How to Control YouTube Music Playback on Desktop From Android
Listening to YouTube Music on your computer is fun while you do other things. But what if you want to change the song without reaching out for the PC’s keyboard? Or during a house party, do you want to use your phone as a remote to change or queue tracks? With Spotify, I can control the music playback from my phone. However, there’s no such feature on YouTube Music. Well, the Chromecast feature only works on TVs, not computers. Here’s how I managed to control YouTube Music playback on my desktop using an Android phone. Well, it involves a third-party app.
Control YouTube Music on Desktop From Android
I found a third-party YouTube Music Desktop app to control the media playback using a phone. Adler Luiz developed this open-source app for Mac, PC, and Linux. The app is based on the YouTube Music website. However, the developer baked in additional features like media keyboard control, integration with OBS, Steam Deck, and VSCode, along with remote control from Android phones. Let’s get started.
1.Download and install the YouTube Music desktop app on your computer. Open the app and click onSign into enter your YouTube Music account details.
Download:YouTube Music Desktop app
2.Click on thecog iconat the top-right corner to open the app’s settings.
3.In the pop-up, selectIntegrationsfrom the left sidebar and enable the toggle for theRemote controloption from the right pane.
4.Make sureProtect remove control with passwordoption is enabled and note down the password next to the toggle.
5.Close the Settings pop-up and click on theRemote Control iconat the top right corner. It will open a webpage on the default browser with several QR Codes.
6.Connect your Android phone to the same Wi-Fi as your computer. Install the YTM Desktop Remote app from the Play Store.
Download:YTM Desktop Remote app
7.Open the YTM Desktop Remote app on your phone and scan the QR code that has an IP address beside it on your computer.
8.Enter the password you saw in the YouTube Music Desktop app’s settings and click onSave. When the app connects, it will show Ready to play.
9.Start playing any song on the YouTube Music Desktop app. And attempt to control the playback with the mobile app on your Android phone.
Pro Tip:Have you tried theSamples feature on YouTube Music?
Other Features to Try Out:
With the YouTube Music Desktop app and YTM Desktop Remote, you can play/pause songs, check the song name, album art, and lyrics, skip a few seconds, move to the next or previous song, change volume inside YouTube Music, shuffle, loop, like, dislike, add songs your playlists/library and also can check the list of upcoming songs.
Here’s how it works:
However, you cannot search for any specific song and play it or access your playlists or library. Moreover, you can only control YouTube Music on your PC or Mac from your phone, but not vice versa.
Ravi Teja KNTS
Tech writer with over 4 years of experience at TechWiser, where he has authored more than 700 articles on AI, Google apps, Chrome OS, Discord, and Android. His journey started with a passion for discussing technology and helping others in online forums, which naturally grew into a career in tech journalism. Ravi’s writing focuses on simplifying technology, making it accessible and jargon-free for readers. When he’s not breaking down the latest tech, he’s often immersed in a classic film – a true cinephile at heart.
