Deskbeat adds a compact music widget to the OpenStation (formerly Desktop Mode) desktop. Once a site administrator connects a Spotify Developer app, each user links their own Spotify account with a single click and gets:
- Now playing — album art, track, and artist, updating live.
- Transport controls — play/pause, next, previous, shuffle, repeat, seek, and volume.
- In-browser playback — for Spotify Premium accounts, via the Spotify Web Playback SDK. Free accounts can see and control playback on their other devices.
- Browse your library — Queue, Liked Songs, Top tracks, Recently played, and Playlists, plus a search — all inside the widget, with infinite scroll.
This plugin requires the OpenStation plugin (formerly Desktop Mode; the WordPress.org slug is still desktop-mode) and works as a widget you add from the OpenStation widget picker.
Not affiliated with Spotify
This plugin is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spotify. “Spotify” is a trademark of Spotify AB. It works with Spotify through the official Spotify Web API and Web Playback SDK, using credentials you provide.
Credentials stay yours
No Spotify credentials ship with this plugin. Each site connects using its own Spotify Developer app: an administrator creates a free app and enters its Client ID and Secret once. Tokens are stored server-side per user; the Client Secret and refresh tokens never reach the browser.
External services
This plugin connects to Spotify so you can view and control your own Spotify playback from the OpenStation desktop. It relies on the following Spotify services:
-
Spotify Web API (
https://accounts.spotify.com,https://api.spotify.com)- What it is: Spotify’s official API for account authorization and playback control.
- What is sent and when: after you click “Connect Spotify”, the server exchanges an OAuth authorization code for access/refresh tokens; while the widget is open, it sends playback commands (play, pause, next, previous, seek, shuffle, repeat, volume, transfer) and reads your now-playing state, library, and search queries you type. Requests are made server-side on your behalf; your Client Secret and refresh token are never exposed to the browser.
- No data is sent until you connect your account.
-
Spotify Web Playback SDK (
https://sdk.scdn.co/spotify-player.js)- What it is: Spotify’s official in-browser player library, loaded via a script tag (it must be served from Spotify’s own domain; there is no self-hosted version).
- What is sent and when: for Spotify Premium accounts, when you start in-browser playback it registers a playback device with Spotify and streams audio using a short-lived access token.
Use of Spotify is subject to Spotify’s terms and privacy policy:
– Terms of Use: https://www.spotify.com/legal/end-user-agreement/
– Privacy Policy: https://www.spotify.com/legal/privacy-policy/
– Developer Terms (for the app credentials the administrator provides): https://developer.spotify.com/terms/
This plugin is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spotify. No Spotify credentials are bundled — each site uses its own Spotify Developer app.
Screenshots
The full-player window: large artwork, a seek bar with time read-outs, the full transport, volume, and your library inline.
The Music widget: now playing with transport controls, shuffle/repeat, seek, and volume.
Browse your library — Queue, Liked Songs, Top tracks, Recently played, and Playlists, with infinite scroll.
Search songs and artists, and play with one click.
One-click "Connect Spotify" — end users never touch credentials.
Admin setup: enter the site's Spotify app Client ID and Secret once.