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Mac play/pause button problem iTunes/Spotify
The keyboard play/pause buttons on a mac is mixed up with iTunes. I ofthen have both programs open and when I pause in spotify, iTunes start to play. So when I expect silence, I get loud music. Annoying!
I’m frustrated
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Tell me when someone solves it.
The more people who report this problem, the more it gets noticed.
The more people who report this problem, the more it gets noticed.
The best solution from the company
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There is nothing we can do unfortunately, as the "play/pause" event is controlled by the operating system and any application is allowed to listen to it. What _could_ be done is to only act on these play/pause events when Spotify is the frontmost application (i.e. when the Spotify window have focus). However, this will only solve your problem half-ways since iTunes will still act on the play/pause even even when in background. A "solution" like that would also disable the ability to control Spotify in the background, which is really the main use case for the play/pause (and skip) button(s) on the keyboard.
Now in the new Mac OS X (10.6 aka Snow Leopard) this problem is even worse: http://getsatisfaction.com/spotify/to...
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Inappropriate?The computer is doing hat you're telling it to do.
What you tell it to do and what you want it to do are two different things, and the computer can't read your mind.
In other words, you need to know what you're telling the computer to do.
The easiest thing to do would be to make sure you only have one music client open at a time.
That, or you could write an AppleScript correctly handling the situation, using QuickSilver to execute the script when you hit the play/pause button.
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You're an idiot. -
Inappropriate?Hi.
It's the same for me, i can't solve the problem by turn off iTunes, in that case iTunes starts.. There have to be some solution of that?
I’m sad
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Inappropriate?I think the problem is less about the computer just doing what you're telling it to, and more about the computer not being clever enough to know what you mean when you perform the potentially ambiguous action. Ideally, Spotify and iTunes would know which app was currently active and send the command to the correct app. A slightly less complex solution would be options in both Spotify and iTunes to enable/disable media player controls!!
I’m confused, but optimistic.
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iTunes and Quicktime already do this: the one that last had focus responds to the button press...
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Humm... ok, so we just need to get Apple and Spotify to speak to each other and agree on what to do... shouldn't be too hard ;-)
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Inappropriate?I just began having this problem after upgrading to Snow Leopard. Now iTunes launches (even if it wasn't running) whenever I hit the media keys while Spotify is running.
As was already mentioned, Quicktime X and iTunes clearly implement something that allows them to share the media keys without both responding to them at the same time. Spotify needs to do this as well. I used to be able to just quit iTunes and be fine, but now it launches whenever I press a media-key and starts responding to subsequent key presses, making the media keys unusable with Spotify.
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?The same for me. I have just upgrade to Snow Leopard, and when I press Start Button iTunes starts.
Do anyone knows if there is a solution?
I have looked for an option on iTunes, but nothing founded.
Thanks
I’m annoyed
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Inappropriate?If you have at least one application downloaded from the App Store, a workaround is to stop any music currently playing in iTunes, select your applications in the source list on the left, then close the window.
I'm pretty sure iTunes still gets the button presses sent to it along with Spotify, but as none of the buttons apply to downloaded applications, iTunes won't do anything, but Spotify, it being rather musical by default, will.
I’m hopeful
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this solves the problem
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simple but ingenious solution- Just selecting any app in the 'app' window of itunes stops itunes resonding to media keys- thanks, this has been irritating me for weeks.
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Inappropriate?Since i never use iTunes, renaming the Application did the trick for me...
$ sudo mv iTunes.app/ iWantToBeLeftAlone
Don't call it .app or if you do, never open it. If you do, the app registers as a media button listener again and you start all over.
I’m disappointed by Apple
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Inappropriate?After upgrading to Snow Leopard, never before, whenever the play/pause keyboard button is pressed iTunes will open, even if it has never been opened or was completely exited at the time.
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?One hacky solution is to select the iTunes Store homepage in iTunes, it then ignores the play/pause button.
I’m thankful
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Inappropriate?As people are reporting the problem is getting much more annoying after the Snow Leopard upgrade even though I guess it's the same core issue as in Leopard.
