This Python script allows you to control the Spotify playback using your gestures from your Ear Buds / Bluetooth headphones on Linux systems.

This script needs root access to get the list of available devices to find your headphpnes, but to get the spotify access token I need to start a session in your browser which I can't use root access for. This is why the script drops the root privileges. The problem with this is that the path for the CA certificate is invalid. Spotify needs HTTPS connections for the API. The script will create a new directory in your home directory /home/nonrootuser/.certs/cecert.pem, so that I can access it after dropping privileges. Just if you are curious what this is...

Basically, your Ear Buds (or any other bt device) are sending keys to the system when you press gestures. There's a protocol around it called AVRCP. It is some kind of general standard and these keys can be captured. Now what this script does is, it basically captures the keys and uses the Spotify API via Spotipy and changes your playback.

• Any Bluetooth device with gestures and the AVRCP protocol
• e.g Ear Buds and headphones

For a list of tested and confirmed devices look Here

• Bluetooth device with gestures (e.g., buttons or touch) supporting the AVRCP protocol
• Root permissions
• Linux

It should work on every Linux distribution. Windows is NOT supported!

• Download the binary from releases
• Execute the script with root / admin privileges
• The script will ask you to choose your device from a list. Follow the instructions
• Your web browser will open to authorize the application
• Then you are ready, and you can control your playback with the gestures. Let the script run in the background :)

If you don't want to use the pre-compiled versions for some reason, you can run it locally with your own Spotify API application. You leave the script how it is, but at the beginning you change the SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET, the SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID and the SPOTIFY_REDIRECT_URI to your values you got from the developer's dashboard.

Now you can run the application.

For all other users, you can download the binary file, and it will use my own Spotify Application.

• [] Support for non-Bluetooth devices
• [] Support for Volume control
• [] Simplifying the process

Copyright (C) 2024 Johannes Habel
Licensed under the GPL 3 license

• To add your tested device into the tested device list, join the Discussion
• Pull Requests / Issues are welcome. Don't hesitate to open it up :)

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2699907/dropping-root-permissions-in-python
• ChatGPT

• Spotipy
• colorama
• evdev