Spotify's mobile app may finally let users jam out to local music files

What you need to know

• A new feature was discovered on the Spotify mobile app that allows users to play local files.
• While users have the option to play local files from desktop, mobile users were left without a way to sync from their smartphones.
• There's no word on when the feature will be pushed to users, but it seems like it could be soon.

While Spotify distracts users by unwrapping personal music statistics from this year, the company has a number of new features that it seems to be preparing. It was reported that the company surveyed users on a potential premium subscription plan for podcasts, and more recently Spotify rolled out a Stories feature as part of a public test that's limited to just artists and certain playlists. The latest unearthed feature might be just what users have been hoping for, as it seems Spotify might finally add support for local files on mobile devices!

The feature was discovered by Twitter user Jane Manchun Wong, who tweeted a screenshot of what it would look like once it goes live. Users will be able to simply toggle whether or not they want the app to display the local music files from your device, and they'll be added to "Your Library".

This has long been a feature on the Spotify desktop application, but users with the mobile app have had to stick solely to streaming music or saving songs in the app for offline playback. There is a sort of roundabout way for Premium users to sync local files from desktop, but with this feature now on mobile, users who have music files on their smartphone will be able to use Spotify as their one-stop-shop for all their listening needs.

Even though Spotify has had a head start in the streaming space against the likes of other music apps like YouTube Music and Apple Music, local playback has always been a feature that they could dangle over Spotify. Even the now-defunct Google Play Music had access to local files, so the omission was always a curious one on Spotify's part.

While the discovery of the feature does hint at an eventual release, there's no official word on when it will roll out to users.

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