How do I play local songs on Spotify Android?

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services, with over 406 million monthly active users as of January 2023 (Bankmycell.com). The platform allows users to stream over 80 million songs and podcasts on demand. One of Spotify’s standout features is the ability to upload and play local music files that may not otherwise be available on the service.

While Spotify’s catalog is extensive, there are often times when a user may want to listen to music files stored locally on their Android device. Spotify has settings that allow users to integrate their local files into the Spotify app, essentially turning it into a local music player in addition to a streaming service. With the ability to upload files, create playlists with local and Spotify tracks, and download for offline playback, users can seamlessly listen to all their music in one place.

Locate Local Music Files on your Android Device

To locate your local music files on an Android device, you need to access the Files app or a file manager app and navigate to the folder where your music files are stored. Here are the steps:

Open the Files app on your Android device. The Files app comes pre-installed on most Android devices and allows you to browse files and folders stored on your device. Tap on the Files app icon to launch it.

Navigate to the Music folder. Swipe left or right and tap through the folders until you reach the Music folder. This is where audio files from music downloads, rips, and transfers will be stored by default.

You can also use a file manager app like My Files or Files by Google. Launch the file manager app and navigate to the Music folder the same way as the previous steps.

Once you’ve opened the Music folder, you will see all the audio files containing your local music. You can now access these files and upload them to your Spotify library.

Enable Local File Playback in Spotify

To be able to play local files on Spotify, you first need to enable the local file playback setting in the Spotify app.

Here are the steps to enable local file playback in Spotify for Android:

1. Open the Spotify app on your Android device.
2. Tap on the “Settings” icon in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down and tap on “Local Files”.
4. Toggle the switch next to “Show Local Audio Files” to the ON position.

Enabling this setting allows Spotify to access audio files like MP3s stored locally on your Android device. Once enabled, you can add local music files to playlists and listen to them through Spotify.

Upload Music to Your Spotify Library

To add your local music files to Spotify, you first need to upload them to your Spotify library. Here are the steps to do this from your Android device:

Open the Spotify app and tap on “Your Library” at the bottom of the screen. Then select “Local Files” from the menu.

Next, tap on “Add a Source” and navigate to the folder on your device where your local music files are stored. Select the folder and Spotify will start uploading the files.

You can track the upload progress for each file at the top of the screen. Note that the files need to finish uploading completely before you can play them in Spotify.

Once finished, all your local music files will appear in the Local Files section of Your Library in Spotify. Now you can add them to playlists and listen to them even when offline!

Source: https://www.audbite.com/spotify-music/add-local-files-to-spotify.html

Create Playlist with Local Files

Once you have uploaded your local music files to your Spotify library, the next step is to create a playlist containing those songs. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to Your Library in the Spotify app and select the Playlists tab.

2. Tap on the “+” icon or “Create Playlist” button to make a new playlist.

3. Give your playlist a name, like “My Local Files” or something descriptive.

4. Now go to the search bar at the top of the app and search for the local files you uploaded. Your local music should appear in the results.

5. Tap on each local song you want to add and select “Add to Playlist” then choose the playlist you just created.

6. Repeat this process until you’ve added all your desired local files to the new playlist.

Once finished, you’ll have a playlist containing all your local music ready to listen to within Spotify. You can download it for offline playback or stream it anytime.

Download Playlist for Offline Playback

Once you have created a playlist with your local music files on Spotify, you can download it for offline playback when you don’t have an internet connection. Here are the steps to download a playlist on your Android device:

Open the playlist you want to download and tap on the “Download” button at the bottom of the screen. This looks like a downward pointing arrow.

You will get options for download quality – select the quality you want. The highest quality is “Very High” but keep in mind this will take up more storage space on your device. Tap “Confirm” to start the download.

The playlist will now download to your Android device’s storage and be available for offline playback even without an internet connection. You can see the download progress for each song under the playlist title.

Once the download is complete, you can play the playlist by tapping on it – Spotify will now play the downloaded songs rather than stream them if offline. This allows you to listen to your local music files anywhere!

[Cite website from sources list]

Play Local Files and Playlists Offline

Once you have downloaded playlists containing your local music files to your device, you can access and play them offline by going to Your Library and selecting Downloaded Music.

This will show all of your downloaded playlists and albums. Open the playlist you want, and all of the local files you added will be there and playable even without an internet connection. Tap on any song to begin playback just like any other track in Spotify. The only difference is the small green arrow next to each local file, indicating it is stored offline.

As long as your downloaded playlists containing local files remain on your device storage, you can continue listening to them offline as much as you want. Just go to Your Library > Downloaded Music and open the playlist to access your local songs offline.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are having issues playing local files on Spotify, here are some troubleshooting tips:

• Check that local file playback is enabled in Spotify’s settings. This allows Spotify to access files stored locally on your device. Go to Settings > Local Files to toggle this on.
• Make sure your music files are in a supported format. Spotify can play MP3, M4A, WAV, and other common formats. Unsupported formats like FLAC will not work.
• Downloaded playlists require an internet connection periodically to verify licenses. If you are offline, you may experience issues playing downloaded content until you reconnect.

If you have confirmed these settings and file formats are correct, but local playback still does not work, try restarting the Spotify app and your device. There may be a temporary glitch preventing local file access. Contact Spotify Support if issues persist after troubleshooting.

Alternative Options

If you don’t want to pay for Spotify Premium to play local files on mobile, there are a couple alternative options:

Use Spotify Connect to play local files stored on your PC. With Spotify’s Connect feature, you can play music from the Spotify app on your computer through your mobile device or speakers. So you can add local files to Spotify on desktop, then connect your phone to stream those tracks.

Upload music to Google Play Music or YouTube Music. Both Google’s music services allow uploading up to 50,000 personal tracks to stream on any device. This gives you access to your local music library on mobile without paying for premium streaming. Just upload tracks to your Google account and listen ad-free on the go.

Summary

In summary, playing your own local music files on Spotify for Android is easy once you know how. The key steps are:

• Locate the local music files on your Android device that you want to add to Spotify.
• Enable local file playback in the Spotify app settings.
• Upload your local music files to your Spotify library.
• Create a playlist containing your uploaded local files.
• Download that playlist for offline playback if desired.
• You can now access your local files in Spotify whether online or offline.

Following these steps allows you to integrate your personal music collection with the Spotify experience. You get the benefits of Spotify’s interface, playlists, recommendations, and more, for your own local files.

If you run into any trouble, try restarting the Spotify app, double checking your app settings, and ensuring your local files are in a supported format. With a bit of trial and error, you’ll be playing your local music alongside Spotify’s catalog in no time.

Hopefully this guide has shown how seamless and useful it can be to combine your own music with Spotify’s streaming service. Adding those personal tunes makes Spotify feel that much more tailored and intimate for each listener.