FAQ for Wear Music Controller
What does it do?
Wear Music Controller is a watch app that allows you to control your favourite music player on your phone, from your watch. It has 5 main parts:
A watch app that you can manually start, which shows what music is playing. You can control that music, or start other playlists or apps using touch or voice.
Watch music notifications which look neater and do more than the stock music notifications already available, such as starting other music or seeing your song queue.
A early preview of a watch face that shows you what is playing (as well as the time), or album art of the last song if no music is playing.
A phone app used to configure everything.
Tasker/Locale integration so music control can be done automatically based off an external event.
Which watches are supported?
All Android Wear watches are supported, such as LG G Watch and Moto 360. Square and round watches are supported.
Other types such as Tizen, Pebble, or Apple Watch are NOT supported.
Which mobile devices are supported?
Any Android phone or tablet running Android 4.3 or above. Your watch and phone need to be paired, and connected. Song queue control only works on Android 5.0 and above.
Which Android permissions does the app use and why?
In-app purchases - so you can buy the license.
Photos/Media/Files
read the contents of your USB storage - used to provide album art for locally stored music.
Other
control vibration - for Tasker so events can vibrate the watch.
prevent device from sleeping - for Tasker, so the watch can be woken up on certain events.
Does it control music stored on the watch?
No, only music players that reside on the mobile device are supported at the moment.
How do I install it?
Install it from the Google Play Store. Make sure your watch is connected to your mobile device, and then be patient as the watch portion is installed to your watch.
What is this Notification Listening Permission it talks about?
This app requires a special permission in order to read music metadata and album art from other apps. Do this from within the Wear Music Controller phone app, otherwise the app will not work properly. Nothing is read from other notifications - only music and audio related apps.
Go to Enable Notification Permission, then tick the box next to Wear Music Controller, confirming the next dialog box.
How do I run it?
The default configuration works in 2 ways. Either start music from your favourite music app on your mobile - music notifications will then appear on your watch. Or open the app on your watch, and press Play (or Play Pause) there. To start a specific playlist or app, go to the Play... option in the app and choose an option.
Why is it initially a trial?
Since there are a lot of different combinations of Watch, Phone/Tablet, Android version and Music app, a trial is given to allow you to test things out. Unfortunately, some combinations are not supported. If you are not satisfied that things are working for you, please let us know so we can help. Or simply uninstall the app and come back later. When you re-install the app, you will be given the trial again.
Why is it not free?
A lot of work has gone into this app, and so to support us in the development of future features, a one-off payment is asked for. There are however no adverts, no up-front costs (you get a trial first to try it out), no on-going costs, and no half-working crippleware.
How long do I have to trial it before I need to buy the license?
4 days. Then it will not function. A notification will show on the mobile saying that the license is required. Music control from the watch will not work.
How do I buy the license?
Within the mobile app, tap App License, and follow the on-screen prompts. This is an In-App Payment. If you have any troubles with this, see this link. Some things to try if you are having issues:
Make sure Google Play Services is up to date.
Make sure you have added a Payment Method in Account settings in the Google Play Store.
Make sure you are connected to the internet.
Make sure you are signed in to the Google Play Store with the account that corresponds with the payment settings above.
Can I get a refund? How?
If you have purchased by mistake, please email us. A refund may be given, but this will stop the app functioning as though you have not purchased the license.
Will the license still work on my new Phone?
As long as you are signed in to Google Play using the same account you used to make the purchase, the license will transfer seamlessly across. Sometimes a reboot is required, or you will need to go into Wear Music Controller settings for it to get set up.
How do I uninstall it from the watch?
Uninstall the app from the mobile device from the Android App settings, or Play Store. The watch app will be uninstalled automatically when the watch is connected to your phone.
I've upgraded my phone to a newer version of Android, and now it won't work. What can I do?
When upgrading device from KitKat or Jelly Bean, you will need to re-enable the Notification Permission again.
Which music players are supported?
Most music players are supported, but for some it depends on how they are configured, and whether they are currently playing music or not.
Song title and artist display, and music control (next, previous, play and pause, volume up and down) has been confirmed to work on Android stock music player, Google Music Player, Rocket Player, PlayerPro, SoundCloud (sometimes - best to use My Cloud Player), MediaMonkey, doubleTwist, Spotify, Music Unlimited, jetAudio, Pandora, Audible, ChromaDoze, Shuttle, Neutron, Rhapsody, Napster, PowerAmp (album art only when phone screen is on), VLC, BBC iPlayer Radio, Sonos Controller.
