PipeWire, the open-source multimedia framework widely used on Linux for handling audio and video streams, has released version 1.6.10.
One main improvement concerns JACK compatibility, where developers added locking around the port array and mixer list to prevent crashes, especially when applications register many audio ports. The update also fixes a possible infinite loop and improves cleanup of ports and buffers during disconnection.
Another notable fix concerns audio playback. PipeWire 1.6.10 eliminates unwanted pops and clicks that could occur when unsigned audio streams finish. The problem was caused by incorrect buffer clearing during stream draining, producing an audible burst at playback end.
The release also corrects a regression in the PSD rear-delay upmixing code introduced in version 1.6.9. Previously, setting the rear-channel delay to zero could unexpectedly cause a substantial delay.
For users relying on PipeWire’s PulseAudio compatibility server, the update fixes an issue where paused or unresponsive clients could cause unlimited REQUEST commands to accumulate in the queue, potentially leading to increasing memory consumption.
Bluetooth handling has also improved. PipeWire now cancels pending RegisterApplication calls when a Bluetooth adapter disappears, addressing an issue with adapter removal and recovery. Several deprecated functions have also been removed.
On the ALSA side, PipeWire 1.6.10 improves handling of XRUN conditions, which occur when audio buffers run out of data or overflow. Previously, some blocking playback operations could return an unexpected I/O error instead of the correct XRUN error, complicating recovery.
The GStreamer integration also receives corrections to video plane strides and offsets, plus a fix preventing invalid maximum resolution values from being reported. Plus, the X11 module fixes a potential crash caused by error handlers being invoked multiple times.
Additional changes include more reliable property parsing, safer port unlinking when no node is attached, and expanded output format support in PipeWire’s tools by letting libsndfile select the appropriate byte order.
For more information, see the official release notes.
PipeWire 1.6.10 remains fully API and ABI compatible with previous releases in the 1.6 series, making it a straightforward maintenance update for distributions already shipping PipeWire 1.6.x.
