Fun and data app
Spotify now playing on your desk
The Spotify now playing app shows the artist, track and progress of whatever you are playing on Perchi Matrix, checked every 60 seconds. Spotify's Development Mode limits an app to 5 users, so you register your own Spotify developer app (a Premium account is required) and connect it with its client id and secret. Personal use only, by Spotify's terms.
- Bring your own developer key
- Sign-in
- Works on Perchi Matrix
- Works on Perchi
App id spotify.now_playing. Checked against Spotify on .
What it shows
What does the Spotify now playing app show?
The song or podcast you are playing on Spotify, with artist, track and progress, using your own Spotify developer app.
The now playing layout scrolls the artist and track across Perchi Matrix with a thin progress bar underneath; a second layout shows the track beside the Spotify icon. The app checks your playback every 60 seconds, so a new song appears within a minute rather than the instant it starts, and the value goes stale after 3 minutes without a response.
This is a bring-your-own-key app. Spotify's Development Mode caps any third-party app at 5 users, so a shared MyPerchi app cannot serve every customer; instead you register your own app at developer.spotify.com, paste the redirect address the dashboard shows, and connect it with its client id and secret. Spotify requires a Premium account for that developer app, expires the grant after six months (the dashboard tells you when to reconnect), and only reads the currently playing item.
Spotify's developer terms allow personal use only, so this app is for your own desk, not a shop window or a paid stream overlay. If you scrobble to Last.fm from any player, the Last.fm now playing app needs no developer key at all and is often the simpler choice.
How it connects
What do you need to connect Spotify now playing?
Sign in with the provider. Your own Spotify developer app (client id and secret) connected with a Spotify Premium account.
Keys, tokens and links are tested against the provider before they are saved, stored encrypted per record, masked after saving and never shown again. Revoke them at the provider any time; the app simply stops. The security page lists what we have and have not done.
Speed
How fast does Spotify now playing update?
Polled every 60 seconds, the fastest interval Spotify allows for this app; a new track appears within a minute. Stale after 3 minutes, expired (drawn as --) after 15 minutes without a response, so a paused player never leaves a wrong song on the display.
Style
How does Spotify now playing look on the matrix?
The now playing template scrolls the artist and track in Spotify green with a progress bar along the bottom row; the text template shows the track beside the Spotify icon. Scroll speed (5 to 60 pixels per second), pause at start and the overflow mode (scroll, ping-pong, shrink) are yours to set.
The preview at the top of this page is the default Spotify now playing scene on a 24x8 Perchi Matrix, reading M83. The apps page explains how freshness badges work, and the Perchi Matrix page lists every font, colour and effect in the style panel.
On Perchi
What does Perchi do with Spotify now playing?
There is no built-in moment for a new song; on Perchi the app works as a resting-screen card, so the artist and track sit beside the face between other moments. Perchi has no speaker, so it never plays anything.
A moment is Perchi's reaction to a real event: the face changes mood first, then a small card with the value slides in beside it and the face returns. Moments queue three deep, never interrupt a Phone Nap stage change, and wait silently during a block when do-not-disturb is on (the default). See which real events Perchi celebrates and how Phone Nap works.
Setup
Set up Spotify now playing in three steps
Everything happens in the web dashboard from any browser; there is no app to install on your phone and no account wall before the first pixel.
- STEP 1
Create a Spotify app
At developer.spotify.com create an app, add the redirect address the MyPerchi dashboard shows, and copy its client id and secret.
- STEP 2
Connect it
In Connections, add Spotify, paste the client id and secret, and sign in with your Premium account. The secret is stored encrypted and never shown again.
- STEP 3
Install and style
Install Spotify now playing on your display, pick the now playing or track layout, and set the scroll speed.
Honest limits
Where does Spotify now playing stop?
What the provider, the hardware or our own roadmap does not allow yet, stated before you reserve rather than after.
Questions about Spotify now playing
Specific to this app. The general questions (do I need an app, does it work offline, what does a reservation cost) live on the pages that own them.
Why do I need my own Spotify developer app?
Spotify keeps every third-party app in Development Mode with a cap of 5 users unless it passes an extended quota review that MyPerchi does not qualify for. A single shared app would stop working for the sixth customer, so each person connects their own app. It takes about ten minutes at developer.spotify.com and the dashboard shows the exact redirect address to paste.
Does Spotify now playing need Spotify Premium?
Yes. Spotify only lets Premium accounts create and use a developer app for playback data, so a free account cannot connect. The display itself needs no subscription.
How often does the track update?
The app checks your currently playing item every 60 seconds, the fastest Spotify's rate limits allow for a polled app, so a new song shows within a minute. After 3 minutes without a response the value is marked stale, and after 15 minutes the display draws -- instead of an old track.
Why does Spotify disconnect after six months?
Spotify expires the authorisation a developer app in Development Mode holds after six months. The dashboard marks the connection as needing attention and reconnecting takes two clicks; nothing else is lost.
Is there a now playing app that needs no developer key?
Yes: the Last.fm now playing app reads the track you scrobble from any player (including Spotify with scrobbling turned on) through MyPerchi's own key, so it needs only your Last.fm username.
Can I use it on a shop or stream display?
No. Spotify's developer terms allow personal, non-commercial use, and the app is marked accordingly in the store. For a commercial display use Last.fm now playing or a value you push yourself.
More on the FAQ hub, the Perchi Matrix page and the support page.
Batch 2 - estimated 2 to 3 weeks, no payment today
Put Spotify now playing on your desk
Perchi Matrix is ₹4,499 incl. GST (MRP ₹4,999). No subscription needed.
No payment today. We email a checkout link when your unit is bench-tested; current estimated wait 2 to 3 weeks from the day you reserve. Cancel any time before then.