What’s new in Maximizer.

Clearer PCs.
Simpler file choices.

Released October 20, 2026 · Desktop controls, file selection and macOS packaging

Open another PC without hunting through its options. Secondary Modern cards now show Open PC, Pair PC or Start PC for their current state. Open PC shows View All Apps, including hidden apps, without triggering a saved Direct Launch app.

• State-aware controls: checking and startup-busy actions are disabled, compatibility feedback remains available, and PC identity/readiness is rechecked when an action runs.
• Management stays close: PC options and the … menu retain View Details and the full existing action set. Compact actions wrap, keyboard focus reaches usable controls and updated PC names stay readable.
• Full-width Modern Settings: stacked panels fill the available content width, including 4K, instead of a centered 960-pixel strip. Normal sidebar spacing and Classic’s two-column layout remain.

Choose files with your Linux desktop

Send File → Browse… / Folder… now prefers the desktop’s standard chooser through the XDG FileChooser portal in native Linux packages, AppImage and Flatpak. Cancel, Esc and window-close return quietly. Selected files and folders return to the existing review before upload, and late replies cannot refill a closed dialog.

Window association uses the actual X11 owner or Qt’s supported Wayland exporter when available. Exact local filenames and granted paths are retained. Download-destination and transfer-recovery pickers keep their ownership, checksum and resume checks. A working desktop portal/backend is required; package-specific Wayland support and Flatpak permissions remain unchanged.

A responsive fallback: when the portal is unavailable or fails, Send File opens its built-in browser. The dialog fits the Client window, long paths elide, actions wrap and the file list scrolls—even in narrow, portrait or short windows.

Signed and notarized macOS downloads

The universal Apple silicon/Intel DMG is Developer ID signed, uses Hardened Runtime and has Apple-accepted app and DMG notarization with stapled tickets. The release workflow verifies signatures, Gatekeeper and the mounted payload before publication. Download the macOS checksum →

Includes the larger normal window up to 1600 × 960 logical pixels, Balanced Studio artwork and saved resolution, frame rate, codec and target bitrate. These remain saved preferences, not live telemetry. Classic is the default; choose Modern in Settings and restart. Generic joystick/wheel support remains in the separate Beta 1 pair.

Full Client276 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Earlier startup-window improvement ↓

A larger window.
A clearer first look.

Client275 released October 19, 2026 · Earlier desktop Modern startup sizing

More room, in a normal window. Modern now starts at up to 1600 × 960 logical pixels when the current screen has room. The window fits the available work area and leaves space for decorations and desktop edges.

• See the hardware scene immediately: the larger initial window gives the PC, monitor and accessory artwork room on typical desktops.
• Screen-aware sizing: uses one screen’s already-scaled logical work area. Smaller screens keep a smaller window and the compact layout when needed.
• Resize it your way: sizing happens once before the window is shown; later manual resizing works normally. Explicit maximized/fullscreen preferences retain their existing behavior.
• Classic remains the default: choose Settings → UI Settings → Interface theme → Modern, then restart the Client. Classic keeps its original startup size.

Includes Client274’s Balanced Studio artwork, navigation and saved resolution/frame-rate/codec/target-bitrate summary. These are saved preferences, not live telemetry. Generic joystick/wheel support remains in the separate Beta 1 pair; decorative device artwork does not add input support.

Original Client275 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Earlier Balanced Studio refinement ↓

Balanced Studio.
Modern, refined.

Client274 released October 19, 2026 · Earlier Modern refinement retained

Classic is the default; Modern is your choice. Open Settings → UI Settings → Interface theme → Modern, then close and restart the desktop Client. Select Classic and restart to switch back. The choice is saved per profile; Android uses its separate interface.

New in Client274

• Balanced Studio artwork: a locally embedded PC/display scene for the featured computer, with quieter mint wireframes on secondary PCs. The artwork is decorative, not a connected-device inventory.
• Clearer navigation and actions: desktop sidebar, Help and Customer portal icons, icon-and-label PC actions and a secondary PC options button using the same identity-checked menu.
• Four saved stream settings: resolution, frame rate, codec and target bitrate together in Stream setup. Automatic codec stays Automatic; forced H.264, H.265/HEVC and AV1 are represented accurately. Bitrate is the saved target in Mbps, not measured throughput.
• Responsive presentation: summary fields reflow from four columns to two or one, while decorative artwork yields to text and controls in compact windows. Adjust preferences and the gear button open the existing Settings page.
• Readable footer labels: Help and Customer portal retain complete text with wider fonts. Padding uses independent parent width, avoiding a circular layout calculation; tests now reject binding-loop warnings.

