This Siri shortcut is meant to be an alternative to Apple's Remote app. It's not as pretty but it's faster and thus more convenient. This Mac Media Remote shortcut controls both the Music and TV apps on a Mac computer. Versions 3.0 and later are only compatible with iOS 13 and MacOS 10.15.x Catalina.
When Apple discontinued iTunes, they replaced it with 3 apps… the Music App, TV App, and Podcasts App. Apple did not make the Podcasts App "scriptable" at all, meaning it is unable to be issued commands using Applescript, and therefore can not be controlled by this shortcut.
The TV App is partially scriptable, which means only some functions of the app are able to be controlled by Applescript. As a result, this shortcut lacks the ability to control some major features, the most important of which is the ability to select an AirPlay display to watch videos (such as an Apple TV, for example). The TV App can stream successfully to an Apple TV when the command is initiated from within the app itself, but this function is not scriptable in the app. I experimented with using a Mac's built-in ability to mirror to an AirPlay display, but unfortunately the audio and video are out of sync when using this method. I have included the ability to mirror the Mac's screen in the shortcut anyway in the hope that someone might find it useful for something other than the Music and TV apps. Applescript GUI scripting was used for this computer mirroring feature, which means you might have to authorize Script Editor and maybe a SSH service in System Preferences -->Security & Privacy--> Privacy tab--> Accessibility.
The Music App appears to be fully scriptable, and all of the Applescript commands that could be used with iTunes can also be used with the Music App.
THE MAC MEDIA REMOTE IS SMART
This Mac Media Remote shortcut attempts to intelligently switch between the Music and TV apps, and attempts to do so automatically without any user input. That said, this shortcut is smart but it's not clairvoyant. In rare situations (when both apps are playing media, for example) the shortcut will ask you which app you'd like to control. Otherwise, it seamlessly integrates both apps to appear as one. One remote to control them all! (Sorry, I just had to throw in a reference to Lord of the Rings there….
In order to get the best experience out of a smart thing, it can be very useful to understand how the tool is making decisions. In this case, the shortcut typically looks at 2 things: which apps are running, and which players are not stopped. If the shortcut continues to ask you which app you'd like to control, and it's getting annoying, simply quit the app you are not using.
Download the Mac Media Remote shortcut here.
When Apple discontinued iTunes, they replaced it with 3 apps… the Music App, TV App, and Podcasts App. Apple did not make the Podcasts App "scriptable" at all, meaning it is unable to be issued commands using Applescript, and therefore can not be controlled by this shortcut.
The TV App is partially scriptable, which means only some functions of the app are able to be controlled by Applescript. As a result, this shortcut lacks the ability to control some major features, the most important of which is the ability to select an AirPlay display to watch videos (such as an Apple TV, for example). The TV App can stream successfully to an Apple TV when the command is initiated from within the app itself, but this function is not scriptable in the app. I experimented with using a Mac's built-in ability to mirror to an AirPlay display, but unfortunately the audio and video are out of sync when using this method. I have included the ability to mirror the Mac's screen in the shortcut anyway in the hope that someone might find it useful for something other than the Music and TV apps. Applescript GUI scripting was used for this computer mirroring feature, which means you might have to authorize Script Editor and maybe a SSH service in System Preferences -->Security & Privacy--> Privacy tab--> Accessibility.
The Music App appears to be fully scriptable, and all of the Applescript commands that could be used with iTunes can also be used with the Music App.
THE MAC MEDIA REMOTE IS SMART
This Mac Media Remote shortcut attempts to intelligently switch between the Music and TV apps, and attempts to do so automatically without any user input. That said, this shortcut is smart but it's not clairvoyant. In rare situations (when both apps are playing media, for example) the shortcut will ask you which app you'd like to control. Otherwise, it seamlessly integrates both apps to appear as one. One remote to control them all! (Sorry, I just had to throw in a reference to Lord of the Rings there….
In order to get the best experience out of a smart thing, it can be very useful to understand how the tool is making decisions. In this case, the shortcut typically looks at 2 things: which apps are running, and which players are not stopped. If the shortcut continues to ask you which app you'd like to control, and it's getting annoying, simply quit the app you are not using.
Download the Mac Media Remote shortcut here.