While giving it some of the good old google magic I found this conversation on the cocoa-dev mailing list which seems to address the issue from a programmers perspective. It's about a year old but it might hopefully be of some use.
http://bit.ly/4NChY (Using a short url since the full url contained a @ which getsatisfaction seems to choke at, link info available at http://bit.ly/info/4NChY so you can verify that it's not pointing at some spam/virus-thingy)
Would probably be great if this was forwarded to the programmers, maybe it can be of some use. Anyway, would be great to see the issue fixed asap! -
Inappropriate?Reported 9 months ago (presumably on a dev build) but it isn't worked out yet? Come on Spotify keep up!
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?yepp, happend to me too... Installed snow leopard and after that, every time I press the play button on my dashboard itunes launches automatically...why!? In leopard this was a non-issue...
I’m sad
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Apple now made it so that as son as you press the Play button it launches iTunes. There is nothing we can do about this unfortunately.
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Inappropriate?Andres - its not that simple. When using Quicktime I can press the play/pause button (when Quicktime is not the focused window) and it will pause playback without loading itunes. As someone mentioned further back up in the thread the application that previously had focus reacts. Can you not do the same thing?4 Comments Add a comment
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I was referring to Snow Leopard specifically which is causing people issues:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.j...
Unfortunately we can't control what else the keys do, only Apple can control that. We could disable support for Spotify completely but I'm not sure people want that. -
Could you listen for a different key combination if Spotify is not in focus and then use that to mean pause/play?
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Andres -- I think the real question is whether the API that Apple is using to handle trade-off of the media keys between QT and iTunes is public or private. It could just be a change in the default state -- if you don't use the API to register as a listener for the media key events then they go to iTunes by default.
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Inappropriate?I have little experience programming for mac, but there is a window/app hierarchy that one should be able to use (as suggested above) to figure out which one is the appropriate action to take...
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Inappropriate?This only happened when I upgraded to snow leapord... If i dont have itunes open pressing the play button opens itunes
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Inappropriate?It's best to have one. Spotify If you have not got iphone/ Ipod touch ect.
iTunes if you have Ipod Touch/ iPhone.
(The Second one is if you want apps. Because you can download from amazon)! But if you want to listen to A full song instead of 30 seconds.
Then I'm very sorry, but I don't know!
I’m Wierd
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Inappropriate?Beware, programmer speak ahead!
Spotify needs to devide if it should react to the pressing of a media key.
If iTunes, VLC, QuickTime or any other application is active, the answer is no (that app will do its thing and that's all).
Otherwise, it needs to act upon the event (media key pressed) and stop it from propagating to other applications. I believe this is the behaviour of iTunes, Quicktime, etc.
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Beware programmer speak ahead? WTF?
In programming terms what you mean is that the API provides a shared messaging bus the sends out the key press events. The default instance of the bus sends the message to all code that is listening to this specific instance. The problem is how to stop the other code from running if you have handled the key press event. It was fine in 10.5 so Apple must have changed something in the spec of the NSNotificationCenter Class in 10.6.
I just wish the Spotify dev team would have a look.
Mr Andres? -
Inappropriate?This should be an "easy" fix i guess... Very annoying indeed! But I'm hopefull and hold my thumbs the Spotify Team will fix this soon!
I’m undecided
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Inappropriate?I have found a 'workaround' for this. I've posted it here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.j...
Hope it works!!1 Comment Add a comment
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Cheers Oscar. All good for me thanks. (No strange side effects yet either)
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Inappropriate?This should be fixed by the spotify-team, as quickfixes are not really for the public. I would ́nt mind an update of the spotify app for this single reason alone because this bug is annoying as hell!
Actually. I think my issue is slightly different. After installing snow-leopard, itunes opens automatically when I hit play/pause if no other program overrides it. ex. If quicktime is open, itunes will not open.1 Comment Add a comment
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Yeah that's the same problem, some people have just worded it differently
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Inappropriate?I'm waiting for Spotify to fix this issue since I don't want do these temporary fixes. Fix it Spotify!!
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?Can there not be a menu option in the Spotify preferences that disables support for the media keys? I use iTunes more than Spotify, but I like to have Spotify open.
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Inappropriate?Why don't Spotify just put some pressure on Apple to fix this problem? -
Inappropriate?It's not like it would be a fight.
The more companies that report this problem to Apple the more reason for them to look at it. It's not like it could be a big disadvantage to Apple?1 Comment Add a comment
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apple doesn't block this features, just change the acess and the way to manipulaire sound buffer. Spotify doesn't implement the new way ... if thez don't want to stay update, it's their problem ...