The setup card describes preferences for the next stream, not live negotiated telemetry. Per-PC Display Setup can select another resolution or frame rate. The existing navy-and-mint palette, pairing, streaming, app/VM safeguards and file-transfer controllers are retained.

This stable release contains the Modern update only. Generic joystick/wheel preview code remains in the separate opt-in Beta 1 pair. Device artwork does not introduce additional input support.

Original Client274 release notes on GitHub ↗ · See the updated Client pictures → · Earlier Modern improvements ↓

A fresh interface.
Your familiar tools.

Client273 released October 17, 2026 · Earlier Modern milestones retained

Modern is optional. Classic stays the default. In the Qt desktop Client, open Settings → UI Settings → Interface theme, choose Modern, then close and restart the Client. Choose Classic and restart to switch back. The choice is saved per Client profile; Android uses its own interface.

The Modern foundation included in current downloads

• A featured Gaming PC dashboard: full-height navy-and-mint navigation, your featured PC, secondary PCs, Stream setup and transfer activity. Recent PC/app information comes from successful connections.
• Matching apps and virtual-machine cards: coherent typography, status labels, Settings, menus and dialogs. Availability and launch actions follow current readiness.
• Proper portrait Web Games: matching 3:4 artwork frames and naturally sized cards, with the title, device status and Play action below. Classic keeps its original portrait layout; standard app/VM artwork dimensions are retained.
• More dependable app actions: app-switch approvals retain the selected app’s identity, recheck availability and reject changed quit targets. Invalid session rows and input before asynchronous menus are ready are handled.
• Keyboard and state refinements: focus follows scrolled content, menus skip hidden or disabled rows, PC actions retain the selected identity, and canceled pairing clears its password field.

Client273: complete labels, even with wider fonts

This corrective release fixes the three Modern presentation assertions found in completed Ubuntu CI for Client272. The sidebar reserves the version label’s measured width and fits the MAXIMIZER brand beside it. Crowded Prepare VM, Quit and More controls reflow into two rows, with artwork height and spacing adapting to the available room.

These changes include the dashboard/apps redesign from Client271 and the cover/action corrections from Client272. Pairing, streaming, Display Setup, microphone, clipboard, transfers and VM workflows retain their existing controllers. No Host update is needed just to select Modern; Host v1.0.268 remains compatible.

Original Client273 release notes on GitHub ↗ · See the interface and enabling steps →

Vulkan-first decoding.
Less time waiting to render.

First released October 15, 2026 · Retained in Client v1.0.276

DEB, AppImage and Flatpak share the preferred Linux x64 video path introduced in Client269: Vulkan Video hardware decoding followed by Vulkan presentation, when the selected codec, GPU and driver support it. Install the current Client on the device where you watch and control the stream; Host v1.0.268 remains compatible.

What improves decoding?

• One capability-checked policy: validate H.264, HEVC and AV1 codec support, profile, chroma, bit depth, resolution, presentation and a decoded test frame. Compatible AMD, NVIDIA and Intel GPUs can use Vulkan Video; Vulkan graphics support alone is not enough.
• AV1 initializes correctly: the hardware context now waits for FFmpeg’s format callback to create the frame pool, fixing an initialization failure that unnecessarily fell back from Vulkan.
• Bounded recovery: GPU, frame-import, presentation or repeated decoding failures exclude the failed Vulkan path for that stream before decoder recreation. A new connection starts fresh.
• Compatible hardware fallbacks: retain patched VA-API/EGL for AMD/Intel, legacy VDPAU on compatible NVIDIA X11 sessions and CUDA/NVDEC where appropriate. Explicit decoder preferences and specialized ARM/SBC priorities remain.

What improves rendering?

Vulkan Video keeps decode and presentation on the Vulkan path. When VA-API/EGL is selected instead, the renderer can import validated DMA-BUF writer fences and queue GPU-side waits, avoiding a CPU rendering-thread wait for decode completion. Required ordering and frame-lifetime protection stay in place. Missing capabilities or fence failures retain the original CPU synchronization.

Included in all three Linux x64 packages

The native packages now include a private pinned FFmpeg7.1 / libplacebo7.349 media stack, with matching Flatpak media revisions and mandatory compiled-backend checks. The DEB keeps its media libraries separate from the system installation. AppImage keeps its Ubuntu22.04 baseline, enables CUDA and removes incompatible host graphics libraries before image assembly; its existing native-Wayland exclusion remains. Flatpak retains its runtime graphics extensions and private WebGPU-enabled Qt/WebEngine.

