I’ve been fighting with my Sony WF-C510 for days.

I’ve tried it on Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint. Same result every time: It connects successfully, but never shows up as an audio output device.

I even bought a USB Bluetooth dongle, thinking my laptop’s chipset was the problem… but nope. It still connects as a device, not a headset.

I’ve restarted Bluetooth services, switched from PulseAudio to PipeWire, and tried every “set-card-profile” trick from AI and forums, but nothing works.

Has anyone actually managed to get a Sony WF-C510 working properly on Linux?

It’s clear this is purely Sony’s fault for not caring about or supporting Linux drivers. Are they just ignoring the entire platform at this point?

Any workaround or success story would save my sanity.

Distros Tested: Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12-13, Mint 22 Issue: Connects, but no A2DP/HSP profile visible

  • renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.netEnglish
    9·
    1 day ago

    As for the “Sound Connect App” that’s unfortunately the core of the problem. That app doesn’t exist for Linux. If the hardware relies on that app to set up or manage profiles, it creates an unavoidable roadblock for desktop Linux users.

    The app runs on your phone (Android or iOS), and then you use the phone to manage Bluetooth connections for the earbuds. IMO you shouldn’t need a second device, but I guess they just assume 99% of people are connecting to a smartphone.

    It just seems to be a non-standard implementation from Sony that doesn’t play well with the standard Linux audio stack.

    I think the issue is that the actual Bluetooth connection is obfuscated behind a proprietary connection to the app, and the app exposes the protocol.

    I agree it’s a stupid implementation, prioritizing a UI for pairing over literally everything else, but you still might be able to get it to work. I’ve successfully paired my WF-1000XM4 earbuds with my EndeavourOS (KDE) desktop.