Abstract: One embodiment provides for a media playback device comprising a memory device to store instructions; one or more processors to execute the instructions stored on the memory device, the instructions to cause the one or more processors to provide a playback queue manager to manage one or more media playback queues including a set of media items associated with a scheduled event and a playback routing manager to determine an output destination for the set of media items based on context associated with the scheduled event, the playback routing manager to route output of playback of the set of media items to one or more of multiple different connected media playback devices based on the context associated with the scheduled event.

Abstract: A user listening to a content item on a preceding device and wishes to continue with the listening experience on a subsequent device initiates a continuity request from the subsequent device to the preceding device. The preceding device responds to the received continuity request by determining a multiverse identification that is contained in the continuity request, such that the multiverse identification uniquely identifies the content item that is currently playing on the preceding device over all known playback devices with which it has communicated. The subsequent device determines if the content item exists in a local database of the subsequent device and, if it exists, the subsequent device plays the content item from the local database of the subsequent device, and otherwise obtains the content item.

Abstract: Mobile devices that perform synchronization operations are configured to reduce the amount of data that must be synced to perform a media content sync operation over a wireless connection. The sync operation is implemented as a two-phase arrangement, synchronizing first in a metadata sync operation and then in a media content sync operation. The source device transmits to the destination device a last known version number of the music database that was synced to the destination device and a current version number of the media database at the source device. In response to a failure of the network connection before completion of the metadata sync operation, upon establishment of a second network connection between the source device and destination device, the metadata sync is completed only for any version numbers that indicate a version subsequent to the last version number that was synchronized over the first network connection.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to identify at least a first portion and a second portion of resources to restore to a device are described. The first portion of the resources may be restored atomically to the device before the second portion of the resources. The device may not respond to at least one user input during the restoration of the first portion of the resources. If the restoring of the first portion is successful, the second portion of the resources may be restored. The device may respond to the user input during the restoring of the second portion of the resources.

Abstract: The present technology is for optimizing storage on a computing device. A media application on the computing device can allocate a minimum amount of storage on the computing device. The media application can further be configured to automatically download and store media items added to a media library of an account associated with the computing device. The combination of these features can put strain on computing devices with limited amounts of storage. Accordingly, the present technology can automatically delete media items in cache to allow media items to be automatically downloaded, or allow other uses of storage by other applications on the computing device, while also preserving the minimum amount of storage of media items on the computing device.

Abstract: A media process may receive, from a client application, a request for media information about a range of media items in a queue of a media application, the request being sent while the media application is executing. The queue includes a previous set of media items that have been played by the media application, a current item (e.g., currently playing), and a future set of items that are to be played The request may specify the range to include the current item and at least one item from the previous set and/or future set. The daemon sends a request to the media application and receives media information from the application. The received media information may include an order of media items and an identifier for each item in the range of items. The received information may be sent to the client application for displaying information about the range of items.

Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can be configured to manage playlist-only media items for a user's media library. For example, when a user adds a media item to a playlist, the user can be presented with an option to add the media item to the playlist as a playlist-only media item. When the user selects to add the media item to the playlist as a playlist-only media item, the computing device can update media metadata associated with the user's media library with data indicating that the media item is a playlist-only media item. When the computing device performs operations (e.g., displaying, searching, etc.) on the user's media library, the computing device can exclude the playlist-only media items from the operations. The computing device can change the playlist-only settings for a media item to add and/or remove a media item from the user's media library.

Abstract: Third-party apps on a mobile device can expose their content, such as audio content, video content, music stations, audio books, and so forth, to an in-vehicle computing device via a standardized format for content items that is decoupled from the user interfaces of the third-party apps. In this way, the in-vehicle computing device can display the content items in an in-vehicle user interface without granting providers of the content items access to the in-vehicle user interface. This system can present the content items in a different, independent user interface, even though the content items are associated with a third-party app having its own user interface. Content items encapsulate metadata describing the media, such as a title, subtitle, artwork, playback progress, a content item type, whether the content item is playable, whether the content item is a container item, and so forth.

Abstract: Third-party apps on a mobile device can expose their content, such as audio content, video content, music stations, audio books, and so forth, to an in-vehicle computing device via a standardized format for content items that is decoupled from the user interfaces of the third-party apps. In this way, the in-vehicle computing device can display the content items in an in-vehicle user interface without granting providers of the content items access to the in-vehicle user interface. This system can present the content items in a different, independent user interface, even though the content items are associated with a third-party app having its own user interface. Content items encapsulate metadata describing the media, such as a title, subtitle, artwork, playback progress, a content item type, whether the content item is playable, whether the content item is a container item, and so forth.

Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can send a priming command to a media application to cause the media application to load media items and media item metadata into memory associated with the media application. The computing device can predict a media application that is likely to be invoked by a user. The computing device can launch the media application. The computing device can send the priming command to the media application to cause the media application to prepare media items for playback or presentation to the user. After the media application loads the media items, the computing device can receive metadata associated with the loaded media items and present the metadata and appropriate media application controls on a display of the computing device.

Abstract: A method performed in a portable computing device for intelligently performing audio playback, upon connecting with an audio output system. The portable computing device detects that a connection is made with an audio output system. The portable computing device determines a first audio playback application that last played audio and when the first audio playback application last played audio. If the first audio playback application played audio within a specified amount of time in the past, then the portable computing device signals that audio playback be performed from the first audio playback application (through the connection made with the audio output system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus that restore a resource from a first source and a second source to a device are described. Availability of the resource from a second source may be dynamically determined after a portion of the resource has been restored to the device from the first source. If the second source is determined to be more efficiently connected with the device than the first source, a remaining portion of the resource may be restored from the second source to the device after the portion of the resource has been restored to the device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to identify at least a first portion and a second portion of resources to restore to a device are described. The first portion of the resources may be restored atomically to the device before the second portion of the resources. The device may not respond to at least one user input during the restoration of the first portion of the resources. If the restoring of the first portion is successful, the second portion of the resources may be restored. The device may respond to the user input during the restoring of the second portion of the resources.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to identify at least a first portion and a second portion of resources to restore to a device are described. The first portion of the resources may be restored atomically to the device before the second portion of the resources. The device may not respond to at least one user input during the restoration of the first portion of the resources. If the restoring of the first portion is successful, the second portion of the resources may be restored. The device may respond to the user input during the restoring of the second portion of the resources.

Abstract: Rules are used to determine which digital media assets are to be downloaded from a digital media store preemptively to a client device. In some implementations, a client device receives a notification from the digital media store regarding an update to a remote digital media library. The rules are evaluated to determine which digital media assets are to be downloaded preemptively to the client device. Based on the evaluation of the rules, requests for the digital media assets that are to be stored locally and are not already stored locally are aggregated and sent to the digital media store. The digital media items are downloaded from the digital media store to the client device using, for example, a syncing service.

Abstract: A user listening to a content item on a preceding device and wishes to continue with the listening experience on a subsequent device initiates a continuity request from the subsequent device to the preceding device. The preceding device responds to the received continuity request by determining a multiverse identification that is contained in the continuity request, such that the multiverse identification uniquely identifies the content item that is currently playing on the preceding device over all known playback devices with which it has communicated. The subsequent device determines if the content item exists in a local database of the subsequent device and, if it exists, the subsequent device plays the content item from the local database of the subsequent device, and otherwise obtains the content item.

Abstract: Mobile devices that perform synchronization operations are configured to reduce the amount of data that must be synced to perform a media content sync operation over a wireless connection. The sync operation is implemented as a two-phase arrangement, synchronizing first in a metadata sync operation and then in a media content sync operation. The source device transmits to the destination device a last known version number of the music database that was synced to the destination device and a current version number of the media database at the source device. In response to a failure of the network connection before completion of the metadata sync operation, upon establishment of a second network connection between the source device and destination device, the metadata sync is completed only for any version numbers that indicate a version subsequent to the last version number that was synchronized over the first network connection.

Abstract: One or more user accounts can be linked together to form a group of linked user accounts to access content items assigned to the other user accounts in the group of linked user accounts. Prior to completing a purchase for a content item, a requesting user can be alerted that a member of the group of linked user accounts has access to the content item. Content items assigned to a member of a group of linked user accounts can be downloaded by one or more other members of the group of linked user accounts along with a Digital Rights Management (DRM) key that enables use of the content item. The DRM key can represent the group relationship between the downloading user account and the content owner's user account to which the content item is assigned.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to identify at least a first portion and a second portion of resources to restore to a device are described. The first portion of the resources may be restored atomically to the device before the second portion of the resources. The device may not respond to at least one user input during the restoration of the first portion of the resources. If the restoring of the first portion is successful, the second portion of the resources may be restored. The device may respond to the user input during the restoring of the second portion of the resources.

Abstract: Third-party apps on a mobile device can expose their content, such as audio content, video content, music stations, audio books, and so forth, to an in-vehicle computing device via a standardized format for content items that is decoupled from the user interfaces of the third-party apps. In this way, the in-vehicle computing device can display the content items in an in-vehicle user interface without granting providers of the content items access to the in-vehicle user interface. This system can present the content items in a different, independent user interface, even though the content items are associated with a third-party app having its own user interface. Content items encapsulate metadata describing the media, such as a title, subtitle, artwork, playback progress, a content item type, whether the content item is playable, whether the content item is a container item, and so forth.