Launch normally; a Vulkan override is not required. For diagnosis, MAXIMIZER_PREFER_VULKAN_DECODING=0 restores the previous decoder order and VAAPI_EGL_GPU_SYNC=0 restores CPU synchronization. Fully close the previous Client before testing launch-only overrides. Fallback preserves the negotiated codec/format; an incompatible HDR fallback reports an error rather than silently disabling HDR.

Original Client269 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Retained Orange Pi 5 / ARM64 support ↓

A new ARM64 build.
For Orange Pi 5.

First released October 13, 2026 · Retained in Client v1.0.276

Orange Pi 5 / RK3588S has a native ARM64 Client download. The package introduced in Client268 and retained in v1.0.276 targets Armbian 26.8.1 GNOME / Ubuntu 26.04 Resolute, with the recommended vendor kernel 6.1.115. Install the Client on the Orange Pi; the Host runs on your Gaming PC.

• Full desktop Client: native ARM64 Qt6, FFmpeg, EGL, libplacebo/Vulkan, WebEngine and Qt Multimedia, with distro QtKeychain linkage.
• Matching microphone helper: SonoBus mxs-v1.7.2-13 is rebuilt natively for ARM64 and included in the DEB.
• The right package and updater: a separate Armbian Ubuntu 26.04 ARM64 download and update identity prevent choosing the Ubuntu24 x64/Mint package.
• Checksums and provenance: the public download includes matching SHA256SUMS and source/build/installed-GUI verification records.

Install on the stated Armbian image

Download Maximizer-Client-1.0.276-Armbian-Ubuntu26.04-arm64.deb, compare its SHA-256, then run:

sudo apt install ./Maximizer-Client-1.0.276-Armbian-Ubuntu26.04-arm64.deb
moonlight

The package remains moonlight-mxs and replaces an existing Client installation. It uses the target distribution’s ARM64 components and does not install board drivers. See Armbian’s Orange Pi 5 image information ↗.

This is new ARM64 package/build support, not a claim that every board-specific acceleration path is already accepted. Windows, macOS, x64 Linux and Android downloads remain available. Earlier Client267 credentials, transfer and streaming improvements are retained.

Original Client268 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Current ARM64 checksum & provenance ↓ · Earlier Client267 improvements ↓

Credentials that stay saved.
Feedback you can trust.

First released October 10, 2026 · Retained in the latest desktop Client

Your Mac forgot saved credentials after closing the Client? Update the Client on your Mac. Client267 uses the native macOS Keychain in the universal Intel/Apple Silicon build, so successfully saved credentials survive a Client restart.

After upgrading

If the older build already lost your credentials, enter and save them again using Manage Credentials. No extra QtKeychain package or local encryption password is needed on macOS. Allow the usual Keychain unlock/access approval if macOS asks. Existing saved Keychain records remain compatible.

• Accurate saving results: the Client reports success only after storage confirms the write. If saving fails, pairing or waking the PC can still continue with credentials in memory; retry saving when storage is available.
• Use the latest login for this session: session-only credentials take priority over older saved values without replacing the saved record.
• Keep cleared credentials cleared: a confirmed clear leaves a persistent marker, preventing an older combined login from returning after restart. Unconfirmed clears report failure.
• More dependable desktop storage: fixes the QtKeychain path that overwrote credential JSON with empty text. Windows Credential Manager and Linux encrypted fallback support are retained.
• Separate PCs and purposes: control-panel login, pairing and shutdown credentials keep their existing per-PC storage identities. Unavailable or corrupt macOS records do not silently restore an older login.

Update the Client on the device you play on. No new Host release is needed for this correction; Host v1.0.268 remains compatible. These are desktop Qt Client changes; Android is a separate implementation.

This credential correction does not establish a fix for the separately reported customer VM boot-wait issue. Earlier tooltip, first-pairing notice, transfer, portal, display, audio and streaming improvements remain included. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Full Client267 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Earlier Client266 improvements ↓

Know your session limit.
Trust your app hints.

First released October 4, 2026 · Retained in the latest desktop Client

Ready Bare Metal apps showed a shutdown warning when you hovered over them? Update the Client on the device you play on. Client266 fixes that misleading tooltip while preserving the warning for apps that are actually unavailable because of GPU passthrough.

