Ubuntu is transitioning another of its core system Deb packages to the sandboxed snap format, a move it says will improve security and allow for better desktop integration.
The package in question is hwctl, a small command-line tool preinstalled on Ubuntu desktop and server as part of Canonical’s rust-hwlib hardware API set.
Canonical engineer Sergio Costas explained that due to “planned architecture changes for integration of hwctl with gnome-control-center and other front-ends, and for increased security, the HWCTL package will be snap-only from now onward”.
If you’re on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, you will be automatically moved over to the hwctl snap shortly. Canonical will turn the current Deb package to a dummy package which auto-installs the hwctl snap on existing systems during a standard system update.
That, however, hasn’t happened yet as the necessary Stable Release Update (SRU) procedure has to be followed for Ubuntu LTS releases.
On Ubuntu 26.10 and up, the snap will be part of the default seed from which the ISO are built, so no package sleight-of-hand needed.
Hwctrl and other Hardware API tools were added in Ubuntu 25.10. These packages are used to power various OS features, including Ubuntu Pro and the opt-in Ubuntu Insights system telemetry. They also power the new Ubuntu Certified panel in 26.10.