can't play local song. Error: Song Not Downloaded

[Juicyman]

I'm having trouble playing newly added local mp3 songs to my Iphone.
There's no issue when i play the local song from my windows desktop, and i can play the song inside the spotify folder in "Files" on my Iphone.
But when i try to play from my local playlist, from my phone, I get a an error message that say the song has not been downloaded, If the song is your sync from the computer. I've tried to uninstall and reinstall spotify from my phone, logged in and out, delete and replaced the mp3 files, switch the local files on and off in settings(phone/desktop).
I have som older files on my phone that are playing fine, but when i try to add new files, i encounter the error.

[Joan]

Hi there @Juicyman,

Thanks for reaching out. We'll gladly help you enjoy your saved music wherever you like.

To start off, are you trying to sync these files from the PC or do you have them on the iPhone itself? For reference, this article details how to import local files on iPhone, so please have a look and make sure you've follow those. Before doing so again, consider performing a full clean reinstall too to clear any old damaged cache.

Let us know how it goes.

[Juicyman]

Hi 
I have already tried syncing the files from my PC by following the steps from the article.
I've also already performed a clean reinstall. 
Same error still ocurse

[Dessi]

Hey @Juicyman,

Thanks for the reply and testing this out!

Can you also check if the Spotify app is allowed to access Media & Apple music, which is necessary for the files to show up? You should be able to find this in your device's Settings > Privacy & Security.

Another step is to ensure the files aren’t DRM-protected. We’d recommend reading this interesting article to find out how.

Let us know if that makes a difference.

[Juicyman]

Yes, i have made sure that the spotify app is allowed to access Media & Apple music, and yes the files are DRM free.
(also, that link ask users to sign up before allowing us access to the guide. So i wouldn't recommend it)

[Maria]

Thanks for following up on this, @Juicyman!

Would you mind double-checking if it is specific files that don't work for you? If so, you can try changing the file names, as those can cause issues sometimes. Alternatively, you can try converting those same files to another supported format to see if you notice any difference.

Also, as you mention that you're syncing the files from PC, could you confirm if you have the tracks physically stored on your phone as well? Keep in mind that it used to be possible to sync local files across different devices on the same network by downloading the playlist. However, this is now a legacy feature, which is why we cannot guarantee its performance and we suggest storing the files on the device you'd like to listen from. 

Keep us posted!

[Juicyman]

i've tried renaming the files and converted them between .m4a and mp3, still same issue.
The tracks are stored on my phone inside the "file" app under the spotify folder. The tracks works fine their 

[Eni]

Hey @Juicyman, 

Thanks for getting back to us. 

Would you mind sending us a screenshot of how the files look like on your end? We'll take a closer look. You can attach it to your next response by using the Insert image option in the post editor. Make sure not to send any private info.

We'll be on the lookout for your reply. 

[Juicyman]

here is a screenshot of my files

 

[Juicyman]

And here is a screenshot of the same files in the spotify app

[Dessi]

Hey @Juicyman,

Thanks for the screenshots!

Can you try adding the tracks from Local Files to a different playlist to see if you'd be able to play them from there? 

Let us know how it goes.

[Juicyman]

Adding the new tracks to different playlist does no diffrenece, still same error. 

[Dessi]

Hey @Juicyman,

Thanks for checking and sorry for the delay!

Since the troubleshooting so far didn't help, I'd suggest trying the suggestions in this similar thread to see if they make any difference. One of the users there mentioned that the issue was resolved for them.

Let us know how it goes.

[Juicyman · Accepted solution]

Okay, i finally solved the issue. The thread that you sent me used an older way to sync files between devices, but i figured i should try it out regardless(because you never know). Thats when the problem became clear. When i tried to place my new files inside the music folder in Itunes, the application warned me that the files where not compatible, which neither devices never warned me about before...
seing as the files technically worked, i figured the root of the problem had to be something else.
Now that i have re-converted the files, i tested the files in the music folder again without the getting any warning.
After that i tried to perform the same sync from this Article again, and now everything works again!

tl;dr
itune music folder help discover new files bad. 
re-convert new files.
new files now work when sync from desktop to iphone
Yippi!

[Dessi]

Hey @Juicyman,

Amazing to hear and thanks for sharing what worked for you, it might be helpful for other users as well! We also really appreciate you taking the time to troubleshoot the issue.

Take care.