A first-pairing reminder, shown once

The initial Maximum Settings Add PC → Start and Pair login panel now explains that your Gaming PC automatically shuts down after 2 hours unless you change the session limit. If needed, visit login.maximumsettings.com to extend the limit to up to 12 hours. Change the setting on that website; the Client does not change the limit automatically.

• One-time notice: it is remembered per Client profile, independently of saving credentials. Canceling, reopening, retrying login, later connections and Client restarts do not repeat it.
• Already paired? existing paired profiles remain silent after upgrading, including an offline PC with a saved pairing certificate. Adding or removing PCs does not reset the notice.
• Only in first provider setup: manual Host IP entry, personal-host pairing panels and saved-PC wake logins do not display this reminder. A separate fresh Client profile has its own first-use record.
• Correct app availability hints: green-ready Bare Metal tiles no longer show the shutdown/six-minute tooltip on mouse hover or keyboard selection. A refreshed available state promptly dismisses an existing warning.

No additional Host update is needed for these two Client fixes. Host v1.0.268 remains compatible. Existing VM/GPU classification, launch decisions, power actions and the six-minute cooldown policy are preserved.

Earlier encrypted-home downloads, Clear history…, larger transfers, Flatpak folder access, streaming, pairing, display, audio and clipboard fixes remain included. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Full Client266 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Earlier transfer improvements ↓

Encrypted folders.
A fresh history. Bigger files.

First released October 2, 2026 · Retained in Client v1.0.276

Downloads paused at 0 B with “Atomic no-replace publication unavailable” in an encrypted home? Client265 fixes native/DEB downloads into tested eCryptfs-encrypted folders. Update the Client on your Linux device, keep the original destination accessible and try Resume on the existing job.

• Download safely into a compatible encrypted home: the Client selects supported save operations while keeping checksums, encrypted temporary files, independent staging and checked restart recovery.
• Clear all inactive transfer history: choose Clear history… and confirm to remove completed, failed, canceled, paused, interrupted and review entries. Running and queued transfers continue and remain visible.
• Keep cleared jobs cleared: removed paused work does not resume or reappear after restart. Completed files stay in place, and uncertain recovery data and previous-file backups are preserved.
• Transfer larger files with Host268: the old 10 GiB Client download limit is removed. Whole-file preparation gets a size-aware timeout; normal network inactivity safeguards remain.

Choose your file-size limit

Install Client v1.0.276 on your device and Host v1.0.268 on the Gaming PC. In the Host web interface, open Configuration → Network, set File Transfer Max Size to 0, save and restart the Host. This removes the configured per-file upload/download cap.

The default stays 100 MiB unless you choose otherwise. Unlimited size is separate from unlimited transfer speed: disk space, filesystem and session/snapshot limits still apply. Downloads remain off until Client Downloads and its allowed folder are configured.

Earlier Flatpak folder-access recovery, streaming, pairing, display, audio and clipboard fixes remain included. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Full Client265 release notes on GitHub ↗ · Host268 size setting ↓ · File-transfer setup guide ↓

Choose your folder.
Keep your download.

First released October 1, 2026 · Retained in Client v1.0.276

Flatpak reported “Another download is using this destination” when no other download was running? Update the Client on your Linux device. Client264 fixes downloads into real folders selected with Choose…. If you already have Host v1.0.268, no new Host update is needed for this correction.

• Download files and folders through the desktop picker: the Client now keeps its recovery journal in its own application storage, with separate staging for each queue. The tested Flatpak document-portal folder no longer needs an unsupported destination lock.
• Restore expired folder access: an unfinished job stays paused. Use Locate destination…, choose the original folder again, then Resume. The Client checks ownership and saved content before continuing, including after a portal remount.
• Keep your existing files protected: Keep both saves a separate copy, Skip existing preserves the old file, and Replace existing retains previous bytes for recovery. Concurrent native and Flatpak Clients use independent temporary state.
• More dependable publication and history: atomic renames avoid a second portal pathname-cache problem. Checksum verification, crash recovery and the final saved filename remain part of the completion result.

Keep hidden recovery files intact. Choosing a different destination cannot adopt unfinished work. Client263’s older recovery data is preserved; unsupported or ambiguous records are not silently deleted. Replacement conflicts keep previous bytes and block destructive cleanup until recovered.

Earlier streaming, upload, bandwidth, pairing, display and audio fixes remain included. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Full Client264 release notes on GitHub ↗ · File-transfer setup guide ↓

Your files.
In both directions.

