How to fix Spotify Local Files not syncing to iPhone?

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coco
May 21, 2024

“I’ve been syncing .mp3 (local) files from Spotify Desktop to Spotify on iOS for years now, has always worked flawlessly. Until recently, for some reason Spotify refuses to sync local files from my desktop to my phone.” If you also encounter the same problem, find the solution here.

Besides the million of tracks Spotify offers, you can also use the app to play any of the audio files legally stored on your device to complete your playlists with songs that are not available on the platform. Once enabled Local Files, Spotify will automatically scan and load all playable DRM-free songs from you device and show them in Local Files folder in Your Library.

However, the Local Files folder won’t sync automatically across devices. To play Mac local files on Spotify desktop app or vice versa, you need to add the local songs to playlists and download them, which requires Spotify premium. If you don’t have Spotify premium, you need to transfer the local songs between devices manually and then toggle on Local Files.

Contents

Part 1. Make a new playlist for local files – For Premium users

However, the Local Files won’t be synced to Spotify iPhone app automatically(although it used to be). To listen to the Local Files on your iPhone, you need to add the songs to another playlist and then download the playlist on iPhone.

On desktop:

1. Click your account name in the top-right and select Settings.

2. Scroll to Your Library and switch Show Local Files on.

3. Switch off any sources you don’t want.

4. Click Add a source to select your music folder.

5. Now you will find Local Files under Your Library.

6. Open Local Files, click the first song, then press shift key and select the last song. Right click and choose Add to playlist – New playlist.

7. Now all local songs are added to a new playlist.

8. Now you can also see the playlist in Spotify app on your phone. Ensure that both devices are connected to the same network.

9. Download the playlist to your phone if you have Spotify premium.

Part 2. Sync Local files from your Mac to your iPhone – For free users

Another option is to transfer the local songs from your Mac to your iPhone. First up, you need to make sure that the files aren’t DRM protected and that they’ve been obtained legitimately. Then, make sure to sync them from your Mac to your iPhone using the steps provided by Apple.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB.
  2. On your Mac, open Finder.
  3. From the sidebar, select the iOS device.
  4. Click Files in the button bar.
  5. Drag the local files into the Spotify folder.
  6. Turn on Show audio files from this device in Spotify Settings on iPhone. Your stored music is now in Local Files.

To delete local files on your iPhone, go to Settings – General – iPhone Storage – Spotify. Tap EDIT and delete the songs you don’t want.

How to turn on Local Files for Spotify on iPhone?

  1. Tap Home.
  2. Tap Settigns.
  3. Tap Local Files.
  4. Switch Show audio files from this device on.
  5. Your stored music is now playable from Local Files in Your Library.

Part 3. How to download Spotify playlists without Spotify premium?

One of the best benefits of Spotify premium is to download Spotify songs, albums and playlists for offline playback. However, once you cancel Spotify premium, your downloaded songs, albums and playlists are no longer available offline. You can only stream them online with ads and limited skips. If you want to listen to Spotify offline after cancelling Spotify premium, the best way is to download your favorite songs, albums and playlists to MP3 with Pazu Spotify Converter.

Pazu Spotify Converter is specially designed for you to download Spotify music to common formats with either a free or premium account on Mac/Windows. Pazu Spotify Music Converter allows you to convert Spotify songs to the most popular audio formats, such as MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, AAC, and AIFF. With the adoption of advanced encryption technology, it’s able to keep all the converted audio files with 100% lossless audio quality and the original ID3 tags and metadata information. For more details, you can check them below.

Key features of Pazu Spotify Converter:

  • Download Spotify music without Premium.
  • Download and convert Spotify to MP3/M4A/AAC/FLAC/WAV/AIFF.
  • Download Spotify to MP3 in 320kbps.
  • ID3 tags including title, artist, artwork, etc. preserved.
  • No need to install Spotify app.
  • Multilingual interface: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, 简体中文.
  • Organize downloaded songs by album or artist.

1. Run Pazu Spotify Converter

Download, install and run Pazu Spotify Converter on your Mac or Windows. Log in your Spotify account with the built-in web player.

spotify converter

2. Choose output format

Click the gear icon on the top right corner to open Settings window. Here you can choose:

  • Output Format: M4A, MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF
  • Output quality: up to 320kbps for MP3
  • Cover Quality: High(640×640), Middle(300×300) or Low(64×64)
  • Output Folder;
  • Output File Name: Any combination of Title, Artist, Album, Track Number, Playlist Index.
  • Output Organized: Artist, Album. Artist/Album or Album/Artist
  • After Converting: Open the output folder or Put the computer to sleep
  • Interface Language: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, 简体中文.
Spotify converter settings

3. Select Spotify songs, albums or playlists

Select the songs, album or playlist you want to convert to MP3. Spotify Converter will detect and select all songs in the playlist or album by default. Uncheck the songs you don’t want to download if there are any. Click “Show All” icon to toggle “Hide Converted” on in case some songs have been downloaded before.

drag&drop spotify songs

4. Convert Spotify Songs

Click the Convert button to download Spotify songs to MP3.

remove Spotify DRM

Once the conversion is done, click the folder icon to find the downloaded mp3 songs. You can then transfer the Spotify music to Apple Music or Amazon Music, or play them with your favorite music player for iOS/Android.

Note: The free trial version of Pazu Spotify Converter enables you to convert the first three minutes of each song. You can remove the trial limitation by purchasing the full version.

Spotify Music Converter

Spotify Music Converter

Download and convert any Spotify songs, albums, playlists to MP3/M4A etc.