aux vs. the Steam overlay

The Steam overlay (Shift+Tab) opens over games launched through Steam, with your friends, a web browser and the soundtracks you own, but it has no Spotify or Apple Music control built in and it's only there while you hold it open. aux is a music overlay that shows and controls Spotify or Apple Music over every game, Steam or not, the whole time you play.

	aux	Steam overlay
Games	Any game, any launcher	Games launched through Steam
Platforms	Mac, Windows	Windows, Mac, Linux
Spotify and Apple Music	Shows and controls them	No built-in control
Now playing while you play	Always on screen	Only with the overlay open
Lyrics, friends listening along	Yes	No
Game soundtracks you own	Play them in your music app	Built in

Does Steam still have Spotify?

Steam once had a Spotify integration in Big Picture mode. Today's Steam overlay has no Spotify player or now-playing display; guides that still mention it are out of date. You can open the Spotify web player in the overlay's browser, but the music only shows while the overlay is open, and it's a whole browser over your game.

When to use which

Steam overlay: chat with Steam friends, look something up, play a soundtrack you bought on Steam.
aux: keep your own music in view and under control while you play, in Steam games and everything else (Battle.net, Epic, Riot, Minecraft, the App Store).

They work fine together: aux doesn't hook into games, so it never fights with Steam's overlay.

Questions

Can I control Spotify from the Steam overlay?

Not with a built-in player. You can open Spotify's web player in the overlay's browser, but there's no now-playing display while you play. aux shows and controls the Spotify app over any game.

Does aux work with Steam games on Mac?

Yes. aux floats over Steam games and every other game on macOS 13 or later.

Your next match needs a soundtrack.

aux is free for Mac during the beta, with Windows in testing. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment it opens.