The Haiku operating system, inspired by BeOS, has received several updates in August 2026, including the ability to switch audio outputs without restarting media services. Developer waddlesplash, along with contributions from vighnesh-sawant, implemented the live output switching feature within the Media Kit and media_server.
While live switching is now possible, hot-plugging of USB audio devices still requires a media server restart for detection. According to the project update, “Hot-plugs (e.g. of USB audio devices) still aren’t detected without restarting the media server, but after they are, it’s now possible to change the default system output “live” and it will take effect in just a few seconds, without restarting the media services.” waddlesplash also added an “auto-stop” function for outputs when no audio is playing, aiming to reduce CPU usage, power consumption, and other resource demands.
Beyond audio improvements, the Haiku project has focused on USB support, continued enhancements to power management across various platforms, and support for USB 2 audio devices utilizing the USB Audio 1 specification. Development also included work on x86 CPU feature detection, kernel fixes, and updates to the build system. Progress continues on PowerPC and ARM64 builds of the operating system.
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