Bluetooth audio is my least favorite part of using Linux and it seems like my coworkers agree. I hear a lot of praise for pipewire, but it doesn’t match what I experience. Does any system work well for anyone?
To clarify, it can work. But it’s a harsh experience compared to say Android. I’ve used Ubuntu, Fedora, and PopOS. I’ve tried a few different headphones, using Galaxy Buds 2 current. Pulseaudio tends to “do as it’s told” but doesn’t automatically switch to the right (confusingly named) profile. With Ubuntu 23.10, using pipewire, it does automatic switch profiles. Sometimes this works great. But very often, it gets stuck on on a profile or just stops working. I have to reconnect bluetooth to fix it.
Is there some magic combination of things that works or is this just how it is for everyone?
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Fuck Bluetooth. I’ve seen it multiple times this week that wireless headphones have failed on Linux, Mac, and Windows. “Shit, let me reconnect my headphones”. Also the switching from “high quality audio” to bullshit mono audio when calling.
Fuck bluetooth.
Pipewire and debian stable here
BT audio works like 99% of the time. Then there’s that 1% it just stops working for no apparent reason and you spend an hour googling why without finding any answers. And in the end, unpairing, forgetting the device and the re-adding it fixes the problem in 2 mins
Overall very happy once i remember the quick fix
Bluetooth works great. Debian w/ XFCE (pulseaudio). But, there is some config on a fresh install:
# apt install blueman pulseaudio-module-bluetooth # nano /etc/pulse/default.pa add: load-module module-switch-on-connect # nano /etc/bluetooth/input.conf change: IdleTimeout=0Pretty good. I use Nothing ear 2s with a lenovo thinkpad on arch linux and it works just as well as with my ipad and my android smartphone.
Only bad thing, it set the codec to a worse sounding one once for some reason, but changing it back solved it.
This usually happens when you use the earphones’ microphone. It lowers the audio quality to be able to send the microphone’s data.
exactly. I disabled mono profile in bluez config and I could recomend that to everyone else as well
Wait, you can keep the audio quality while using the microphone?
Not exactly. You loose microphone in the headset. I use the built in microphone in the laptop instead.
Upon further researching, there seems to be a a configuration that provides acceptable audio quality while using the device’s microphone.
It’s called HSP/HFP with mSBC codec.
Very good point. I was in a discord call in that moment. Discord probably tried to use my headphones mic instead of the built-in.
No issues currently using pop os. I don’t use the graphical Bluetooth manager, for whatever that’s worth. I wrohe a script that connects and disconnects with bluetoothctl, and I pair and trust devices with bluetoothctl. I use several different headphones.
Occasionally, I have to go into the audio settings to change the destination, or tap a button on my headphones, but that’s about it.
Gentoo and Pipewire kinda just works.
I expected a battle, like on my work Ubuntu laptop with pulse audio, but holy cow… Pipewire ftw.
I haven’t had any issue with Bluetooth audio on Fedora.
I use NixOS, but before that I was on openSuse. I have not thought about Bluetooth in at all in the last few years. Zero issues. I pair it in KDE’s default bluetooth manager and then never really touched it since. Media keys all work, I control it over WiFi from my phone with kdeconnect no problem.
I think a few months ago I had to turn my headphones off and on again when the quality got really low for a second. Reading this thread I guess I’m extremely lucky? I don’t produce music or anything like that, so I might not be taking advantage I’d some its more exotic features.
EDIT: I am using a basic USB Bluetooth dongle I bought at least 8 years ago for my desktop, and my laptop just uses the built in Bluetooth. If that’s any consolation.
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Fedora Kinoite, working just as well as on Android (GrapheneOS)
Using Pipewire. The issue really is the shitty firmware of my headphones.
No problem here with Opensuse slowroll (Sway WM) and a Realtek bluetootth radio, I’m using blueman for managing enabling/managing bluetooth connections.
Vanilla Arch Linux, AirPods work better than on Android (which was super unreliable), but I also don’t care about automatic profile switching as I actually prefer to switch manually to whatever I need at the given moment.
For me on Arch and also, but a lot less frequent fedora I find that it works fine then every few months there’s an update that breaks it for a few days till it gets patched. But besides that it works fine for me. I use blueman in DWM BTW
It’s shit. Totally agree, the most irritating thing on Linux.
For me, Bluetooth in general is a problematic technology that’s been trustworthy only when the device comes with a pre-paired Bluetooth emitter.
