Last week we highlighted a handy applet for Ubuntu sound enthusiasts that allows input and output devices to be switched on demand, ad-hoc style.
While that app, ‘Sound Switcher‘, will be useful on Unity, LXDE or XFCE desktops, those of you running GNOME can get similar functionality without the need to add a PPA.
Audio Output Switcher for GNOME
How? It’s all down to a simple GNOME extension called Audio Output Switcher, which we came across in a comment by Heimen Stoffels in the aforementioned article.
Once installed from the GNOME Add-ons site — always a seamless process — it adds a small entry to the Status Menu.
This entry lists the device currently configured to output audio.
Clicking on the item opens a sub-menu with other available audio options; e.g., Bluetooth speakers or HDMI audio. Clicking on an option swaps the audio output to it instantly.
It’s not a total drop-in replacement, however. In an attempt to make the extension ‘as simple as possible’ the author of the add-on has not included input switching – something that the previous applet we highlighted does include.
Instead, separate input switching extension by the same author is available from the GNOME Extensions website.