GNOME Shell displays the currently playing information in the notification shade, keeping it out of sight until you need to check. Many users appreciate this design, but what if it’s not your preference?
Sounds Good
Personally, I enjoy having media details (such as album art, artist names, and track titles) readily visible in the top bar. When I’m listening to a playlist like Spotify Discover, I can easily see the current song and artist at the top of my screen.
This approach is much more convenient for me than disrupting my workflow by switching applications or clicking on the notification shade to check what’s playing.
Additionally, having the ‘now playing’ information visible while I’m enjoying music just adds a certain cool factor for me!
I utilize MPRIS Label + Controls since it is compatible with most Linux media players, such as Rhythmbox, Spotify, and TIDAL Hi-Fi, along with command-line audio players like MusikCube, among others.
It’s also highly customizable, allowing me to design a look and layout that aligns with my personal preferences.
The only downside is that it doesn’t display player controls. The concept is to manage playback with mouse clicks (which can be tailored, for instance, left click to skip a track, right click to pause). It works fine, but I often forget which key does what when my media keys lose focus.
Spotify Controls is a GNOME Shell extension designed to integrate playback controls and track information directly into the top bar. Unlike other GNOME extensions, this one is tailored specifically for Spotify users. This niche focus may not be an issue for those who are dedicated Spotify aficionados.
Once you install it (and only when Spotify is active), this extension presents the following elements:
- Spotify logo
- Artist (when music is playing)
- Track title (when music is playing)
- Play/pause, next, and previous controls
Unfortunately, the customization options are quite restricted.
You can select the position of the indicator on the top bar, such as far left, left, center before the date/time, and center after the date/time, among others. However, there are no settings available for label editing or formatting, and you cannot hide the Spotify icon or make Spotify the focal point when clicking on the label.
Maybe this could inspire some ideas for future updates!
Explore the Spotify Controls GNOME Extension
You can install Spotify Controls on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS & Ubuntu 24.10
Spotify Controls is not a groundbreaking addition, and it’s not essential for enjoying Spotify on Ubuntu (or other GNOME-based Linux distributions).
However, for those who use Spotify and appreciate having these kinds of tools readily available—not everyone thinks a minimalist interface is the best option—it’s certainly worth exploring, especially since older extensions of this kind may not work with the latest versions of GNOME.