Powertoys: Add changing of playback source with hotkey

[100mph]

Summary of the new feature/enhancement

A hotkey that changes the playback source on your computer. Makes swapping between playback sources quick and easy into a single hotkey, sometimes I use headphones and other times my speakers, I currently use https://soundswitch.aaflalo.me/ to do this.

It would allow for quick switching between playback sources and I think it matches this projects goal of performing common actions and making it as simple as possible.

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

Maybe the https://github.com/Belphemur/SoundSwitch can be useful.

I would love to see implementation as I think it matches this projects goal and is extremely useful.

[crutkas]

Soundswitch is GPL, we can't incorporate it due to license conflicts. Idea is pretty good. A possible idea for https://github.com/File-New-Project/EarTrumpet

/cc @riverar

[crutkas]

close but different with #1011 which is a sound mixer app

[Jay-o-Way]

I'm confused. For me, audio sources means apps/programs. Do you mean output devices?

[100mph]

I'm confused. For me, audio sources means apps/programs. Do you mean output devices?

I said 'playback source', but what I meant to say was 'output device' as you stated.

Soundswitch is GPL, we can't incorporate it due to license conflicts. Idea is pretty good. A possible idea for https://github.com/File-New-Project/EarTrumpet

Ah, that's a shame. I use SoundSwitch everyday for this, it follows in the steps of media controls and is something people don't realise they're missing out on.

As a side note, what's the reason app's like EarTrumpet (which has an MIT license btw, could this be added?) and other lightweight, simple and powerful programs, like all the PowerToys tools are not implemented as default into Windows? I mean I only just found out about PowerTools yesterday after using a PC for years and years. I'm just curious cause I feel like to get the maximum out of Windows I need several third-party programs and the functionality at times is as simple as letting me control volume per app. It's obviously not a technical reason. Is it more to do with the huge customer base and ensuring one change fits all needs? Or a matter of priority for features?

I appreciate your time if you answer!

[crutkas]

Each app inside PT means we, as a team, need to support them. Ear trumpet by itself is a great app. I'd rather list out great apps like that if we can't improve it

[100mph]

I understand, but isn't the point of making Windows and continuing it's development to introduce better features? If it's something that you recommend to people, why is it's functionality not built in as default? Just curious.

[crutkas]

@100mph, yes but right now we're stabilizing features. What makes Windows great is having an ecosystem that can extend Windows as well. One of our goals for PowerToys is to show how we're doing all this work as well so people can learn how to extend stuff :)

Making an OS for billions of people is hard. Different users use and expect things differently. Making things accessible is important as well. A great example was with PT Run, we took over Alt-Space. For most, everything was fine. For a group of users that use that regularly, it is super important. Same with WinKey+Space. If you swap keyboard languages, that is a super important keystroke to you. For a user like me, not so much.

As for this, it is a good idea, is it something we're tracking for v1 for PowerToys, it is not.

[100mph]

I understand, thanks for the info and your time.

[sycosquirl18]

I also would love this feature. A wonderful implementation of it would be to mimic the way that you can switch between keyboard layouts with ⊞ Win + Space. If you're not familiar with that, try adding another keyboard layout or two and then switch between them with ⊞ Win + Space. The UI that pops up is very simple, very elegant, and a very fast way to "switch between a relatively short list of things"; I think audio rendering devices is a prime candidate for this. Both keyboard layouts and audio devices can be switched by clicking icons on the taskbar, but only keyboard layout switching gets a keyboard shortcut. Adding a keyboard swap for output devices would just be completing the analogy. Many things can be cycled with keyboard shortcuts. We can also cycle windows with alt + tab, virtual desktops with ⊞ Win + ->. Why not give output devices some love?.

Changing the output device via the speaker icon on the task bar is fairly quick (only 3 clicks), but I have found that I am most commonly changing output devices when using a full-screen app. I usually don't realize that I'm on the wrong output device until I've fullscreened a youtube video or launched a video game, for example. Then, to switch devices, I have to minimize the app (sometimes this requires alt + tab or other ways of escaping the current fullscreen window).

@crutkas I understand your reasoning for being selective about the features included in PowerToys. It does seem redundant (and places maintenance burden on your team, of course) to implement something that already has a 3rd-party solution. However I think it's worth noting that having the "Microsoft Stamp" on this project lends it credibility. I generally don't download any third-party software that does heavy modification to the Windows UI because I don't feel good about making my workflow more dependent on 3rd party software than I need to. I might start to completely rely on a program for my day-to-day work only to have it lose support. I feel better using something that Microsoft is managing, even if it is open source. That's pricesely why I love PowerToys so much. I trust the devs and community to support it because it's "1st party". I don't know if other customers are picky in the same way, but I thought it's worth mentioning this sentiment in case it's a trend. I'm not going to download a 3rd party audio device switcher like SoundSwitch, but if you put similar functionality in PowerToys, I will use the heck out of it, and love Windows all the more 👍

[100mph]

@sycosquirl18 good to see vocal support of someone that agrees with me, haha. It's something so obvious it's not a question of if it should be implemented but rather why hasn't it been already. Shame that you won't try SoundSwitch, I don't think I would ever use go back.