Title: Deskbeat for Desktop Mode
Author: alexismp
Published: <strong>July 27, 2026</strong>
Last modified: July 27, 2026

---

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# Deskbeat for Desktop Mode

 By [alexismp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexismp/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode.1.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/)

## Description

Deskbeat adds a compact music widget to the [Desktop Mode](https://wordpress.org/plugins/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 **Desktop Mode** plugin and works as a widget you add from
the Desktop Mode 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 Desktop Mode desktop. It relies on the following Spotify services:

 1. **Spotify Web API** (`https://accounts.spotify.com`, `https://api.spotify.com`)
 2.  * 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.
 3. **Spotify Web Playback SDK** (`https://sdk.scdn.co/spotify-player.js`)
 4.  * 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 Music widget: now playing with transport controls, shuffle/repeat, seek, and
volume.⌉⌊The Music widget: now playing with transport controls, shuffle/repeat, 
seek, and volume.⌉[

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.⌉⌊Browse your library — Queue, Liked Songs, Top tracks, Recently
played, and Playlists, with infinite scroll.⌉[

Browse your library — Queue, Liked Songs, Top tracks, Recently played, and Playlists,
with infinite scroll.

[⌊Search songs and artists, and play with one click.⌉⌊Search songs and artists, 
and play with one click.⌉[

Search songs and artists, and play with one click.

[⌊One-click "Connect Spotify" — end users never touch credentials.⌉⌊One-click "Connect
Spotify" — end users never touch credentials.⌉[

One-click “Connect Spotify” — end users never touch credentials.

[⌊Admin setup: enter the site's Spotify app Client ID and Secret once.⌉⌊Admin setup:
enter the site's Spotify app Client ID and Secret once.⌉[

Admin setup: enter the site’s Spotify app Client ID and Secret once.

## Installation

 1. Install and activate the **Desktop Mode** plugin.
 2. Install and activate **Music Player for Desktop Mode**.
 3. Create a free app at the [Spotify Developer Dashboard](https://developer.spotify.com/dashboard).
 4. In the app’s settings, add the Redirect URI shown in the widget’s setup screen (
    it is your site’s REST callback), and enable **Web API** and **Web Playback SDK**.
 5. In Desktop Mode, add the **Music** widget from the widget picker. As an administrator,
    paste the app’s Client ID and Client Secret in the setup screen.
 6. Click **Connect Spotify** to link your account.

## FAQ

### Do end users need the Client ID/Secret?

No. Only an administrator enters them once, per site. Everyone else just clicks “
Connect Spotify”.

### Why do I need to create a Spotify app?

Spotify requires every integration to be a registered app with its own redirect 
URI. For security and to respect Spotify’s rate limits, no shared credentials are
bundled — each site uses its own app.

### Does in-browser playback work without Spotify Premium?

No. The Spotify Web Playback SDK requires Premium. Free accounts can still view 
and control playback happening on their other devices.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Deskbeat for Desktop Mode” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ alexismp ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexismp/)

[Translate “Deskbeat for Desktop Mode” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.0

 * Initial release: now-playing widget with controls, volume, library browsing, 
   and search for Desktop Mode.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.0**
 *  Last updated **1 day ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.5 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.0.2**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [music](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/music/)[player](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/player/)
   [Spotify](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/spotify/)[widget](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/widget/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ alexismp ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexismp/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/deskbeat-for-desktop-mode/)