Many thanks for the detailed response, but I want to this to be for an iPadOS device, as I have an old iPad Mini 2, available for this and as a backup Roon Remote, when my main iPad Pro is out of charge.
Plus I use IFTTT to link IoT functions, rather than run a Home Assistant, which I presume you already have running somewhere within your environment.
Let’s see if anyone has scoped a custom iPad display out.
I understand what you’re looking for. If it’s possible, you’re going to have to compose it from parts. For example, perhaps what I’ve done with HA and ADB is an interesting starting point for you to explore something similar with HA and Apple’s Shortcuts. You could, for example, create a shortcut that launches Safari and navigates to Roon’s Now Playing URL. I would have a good guess for how to do this with Home Assistant running the Roon integration and the Siri Shortcuts integration. I don’t see how you can do it without something like that.
I can create an icon for the Display URL for the Roon display on the iPad Mini 2, but not a Shortcut as this functionality is only available on iOS 13 or later. The iPad Mini 2 stops at iOS 12
I can restrict the iPad from only running the Display URL in a browser using Guided Access, but this does nor control what it wakes up to. A ‘WakeonLAN’ type event for the playing a track is needed, that then displays the Roon Display and then allows the iPad to return to locked sleep state.
Got it. I don’t see how you can make this work but I don’t want to get in the way of you trying 
I’ve built other versions of these now playing screens around small TVs (10", for example) where I’ve used a smart outlet which I’ve powered on and off when the zone starts or stops/pauses. This was, again, HA based because it’s the most fully functional and capable system for doing Roon-based stuff (because of the outstanding integration).
If your constraints are an old iPad without shortcuts, no HA, and IFTTT, then I can’t help
I also use an old iPad mini 2 exclusively as a roon display for one of my zones. I am using it with the roon web controller extension, rather than the stock album art url. As you mentioned create a web app shortcut and keep it open. When in guided access you need to send a push notification to activate the screen.
Unfortunately, my suggestion to accomplish this is also Home Assistant. When roon starts playing music in the desired zone, it sends a push notification to the iPad to wake the screen and as music continues to play I have it send subsequent push notifications at a set interval to keep the screen alive. When the music stops, so do the notifications and the screen will time out and turn off. I have all other notifications turned off so that the screen wont wake for anything but roon.
Umm, are the notifications from Home Assistant visible?
I sort of like this approach, as Home Assistant is just there as a ‘Wake on LAN’ equivalent and ‘Keep awake’ heartbeat.
However it would be great if Roon could create a MDM profile for the device to add as dedicated Roon device, and you enable the profile for this purpose and then can deactivate when you want iPad functionality back.
I’m sure there is a developer in Roon who could provide this.
As long as you have the notifications on the iPad setup as temporary rather than persistent it’s just a small banner at the top that pops up for a second then goes away.
This is interesting. Do you mean you’re sending push notifications to the Home Assistant app? If that’s the case, you can’t specifically target just the iPad, can you?
Do you mind sharing YAML for some of what you’re doing, it would be super interesting to see it.
Thanks!
Yup, you can. With the home assistant iOS companion app installed on the target device, you can select which device to receive the notification on.
So my other devices that also have the HA app do not receive the notification.
Thanks! This is clever.
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