Album art retrieval will work for most of these players too.
The Play... feature only works for some of these players (see the Play... FAQ further down).
Song queue viewing and control will work for only those players that publish that information - at the time of writing, only Google Play Music supports this, and only on Android version 5.0 and above.
Other music players may or may NOT work, so please check before purchasing the license.
What about audio book players, white-noise generators, pod-cast players, remote control apps, chromecast?
These may or may not work, so please check before purchasing the license.
How can I get it to work with PlayerPro?
Please ensure that in Player Pro, the headset override and android lock screen settings are both enabled.
How can I get it to work with Poweramp?
Ensure that the android lock screen is enabled, and button control in headset settings of Poweramp.
Album art will only work when the phone screen is on, or if the music is stored locally - this is a limitation of Poweramp.
How can I get it to work with Neutron?
Ensure that the setting for Media Controls is enabled. Neutron's factory default settings work fine.
How do I get it to work with...?
Other apps may need some settings configured correctly. Generally, this can be to enable Android Lock Screen support, headset button support, or media button support.
What is the difference between the music notifications, the watch app, and the watch face?
Wear Music Controller has many different modes of operation to give you the control where you need it most. They all have a default configuration, but this can be changed to suit your needs.
The music notifications that come up on the watch should show automatically when music is playing. These work like normal watch notifications, and will always be there for you when you need them. They should disappear several seconds after music is paused or stopped. The default UI for these notifications are full pages, with song information and album art on the first page and music control buttons on the second and third pages.
The watch app is a separate app that can be started in a number of ways on the watch, or via Tasker. You can start it from the launcher, or by voice saying "OK Google, Start Music Controller". The app has the same look and feel as the notifications.
The watch face can be enabled in the same way as other watch faces. It shows what is currently playing, or if nothing is playing, it shows the date and the most recent album art. It always shows the current time!
Why is this better than the stock music notifications/control?
The stock music notifications have song info, album art, and music control notifications and work perfectly well for most music apps. However, there are some reasons why Wear Music Controller has more features and functionality than the stock controls:
Why am I getting 2 different music notifications?
The default configuration of Wear Music Controller is for notifications to be enabled. These will be similar to the stock notifications, which Android Wear also shows when music is playing. Wear Music Controller will try to place its notifications higher up so you never have to see the stock ones.
Can I disable the stock music notifications?
No, Android Wear does not allow the stock music notifications to be disabled.
Can I use the app but only have the stock music notifications?
Yes, this may be desirable if you are happy with the stock notifications, and don't want 2 different notifications at the same time. Go to User Interface Settings on the phone in Wear Music Controller, and change Notification UI Type to Off.
How do I get the watch app to start automatically when headphones are attached?
You can use Tasker or Locale to achieve this. These instructions are for Tasker:
Add a new Profile for State, Hardware, Headset Plugged. You can change Type to No Mic if desired.
Add a New Task to this profile (add a New Task name if desired), and click the Tick button.
Add an Action to this task by clicking the Plus button. Choose Plugin, and then Wear Music Controller.
Click on Start App (Wake-up Watch).
Go Back, and Back.
How do I get the app to start automatically when a bluetooth device is attached?
Follow instructions above but at No 1, choose State, Net, BT Connected. Optionally choose a Name or Address of a specific Bluetooth device.
What else can be configured automatically?
Following the instructions above, at No 4, you will get a list of choices to choose to do automatically. These include starting the watch app for voice input, show Music Notification, clear Music Notification (if music is not playing), sending a media key (such as Play, or Skip next) or playing something from your Play... list.
How do I make the app open whenever I wake up my watch when music is playing?
There is an option in Wear Music Controller's User Interface Settings called Sticky Launch On Wake. Select this to automatically re-open the watch app whenever the watch wakes up.
This will take effect after the app is opened on the watch either manually, or with Tasker.
The function will be cancelled when the app is closed (by swiping it to the right).
When I am running, I find it difficult to press the buttons on the watch - what can I do?
There is an option in Wear Music Controller's User Interface Settings to change the UI Type. The Notification or App UI Type can be changed to Sparse. This shows one big button per page on the watch which should be easier to click when running, or cycling etc.
What is all this Play... stuff about?
Play... is a Wear Music Controller feature allowing the user to start music playing in any playlist, or any app. To play in an app means Wear Music Controller opens the app, and starts playing where it left off. The list is configured on the phone first, then it is synced to the watch. Then you can choose from this list on the watch.
