Local Files Not Working in iPhone App

[Jenns2]

Plan

Premium

Country

Canada

Device

iPhone XR, Macbook Air 13" (M1 2020)

Operating System

iOS 14.6, macOS Big Sur 11.4

My Question or Issue

I am having the same issue that I see many people have had (for quite sometime), but none of the 'solutions' provided have worked. I am trying to import local files to my iPhone app, but it is not working. I have imported the local files into a playlist on my desktop app successfully (they show up and are playable). However, when I try to access that playlist/those songs in my iPhone app it does not work. I have now spent SO MANY HOURS reading through all the posts and trying all of the 'solutions' suggested, with no success. I have made sure that my devices are on the same network, and have even tried putting them both on another network - nothing. I have put the local files I want imported into a different location on my macbook and restarted the desktop app - nothing. I have done full clean installs on both devices, updated the OS on both devices, made sure the files are in MP3 format, checked that all the settings and toggles were set correctly...and on and on and on - nothing. Some 'fixes' made it even worse (where the songs wouldn't even show up in the playlist on the phone, just the playlist name), but I have also been able to get the songs to show up in the phone playlist, but they are greyed out and I cannot play or download them. This is where I am now/again, but nothing I've tried (and, honestly, I have tried everything that has been suggested) is working. I'm wondering if there is a bug with the app recognizing that the devices are on the same network, as when I go to Settings --> Devices --> Devices Menu, it shows my macbook under "other devices." However, when I toggle the "show local devices only" option and then go back into the "Devices Menu" option, my macbook no longer shows (this is the case on both networks I tried, so it's not a network issue). Also, when I go to Settings --> Local Files the message says "No devices are currently available for syncing." Please help fix this!

I really want this to work. I have been using Spotify for years, and have built up a lot of playlists. However, I have an extensive CD collection that I am currently digitizing, and if I can't get my music (that you don't have in Spotify) into my library/playlists it's a deal breaker...and getting my music into Spotify should not be this hard/take this long/require so many 'solutions.' I got so frustrated the other day that I signed up for an Apple Music trial and, although I prefer your interface, features, and music selection, if I can't get a solution to this issue I would rather deal with the small shortcomings of Apple, than this major functionality problem with Spotify.

I'm hoping you can provide me with an actual fix for this issue. Please and thanks!

[Julian]

Hi @Jenns2,

Thank you for sharing this detailed thread with the Community, and welcome!

To start, we'd like to suggest you set up a hotspot with your iPhone, then connect your MacBook and check if it shows up after enabling the "Show local devices only" option on your phone.

Another idea is disabling the Firewall on your PC, since it may be blocking some outgoing and incoming connections. 

Also, could you log in with another account, such as a friend's or a family member's to see if the issue persist?

Keep us posted!