Does Topline work with Apple Music?
Yes. Topline controls the Music app on your Mac. The bar shows the song and artist, takes its color from the album art, and sends play, pause, previous, next, shuffle, repeat, seek, and volume to Music.
An Apple Music bar for your Mac.
Topline is an Apple Music bar for Mac. It shows what the Music app is playing, and it puts play, skip, favorites, your playlists, and your speakers on a thin strip across the top of the screen.
Now playing, without the Music window
Open the Music app and play a song. Within a second the bar shows the title, the artist, and a scrubber, and it slowly takes on the colors of the album art. Play, pause, previous, next, shuffle, repeat, and volume all go to Music.
You stay signed in to the Music app. Topline never asks for an Apple ID, and it has no account of its own. Album art is read from Music so the bar can pick its colors.
If you also use Spotify, the same bar follows whichever app is playing. The Spotify bar uses the Spotify app on your Mac, also with no Topline account.
Favorites, playlists, and AirPlay
The heart on the bar favorites the current song in Apple Music. Click it again to remove the favorite. The playlist menu lists your Music playlists and plays the one you pick, so you do not have to bring the Music window forward to start a queue.
The speaker control lists the Mac's sound outputs. That includes built-in speakers, headphones, AirPods, a display, and AirPlay speakers. Picking one switches the system output, so the whole Mac follows, not only Music.
Open Music at least once if the playlist list is empty. Topline reads playlist names from the Music app while Music is open.
A Pomodoro next to your music
Click the timer on the left of the bar to start a Pomodoro. The session can be anywhere from 5 to 90 minutes. The bar shifts from green to red while it runs. At the end, a chime plays and a 5-minute break starts. The timer never starts or pauses Apple Music. Whatever is playing keeps playing.
Undertone is there when you want sound without words. Click the waveform button next to the timer and pick from Music (Deep, Drift, Glow, Rain) or Places (Coffee Shop, Waterfall, Jungle, Ocean, Fireplace, Storm). Undertone pauses Apple Music while it plays, and playing your music again stops it. It is part of Topline. No extra subscription.
Where the bar sits
Drag it. Near the top of any display it snaps full width, under the menu bar, and it stays across Spaces. Anywhere else it floats, with rounded corners. If a window needs the top edge, the docked bar shrinks to a line and the song moves into the menu bar so the window stays usable. Always Show Bar, in the right-click menu, keeps the full strip up.
The first time a control hits Music, macOS asks to let Topline control it. Allow it. If play and skip do nothing later, the switch is in System Settings, under Privacy & Security, under Automation, under Topline.
Questions
Can I play an Apple Music playlist from the bar?
Yes. The bar lists your Music playlists and plays the one you choose. You can also favorite the current song from the bar. Open the Music app if the playlist list is empty, since the names are read from Music.
Does the Apple Music bar work with AirPlay?
Yes. The speaker control on the bar lists the Mac's sound outputs, including AirPods, built-in speakers, displays, and AirPlay speakers. Choosing one switches the system output.
Do I enter my Apple ID into Topline?
No. You stay signed in to the Music app. Topline never asks for an Apple ID, and it has no account of its own. There is no subscription on top of Apple Music.
Does the Pomodoro start or pause Apple Music?
No. The timer leaves your music alone. Start a playlist from the bar, then click the timer. Music keeps playing through focus and through the 5-minute break. For sound without words, pick Undertone from the waveform button whenever you want it.