iOS local file sync does not work

[leogladkov]

Plan: Premium

USA

Device

iPhone X / MacBook Pro (16 inch, 2019)

Operating System

iOS 14.4.2 / macOS Big Sur 11.2.3

I am unable to sync local files from my MacBook to my iPhone by following these steps. The files are playable in the desktop client, but appear greyed out (unavailable) in the corresponding playlist in the mobile app.

I have tried many things to resolve this issue (and yes, both my MacBook and iPhone were connected to the same local network, and the "local files" option is enabled in both the desktop and mobile apps), including using my phone's mobile hot spot to attempt the synchronization, clean reinstalls of both the desktop and mobile apps, deleting / recreating the playlists and the underlying folders in which the local files are stored, restarting the devices, logging in and out, etc.

Searching around the community forum shows that others have been having similar issues, and for some individuals it appears that one of the aforementioned fixes has worked. None have worked for me.

From my perspective, this appears to be a bug with Spotify's software. Even if one of the above fixes does work, none of those steps should be necessary to get this feature working. I think many others would agree with me that it should work out of the box. And since the feature fails to achieve its intended functionality, it therefore contains a bug, by definition. In particular, the "workarond" of using your mobile hot spot cannot be a permanent solution, since syncing a large number of files would quickly eat away at a limited data plan.

I really hope that this is seen by a Spotify developer and the issue is investigated. Maybe this feature is not a top priority for Spotify, but it should be given more attention since it enables users to fill the gaps in Spotify's catalogue (which is smaller than Apple Music's afaik, and in fact the albums I am trying to sync are available in Apple Music) with their own music.

P.S. The songs I am attempting to sync (which I own) belong to albums that are unavailable in Spotify in the US region but are streamable from other regions. Perhaps Spotify is matching these tracks with the ones in its database and preventing my mobile app from accessing them as if I were attempting to stream them from Spotify directly?

[Mihail]

Hey @leogladkov,

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here.

We appreciate the extensive troubleshooting you've done so far. Could you please confirm that the files are in one of the supported formats listed here?

Also, could you share a couple of screenshots of how the playlists with the greyed out songs appear on both your PC and mobile phone? Once we have those, we'll happily take a closer look.

Keep us posted. We'll be on the lookout for your reply. 

[leogladkov]

Hi Mihail,

The files are in .mp3 format. I've attached the requested screenshots.

Best,

Leo

[Jeremy · Accepted solution]

Hi there @leogladkov,

Thank you for your reply and for your screenshots.

Another useful step in 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.

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

Cheers!

[leogladkov]

Hi Jeremy,

I was pleasantly surprised to find that your suggestion worked. Thank you. I followed the steps you outlined, the only difference being that I performed clean reinstallations of the app for each device as well.

However, I still think that there's an issue here that should be addressed, since I feel like this feature should work out of the box without requiring the user to go through this process.

Best,

Leo

[Ivan]

Hey @leogladkov, 

Thanks for sharing the good news!

We're glad to hear that things are now working properly for you. 

If you have any questions we're always one post away. 

Еnjoy your music!