I’ve always been looking for a “perfect” companion app for my music & media setup — something that integrates cleanly with Roon and other devices, shows great artwork, and can also work as a physical “Now Playing” display.
I couldn’t find something that quite did everything I wanted (one of those people!), so I ended up building it myself.
Media Frame is now in Play Store closed testing (Android), and I’m looking for testers.
What it does (highlights)
Beautiful, customizable “Now Playing” display with animations
Integrates with Roon, Apple TV, Google Cast, WiiM, Naim (experimental), Eversolo (experimental), Spotify (scrobbling), Home Assistant
Can identify audio via microphone and show media for specific track/song!
Use it alongside your LP, CD, Radio player or just when you like to keep it easy
Rich artwork + metadata for music, movies, and TV
Idle mode with artwork, clocks, and image slideshows
Adaptive brightness + night mode
Kiosk mode for dedicated display setups
Web-based control + multi-device sync
Adjustable display area, so you can adjust it for a photo frame or specific installation.
No ads, no subscriptions, privacy-focused (local-first where possible)
I’m a solo developer working on this in my spare time, so responses may sometimes take a bit of time — but I’ll read everything. Thanks a lot for reading, and any help is appreciated
What I need:
I’d really appreciate help from anyone willing to:
install the app
keep it installed and occasionally use it for ~14 days
give feedback if something breaks or feels off
As a thank you, I’ll give early testers lifetime access to the final Play Store version.
How to join:
To take part just request to join the following google group:
The download links for the app are in the first pinned post.
I am working on a Guide/Setup manual, which will be coming shortly!
Hi Spencer I have a number of Google Cast devices as well as a Google Max display that this could work well on so I joined the group to see if I can add anything to help test across multiple devices
Just to confirm it installed on my phone without issue. I was thinking that the tablet lives in this place permanently so it might be a better option, but for testing I am happy to use either option
No problem, I do love a bit of software testing especially around music software and extending functionality.
I have several neat little projects that I have been helping test recently and most of them like yours add some nice functionality which makes it all worthwhile
It might be related to Android 17 but I find that it keeps connecting and then disconnecting from my Pixel 9 pro fold. I get the extension available to enable and then it disappears and the app tells me I am no longer connected.
Early days I know, but it is part of the fun of software testing
I have a “Fleet” of android devices here, two Galaxy Tab S2, one Galaxy Tab S3, one Samsung Galaxy S7, One Samsung Galaxy Note", to be honest I have tested Roon stability the most, and that one seems rock solid.
As well as the “Music Recognition” feature, it is as stable and fast (faster sometimes) than Shazam, but does more.
For Google Devices/ChromeCast, I have two at my home, the Nest Mini and The Nest Hub.
Nest Hub is missbehaving, while Nest Mini works perfectly.
For your issues when you say it keeps connecting and diconnecting from your Pixel 9, which of the Google devices is this specifically that keeps coinnecting/disconnecting ?
Once you’ve done some testing, do please use the “Upload crash log” button found at the bottom of the “About/Copyright” page, that way I can check the connection issues in detail for you.
I had a sudden thought that the software might be connecting via the WiFi adapter on the Mac so I switched it off to see if that made a difference. Instant connection and not disconnecting at all at that point.
Ah got it, so you were testing Roon not Google devices this time
Good news either way Michael! I presume you have found the osd buttons that cycle through presets and fullscreen animations ? as well as the setup for appearance where you can change and adjust basically Everything!
I have an android 17 version coming up later today/tonigt (depending on your timezone.)
Alright so new version is being checked by Play Store, will probably roll-out in 15 minutes.
Changes include:
Improved compatibility with newer Android versions
Better layout scaling for smaller screens, such as phones.
Enhanced device selection experience in Setup → Media Sources for Google devices.
Make sure to try out the different settings so I at least know you can get the themes and animations working
Regarding casting to a screen, have you tried using the andrdoid devices built in cast function?
Unfortunately I do not own a TV that supports it, else I could test this, but I will look into it!
Usually the steps should be something like this:
Screen Mirroring
To share exactly what is on your screen (e.g., photos, web browsers, or unsupported apps):
Use the Google Home app: Open the app, tap your TV device, and select “Cast my screen” > “Cast screen” .
Use Quick Settings: Swipe down from the top of your Android screen and tap Cast, Smart View (Samsung), or Screencast . Choose your TV to start sharing
