Music Player (Remix)

[DanPLC]

I've finally got a chance to test out the Android Wear emulator (going to be grabbing a Moto 360 when it gets released "later this summer"). I've got great news...Music Player (Remix) is compatible with Android Wear!

If you enable the "basic lockscreen controls" option in the app's preferences, the app will display music controls on the Android Wear device when music is playing. The first card displays album art and track info. Tap it to pause/play. You can swipe right to get "Next" and "Previous" controls.

Here's a screenshot of the controls on the Android Wear emulator:



I'm going to be releasing an update to the app to enable the "basic lock screen controls" option by default (which will be renamed "basic lock screen & Android Wear controls"). Also in the update you'll be able to enable the mini-player lock screen controls even when the "basic lock screen & Android Wear controls" option is enabled.

 

[DanPLC]

Version 1.5.5 has been released and should be available to download soon.

Here's the changelog:

- (Enhancement) Enable the 'basic lock screen controls' preference by default since this will also enable controls on Android Wear devices (it can be disabled in Preferences if desired). And you can now enable this option along with mini-player lockscreen controls.

- (Enhancement) On the 'Mini-player' Preferences screen, add the ability to adjust the position, width, and height of the mini-player detection area at the bottom of the screen.

 

[DanPLC]

Version 1.5.6 has been released and should be available to download soon.

Here's the changelog:

- (Enhancement) Renamed the 'Lock screen & Wearables' preference screen to 'Lock screen & Remote control'. The previous 'Enable basic lock screen' option has been renamed to 'Enable remote control' since this option really enables all remote control interfaces including the lock screen as well as Bluetooth and Android Wear devices.

- (Bug Fix) Artist name was not being displayed on some bluetooth devices.

- (Bug Fix) App would crash on certain devices after updating album art. Hopefully this is fixed, but not 100% sure since I can't recreate the issue on my devices.

 

[DanPLC]

I've been playing with an app called "Commandr for Google Now" that allows you to issue voice commands via Google Now. It has the ability to integrate with Tasker so you can basically assign a voice command to any Tasker task.

For those of you who don't know, Music Player (Remix) can perform the following commands via Tasker: pause, toggle pause/play, next song, previous song.

To perform these tasks in Tasker, create a new task and go to "System", then choose "Send Intent". In the "Action" field type in one of the following commands:

com.hedami.musicplayerremix.musicservicecommand.pause
com.hedami.musicplayerremix.musicservicecommand.togglepause
com.hedami.musicplayerremix.musicservicecommand.next
com.hedami.musicplayerremix.musicservicecommand.previous

If you're running the trial version, the commands are as follows:

com.hedami.mprtrial.musicservicecommand.pause
com.hedami.mprtrial.musicservicecommand.togglepause
com.hedami.mprtrial.musicservicecommand.next
com.hedami.mprtrial.musicservicecommand.previous

So now with Commandr and Tasker I'm able to control my music via voice which is especially nice while driving. On my steering wheel, I have "next" and "previous" buttons, so it's pretty easy to change tracks when streaming via bluetooth But there's no easy way in my car to toggle pause/play without switching screens on the touchscreen, so having a voice function is really nice.

 

[noseph]

Hi Dan, finally got to try MPR with ChromeCast, works pretty well. I was wondering if there is a way to keep it streaming when the screen shuts off? Thanks

 

[DanPLC]

Hi Dan, finally got to try MPR with ChromeCast, works pretty well. I was wondering if there is a way to keep it streaming when the screen shuts off? Thanks

It should play even with the screen off. I just tried it and it worked for me.

 

[noseph]

It should play even with the screen off. I just tried it and it worked for me.

It plays the song that was playing but does not continue to play. When not casting to ChromeCast it will pretty much play all day to my bluetooth headset with the screen off. Any logs I can get let me know.

 

[DanPLC]

It plays the song that was playing but does not continue to play. When not casting to ChromeCast it will pretty much play all day to my bluetooth headset with the screen off. Any logs I can get let me know.

I can't re-create this issue. I've played several songs in a row with the screen off and they're playing just fine.

If you'd like, you can email me a log recorded while you're attempting to play 2 songs back-to-back while the screen is off. Just let me know what exactly you did during the time of the log.

One thing you can try is to reboot your Chromecast (unplug it from power and plug it back in). I know I sometimes have issues with audio not working when casting my screen. Rebooting my Chromecast fixes it.

 

[DanPLC]

Version 1.6.0 has been released and should be available for download soon. It has a lot of great new features including Android Wear voice commands!

