Announcements

Help Wizard

Step 1

NEXT STEP

FAQs

Please see below the most popular frequently asked questions.

Loading article...

Loading faqs...

VIEW ALL

Ongoing Issues

Please see below the current ongoing issues which are under investigation.

Loading issue...

Loading ongoing issues...

VIEW ALL

Local Files 'Downloaded,' but Do Not Play, then Grey Out

Local Files 'Downloaded,' but Do Not Play, then Grey Out

Plan

Premium

Country

United States

Device

Samsung Note9

Operating System

Android 10

 

My Question or Issue

Spotify will download my local files to my phone, but when I attempt to play certain tracks, they will show up as playing, but they will not actually play. The timer will stay at zero, and the track in the playlist will grey out while still showing the green downloaded symbol. If I rewind to the previous track, then attempt to skip back to the local file, it will automatically skip over it as if it is an unavailable track.

 

The local files will still play through Spotify on my desktop. Not all of my local files will do this, only certain files seemingly picked at random from a group of songs I'm specifically trying to listen to. 

I have done the following to attempt to troubleshoot

-Restart my phone

-Scrub halfway through track while it is 'playing'

-Double check that Spotify is allowed through my Windows Firewall

-Remove the trouble tracks from the playlist and re-add them
-Make the playlist not Available Offline, then clear the cache and redownload the playlist

-Log out, then back in

-Uninstall Spotify, then reinstall and download playlist

-Log out, then back in on of both my Note9 and my PC at the same time

-Move the local file folder within Windows Explorer, then re-select it as a local file directory and re-add the songs to the playlist

 

I am at my wits end as to how to fix this issue. I thought it might potentially be the Spotify track linking stuff, but the new versions of Spotify do not have the Unlink Tracks option, and these are not tracks that are available on Spotify. I have attached an image to demonstrate the status of these songs. You will see that a track on Spotify at top is displayed correctly, while some local files are greyed out (and unplayable despite being 'downloaded'), and some local files are displayed and play correctly.

Reply
1 Reply

Hey @Grote5,

Thanks for posting in the Community.

Great work on troubleshooting yourself up to here! Could you just share with us the current version number of your Spotify app on your mobile device, where the issue occurs?

Meanwhile you can try doing the log in and log out step again, but this time do it twice in a row. This may sound odd but it's how the app does a refresh and resynchronizes with your account. Let us know if that would make any difference.

 

Also, keep in mind that files obtained through illegal sources will not be playable, as the app can detect those.

Do keep us posted, we'll be on the lookout for your reply. 

Kiril Moderator
Help others find this answer and click "Accept as Solution".
If you appreciate an answer, maybe give it a Like.
Are you new to the Community? Take a moment to introduce yourself!

Suggested posts