LibreELEC has just released version 12.2.1 as the first maintenance update in the 12.2 series of its lightweight, Kodi-based media center OS, focused on aligning with Kodi’s latest stable release, Omega 21.3, while also refreshing the underlying Linux kernel to version 6.16.
A notable change in this release is the removal of the legacy NVIDIA 340.xx driver from the Generic-Legacy image. The driver, which remained functional for six years after Nvidia ended official support, no longer compiles with the latest Xorg versions.
As a result, users with older NVIDIA GPUs—according to devs, still a large portion of active installations—will lose driver support starting with LibreELEC 12.2 and continuing into 13.0. The developers note that while they have explored the potential use of the open-source Nouveau driver, it currently causes more playback issues than it resolves.
Moreover, with LibreELEC 12.2.1, the outdated Tvheadend 4.2 package is no longer available. The project now ships Tvheadend 4.3, which its developers have designated as a rolling stable release. Users are advised to migrate manually, as there is no direct upgrade path between versions.
Support for i.MX6, i.MX8, and Qualcomm hardware—originally added in 2018 to aid Kodi GBM/V4L2 development—has effectively ceased. The team has stopped publishing official images, though the code remains in the repository for anyone building custom versions.
Users running LibreELEC 12.0 or 11.0 on x86_64 hardware can upgrade normally via the LibreELEC settings add-on or by placing the update file in /storage/.update. For ARM users, there are several important notes:
- Devices like Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 have switched from arm to aarch64 userspace, so users must upgrade manually.
- If using Widevine for DRM-protected streaming (Netflix, Prime Video, etc.), delete the existing
/storage/.kodi/cdmfolder before updating to allow new aarch64 libraries to install. - Docker users running containers via LinuxServer.io add-ons should see automatic architecture adjustments. Containers installed manually will need to be reinstalled in their aarch64 versions after updating.
Older installations (LibreELEC 9.x or earlier) require a clean installation, due to the Python 3 migration introduced since LibreELEC 10.x.
For more information, see the announcement.
