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Show Track Info on Lock Screens via JavaScript Media Session

Last updated: December 13, 2024

The introduction of the Media Session API has opened up exciting new possibilities for web applications, especially those involved in media playback. This capability allows developers to provide a rich media experience on different devices by controlling media playback and enhancing media notifications on lock screens of supported devices.

Understanding Media Session API

The Media Session API is designed to manage the media session and provide detailed media metadata to devices, such as track information, artist names, and album art. It enhances the user experience by allowing playback controls from the lock screen or media notifications panel.

Setting Up Media Session in JavaScript

To use the Media Session API, you only need basic JavaScript skills. Below is a simple implementation to show track information and playback controls on the lock screen:

if ('mediaSession' in navigator) {
  navigator.mediaSession.metadata = new MediaMetadata({
    title: 'Track Title',
    artist: 'Artist Name',
    album: 'Album Title',
    artwork: [
      { src: 'album-art-96x96.png', sizes: '96x96', type: 'image/png' },
      { src: 'album-art-128x128.png', sizes: '128x128', type: 'image/png' },
      { src: 'album-art-192x192.png', sizes: '192x192', type: 'image/png' },
      { src: 'album-art-256x256.png', sizes: '256x256', type: 'image/png' },
    ]
  });
}

This code snippet sets up track metadata with a series of album artwork images appropriate for various sizes, ensuring consistent and quality display on different devices.

Adding Playback Controls

Beyond displaying media information, the Media Session API allows you to define a set of playback actions that can be accessed directly via the lock screen controls without unlocking the device.

navigator.mediaSession.setActionHandler('play', function() {
  // Implementation for play action
  playMedia();
});

navigator.mediaSession.setActionHandler('pause', function() {
  // Implementation for pause action
  pauseMedia();
});

navigator.mediaSession.setActionHandler('seekbackward', function() {
  // Implementation for seeking backward
  skipTime(-10);
});

navigator.mediaSession.setActionHandler('seekforward', function() {
  // Implementation for seeking forward
  skipTime(10);
});

In the above examples, action handlers for play, pause, and skip actions are being registered. The function playMedia() would be your implementation to handle playing the media, while pauseMedia() pauses playback. The skipTime(time) function is a placeholder for logic to adjust the media's current playback time.

Testing and Debugging

It's advisable to test your implementation across different devices and browsers to ensure consistent behavior. Debugging might involve verifying the media play events are correctly captured and the artwork properly displays according to the different resolutions supported by the device.

Limitations and Browser Support

Although widely supported by modern browsers, especially those on Android devices, the Media Session API is not yet universally supported on all platforms. As of October 2023, it works best on Chromium-based platforms. Therefore, feature-detection is critical for a fault-tolerant application.

Feature detection can help identify browser compatibility:

if ('mediaSession' in navigator) {
  console.log("Media Session API is supported!");
} else {
  console.log("Media Session API is not supported on this browser.");
}

Conclusion

Integrating the Media Session API into your web application can dramatically enhance user interaction by providing control and context-rich media sessions accessible directly from the lock screen. By taking advantage of robust browser support feedback, you can implement effective fallbacks for unsupported platforms, ensuring a seamless and rich user experience.

Next Article: Enable Voice Control of Playback Using the Media Session API in JavaScript

Previous Article: Improve Audio/Video Navigation with the Media Session API in JavaScript

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