Spotify local files vanish from android auto playlists

Spotify users are reporting a growing issue where locally stored songs are disappearing from playlists when accessed through Android Auto. Despite still existing on the phone and playing back normally, these tracks become invisible within car interface playlists.

A glitch in the matrix

The problem, first flagged on Reddit, affects users across different phones and vehicles, with songs that played fine just weeks ago suddenly vanishing. Album art is also breaking, with the inconsistency suggesting a deeper issue with how Spotify interacts with Android Auto, not just a simple display glitch.

So far, none of the usual troubleshooting steps have helped, leaving those affected with zero working fixes and zero acknowledgment from either Spotify or Google.

The worst possible time

This comes at arguably the worst possible time for Android Auto's reputation. Over the past few weeks, Galaxy S26 owners and Pixel users have been battling persistent connectivity problems that make the platform borderline unusable for some. Throw in the steering wheel controls bug from the Android Auto 16.0 update earlier this year, and the pattern becomes hard to ignore.

Android Auto is becoming the weakest link in the Android ecosystem. Every major update seems to introduce new problems, and the fixes always feel like they're one step behind.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improvements to the platform, such as a fix to autoplay that is in the works. However, when the cost of getting new features is for the existing ones to break, then it just becomes frustrating.