Local Files should now appear.
 

Now you'll need to transfer the local files to the Spotify folder on the iOS device. This folder can be found on the iOS Files app, under ‘On My iPhone/iPad > Spotify. Depending on your computer OS, follow the steps below:

• Mac: Open Finder > Select the iOS device from the sidebar > Click Music or File in the button bar > Drag the file/s from the window into the Spotify folder
• Windows: Open iTunes > Select the iOS device from the sidebar > Click Music or File in the button bar > Drag the file/s from the window into the Spotify folder

On the Spotify app for iOS, go to Your Library > Local Files, you should now see all available tracks in this folder. You can refresh your local files by toggling Show Local Files on and off in case you're not seeing tracks there.

That should do the trick! So we invite you to try and let us know how it goes.
 

Keep us in the loop!

[TagMax]

@AlejaR - wait, so the previous local file sync mechanism has been removed? You've made the whole process of syncing files harder if we now need to transfer the files ourselves to the device, load these into Spotify and then create a playlist with what I guess will be a different copy than the playlist on desktop devices? So there'd be two seperate playlists?

This is an absolutely absurd change, the previous sync mechanism worked well and was automatic and simple. Think it's time for me to move to another music platform if this was intentional and is going to stay that way, makes zero sense that you'd make this more complex than it was

[Jenfa26]

Thanks. It seems to be working like it used to. Must have been a glitch in
between updates

[bikiniweekend]

Are you saying I need now to add the song manually to my playlist from my Phone, and have to add it twice to be able to listen to it in PC and also in Android Phone using the same playlist?

wth, this **bleep**.

[TagMax]

Yup, that's exactly what you have to do!

Not only that, but it randomly deletes things as well. I did the manual steps above... only about half of the songs showed up, other half would not show up at all despite transferring over, completely random songs didn't work in the playlist despite working for the past year

And then... open the app just as I'm boarding an airplane, Spotify had deleted all of the local files! Nothing to listen to on the plane

Well done Spotify, completely ruined what was working fine, what a joke. Finally the push I needed to cancel my Spotify plan after 8 years, it was a good run

[New user]

Local files work perfectly on my PC but dont transfer over to my phone. Ive tried putting the file directly on the phone and even editing the file's tag, still doesnt work.

[SASAnthrax]

Same issue here! Files play fine on the PC app and can sync the songs on to my iphone, then few minutes later... poof they get greyed out again. Was working fine up until now. On a separate note, the local files cant be downloaded to apple watch ultra because their app doesn't even support it. I'm just going back to apple music if they don't fix these issues asap.

[Maria]

Hey there folks,

Thanks for posting in the thread!

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. Feel free to have a look at this page for more details about the feature,

@SASAnthrax - just to check, did you follow the steps mentioned by @AlejaR earlier in the thread? Does clearing stored cache from the app make any difference?

Let us know how you get on.

[SASAnthrax]

Yes I've already tried everything including the step you mentioned. This feature was working perfectly fine before; classic example of if it aint broke don't fix it.

[bikiniweekend]

For me it is working.

Steps:

- You have a song in your PC at any folder.

- Open Spotify in your PC, go to config and add that folder to "Show songs from" or whatever it is in english.

- Don't add it to any playlist yet.

- Copy that song from your PC to any folder in your Mobile Device.

- Open Spotify in your Mobile Device, go to config and enable "Show audio files from this device"

- Then in your mobile device, add that song from Local Files to any of your playlists.

- That song should be added automatically as well in your PC spotify playlist, and you should be able to play it in both PC and Mobile Device.

It worked for me fine if I FIRST add the song to the playlist in my Mobile Device.

If I do the opposite and I add the song first from Local Files to the playlist in PC, some songs are not recognized in my Mobile Device.

I hope this helps.

[agrumwald]

Plan

/Premium Duo

Country

USA

Device

(iPhone SE)

Operating System

(iOS 17.3

My Question or Issue

I have been transferring local files with no issues for a while now. Lately, for some reason, my files transfer to my phone successfully, but then some of them are greyed out when I leave my home. They are all the same type of audio file. Sometimes entire playlists of local files  gone; sometimes just a few. 

Anyone else have this issue? It’s quite frustrating. In the photo below, the first file is a regular Spotify track. The rest are local files. I transferred them recently. Each time I try again, it seems to have worked, but then I see some of them grayed out when I leave home. Different ones each time. They don’t come back unless I transfer again when I return home. 

[sea_four]

Plan

Family Premium

Device

iPhone 12

Operating System

iOS 17

My Question or Issue

I was trying to add 5 songs to my local files on spotify but only 3 would download on my phone. On my computer all 5 downloaded with no issue but I can't get the other two to add to my phone. 

[agrumwald]

“Copy that song from your PC to any folder in your Mobile Device”

Please help. Do you mean any Spotify folder? If not, what do you mean? How would I move files from PC to phone?  

[Yordan]

Hey @agrumwald,

Yes, you'll have to upload the same files to the Spotify folder, located in the Files app > On My iPhone > Spotify. If you don't see it, try rebooting your phone and it should show up.

As for uploading the songs, you'll find more info on how to do that in this article.

Cheers!

[agrumwald]

Thanks. Some of the files are there, but not all of them for some reason. And many of them get greyed out, seemingly at random. I sync them, see them on the phone, and then they go grey. I don’t understand it. Each time I have my Spotify open on my laptop and phone, the files sync again. Then they disappear again. But not all of them. It’s so frustrating. 

[AlejaR]

Hey @agrumwald,

Thanks for your reply and for the info shared.

At this point, there are some further details you can check. Remember files or downloads from illegal sources are not permitted. If your files have not been obtained from an official source, this could cause some issues while trying to play them on Spotify.

If this is not your case, take into account Spotify supports .mp3, .mp4, and .m4p files. It doesn’t support .mp4 files that contain video, or the iTunes lossless format (M4A). What you can do is make sure your files' format is supported by the app. You can also try using a different (convert them) format to see if you notice any changes.

You can also try once more clean reinstall of Spotify on your device. By doing that, the app can be up-to-date, and you can make sure the cache is not leading to this inconvenience. If you haven't yet, give it a try and let us know how it goes. Make sure both your device and the app are up-to-date.

We'll be on the lookout!

[HoleExplorer]

It worked fine before and you guys changed the whole system to make it harder is crazy, same with this new AI voice "resuming playlist" feature yall added.

[ry_wilcos]

Hi, I have 3 songs in my playlist on the PC which are stored locally. When I open spotify on both devices, I expect them to be transferred to my phone, but this doesn't happen unfortunately. My phone is connected to the internet via wifi and my PC is connected via a LAN cable (it doesn't have wifi I just realized). Is there a way to make the synch happen? I have followed the other steps in the article otherwise. Thanks