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Inappropriate?Ok I filed a bug with Apple for this (a while ago). They've come back saying basically that things are working as intended on their end. (I've replied back saying people are taking extreme measures to solve this problem, and that they should be concerned, erh, but emotions and bug reports usually don't mix : )
I suppose it's up to Spotify. The new Quicktime Player X turns off this behaviour. Spotify should be able to do it too? -
Inappropriate?(But really, I think these buttons should turn up somewhere in the System Preferences so that WE can decide which app gets launched. It's OUR buttons!!! Vive la people! : )
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Inappropriate?Omg, the only thing that needs to be done is to prevent ITunes to open (when its closed) when you press the play-button. This automatic opening of the software hi-jacks the play button from every other software and is new with Snow Leopard I think.
There must be a way to prevent Itunes from opening, and don't come with the fix that shuts of the buttons in itunes, they are needed once the ITunes is open.
Should be easy for apple to fix.1 Comment Add a comment
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As myself and Ben have already said, until this is fixed, an easy workaround is to open iTunes and either select Applications or the iTunes Store in the source list while you use Spotify.
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Inappropriate?I have worked out a fix and it's a good one.
If you download DockDodger (http://foggynoggin.com/dockdodger)
And then Undock iTunes. Run it once it's undocked, then put it on iTunes Store and close the window. Now itunes will not show, will not play anything, or interrupt your music-listening!
And the only time you'll see it is when you login! -
Inappropriate?This is not really a fix, but you can use the spacebar to play/pause spotify. at least thats what i do to work around this problem until spotify solves this problem..
edit: forgot to mention that unfortunately i think spotify have to be the active program dough...
I’m happy
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Inappropriate?The unique solution.
Install Candelair. It disables running iTunes when pushing play/pause button.
http://www.iospirit.com/labs/candelair/ -
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Inappropriate?Candelair doesn't support Spotify. Tried it and it's not in the compatibility list.
I’m telling the truth
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Inappropriate?Andres wrote: "We could disable support for Spotify completely but I'm not sure people want that."
And I can stop paying my yearly fee and delete Spotify = no more money from me and I will never say good words to future users.. How about that?
I’m excited
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Inappropriate?This is a really frustrating bug. Spotify needs to implement the Quicktime behaviour.
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?@Pete, I have found a script that does it, but then there is the same annoying problem with iTunes: it jumps up as soon as you press the play button.
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?This must be fixable - as if you open DVD player and press play/pause etc, it just plays and pauses DVD player - and doesn't open itunes. If itunes is open, it still only affects DVD player.
This must be possible...
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?There is nothing we can do unfortunately, as the "play/pause" event is controlled by the operating system and any application is allowed to listen to it. What _could_ be done is to only act on these play/pause events when Spotify is the frontmost application (i.e. when the Spotify window have focus). However, this will only solve your problem half-ways since iTunes will still act on the play/pause even even when in background. A "solution" like that would also disable the ability to control Spotify in the background, which is really the main use case for the play/pause (and skip) button(s) on the keyboard.
Now in the new Mac OS X (10.6 aka Snow Leopard) this problem is even worse: http://getsatisfaction.com/spotify/to...
The company says
this solves the problem
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This solves the problem
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Actually there is something you can do - QuickTime and iTunes interplay just fine in regard to the Pause/Play button. If you implement the same scheme we'll all be happy.
Worst case you could use AppleScript to control iTunes to stop whenever Spotify is frontmost and is activated by the play button. -
Yeah, call apple or whatever, just fix it. I demand that you fix it.
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It's a closed-source proprietary mechanism.
For techies: it's most likely based on Mach messaging and not regular DNC, thus we would need to decompile QuickTimeX to make any sense of it but that would be committing an illegal act.
This really is Apples problem and not something we can work around. You should file a bug report at http://radar.apple.com/ and/or speak your mind in their support forums (here's one thread on the subject: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.j...) -
Inappropriate?The problem is simple - Apple has decided to not allow us to turn it off and they need to change this immediately. Doesn't Apple risk claims of monopolistic practices if they force the launching of their app via their keyboard? Didn't MS get in the same heap of trouble, and wasn't that just for a desktop shortcut? Anyone know a journalist in search of a story?
Or are monopolies no longer illegal in the U.S? I'm a fan of breaking iTunes up anyway, why I need it to have a phone is beyond me.
Back to learning Linux.....
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