GNOME Shell shows now playing info in the notification shade, out of view but there when you want to check in. Most users like this approach, but perhaps you don’t?
Sounds GoodHow to Install Spotify on Ubuntu (Snap or DEB)Personally, I do like seeing media info (album art, artist name, track title) in the top bar. If I listen to a playlist like Spotify Discover I can see which song/artist is playing by looking at the top of the screen.
I find that easier than interrupting my workflow by having to switch apps or click on the notification shade to take a peek.
Plus, having ‘now playing’ info on show all the time I’m listening to music just kinda looks cool to me!
I use MPRIS Label + Controls as it works with most Linux media players, including Rhythmbox, Spotify, TIDAL Hi-Fi, command-line audio players like MusikCube, and more.
And it’s very configurable, letting me craft a look and layout that suits me personal tastes.
Thing is, it doesn’t show player controls. Instead, the idea to ‘control’ playback using mouse clicks (which can be customised, e.g., left click applet to skip track, right click to pause). It’s fine, but whenever my media keys lose focus, I forget which is which.
Spotify Controls is a GNOME Shell extension that embeds playback controls and track information in the top bar for. Unlike the GNOME extension I use this one only works with Spotify. Not a big drawback for those who use Spotify exclusively/religiously.
Once installed (and only when Spotify is open) this extensions shows:
- Spotify logo
- Artist (when something is playing)
- Track title (when something is playing)
- Play/pause, next, and previous controls
Customisation is limited, sadly.
There are options to choose which side of the top bar the indicator sits, e.g., furthermost-left, left, center before date/time, center after date/time, etc. But no label editing/formatting settings, no option to hide the Spotify icon, or bring Spotify into focus when clicking the label.
Hey: ideas for future updates, perhaps!
Spotify Controls is not a revolutionary add-on, far from being essential to enjoy Spotify on Ubuntu (and other GNOME-based Linux distributions).
But those who use Spotify and find these kinds of doohickeys handy to have at hand —not everyone considers a spartan screen a useful one, heh— it’s worth checking out, especially as older extensions of this ilk don’t support recent versions of GNOME.