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STREAMING_SERVICE_SUPPORT.md

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Streaming Service Support

AAEQ can detect "Now Playing" information from virtually any music streaming service on Linux, Windows, and macOS. This guide explains how to ensure your favorite service is supported.

Quick Reference

Platform Services Supported Setup Required
Linux All MPRIS-compatible apps ✅ None - works out of the box
Windows All SMTC-compatible apps ✅ None - works out of the box
macOS All apps (with tool installed) ⚠️ Install nowplayingctl recommended

Supported Streaming Services

✅ Fully Supported (All Platforms)

These services work on all platforms without any additional setup:

  • Spotify - Desktop app
  • Apple Music / iTunes - Native apps
  • YouTube Music - Browser or desktop app
  • Amazon Music - Desktop app
  • Deezer - Desktop app
  • SoundCloud - Browser or desktop app
  • Pandora - Browser or desktop app
  • And many more...

Platform-Specific Notes

🐧 Linux

Works with: Any app that implements MPRIS2 (Media Player Remote Interfacing Specification)

Commonly supported apps:

  • Spotify ✅
  • Strawberry Music Player ✅
  • VLC ✅
  • Clementine ✅
  • Rhythmbox ✅
  • Firefox/Chrome web players ✅
  • And most other Linux music players

Setup: None required - if your app shows up in media controls, it will work!

🪟 Windows

Works with: Any app that implements System Media Transport Controls (SMTC)

Commonly supported apps:

  • Spotify ✅
  • iTunes ✅
  • Apple Music ✅
  • Tidal ✅
  • YouTube Music (browser) ✅
  • Amazon Music ✅
  • Deezer ✅
  • And most modern Windows apps

Requirements: Windows 10 version 1803 or later (most users have this)

Setup: None required - if your app shows up in Windows media controls (volume overlay), it will work!

🍎 macOS

Two detection methods:

Method 1: System-Wide (Recommended) ✅

Works with: ALL streaming services including:

  • Spotify ✅
  • Tidal ✅
  • YouTube Music ✅
  • Amazon Music ✅
  • Deezer ✅
  • SoundCloud ✅
  • Apple Music ✅
  • And virtually any other music app

Setup Required: Install nowplayingctl:

brew install nowplayingctl

That's it! AAEQ will automatically detect and use it.

Method 2: AppleScript (Fallback) ⚠️

Works with: Only Music.app and Spotify

Setup: None - works out of the box, but only supports Music.app and Spotify

Why is macOS different?

macOS has native system-wide media detection, but accessing it requires an additional tool (nowplayingctl). Without it, AAEQ falls back to AppleScript which only works with Music.app and Spotify.

Bottom line: Install nowplayingctl on macOS for the best experience!

Troubleshooting

"Now Playing" not detected

  1. Check if the app is playing

    • Make sure music is actually playing (not paused)
    • Some apps only publish metadata when playing, not when paused

  2. Linux: Check MPRIS support

    # List available MPRIS players
dbus-send --session --print-reply --dest=org.freedesktop.DBus \
  /org/freedesktop/DBus org.freedesktop.DBus.ListNames | grep mpris

    If your app doesn't show up, it may not support MPRIS.

  3. Windows: Check media controls

    • Press the volume keys and see if the media overlay shows your app
    • If it doesn't appear, the app may not support SMTC
    • Try restarting the app

  4. macOS: Install nowplayingctl

    # Check if nowplayingctl is installed
which nowplayingctl

# If not found, install it
brew install nowplayingctl

# Test it
nowplayingctl get title artist album

App shows up but metadata is wrong

Some apps don't properly implement media controls:

  • Browser players: Sometimes show the webpage title instead of song title
  • Solution: Use the dedicated desktop app when available
  • Example: Use Spotify desktop app instead of Spotify Web Player

Tidal not working on macOS

Solution: Install nowplayingctl:

brew install nowplayingctl

Without this tool, only Music.app and Spotify are supported on macOS.

Testing Your Setup

Linux

# Start playing music, then:
dbus-send --session --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.* \
  /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Get \
  string:org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player string:Metadata

Windows

Start playing music and check if the media overlay (volume keys) shows your app.

macOS

# With nowplayingctl installed:
nowplayingctl get title artist album

# Should show currently playing track

Developer Information

For developers interested in how this works, see:

Contributing

Found a streaming service that doesn't work? Open an issue with:

  • Platform (Linux/Windows/macOS)
  • App name and version
  • Debug logs (RUST_LOG=debug aaeq)

We'll investigate and add support if possible!