SpotMenu v2

Product Introduction

1. SpotMenu v2 is a macOS menu bar application that provides direct control over Spotify and Apple Music playback without requiring users to switch applications or interrupt their workflow. It displays real-time track information, album art, and media controls in a compact, customizable interface integrated with the system menu bar. The application supports both Spotify and Apple Music, automatically detecting the active player or allowing manual selection through preferences.

2. The core value of SpotMenu v2 lies in its ability to streamline music management for macOS users by eliminating context-switching and providing instant access to critical playback features. It enhances productivity and user experience through a lightweight, visually cohesive design that aligns with macOS aesthetics, including native SwiftUI components and system blur effects. The open-source nature ensures transparency and community-driven improvements while maintaining a minimal resource footprint.

Main Features

1. The rebuilt SwiftUI interface delivers a modern, native macOS experience with hoverable playback panels that reveal album art, progress bars, and media controls (play/pause, next, previous) when the cursor is positioned over the menu bar icon. This panel supports dynamic blur effects and tint customization to match user preferences or system themes.

2. Users can choose between a compact two-line menu bar display (showing artist and track name) or a truncated single-line view with ellipsis-based text shortening to prevent overcrowding. A preference setting allows defining maximum text length, ensuring clean menu bar integration without distracting scrolling animations.

3. Keyboard shortcuts for play/pause (⌘⌥⏎), next track (⌘⌥→), and previous track (⌘⌥←) enable global control of music playback even when SpotMenu is not the active application. Shortcuts are user-configurable and work across full-screen apps, browsers, or IDEs, providing universal access to playback functions.

Problems Solved

1. SpotMenu v2 addresses the inefficiency of repeatedly switching applications to adjust music playback or check track details, which disrupts workflows during coding, writing, or multitasking. Traditional solutions require opening dedicated player apps or using bulky widgets that consume screen space.

2. The target user group includes macOS professionals, developers, and power users who prioritize workflow efficiency and system aesthetics while using Spotify or Apple Music for background music. It also caters to users who prefer menu bar utilities over dock-based applications or browser tabs.

3. A typical use case involves a developer working in Xcode or VS Code who needs to quickly skip a track or confirm the currently playing song without leaving their IDE. Another scenario is a presenter controlling music during a slideshow without minimizing their presentation window.

Unique Advantages

1. Unlike competing menu bar music controllers, SpotMenu v2 natively integrates with macOS via SwiftUI, ensuring smoother animations, better resource management, and consistent design language compared to Electron-based alternatives. It supports both Spotify and Apple Music with equal feature parity, unlike single-service tools.

2. The hover-activated playback panel innovatively combines full album art display, progress tracking, and media controls in a space-efficient design that disappears when not needed. Real-time previews update instantly across both players, including Spotify’s "Liked Track" status synchronization.

3. Competitive advantages include open-source code for community auditing/modification, a sub-10MB memory footprint, and granular customization (blur intensity from 0–100%, text truncation thresholds, and player auto-switching). Unlike web-based tools, it operates offline and doesn’t require browser extensions or OAuth tokens.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does SpotMenu v2 work with macOS Ventura and Sonoma? Yes, SpotMenu v2 is fully compatible with macOS 13 Ventura and 14 Sonoma, leveraging SwiftUI APIs for optimized performance on Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs. Ensure you’re using the latest v2.1.0 release from the GitHub repository.

2. How do I customize the menu bar text length? Navigate to Preferences > Menu Bar Appearance and adjust the "Max Text Length" slider (10–50 characters). The setting dynamically truncates track titles and artist names with ellipsis (…) while preserving readability.

3. Can I use custom keyboard shortcuts? Yes, open Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts and click any shortcut field to remap keys. Default shortcuts use the ⌘⌥ (Cmd+Option) modifier to avoid conflicts with system or application-level hotkeys.

4. Why does the "Like Track" button only work with Spotify? Apple Music’s API does not currently expose a public endpoint for liking tracks, making this feature exclusive to Spotify. SpotMenu v2 will implement Apple Music support if APIs become available in future macOS updates.

5. How do I install SpotMenu v2? Download the latest release from GitHub (https://kmikiy.github.io/SpotMenu/), unzip the archive, and drag SpotMenu.app to your Applications folder. Ensure Gatekeeper settings allow installations from unidentified developers or sign the app manually using Xcode.