Spotify Desktop App with HiDPI Scaling in GNOME 3

When using a HiDPI screen, such as the MacBook Pro with Retina display, Spotify Desktop may not automatically detect the correct scaling factor. I have noticed issues in my Manjaro installation that runs with GNOME 3 Desktop. Spotify has been installed from the AUR package repository.
The wrong scaling factor leads to very small font size that is hard to read.

$ spotify --version
Spotify version 1.1.10.546.ge08ef575, Copyright (c) 2019, Spotify Ltd

Fortunately there is an option to force Spotify Desktop to use a (hardcoded) scaling factor. Use the following command and vary the scaling factor in order to find the correct factor first:

$ spotify --force-device-scale-factor=2

After the correct value has been found, adjust the desktop entry that GNOME uses to when starting the application via its launcher. The file lives in /usr/share/applications/spotify.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Spotify
GenericName=Music Player
Icon=spotify-client
TryExec=spotify
Exec=spotify --force-device-scale-factor=2 %U
Terminal=false
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/spotify;
Categories=Audio;Music;Player;AudioVideo;
StartupWMClass=spotify

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Last build: 2024-12-18T18:33+00:00