Are you frustrated by the inability to play your beloved local MP3 files on your iPhone? Whether you’re eager to enjoy your customized music collection or listen to your audio recordings, we’ve got the solution for you. In this article, we’ll delve into three straightforward methods to play local MP3 files on your iPhone effortlessly.
In contrast to Android, iPhone apps don’t have direct access to your local storage, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Nonetheless, you can still listen to the songs you’ve downloaded on your iPhone. Let’s explore how to achieve smooth MP3 playback on your iPhone.
1. Add Local File to Your Spotify Library
If you use Spotify to stream music and podcasts and want to play music on your iPhone from the Files app, look no further. Spotify lets you import and play all MP3 files continuously from the Files app. Here is how:
- Launch the Spotify app and go to the You tab.
- Tap Settings and privacy.
- Scroll down to the Settings page and tap Local Files.
- Turn on the toggle for ‘Show audio files from this device’.
- A pop-up will appear on the screen; tap Allow.
- Now, open the Files app and navigate to the downloaded MP3 file. Tap On My iPhone.
- Once you find the MP3 file, tap and hold the MP3 file you wish to listen to on Spotify.
- Tap Move from the menu list.
- Again, tap On My iPhone.
- Tap the Spotify folder.
- Now, tap Move to move the song to the Spotify folder.
- Now, go to Your Library in Spotify and tap Local Files.
- Tap the song to play it on Spotify. And that’s it.
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2. Import MP3 Files to Your Apple Music Library
You can also utilize the Apple Music app on your iPhone to listen to MP3 files. If you are an Apple Music subscriber, Apple allows you to import your downloaded songs to the Apple Music library for free. You can import up to 100,000 songs and listen to them anywhere on all your Apple devices signed in with the same Apple ID. Here’s how to do it.
Note: You need a Mac to import your MP3 files to the Apple Music library. Therefore, you must first transfer your downloaded songs to your Mac.
Using Your Mac:
- Open Finder from the dock (or use Spotlight Search with Cmd + Spacebar).
- Go to the folder where your downloaded music is stored. For instance, I’ve stored the music in my Downloads folder.
- Open Apple Music on your Mac, using Spotlight Search if it’s not in your dock.
- Simply drag and drop the downloaded music into the Apple Music Library section. Done! It will now be in your Apple Music library on Mac.
Remember: Each song should not exceed 200MB.
On Your iPhone
Note: Synchronizing your Apple Music library across devices requires a few minutes. So, it may take a little while for the content to show up on other devices like your iPhone, iPad, etc.
- Launch the Apple Music app on your iPhone and select the recently added album.
- Tap the song you want to listen to.
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3. Play Music on iPhone from The Files App
Lastly, you can utilize the native Files app to enjoy music on your iPhone. Here’s how:
Note: The Files app allows playback of one song at a time.
- Launch the Files app on your iPhone and navigate to the Browse tab.
- Select On My iPhone.
- Choose the song (MP3 file) you want to listen to.
- Tap the play button at the center of the screen.
- Moreover, to seamlessly play another song, tap the list icon near the top-left corner.
- Select the next song to play from the current directory.
FAQS About Plying Locally Stored MP3 Files
No, in the case of Spotify and yes, in the case of Apple Music.
Spotify has no limit. However, Apple Music lets you store 100,000 songs, which is usually more than enough.
Unwind With Music
To sum up, if you solely use an iPhone, the Spotify method is preferable. However, if you’re deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem with a Mac and an Apple Music subscription, you’ll likely appreciate the effortless import of your MP3 files into the Apple Music library.