First released September 30, 2026 · Retained in Client v1.0.276

Update both apps for the complete experience: install Client v1.0.276 on the device you play on and Host v1.0.268 on the Gaming PC. The new transfer tools are for the desktop Client on Windows, macOS and Linux; Android is a separate app.

• Send files and whole folders: choose Send File… from your PC’s menu, use Folder…, or drag files and folders onto its PC tile. Empty folders are kept too.
• Keep track in one place: the File transfers panel shows progress, speed and time remaining. You can close it or browse other Client pages while transfers continue, then reopen it from the toolbar or bottom banner.
• Pause now, continue later: interrupted transfers can resume after a reconnect or an app restart. Saved unfinished jobs wait for you to choose Resume; they do not start sending automatically when you reopen the Client.
• Choose how to handle an existing file: Keep both saves a separate copy, Skip existing leaves the old file alone, and Replace existing replaces that file. Uploads show a review summary before you approve them.
• Bring files back: choose Browse Host files…, select a file or folder, choose a local destination and download. The Host must first allow downloads from a folder you choose.
• Leave room for gaming: set a transfer speed limit, with an optional lower limit while this Client is streaming. Zero means unlimited.

Start in three steps

1. Install the current Client and Host, then open your paired PC in the Client.
2. In the Host web interface, enable uploads under Network and choose where incoming files are saved under Config Files. To download files back, return to Network, enable Client Downloads and choose a Browse and Download Root—the folder the Client is allowed to see. Restart the Host after changing these settings.
3. Use Send File… or Browse Host files… from the PC’s menu. For uploads, review the list and select Approve reviewed transfers.

More reliable completion: the apps check that the received file matches the sent file before showing verified completion. Existing files and recovery information are protected if something changes during a replacement. Folder transfers happen one file at a time; cancelling partway through leaves already completed files in place.

Full Client release notes on GitHub ↗

Your Gaming PC.
Your file-size choice.

Released October 02, 2026 · Host update

Install Host268 on the PC running your games and the current desktop Client on your other device. In Configuration → Network, set File Transfer Max Size to 0 for no configured per-file cap, save and restart. The default stays 100 MiB; positive settings remain 1–10240 MiB. Updating does not enable unlimited mode automatically.

• Larger uploads and downloads: admission and saved journals accept files above the former 10 GiB cap. Available disk space, session counts and download-snapshot capacity still bound transfers; size accounting is checked for overflow.
• Recover interrupted transfers: the Host remembers saved progress across restarts and checks incoming files before confirming completion.
• Control what can be downloaded: only paired clients can browse the download folder you selected. Enabling downloads does not expose the rest of the PC.
• Handle existing files carefully: reviewed replacements check that the destination has not changed. Windows-specific checks also guard against redirected folder paths.
• Earlier corrections retained: Host267’s configuration-reference headings and Arch/CachyOS consistency correction remain included, along with the resumable transfer tools first released in Host266.

All release-package builds passed: Windows installer and portable ZIP, Ubuntu/Linux Mint DEB, RPM, Flatpak and Arch/CachyOS are available from this same Host release. Client v1.0.276 remains the matching Client.

Upload and download access are separate settings, disabled by default. Only the configured download root is exposed. Unlimited file size does not change authentication, ownership, checksums or previous-file protections, and it is separate from bandwidth limits.

Previous pairing, display, audio, clipboard and Android app-list fixes remain included. The Host and Client version numbers do not need to be identical. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Full Host release notes on GitHub ↗

Add your PC.
Complete pairing. Start playing.

First released September 28, 2026 · Retained in the latest desktop Client

If the desktop Client closes immediately when you add another Host, update the Client on the device you play on. This crash happens before PIN or username/password authentication. Client262 also fixes the incorrect “PC no longer available” message in Display Setup after pairing.

• Fixes Add Host crashes: refreshing the list with an existing saved PC could leave an old menu row with an invalid index. The Client now validates model indices and skips retired rows.
• Keeps the paired Host’s identity: ordinary PIN and credential pairing pass the completed Host UUID directly into Display Setup. Reordering the PC list cannot select another Host; a removed target is rejected.
• Corrects Windows monitor identification: a friendly Qt monitor label and the Windows device ID can differ. The Client now uses the native window’s monitor identity instead of requiring the two names to match.
• Adds regression coverage: tests exercise actual QML list resets, invalid and stale rows, and the embedded pairing/setup dialogs. Windows test linking, menu layout synchronization and native Wayland test timing are also corrected.

