Local files will not download onto my phone

[ColoursBleed]

Hi Guys, 

I know this topic has been posted countless times on these forums as I have been searching them for an answer to no avail. I have followed every step I've found on here in regards to playing local files on my phone and I still cannot get it to work. So I was hoping if I layout exactly what I am facing, someone might be able to give me the correct answer. 

I have a premium plan and the issue I am facing is on my Android phone. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus to be exact. My phone and PC are both connected to the same network. My phone has more than enough space available as well.

So..

• I have got the local files available on my PC and they play just fine on the desktop app. The file format is mp3 and I have created a playlist for these files so that I can download them onto my phone. 
• I have clicked the 'Download' button and a green arrow is indicated next to the playlist which says to me that the playlist should now be available. Despite this, the tracks will not play. 
• The songs have a little grey exclamation mark next to them and will not play on my phone. 

I have tried reinstalling the spotify app on my phone, I have turned everything off and on again multiple times, I even left it over night hoping that the files would sync over that time. Still it does not work. 

If anyone can please find me a solution for this I would be very grateful, as I just can't get it to work. 

[ColoursBleed]

Hi @e1l_5rlfq-jjt!

The way local files work was changed recently: now the feature only lets you discover local files that are already stored locally on the device. The option to sync local files between multiple devices was removed, meaning you can no longer sync local files you had on your PC to your phone - they have to be physically stored on your phone as well in order to access them.

Hope this clears things up. Take care.

[Jeremy]

Hey there @ColoursBleed,

Thank you for your post here in the Community. We're happy to help.

These files must exist on the device, either outside of the app or by setting them to Offline inside the app

To sync local files from one device to another, you must be actively logged in to both devices with Spotify open and on the same network

Local files can be turned on/off in the Settings menu.

Can you double-check that you've followed all of the support site steps correctly.

It's also useful to double-check that you have connected both devices to the same Wi-Fi.

If that doesn't do the trick - can you try the following:

• Add some songs from our catalogue to the playlist as well as the local file/s and make sure they have ‘Show unavailable songs in playlists’ turned on in Settings

• Play some music on the device that has the local files to see if it shows via Connect on the other device

• Make sure the router supports the Bonjour protocol. If the router is made after 2005, it will likely have this protocol. The best way to handle this is to check the router make/model and Google it

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.

Let us know how everything goes so that we can keep on assist you if you need us to. We're always one reply away 🙂

Cheers!

[ColoursBleed]

Hi Jeremy, 

Thank you for getting back to me. In the end I just went onto my firewall settings & it was my McAfee software blocking it! I changed the settings on there & now it all works. 

All sorted now. Thanks again!

[Jeremy]

Hey there @ColoursBleed,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

We're glad to hear that everything works as expected for you again 🙂

If anything comes up we're always happy to help.

Cheers 🙂

[aida6]

I am having an issue with downloading my songs from local file on computer to spotify on the phone. I was able to do this before and it just stopped randomly. I have rebooted, reinstalled, restarted, turned on/off. wont work. I have changed the location wont work. I have made wifi private wont work. cleared cache wont work. It simply says songs are not downloaded and gives me the useless instructions to upload them. Nothing is working i have been trying for an hour and this is upsetting.

[Dian]

Hey @aida6,

Thanks for posting in the Community.

Could you provide us with some device setup information? We'd like to know the brand/model and operating systems of the involved devices.

Have you also tried the troubleshooting steps @Jeremy provided earlier in the thread?

Keep us posted,

Cheers!

[e1l_5rlfq-jjt]

I've done this once, twice, three times already. Each time it works for a while and then stops. So I'll now do it a 4th time, until it breaks again.

[Yordan]

Hi @e1l_5rlfq-jjt!

The way local files work was changed recently: now the feature only lets you discover local files that are already stored locally on the device. The option to sync local files between multiple devices was removed, meaning you can no longer sync local files you had on your PC to your phone - they have to be physically stored on your phone as well in order to access them.

Hope this clears things up. Take care.

[beautifulbran]

So I've been paying for premium for 6+ years only for Spotify to remove a useful feature and make it more difficult to listen to songs that aren't in your library? For what reason would they do that? Just doesn't make much sense. 

[Dian]

Hey @beautifulbran,

Thanks for the reply.

We have posted an explanation of why this change was made in this thread.

Hope this helps,

Cheers!

[Kiieeraan]

I’m on IPhone, where should the music files be stored then? Just in the normal files app?

[snakeshd]

That's was the best feature Spotify had and now it's gone....

[Pqnico]

Hello,

Thank you for your help!

I followed every step but I still can't have my local mp3 songs working on my mobile app (Android, Huawei P10 - EMUI 9.1). 

Here are my questions:

1. My PC is connected to my router via ethernet (RJ45), does it absolutely needs to be in Wifi for it to work? PC and phone are on the same network.

2. If my router does not have the "Bonjour" protocol, will it prevent the downloads to my phone to work? If so, is there any solution? Besides replacing it.

Thanks in advance.

[frunk1e]

that's stupid. it was an incredible feature, i can't believe i'm still paying for premium if it's not a feature anymore. what a terrible decision, you should've just allowed both.

[Zantafio1]

This is a regression functionnaly speaking. Why did you do that ? This is so complicated to add local files now.

[mjxng]

I have these songs downloaded onto local files on my phone with the green arrow. But inside the playlists they still show grey no matter what I do

[beanie25]

yes i'm having this exact problem!! it's so frustrating, i have no idea how to fix it.

[AdrianB93]

Bad take. My files are in .flac format. Spotify has had no issues playing them, however, Apple Music and iCloud Drive will not show/import .flac files at all. I can't put those files on my phone nor play them on my phone over wi-fi on the same network. What am I supposed to do with them now? I have a lot of .flac files and I sure as **bleep** won't be buying new versions or converting them from their original formats.

[SanJJ3225]

For what it's worth, it just worked for me. The files are stored at "/storage/emulated/0/Music/Spotify/Synced files/" on my mobile device, and were originally stored in a folder on my PC. I'm not sure what triggered it to work, but I had the respective spotify apps open on both devices, and connected to the same network.

Devices:
 - OnePlus 7
   - Android 12
   - Unmodified official mobile app from Play Store
- Dell Laptop
   - Windows 11
   - Unmodified official desktop app