Full changelog below:

- On your Android Wear watch say "OK Google, Start Remix". Then say any of the following commands:

"Shuffle"
"Play Artist"
"Queue Artist"
"Play Album"
"Queue Album"
"Favorite"
"Play <Artist Name>"
"Queue <Artist Name>"
"Play <Song> By <Artist>"
"Queue <Song> By <Artist>"

You can also swipe away the voice command prompt to view a list of possible commands. Then just tap the command you want.

- New default theme dynamically changes the app's background and menu colors to match current song's album art (NOTE: All previous theming options are still available).

- Triple tap headset button to go to previous track

- (Bug Fix) Downloaded lyrics had garbage characters

- (Bug Fix) Chromecast album art would not update

- Fixes for various crashing issues.

 

[Mipial]

Hello. I've come across your app now. I have been looking for a music player with a couple of characteristics:

1-Ability to select songs from directories: Many of us Android users load music by drag-and-drop from explorer and that's the way it ends up in our phones. Selecting by artist or album takes forces us to make a playlist on the phone if we want some variety. And most UIs are very cumbersome to create playlists.

2-Looking for similar tracks, not using the Genre tag but asking a service such as Last.fm. I have a HTPC with MediaPortal at home and it does just that: My music library is huge with lots of genres. Let's say I press play on a song by AC/DC, it will ask Last.fm what songs do other people listen to along with AC/DC (same era and style, even if not under the same genre tag) and create a playlist with those songs I have in my library. I have started with a song from the 80s and it has gone on playing one 80s song after another, even those that I didn't know I had.

I'd like to know if your app has those capabilities or if you could develop them.

Thank you.

 

[DanPLC]

1-Ability to select songs from directories: Many of us Android users load music by drag-and-drop from explorer and that's the way it ends up in our phones. Selecting by artist or album takes forces us to make a playlist on the phone if we want some variety. And most UIs are very cumbersome to create playlists.

Browsing by folder is a popular request and it's something I plan on implementing.

Creating playlists in Music Player (Remix) is very easy with its "multi-add" mode. Just open up the left-side sliding panel and swipe to the "Playlists" tab. Tap "Create new playlist" to create a new playlist. Tap "..." next to a playlist and select "Playlist multi-add". A banner will be displayed at the top of the screen indicating you're in multi-add mode. Now go to any screen in the app and tap on songs, albums, artists, genres, composers, or even other playlists and they'll be inserted into the playlist. The banner at the top of the screen keeps track of the number of songs and time length of the playlist. When you're done, tap "X" at the top of the screen to exit multi-add mode.

You can also tap "..." next to any song/album/artist/genre/composer in the app and select "add to playlist to add it to an existing playlist.

2-Looking for similar tracks, not using the Genre tag but asking a service such as Last.fm. I have a HTPC with MediaPortal at home and it does just that: My music library is huge with lots of genres. Let's say I press play on a song by AC/DC, it will ask Last.fm what songs do other people listen to along with AC/DC (same era and style, even if not under the same genre tag) and create a playlist with those songs I have in my library. I have started with a song from the 80s and it has gone on playing one 80s song after another, even those that I didn't know I had

That feature is not included in Music Player (Remix), but it's a neat idea. I'll investigate it.

 

[DanPLC]

A few more Android Wear enhancements are coming soon in version 1.6.1. In the Android Wear app you'll be able to assign "Remix" as the default handler of the "Play Music" voice command. Just say "OK Google, Play Music" to start shuffling all your music.

Also you'll now be able to issue voice commands from your Android Wear watch even if the app is completely closed on your phone (i.e. the app's service is not running). So now if you want to listen to some music, you won't have to ever get out your phone.

Version 1.6.1 also has a Gingerbread (yeah people still use it apparently!) package installation bug fix. I'm waiting for one of my users to confirm they're able to install the app on their Gingerbread device, but once they do I'll release it.

Kind of off topic, but I'm really digging my Moto 360 and Android Wear. Doing all these things from your watch is really convenient. Sending texts, replying to texts, reading notifications, controlling Chromecast apps like Netflix, and now playing/controlling music. Pretty awesome!

 

[DanPLC]

Version 1.6.1 has been released and should be available to download soon.

Here's the complete changelog:

- (Enhancement) Music Player (Remix) can be assigned as the default "Play Music" app in the Android Wear app. Say "OK Google, Play Music" to shuffle all songs.

- (Enhancement) Allow Android Wear voice commands to be processed even if the app's music service is not running.

- (Bug Fix) Eliminate the "package file is invalid" errors that were occurring on Gingerbread devices trying to install version 1.6.0.

 

[hape]

2-Looking for similar tracks, not using the Genre tag but asking a service such as Last.fm. I have a HTPC with MediaPortal at home and it does just that: My music library is huge with lots of genres. Let's say I press play on a song by AC/DC, it will ask Last.fm what songs do other people listen to along with AC/DC (same era and style, even if not under the same genre tag) and create a playlist with those songs I have in my library. I have started with a song from the 80s and it has gone on playing one 80s song after another, even those that I didn't know I had.
.

