my local files aernt working on ios

[Taco_Milk]

ive followed all the instructions on how to get my local files to work on my phone, yet i cant seem to get it working. I've got my files on my phone and on my laptop, and i can play them on my laptop. But on my phone, the exact same files downloaded onto my phone dont show up in my local files. ive tried adding the files to a playlist on my laptop and downloading them on my phone and that didnt work. I've tried this before and given up but this time ive been searching for answers and troubleshooting for about an hour and made no progress. I'll gladly answer any questions that can help you fix my problem. Thank you.

[Joan]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. Firstly, best perform a clean reinstall on your phone to get rid of any old corrupted cache that might be causing issues. Then, make sure to follow the exact sync process for iOS, which can be found here.

Hope this helps.

[CaptainRedTinge]

Hey, I just wanted to know if anyone found a fix for this? I've tried uninstalling on both PC and IOS, moving where the local files are being, checked settings multiple times etc. My local files were fine about a week ago, then suddenly they greyed out. I can still see them on my phone and even play them on PC but can't on my phone. Honestly done with having to fix this issue every few months.

Any help is appreciated.

[Alex]

Hi there @CaptainRedTinge,

Thanks for the post.

Can you let us know if some of your local files are still working or if they're all grayed out, and what format are songs in.

Cheers.

[CaptainRedTinge]

Hey Alex,

All of the local files are mp3 and are all grayed out.

[Joan]

Hi @CaptainRedTinge,

Thanks for the info. If you use any battery/memory/cache optimization apps, make sure to exclude Spotify from them, as they can interfere with the app and cause such behaviour. If the issue persists, could you please provide us the following:

• The exact makes, models and OS/Firmware versions of all your affected devices
• The exact Spotify Versions you use.
• When did this start happening?
• Is there any pattern as to when the local files get greyed out, such as after an update to Spotify or the device itself, after being offline for a long time, after changing networks, etc.?

With this information, we’d be happy to investigate.

Keep us posted.

[CaptainRedTinge]

Hey sorry for the late reply,

I am currently using version 8.8.5 of spotify on ios 16.1.1. The device is an Iphone 14 Plus, and it started about a week to a week and a half ago. As for a pattern, there doesn't seem to be one but right after i noticed the songs greyed out, i noticed my phone wasn't discoverable on the "connect to device" option.

Hopefully this info helps 🙂

[Lyubka]

Hey @CaptainRedTinge,

Thanks for getting back to us and for the details you've provided.

In this case we can recommend that you check for any pending updates on your device. In order to do that go to Settings > General > Software update. If you see one - make sure to install it (by clicking on Download and install). Give your device a quick restart as well and start your Spotify app to test if you'll be able to see your Local files and if the iPhone is visible when you tap on the Connect icon. 

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes. 

[CaptainRedTinge]

I have updated to the latest version of IOS and restarted my phone. I can now see my phone when I tap on the connect icon, but still cant listen to the local files.

[Joan]

Hi @CaptainRedTinge 

Thanks for the info. Glad that one issue has been resolved. Could you please tell us where you have sourced the mp3 files from? And do all files get greyed out? Could you possibly try openings some different files to see if the same happens again?

Keep us posted.

[CaptainRedTinge]

Hey, sorry for an ultra late response this time.

Most of the mp3 files were given to me by a friend so I don't know for sure, but my guess is they were some sort of YouTube to mp3 website/downloader? A minority of my local files have fixed themselves and I'm pretty sure they were originally from iTunes. Not all of them grey out at the same time however so I'm not quite sure whats going on there.
I can understand why they have greyed out, but can't understand why now and not when they were placed on my devices.

I have effectively given up on this problem, but at least one problem was fixed:)
Thanks for all the help!