How do I get music to show in my notification bar?
What is the Notification Bar?
The notification bar is the topmost area of a mobile device’s screen that displays notifications and quick settings. It provides users with at-a-glance information about app activities, upcoming events, device status, and more, without having to open individual apps.
On Android devices, the notification bar is located at the very top of the screen. On iPhones, it is called the status bar and is located at the top but below the notch. The notification bar allows users to view notifications, check connectivity status, see the time, adjust settings like WiFi and Bluetooth, and access other quick controls.
Typical notifications that appear in the bar include incoming calls and messages, app updates, calendar alerts, music controls, and system alerts. By swiping down, users can expand the notification bar to view more details and take actions like replying to messages or dismissing notifications. Overall, the notification bar aims to provide a convenient centralized place to monitor device status and app activities.
The notification bar plays an important role in the mobile experience by saving users time and effort. Without it, people would have to manually open each app to check for updates. The notification bar makes it easy to stay on top of notifications with just a quick glance.
Playback Controls in Notification Bar
Many music apps have playback controls in the notification bar to control music without opening the app itself. This allows easy access to pause, play, skip songs, or adjust volume right from the notification shade.
When a song is playing in a supported music app like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music etc., you’ll see miniature playback controls in the notification bar or quick settings panel. Tapping on these will expand them to show buttons to pause/play, jump to previous/next track, like a song, etc [1].
This saves you the trouble of opening the music app every time you want to quickly control playback. The notification also shows track title, artist and album cover for aesthetic appeal.
Enabling Music Notifications
In order for music playback notifications to appear in the notification bar, music apps first need permission to display notifications. Android requires users to explicitly enable notifications for each app in the system settings.
To enable notifications for a music app like Spotify or YouTube Music, open the Settings app and go to Notifications. Find the music app in the list and toggle on “Allow notifications.” You can also customize the notification settings further for that specific app, like enabling sound, vibration, on the lock screen, etc.
Without enabling notifications in system settings first, music apps cannot display playback notifications in the status bar, even if notification access looks enabled within the app itself. Granting notification access permissions is required for music notifications to properly show up when playing audio in any music or media app.
For more details, see: Control notifications on Android
Music Apps with Notification Support
Many popular music apps have notification support to display music controls and information in the notification bar while a track is playing. Here are some of the top apps with notification capabilities:
Spotify
Spotify has robust notification support on both iOS and Android. When a track is playing, Spotify will display the album artwork, song title, artist, playback controls, and ability to like a song directly in the notification shade [1]. Users can customize if and which notifications show up in Settings.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music notifications display the track title, artist, album cover, playback controls, and queue list when music is playing [2]. On Android, users can choose between a compact and expanded layout. YouTube Music notifications can be disabled in the app’s settings if desired.
Pandora
With Pandora, users can opt-in to show notifications with song details, thumbs up/down controls, and skip track in the notification panel [3]. The notifications include album art and are fully customizable from the settings menu.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music displays playback information and controls in the notification shade while music is playing. Users can play/pause, skip tracks, shuffle, and view song details directly in the notification [4]. Notification preferences like size can be configured in the Amazon Music app.
Customizing Notification Appearance
There are several options for customizing the appearance of music notifications in the status bar. Many aspects can be changed like the notification size, icons, and amount of info displayed through your phone’s settings or third party apps.
To start, open your Android phone’s Settings app and go to Notifications. Here you can change things like choosing between a minimal or expanded view for notifications. The expanded view shows more details like the album cover and full scrollable song title. You can also adjust the overall notification size to be smaller or larger.
Apps like Super Status Bar give you enhanced customization options. You can modify the color, size, and transparency of notifications. Reorder or hide specific notification icons. And enable effects like scrolling text tickers. This allows you to really tweak the status bar to match your preferences.
In summary, between your built-in settings and third party tools, you have significant control over how much info music notifications display and their visual appearance in the status bar.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are not seeing music playback notifications in your notification bar, here are some troubleshooting tips to try:
First, open the settings for the music app you are using and make sure notifications are enabled. For example, in YouTube Music, go to Settings > Notifications and enable “Show playback notifications.”
You may also need to check your overall notification settings in your device’s Settings app. Go to Notifications and make sure notifications are allowed for your music app. On Android, check that the app’s notifications are not turned off.
Additionally, make sure you have the latest version of the music app installed. Older versions may have bugs that prevent notifications from appearing properly.
If the app and system notification settings are correct, but you still don’t see music controls in the notification shade, try force quitting the app and restarting it. This may resolve any glitches that are preventing notifications from working.
As a last resort, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Just be sure to back up any local music files or playlists so you don’t lose anything.
Following these troubleshooting steps should help get album art, playback controls, and music notifications showing up properly in your notification bar again.
Advantages of Music Notifications
Having music playback controls easily accessible in the notification bar can offer some notable conveniences and benefits:
Convenience of quick access to music controls – The notification bar provides a convenient way to quickly pause, play, skip tracks or adjust volume without needing to open the full music app. This allows you to control playback no matter what app you are currently in.
See what song is playing without opening app – The notification displays key details like the album art, artist, song title and playback progress. So you can quickly see what is currently playing without needing to switch back to the music app itself.
Save device battery life vs. keeping app open – Controls in the notification bar mean you don’t need to keep the full music app open and running in the background to control playback. This can help conserve some battery life compared to keeping the app fully open at all times.
Limitations
While music notifications in the status bar can be convenient, there are some limitations to be aware of:
Notifications take up screen space. With the introduction of notification limits in Android 10, each app is restricted to showing a maximum of 24 notification icons. Having music controls visible may mean you reach this limit faster and other app notifications get hidden behind the notification tray.
Not available for all music apps. The ability to show playback notifications depends on the individual music app supporting it. Some apps may not have implemented this feature.
May not be able to customize notification appearance. While some apps allow changing the notification icon or text, others have a fixed notification style that can’t be altered. So you may be limited in customizing the look of the music notification.
Notification Bar Alternatives
There are a few alternatives to the notification bar that allow quick access to music controls while using your device:
Widgets
Most music and audio apps have widgets that can be added to your home screen. These provide playback controls and music information without needing to open the app. Widgets only take up a small amount of space and can be conveniently accessed from any home screen page.
The downside is widgets lack some of the fine controls and options available in the notification bar. Widget size is also limited.
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Lock Screen Controls
Many devices allow music playback controls to be added to the lock screen. This gives quick access without unlocking the phone. However, lock screen music controls are less detailed than the notification bar.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts to specific playlists, artists, or albums can be added to the home screen or app drawer. Tapping these provides immediate music access. The tradeoff is that only pre-defined music can be quickly reached, not the currently playing song.
Pros and Cons Compared to Notifications
While alternative options exist, the notification bar provides the most detailed now playing information and playback controls. The notification bar is also easily accessible system-wide, while the alternatives are more limited in placement. However, the alternatives can complement the notification bar as quick shortcuts to launch playback.
Key Takeaways
The notification bar provides a convenient way to view what music is currently playing and control playback without having to open the full music app. Key points covered in this guide:
- The notification bar displays notifications and media playback controls at the top of your device screen.
- Most music and audio apps have options to enable showing playback notifications.
- Notification settings allow customizing which apps show media controls and how they are displayed.
- Troubleshooting tips can help get missing notifications to appear if they don’t show up automatically.
- Music notifications provide quick access to view and manage songs without needing to find and open apps.
- Limitations include lack of full music app functionality and potential battery drain from active notifications.
Overall, the notification bar offers a handy centralized place to quickly see and control music playback on your device.
