

I can set whether my keyboard media keys are controlling iTunes, Overcast.fm, Spotify, or YouTube. This not only solves the problem of not being able to control Web-based media players, but also lets you specify which native apps get to use the media keys so you don’t have conflicts.

From its menu, BeardedSpice lets you choose which media players your media keys control, including Web-based players in Safari and Google Chrome.
#Beardedspice free#
Or can you? (And if you’re not sure what I’m talking about here, the media keys are usually F7 through F12, with functions for play/pause, rewind, fast-forward, mute, and volume up/down - look at the keycap labels for specific key assignments.)Įnter the oddly named but free BeardedSpice menu bar utility. But one problem with Web-based media players is that you can’t control them with the media keys on your Mac’s keyboard. Web Apps” (5 January 2015), many of the best podcast players are now Web-based. And, well, it’s iTunes, which provokes vitriol whenever it’s mentioned.Īs Julio Ojeda-Zapata pointed out in “ Mac Podcast Client Showdown: Native Clients vs. Well, there’s iTunes, but it’s a pain to use for podcasts because it lacks 30-second skip buttons.

With Instacast gone, (see “ Farewell Instacast,” 16 June 2015), the only other dedicated Mac-native podcast player is Downcast.
#Beardedspice update#
#1613: M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, long-awaited features coming to OS, watchOS 9, TidBITS website changes, tvOS and HomePod update.#1614: 2022 OS system requirements, WWDC 2022 head-scratcher features, travel tech notes from Canada.
