Podcast Playback Speed Sync Across Devices Reminder

WHAT IT DOES

Podcast Playback Speed Sync Across Devices Reminder is a smart tool that monitors your podcast playback speed and helps you maintain your preferred listening pace across all your devices and platforms. It automatically detects audio and video players on the page that contain podcast-like content (based on duration, source URL, or player container), reads the current playback speed, and displays a persistent reminder showing your current speed versus your preferred speed. When the speed deviates from your preference—because you switched devices, the player reset, or you accidentally changed it—the tool alerts you with a clear visual indicator. A single click syncs all detected players to your preferred speed, saving you from manually adjusting controls every time. The tool remembers your preferred speed across browsing sessions and works with HTML5 audio/video players, embedded podcast players (Spotify, Apple, Overcast, Pocket Casts), and custom web players.

WHERE IT RUNS

This script runs on any webpage that contains podcast or audio content—podcast episode pages, blog posts with embedded players, podcast directories, and streaming platforms. It operates entirely within your browser tab, detecting media elements in the page's DOM. The script cannot access other tabs, your browsing history, bookmarks, downloads, or any data outside the current page. All settings—including preferred speed, show reminder toggle, auto-sync preference, and custom presets—are stored locally using GM_setValue and never transmitted anywhere.

HOW TO USE

After installing with the BotGentz extension, the script automatically detects any podcast player on the page you're viewing. The panel displays your current playback speed and preferred speed, with a color-coded status indicator: green when speeds match, yellow when they differ. If the speed doesn't match, click "Sync to Preferred Speed" to instantly set all detected players to your preference. Use the preset buttons (0.5x to 3.0x) or enter a custom speed to set your preferred speed. The script remembers your choice for future sessions. You can toggle the reminder banner on or off, enable auto-sync to automatically adjust players when you load a page, and customize the speed presets displayed in the panel. Click "Copy Speed Info" to export your current speed settings to your clipboard for reference.

THE REAL MECHANISM

The script uses a multi-layered detection strategy to find players regardless of their implementation. First, it queries all HTML5 audio and video elements, filtering for podcast-like content by checking duration (>60 seconds), source URL patterns (podcast, episode, audio), and parent container attributes (class or id containing "podcast"). For each detected HTML5 player, the script reads the playbackRate property directly from the media element API. For embedded and custom players, the script scans iframes and player containers for speed indicators in text content (e.g., "1.5x") and looks for speed control elements like buttons, selects, and aria-labeled speed controls. When syncing, the script attempts to set the playbackRate on HTML5 players directly. For container-based players, it simulates clicks on speed buttons or selects the appropriate option from dropdown menus. The script also monitors players every 3 seconds to detect speed changes made by the user or the player itself, updating the status display in real-time. All speed values are compared with a tolerance of 0.01 to handle floating-point precision.

THE PANEL

The Speed Sync Reminder panel is a BGPanel component that you can drag anywhere on your screen by its header. It snaps to the nearest edge when released, keeping your workspace organized. The panel collapses to a small bubble showing only the emoji icon when minimised—click to expand it again. You can resize the panel horizontally to see more of the speed controls and status. Press the Escape key to collapse the panel instantly. Your panel position and size are saved per-site.

PLEASE NOTE

This script requires the free BotGentz browser extension to function. The script detects players based on common patterns and may not recognize every custom player implementation. For HTML5 players, speed control is fully supported via the native playbackRate API. For embedded and custom players, the script attempts to interact with speed controls through DOM simulation, but some players may not expose speed settings programmatically. Auto-sync relies on the script's ability to set speed; if a player doesn't support programmatic speed control, auto-sync may not work. The script never reads or writes password fields, hidden inputs, or file inputs. It stores only your preferred speed, show reminder toggle, auto-sync preference, and custom presets locally. No podcast data, playback information, or personal information is ever collected, transmitted, or shared.