Request: Make the Cast button always in top bar or available on Home Screen

[tbm72]

Is it possible to make the [Cast To] button either permanently in the top bar of the app at all times or as a custom tile that can be personalised as one of the available Home Screen tiles? At the moment, after opening the MMA app, I have to first select a playlist/album/track and start playing the music on my phone before the Cast icon appears at the top of the app. Only then can I select a Cast device but the music has already started playing on my phone.

It would be much better if you could first set your Cast To device before starting playing any music. Even better than that would be the option to permanently set a Cast device as the default output for MMA.

This would greatly benefit the way the app can be used now that GPM has been killed, certainly for the way that I use it.

[Peke]

Hi,
If I got this correctly, you are asking that we add [Cast To...] as a button in personalize screen?

For now quickest way is to add Now playing to Home screen -> tap on it after MMA opens -> ⋮ -> Cast To.

[tbm72]

Thanks for the suggestion Peke but you don't really need [Now Playing] specifically added to the homescreen though for that do you? You can click the three dots menu to bring up the Cast To option at any time when the app is open.

I just wondered about making the Cast button always present at the top, as in the screenshot below. There's obviously the same amount of space in the menu bar. Or even a toggle in the prefs to always show the Cast button.



(Not sure why the image link above is broken???)
https://imgur.com/a/EAtsfii

[Peke]

Hi,
Cast button is shown when MMA is casting not in normal play mode in order to indicate MMA is casting.

[tbm72]

OK I understand, it's just that other media playing apps (e.g. MX Player and YouTube to name a couple) have a Cast button always present in their top menu bar, even if it's not casting at that time. So you can select a cast device before you start playing your media.

In MMA you have to start playing a track through the phone first before the option to select a cast device appears. So I often get a track playing for 10-20 seconds on my phone before the cast button appears and then it finally connects and starts casting (so you miss a good chunk of the start of the track). Having a cast button always there would let me select the casting device first, so I don't miss the beginning on my cast device.

It's not a big issue but it feels a bit clunky like this and would just make the interface a bit more streamlined and user-friendly. Just a suggestion though, I'll leave it at that!

[Peke]

Hi,
Just retested and can't replicate using my steps from viewtopic.php?p=475273#p475273 when I access Cast thru Now Playing and playback was not started on phone before it.

[tbm72]

On my phone the appearance of the cast button is really random. Sometimes it shows, sometimes it goes away. For me, one way to replicate it disappearing is to do the following:

1) Start a track playing (do something like go into an album/artist/playlist etc and start a track)
2) The Cast button usually appears correctly at top right of app while track is playing
3) While track is playing press the < icon at the very top left of the app (the button with the mm icon) that takes you back to the main menu
4) Cast button disappears even though the track is still playing

Now the cast button has gone, even if you go back into Now Playing.

[rusty]

Hi,

I don't quite understand the rationale for this request; iiuc, the problem is that you don't want to have to initiate playback and then go to the Now Playing screen to get casting started.

But every screen in MMA has the ⋮ menu which has a 'Cast to' option. So why is this not sufficient?

Or are you saying that the "⋮ -> Cast To" menu entry is disappearing in the case you outlined (I was unable to replicate that)?

Thanks!
-Rusty

[tbm72]

I think I've just been getting confused where/when the Cast button should appear. I just assumed it should always be visible in the top bar (as it is in other media apps) whether media is playing or not so you can just press on it and instantly choose a cast device. But sometimes I don't see it there and sometimes I do but not in the three dot menu. Here's a few screenshots I've grabbed when it's in one place and not the other. Don't know if it's a bug or what:





If I had a preference it would be to have it always in the top bar (don't have to click the three dots first).

[Peke]

Hi,
As i already explained Top bar cast icon shows player state and to inform user that MMA is casting when it is casting, only issue I see that when cast To icon is shown in top bar it is removed from ⋮ but that is because there is no point duplicate same function twice and confuse even more eg. you are Casting and you have that icon immediately available so ⋮ -> cast to is not needed.

I for example very rarely use Cast to and like that player screen is clear as much as possible so that I can enjoy music. Also MMA is my main player in Car Android head unit so Cast icon is completely useless to me and again UI should be as simple as possible to not distract me from driving.

[tbm72]

OK, fair enough. It just seems a bit inconsistent but it's not a big issue. Sometimes as you say, there's a cast icon in the top bar when it's actively casting and nothing in the 3 dot menu (as above). Then sometimes there's a cast icon in the top bar when it isn't casting and nothing in the 3 dot menu. Or sometimes it can be casting and there's no cast icon in the top bar but it says "Stop casting" in the 3 dot menu as below:



Anyway now I feel like I'm labouring a very minor point so I'll leave you guys to more important issues and leave it at that

[Peke]

Hi,
Hmmmm, well that looks like a bug to me, will investigate and try to replicate and will enter it for a fix.