Add a local file to Spotify on iOS? (2024)

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #1

I put a .wav file of a song of mine on my Google drive, sent my wife a link to it, she downloaded it to her iPhone, and can play it.

However, we can't figure out how to add it to Spotify. I've done that successfully on my Windows laptop and Android phone, but can't figure it out on her iPhone 15 Pro Max.

I've read this:
https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/

I've enabled local files in Spotify, but didn't understand how to put the file somewhere Spotify can see it.

Help?

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #2

Dave Merrill said:

I put a .wav file of a song of mine on my Google drive, sent my wife a link to it, she downloaded it to her iPhone, and can play it.

However, we can't figure out how to add it to Spotify. I've done that successfully on my Windows laptop and Android phone, but can't figure it out on her iPhone 15 Pro Max.

I've read this:
https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/

I've enabled local files in Spotify, but didn't understand how to put the file somewhere Spotify can see it.

Help?

Any ideas?
Would appreciate any thoughts.

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #3

UPDATE, WITH MORE SPECIFICS

I enabled local files in Spotify on her phone, and restarted her phone.

In the Files app, I copied the file to the Spotify folder under On My Phone, as per the instructions I referenced before, and also the Local Files - Help guide in that directory.

That help file says files in that folder should show up in the Local Files playlist in My Library, but that playlist doesn't exist. I tried creating that playlist myself, but nothing showed up in it, even after restarting the phone.

My song doesn't come up searching for it by name, or searching for "local", which unsurprisingly, finds a bunch of songs and artists by that name.

I'm stuck, out of ideas.

Help?

GlennO

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #4

An mp3 file downloaded to my iphone shows up in Spotify for me. I downloaded it to the Spotify folder in Files from Safari. And in Spotify, I turned on Local Files -> Show audio files from this device. The file then appeared in my Local Files in Spotify.

P.S. My Local Files folder already existed in Files and Spotify...I suppose because I had previously downloaded files that are in my Spotify library.

Last edited:

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #5

Thanks @GlennO .

The directory On My Phone > Spotify already existed, with the file Local Files - Help guide in it, so Spotify must have put it there.

What doesn't exist, or isn't visible, is the Local Files playlist in Spotify, which is where files in that directory should show up, according to that help file.
If I create it myself, files in On My Phone > Spotify still don't show there, no doubt because it's not the Magic Playlist that works like that.

GlennO

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #6

Try downloading a file from Spotify. That should create a correct folder and playlist for you. After that works, then add your own files to that folder.

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #7

Worth a shot, thanks for the idea, will try tomorrow.

However, the point of adding it to Spotify in the first place was to play through our receiver. That can play other Spotify songs through Roku or directly, but at least on my Android phone, can't play local files that are on my phone.

Makes sense, if it's reading Spotify stuff over the net, not streaming it from the phone itself. If that's the case, this is all useless for our purposes. I'll still try your download idea, just to see if we can get that working, but it looks like I need to burn a CD of the song. That's assuming we have any CDRs, and that the CD writer in my laptop still works, haven't done that stuff in a couple forevers.

Bleh.

GlennO

Axe-Master
  • Jul 29, 2024
  • #8

AirPlay is handy for that kind of thing. Play any audio from any app to any AirPlay receiver, including multiple receivers simultaneously.

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
  • Jul 30, 2024
  • #9

GlennO said:

AirPlay is handy for that kind of thing. Play any audio from any app to any AirPlay receiver, including multiple receivers simultaneously.

Thanks, I'll point my wife at that idea (not an apple guy myself as you can tell}. I think she's used AirPlay for other stuff, so this may well work out.

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Add a local file to Spotify on iOS? (2024)

FAQs

Add a local file to Spotify on iOS? ›

On your phone, in the Spotify app, make sure to uncheck "hide unplayable songs" within the playback section of the app settings. This is because we want to be able to see your unplayable local files songs. Make sure the playlist itself your putting the song on is downloaded both on your phone and computer.

How do I add local files to Spotify on iOS? ›

Local files
  1. Swipe left or tap your profile picture .
  2. Tap settings and privacy .
  3. Scroll down to Local Files.
  4. Switch Show audio files from this device on .
  5. Go to Your Library . The Local Files folder should now appear in Playlists.
  6. Pick the source of the file for how to add audio to the Spotify folder on your device:

Why can't I play local files on my phone Spotify? ›

On your phone, in the Spotify app, make sure to uncheck "hide unplayable songs" within the playback section of the app settings. This is because we want to be able to see your unplayable local files songs. Make sure the playlist itself your putting the song on is downloaded both on your phone and computer.

How do I get local files on Spotify iPhone without premium? ›

Having a Spotify Premium account: The local files feature is only available to Spotify Premium subscribers. If you are using the free version of Spotify, you will need to upgrade to Premium to enjoy this functionality.

Can you add your own MP3 to Spotify? ›

Spotify supports . mp3, . m4p (unless it contains video), and . mp4 tracks (if 'QuickTime' is installed on your computer).

Do local files work without premium? ›

Spotify requires users to have a Premium subscription in order to upload local music directly to the platform. With a Premium subscription, you can use the "Local Files" feature in the Spotify desktop app to add music files stored on your computer to your Spotify library and sync them to your devices.

How to listen to Spotify offline without premium on iPhone? ›

Using offline mode on Spotify without a Premium subscription is boiled down to simply downloading music from the platform via third-party software on your desktop device and uploading it on your smartphone if necessary. Let's take a closer look at some of the apps that can do the job.

How do I transfer local files from Spotify to iPhone Reddit? ›

1: Download files from a web browser or other storage app and then go to that app's folder in the Files app and copy / move the files to the Spotify folder. In the Files app make sure to paste these files in the correct folder by going to "On My iPhone" and then going to the "Spotify" folder.

How do I store files locally on my iPhone? ›

Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap Safari. In the General section tap Downloads. Select On My iPhone to store downloads locally, or select Other to choose another more specific location.

How to listen to MP3 files on iPhone? ›

iTunes is the primary method for playing MP3 files on an iPhone. To get started, you need to import your MP3 files into the iTunes library. This can be done by simply dragging and dropping the files into the iTunes window. Once the files are imported, you can then sync your iTunes library with your iPhone.

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