bt-volume-step
Clean volume steps for Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
One press or swipe on your device becomes one clean step on your volume slider.
| | Volume after each swipe on AirPods Pro |
|---|---|
| Before | 6 · 13 · 19 · 25 · 31 · 38 · 44 · 50 ... |
| After | 5 · 10 · 15 · 20 · 25 · 30 · 35 · 40 ... |
## Install
```bash
yay -S bt-volume-step
systemctl --user enable --now bt-volume-step
```
Needs PipeWire and Python 3.9 or newer.
## How to use
Connect your device and press volume up three or four times. Now it knows the device and every
step is clean.
```bash
bt-volume-step --show # what it measured
bt-volume-step --reset # forget it
```
## More
How it works
Many Bluetooth devices only know a few volume steps (AirPods Pro: 16), and they send the volume as a
number, not as "up" or "down". bt-volume-step only looks at which way the volume moved and sets a
clean step of its own. The device takes that new volume without a word, so nothing fights back.
It only steps in once it has seen the same jump three times. Until then it just watches.
Settings
On KDE Plasma the step comes from *System Settings → Audio → Volume step*, elsewhere it is 5 %.
To change more, use `systemctl --user edit bt-volume-step`:
| | |
|---|---|
| `BT_VOL_STEP` | Fixed step in percent |
| `BT_VOL_DEVSTEP` | Fixed device step, skips measuring |
| `BT_VOL_MAC` | Only this device (MAC with `_` instead of `:`) |
| `BT_VOL_MAX` | Highest volume in percent (default 100) |
Limits
- A volume change from somewhere else that happens to match one or two device steps can be read
as a swipe.
- Devices that report their volume back are not supported. Set a volume and check after a few
seconds with `pactl get-sink-volume`: if it moved on its own, this tool is not for that device.
Build from source
```bash
sudo make install
make check
```
`make install PREFIX=$HOME/.local` works without root.
BSD 3-Clause.