How do I configure this Play... list?
Click on Configure Play... in the mobile Wear Music Controller settings. Here you may see a default list of apps that music can be started in from the watch. Add others by clicking on Add App (others may or may not work - see below).
Add playlists by clicking on Add Playlists. This allows you to add a playlist in the same way as you may add a shortcut to a playlist to your mobile's Home Screen. First pick a shortcut for the desired app. Then pick the list, or other options given by the particular music app.
Playlists and apps can be reordered and deleted from here too. Also test a shortcut by clicking on the row. This is because some music players are designed to only open the chosen playlist, rather than open and play it, which won't be much use.
What music players are supported for Play...?
This is a difficult question to answer. This is because some music players are designed to only open the chosen playlist, rather than open and play it. We try to get round this by sending a Play command immediately after starting the shortcut. And this only works on certain Android versions, as the control of third-party apps is different in Android Jellybean, Kitkat, and Lollipop!
Please see the results of an on-going survey for an idea of what is and isn't supported.
How can I choose different music to start playing from my watch?
To find the Play... list on the watch, open the app, and click on the Playlist icon. Or find the Play... icon on the notification.
Alternatively, you can start a Play... choice using your voice. Do "OK Google", "Start Music Controller", then at the app voice prompt, say "Start Playlist X" where Playlist X is the name of your chosen playlist or app.
What about albums, artists and songs - can I choose these from my watch?
Currently this is not supported, but watch this space...
Can I switch to another app from my watch?
You can use the Play... feature to start playing music in a different app (if this app supports this). Add the chosen app to the Play... list using your phone.
How can I see the now playing queue on the watch?
On the watch app, this will be on the page immediately after the first one. On the notification, this will be on a page next to the Play... list, so click on the Play... button first.
This will only be available on supported music players, and only if your phone/tablet is running at least Android 5.0. At the time of writing, the only known app is Google Play Music.
The notification won't go away. What can I do?
Sometimes Android gets confused about whether anything is playing or not. You can close the notification by clicking on the X button.
DON'T use Block App - this will hide this app's notification indefinitely (until you enable again in the Android Wear App).
How do I close the app?
The app can be closed by swiping right from the far left screen (the one with the song title and artist on).
How can I start the app/music using my voice?
Get to a voice prompt by touch, or waking your watch and saying "OK Google". Then start the app by saying "Start Music Controller". This will give you the music control voice prompt. Alternatively you can get to this prompt by simply clicking on the voice control button on the notification or from with the watch app itself.
Then say "Play" or "Start".
What other voice commands are supported?
Volume up: turn it up, louder, volume up, increase volume, pump it up, more volume, up
Volume Down: turn it down, quieter, volume down, decrease volume, shut up, less volume, down
Next Track: next, skip, skip next, next track, next chapter, spin on, move it on, next song, spin it on, move on, skip forward, skip on, skip it, move forward
Previous Track: previous, previous track, previous chapter, spin back, back, move it back, previous song, spin it back, move back, skip back, skip backwards, skip backward, move backward, move backwards
Play: play, play it, go, unpause, start, start the music, start music, start it playing, start it, play the music, begin, begin reading, start reading, start playing, play music, on, turn it on
Pause: pause, pause it, stop, stop playing, stop it, stop the music, stop it playing, pause the music, stop reading, halt, end, finish, turn it off, off, pause reading
What languages are supported for voice commands?
English, French, German and Spanish
Why are voice commands not working?
Perhaps your watch/phone is set up with an unsupported language.
Or perhaps you don't have a phone connection, or your phone's internet connection is not working, as this is needed for Voice recognition to work.
When I click on Play, Play/Pause or Next, an unexpected music app starts playing. Why is this?
This issue occurs particularly on Android versions from Lollipop onwards. If you chosen music app is not playing and not open, sometimes it de-registers itself from Android. Then pressing Play will broadcast this button out to Android, rather than send it directly to the app that was playing last. This can sometimes be picked up by apps such as the stock music player instead. There is nothing we can do about this. To get past this, try opening and playing music in your chosen app first, before controlling from Wear Music Controller.
I have a problem that isn't helped by this FAQ. What now?
Please send us an email by clicking on Give feedback to developer within the app. Then choose your favourite email client. This will automatically add a subject, and our email address, and also attach some app debug. This app debug is a small text file that contains information about this app to help us diagnose the problem you are experiencing. It does not include any personal information, though does include meta data about the music you are listening to. Add a message, and send. We will endeavour to reply within 48 hours.