That feature is not included in Music Player (Remix), but it's a neat idea. I'll investigate it.

Hi Dan,

only a quick vote for that feature. That would be a function that would fullfill my earliere request to be able to select songs by BPM. The idea behind my request was the same, to keep the music style/speed.

Hape

 

[DanPLC]

Hi Dan,

only a quick vote for that feature. That would be a function that would fullfill my earliere request to be able to select songs by BPM. The idea behind my request was the same, to keep the music style/speed.

Hape

Well I definitely like the idea of having a "similar artists" feature.

 

[DanPLC]

To celebrate the big version 1.6 release with Android Wear voice commands and dynamic album art matching theming, the app is on sale for 60% off ($1.60) for a limited time only . Grab it while you can at this low price!

Here's a link to the app in the Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hedami.musicplayerremix

(NOTE: Price change may take an hour or two to update in the Play Store)

 

[DanPLC]

To celebrate the big version 1.6 release with Android Wear voice commands and dynamic album art matching theming, the app is on sale for 60% off ($1.60) for a limited time only . Grab it while you can at this low price!

Here's a link to the app in the Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hedami.musicplayerremix

(NOTE: Price change may take an hour or two to update in the Play Store)

It looks like the price reduction is live now!

 

[hape]

Re: Music Player (Remix) - Now live in the Play Store!

Hi Dan,

I changed my phone to a "Blackview Chrown" with android 4.4.2 and the track information is not received by the buetooth devices again. First I expected that it is a problem of the phone, but then I tested the google music app and it sends the track information without any problem.

It is not a general problem in the broadcast service as the information is received by other apps (e.g. my Pebble) without any problems. I did some research but did not found any new information then the one I send you in the old post (http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-apps/206430-music-player-remix-12.html#post2578260).
The ony hint I found is that in this post android - send track informations via A2DP/AVRCP - Stack Overflow they say that all feilds need to be filled to get it running.

Here Pandora AVRCP Bluetooth support on Android (Album/Track Information) is some more information (check the patch he linked) but I think it is the same code again.

A other post https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/122066-lack-of-audio-track-metadata-android-442-kitkat/ is talking that this app https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...=com.anticsoft.autoaudio&hl=en&token=1EEbfqlJ seems to help for pandora. It looks like it sends some state changes to the buetooth device.

More Infos but no solution:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sp...aks-bluetooth-audio-tracks-multiple-cars.html

This player also send the information for me:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...m.jrtstudio.AnotherMusicPlayer&token=PfV-TJbR

All the best Hape

 

[DanPLC]

Re: Music Player (Remix) - Now live in the Play Store!

Hi Dan,

I changed my phone to a "Blackview Chrown" with android 4.4.2 and the track information is not received by the buetooth devices again. First I expected that it is a problem of the phone, but then I tested the google music app and it sends the track information without any problem.

It is not a general problem in the broadcast service as the information is received by other apps (e.g. my Pebble) without any problems. I did some research but did not found any new information then the one I send you in the old post (http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-apps/206430-music-player-remix-12.html#post2578260).
The ony hint I found is that in this post android - send track informations via A2DP/AVRCP - Stack Overflow they say that all feilds need to be filled to get it running.

Here Pandora AVRCP Bluetooth support on Android (Album/Track Information) is some more information (check the patch he linked) but I think it is the same code again.

A other post https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/122066-lack-of-audio-track-metadata-android-442-kitkat/ is talking that this app https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...=com.anticsoft.autoaudio&hl=en&token=R_YX9MUS seems to help for pandora. It looks like it sends some state changes to the buetooth device.

More Infos but no solution:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sp...aks-bluetooth-audio-tracks-multiple-cars.html

This player also send the information for me:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...m.jrtstudio.AnotherMusicPlayer&token=mgIDXDr_

All the best Hape

In the app, open up Preferences (icon available at the top of the right-side sliding panel). Then go to "Lockscreen & Remote Control" and make sure "Enable Remote Control" is checked. This will enable track info being sent to Bluetooth and Android Wear devices.

Music Player (Remix), when the above option is checked, uses the standard RemoteControlClient API (pre-Lollipop) and MediaSession API (Lollipop+) for sending track info to various remote control devices which includes Bluetooth devices. On my KitKat device, track info is displayed perfectly in my bluetooth car.

 

[hape]

Re: Music Player (Remix) - Now live in the Play Store!

Dan you made my day. Works perfect.
By the way, is there a switch to get rid off the new "jump" controls that are displayed on the album art? I do not need them and can't find a switch in the settings anywhere.

HapE