Which music apps does Playstate support?
Playstate puts supported Mac music apps in the same menu-bar and desktop now-playing interface as HomePod and Sonos. Keep your usual player for its library, playlists, and audio output. Playstate follows the app that is running on this Mac; it does not move your music into a new player.
| App | What Playstate provides | Setup and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Music.app (Apple Music) | Song details, artwork, playback controls, and app volume. | Allow Playstate to control Music through macOS Automation. Covers playback in the Mac app. |
| Spotify | Song details, supplied artwork, playback controls, and app volume. | Use the installed Mac app and allow Automation. Spotify advertising is excluded from the now-playing view. |
| VOX | Song details, progress, play/pause, previous/next, and app volume. | Allow Automation. Local-file playback is supported; check other VOX sources during the trial. Artwork can be filled by optional catalog matching; the integration does not read the player's embedded cover. |
| Doppler for Mac | Song details, progress, play/pause, previous/next, and app volume. | Allow Automation. This follows Doppler on the Mac. Artwork can be filled by optional catalog matching. |
| VLC | Current item, play/pause, previous/next, and app volume. | Allow Automation. Artist and title depend on VLC's item name; album and embedded artwork are not supplied by this integration. |
| Qobuz — experimental | Current song information and supported playback controls. | Playback controls need macOS Accessibility access. There is no Qobuz app-volume control in Playstate. Check your usual playback during the trial. |
These are desktop app integrations. A browser tab, an iPhone app, or a different player with macOS media controls does not automatically become a Playstate source.
Open your player and enable its source
Install and open the music app you want to use, then start a familiar track. In Playstate Settings, find Sources and enable that app. Players detected on your Mac appear in the source list. Keep the music app open while it supplies the audio; closing Playstate's artwork window is fine.
For a first check, pause any other local music apps and compare the displayed title and artist with your player. Then try pause and resume, previous or next, and a small app-volume adjustment where available. Check that the intended player responds.
Allow the right macOS permission
Music.app, Spotify, VOX, Doppler, and VLC use macOS Automation permission. When macOS asks whether Playstate may control the player you chose, click Allow to use that integration. You can review access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, as described in Apple's Automation guide. Look for the player under Playstate.
Qobuz uses a different path: its experimental playback controls need Accessibility access. HomePod and Sonos discovery use Local Network permission. Granting one of these permissions does not grant the others.
Understand volume, artwork, and source selection
A Mac music app's volume is separate from the Mac's system volume and a network speaker's volume. Use the control for the source you mean to change. Playstate only shows an app-volume control when the integration supports it.
Some players supply covers directly; others rely on Playstate's optional artwork matching. Matching can contact music catalogs using the song's details and can return a different edition of an album. It does not change the original file or the cover in your music library. The privacy policy explains these requests.
When several local apps are playing, Playstate gives Music.app first priority, followed by the other supported local players. It does not combine their playback or queues. Turn off sources you do not want followed, or pause other players while checking a particular app.
If your player does not appear
Check that the app is installed, running, and enabled in Playstate Settings. Start playback in the player itself and check Automation access if the source stays empty. A player with no loaded item or denied permission may provide no song information. For Qobuz, also check Accessibility access before testing controls.
If the player appears but the song details are incomplete, compare the information in the player with the original file's tags. VLC may only supply the current item name. For support, send your macOS version, player name and version, and whether the problem is missing metadata or an unresponsive control to support@playstateapp.com.
Other music apps can share their playback
A music app can also integrate with Playstate's now playing API. The app's developer must add that integration; enabling the source in Playstate does not add compatibility to an arbitrary app. An integrated app can supply song details, artwork, and the controls it supports without Automation permission.
Use the HomePod or Sonos controller instead when you want to follow a session playing on a supported network speaker independently of a Mac app.
Try it on your Mac
The full app is free for 14 days, counted from the first time it connects to a speaker or controls playback, and no card is required. A personal license is US$10, paid once.
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