Syncing issue between windows and iphone

[UrutoraTk]

Plan

Premium

Country

Australia

Device

iphone 8+

Operating System

iOS 13, Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I'm unable to get local files songs to sync or download on my iphone. I've reinstalled both apps on windows and iphone twice, reset both devices, have both devices on up to date firmware, tested my network connection, have them using the same connection, 80+ gig space free on the iphone, have my firewall down and i have all the local files options activated and hidden files showing. The local files are in my playlist but gray and unable to play on the iphone, refusing to download individually or the playlist itself. What do i do to get them to sync properly and download?

[MattSuda]

Hey @UrutoraTk 

The steps to sync local files from a computer to the iOS Spotify app have recently changed. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

You now need to go into the Spotify iOS app settings and turn on local file sync.

From the help article:

Note: Premium subscription is required

1. On desktop, import your local files (with the "Desktop" steps).
2. Add the files to a new playlist.
3. Log in on your mobile or tablet using the same WiFi as your desktop.
4. Go to Settings --> Local Files and switch on Enable sync from desktop.
   Note: You need to allow Spotify to find devices in the prompt that shows.
5. Download the playlist with your local files.

Didn’t work?

Make sure:

• You're logged in to the same account on both your desktop and mobile
• Your devices are connected to the same WiFi network
• The app is up-to-date on both devices
• Your device is up-to-date

Also, at first the Local Files playlist will show as empty in the iOS app. To be able to see the songs before they are synced over, go to Settings ---> Playback --> and make sure "hide unavailable songs" option is turned off. Now you can still see songs even if they are not available on Spotify or for local files -- not synced over yet.

Let me know how it goes.

[lheatherwick]

I had the same problem, I had done everything right, local files switched on, same wifi, all the suggested answers. I tried it on another laptop and it worked perfectly. So checked the wifi settings on the laptop and they were set to public even though it was my home wifi, changed it to private, hey presto, everything started to sync.

[Chloe-VII]

I think this should be added to the instructions: "Make sure your PC's network settings is set to Private not Public if you're on your home network"

I think this could've saved some of us the headache, I've got old albums or albums out of country I bought I'd REALLY like to listen to away from home without the use of another app.

Thank you so much @lheatherwick ♥

[Hand3]

---

@ThirtyOneToday wrote:

Plan

Premium

Country

Australia

Device

iphone 8+

Operating System

iOS 13, Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I'm unable to get local files songs to sync or download on my iphone. I've reinstalled both apps on windows and iphone twice, reset both devices, have both devices on up to date firmware, tested my network connection, have them using the same connection, 80+ gig space free on the iphone, have my firewall down and i have all the local files options activated and hidden files showing. The local files are in my playlist but gray and unable to play on the iphone, refusing to download individually or the playlist itself. What do i do to get them to sync properly and download?

---

I have tried that out but haven't got the the solution to fix did it worked for you or i have to do something more for it?

[Ver]

Hey @Hand3,

Thanks for posting here.

The troubleshooting steps that you've tried are very good.

It's a good idea to also try the step @lheatherwick mentioned regarding the network to see if that helps.

We'd suggest you also check these steps to see if that makes a difference.

Let us know how it goes.

[azzyirl]

this is old so idk if anyone will reply but i changed my network to private and it synced for a second, but literally just a second. now its greyed out again even though the arrow is green as if it downloaded, but if i try to play it it says its not downloaded. im getting really tired of this lol

[Vasil]

Hey @azzyirl,

Are you trying to sync your files on your mobile phone from the phone itself or from your desktop?
The files need to be present on your mobile device after one of the more recent changes.
If your files are present on the iPhone but downloads still fail, let us know & we'll take another look!
Many thanks.

[norps01]

Hey!

I'm actually experiencing the same issue as the original poster. I can play the local files on my laptop and I can see the songs in my Local Files folder on my laptop. However I can't see the songs in the Local Files folder on my iPhone. I have synced my laptop with my phone and followed all the correct steps and the download arrows on the playlists show up green both on the laptop and on my phone. The problem is I can't play the songs on my phone, they show up gray. No such issue on my laptop. I am connected to the laptop via USB, hot spot and Bluetooth. I have set my network to private. Nothing is working. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

-Noora

[AlejaR]

Hey @norps01,

Thanks for your reply and for the info shared.

In this case, we'd like you to know some changes on how local files are handled were recently introduced. We can confirm that it's expected for local files not to be synced between devices.

On another note, keep in mind there's a new Local Files experience. We're presenting this new experience, in which there's no need to import the files from one device to the other, as the files can be stored on phones. You can read more about it here.

So, take into account you can toggle on/off the Local files in your mobile. From Settings> tap Local Files> Switch Show audio files. Just to clarify, currently, the Local Files feature lets you use the Spotify app to play any audio files stored on your device (e.g .mp3, .mp4, .m4a). So, with this function you'll see all the audio files you have in your phone. When toggling it off, you won't see any of them in the app.
 

We hope you found this helpful. We're always here to help.

[altecice]

Ok so this is stupid that it's still an issue, but I will share what worked for me on the 17/11/2022.

Desktop: Windows 11
Phone: Iphone 14 Pro IOS16.1

1. Get your local tracks imported into your desktop version of Spotify and create your playlists from them.
2. Still on the desktop app, mark them as download (you should have a green down arrow next to your local playlists).
3. connect your desktop/laptop to the same network as your phone (for me I connected my desktop and laptop to the same wifi network).
4. Make sure your desktop classifies your WiFi (or LAN) as a Private Network, not a public or domain.
5. Turn off the Windows firewall for Private (only private, not public/domain).
6. Go onto your mobile app and Settings > local files > show audio from local files, turn it on
7. In the mobile app find the visible playlists you made on your desktop/laptop and click download.
8. Watch them download 🙂