Seing OS X local music files on my iPhone ...

[rlesperance]

Plan

Premium

Country

Canada

Device

(iPhone XS)

Operating System

(iOS 14

My Question or Issue

In Spotify on my iMac (OS X 10.15.7), I have created a playlist and added some local file to it.  All music files have been downloaded to Spotify and I also added a picture to the playlist.

On my iPhone, I see the playlist and the picture as been updated but I don't see any of the songs of the playlist.

What am I missing ?

[CarlosE]

Hey there @rlesperance,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community!

As a first step, we recommend running a clean reinstall of the app on the affected device by following these steps. This can be helpful to get rid of any cached files that might be causing trouble. Make sure to restart your device afterwards.

Then, try importing and syncing your Local Files again making sure to follow the steps in this article and check that the files type is supported.

It's also worth restarting your router.

Keep us posted on how it goes. We'll be on the lookout.

[rlesperance]

Sorry for the delay.

In my understanding, Local Files are the files of my local Music library and accessible trough my wifi network. In Spotify on my desktop (OS X), I can see those files but am not able to see them on my iOS device. That's what I am trying to find a solution to.

So, as requested, I deleted the caches and the Spotify app on my iPad and reinstalled it. BTW, the Multimedia sharing is activated on my desktop. I still don't see any of the Local Files on my iPad.

By Local Files, do you mean the files synced to the iOS device through the Finder ?

Thanks for helping.

[Eni]

Hi @rlesperance, 

Thanks for getting back in touch and letting us know that.

Local files are the music files stored on your device that you can listen to in the Spotify app. 

We suggest that you make sure to follow the steps here and check if those make the difference. 

On another note, could you let us know if this is happening on your phone and your iPad as well?

Lastly, keep in mind that you have to switch on Local audio files from the app settings and you need to allow Spotify to find devices in the prompt that shows.

Let us know how it goes 🙂

[rlesperance]

So, you mean that the Local files/songs that I see in Spotify on my desktop (iMac) are not the same songs that you refer to when using Spotify on my mobile device while sharing the same wifi network.

Am I correct ?

[Eni]

Hey again @rlesperance, 

Local files are the music files that you obtained from legal external sources and you want to listen to in the Spotify app. You can listen to those on all your devices.

We suggest that you check the links we sent previously to know how to sync them to your other devices (phone and iPad). 

If you have any questions, just let us know.

[rlesperance]

Are we playing hide & seek ?   I have been trying alot to understand and it does not work.

Can you answer my question ?  It will help me get a little bit further.  

Do the files have to be on the device or can they be played if shared over the same wifi network ?

[Eni]

Hi @rlesperance, 

We're sorry for the confusion. 

Your local files have to be on your PC, but you can sync them to your phone. 

Keep in mind that they can't be shared with a different user even if they're connected to the same WiFi.

All users have to sync their own local files from their own accounts. 

If you need help with anything else, just let us know. 

[rlesperance]

Thanks for being specific to my problem.  Please avoid generic answers.  I always try hard before asking and this case is not an exception.

If Spotify is logged in on my desktop computer and on my mobile device and both are on the same wifi network, can songs from my local desktop Apple Music library by listened on my mobile device WITHOUT having to be downloaded to my mobile device ?  

[Eni]

Hey @rlesperance, 

Thanks for getting back in touch. 

We're afraid it won't be possible to listen to those songs on your phone without downloading them before. 

You can listen to your local files on your phone following these specific steps:

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 Local audio files.
   Note: You need to allow Spotify to find devices in the prompt that shows.
5. Download the playlist with your local files.

If you need help with anything else, just let us know 🙂

[rlesperance]

That clears my problem.  Thanks.

[Eni · Accepted solution]

Hi @rlesperance, 

You're welcome! If you ever need anything else, we're just a post away. 

Have a great day 🙂