Google Assistant is about to get better at controlling your favorite media apps. Google this week added a verification testing framework to the Media Controller Test, a change that will let developers test media playback on Android devices. Together with the Android MediaSessions APIs, Google Assistant voice interactions and other media should become more reliable.
Google says the Media Controller Test (MCT) is most often used with apps that call media APIs, such as for YouTube. It finds the app's media controller sources, pulls up the details, and lets developers test inter-app media controls.
Following the Media Action Lifecycle can take you for a few turns. The number of in-between steps needed to get media apps to work leave plenty of room for error. This is why the MCT is so helpful. It highlights any inconsistencies with how your app interfaces with MediaController TransportControl requests.
According to Google, the previous version of MCT required a lot of hands-on babying. The brand new verification testing framework boils the complexities down to a one-click test that developers can run to make sure their media app responds as requested.
In a blog post, Google details the steps needed to run the test. For example, start by clicking the "Test" button next to the app you wish to test. The MCT then displays detailed info about the MediaController. Two buttons let developers toggle between parsable and formatted logs, as well as refresh the display with the up-to-date code. Once this is complete, swipe left to see the verification test results. Google says the defined tests are listed in a scrollable menu, though a search field is also available for narrowing your view.
Further, MCT now works with apps for Android TV. Google says media apps for Android TV need to have a MediaBrowserService implementation. When you boot MCT via Android TV, it will display all the media apps on board the device. Simply select an app, click "Test" and take a gander at the results.