34 QtTest results passed across Qt6.4 and Qt6.10, with old-code controls reproducing the defects. Corrected native Linux and development Flatpak builds passed the reported add-host case and four private PIN/login-to-setup-to-app-list flows. The Windows monitor correction passed 12 native hosted checks. These are scoped checks, not a claim of every physical GPU/display combination.

All six Client release-package workflows and both main/tag test workflows passed. The desktop Qt fixes apply to the desktop packages; Android remains a separate implementation. The latest Client includes the display improvements below and the earlier audio, rendering, clipboard and menu fixes.

Your monitor’s pixels.
The screen you selected.

Client261 replaced resolution estimates based on rounded desktop coordinates with authoritative native display information. Client262 includes that work and the additional Windows monitor-ID correction.

• Correct native resolution at fractional scaling: fixes the reproduced 2560 × 1600 at 150% scaling being detected as 2561 × 1601. Windows uses native monitor information, X11 uses the desktop pixel mode, and native Wayland reads the current output mode.
• Keep the chosen monitor through startup: the approved local monitor identity follows the stream through delayed initialization. Missing, ambiguous or changed outputs prompt a retry instead of silently selecting the primary display.
• Fresh setup and Retry: Display Setup names the monitor and refreshes after movement or layout changes. Retry takes a fresh snapshot and invalidates stale approvals.
• Consistent Settings presets: resolution, safe-area, refresh-rate and monitor-name caches rebuild together. Fixed manual presets identify their monitor and are no longer pruned by an unrelated startup decoder probe.

Move the Client window to your preferred screen before starting. Automatic matching defaults to 60 Hz / 60 FPS, requires approval for a supported fallback, preserves Manual preferences and does not rematch the Host while you are playing. Native Wayland windowed placement is controlled by the compositor.

Verification covered native X11 scaling and mixed-monitor movement, a real headless fractional-Wayland compositor, and private 2560 × 1600/60 FPS streams. Hosted Windows checks cover native monitor identity; specific laptops, physical mixed-DPI layouts, GPUs and HDR still depend on their device configuration.

More supported resolutions.
Better 59.94/60 Hz matching.

First released September 27, 2026 · Retained in the latest Host

Update the Host on your Gaming PC and use the current desktop Client for the complete display-matching fixes.

• Keep supported resolutions in the list: Host265 filters nominal 60 Hz modes before deduplication and bounding. Refresh-rate variants no longer crowd higher resolutions out of the first 256 entries; the API supports up to 4096 distinct supported sizes.
• Handle Windows 59.94/60 Hz correctly: rational timing information identifies the nominal 60 Hz family. A legacy 59 Hz selector is accepted as nominal 60 only with supporting timing evidence; a genuine 59 Hz mode is not blindly relabeled.
• Verify before confirming: Windows tests an enumerated mode and verifies readback. Incomplete or excessive mode inventories require Manual setup, while selected-output identity, stale-state and busy-stream checks remain in force.

716 Host service/mode assertions passed, alongside private matching streams and Windows adapter cross-compilation. Native Windows/VDD mode application and physical-device acceptance remain platform-specific. This is mode-only matching: VDD installation, primary-display layout and HDR configuration remain manual. Wayland Host display control still uses Manual setup.

All four Host package workflows passed. Host265 also includes the Android app-list compatibility fix below, native clipboard, Linux startup diagnostics, the TLS stream-start correction and Windows display/capture coordination.

Android compatibility.
Fixed at the Host.

First released in Host v1.0.264 · Retained in the current Host

Does Android pair successfully, then crash when you select your PC? Host v1.0.268 includes the corrected application-list response first released in Host264 for Moonlight Android 12.2 and the Maximizer Android parser.

What to update: install Maximizer Host v1.0.268 on the Gaming PC. Then open that PC again in your Android client. No new Android APK, re-pairing or apps.json reset is required for this protocol correction. Desktop Client v1.0.276 remains compatible.

• Fixes the post-pairing app-list crash: the normal GameStream response now contains application entries without leading Host-management text that Android could not parse.
• Handles empty lists too: the correction works when no applications are configured, and when VM support is disabled.
• Preserves desktop and VM controls: the authenticated management endpoint keeps the Host identity and VM-stop capability fields. App names, IDs, HDR flags, VM readiness and proxy data remain available.
• Upgrade the Host for this Android protocol fix: the desktop Add Host crash described above is a separate Client-side issue. Current downloads include both corrections.

Verification passed 40 corrected Android-parser checks, reproduced 40 original crashes, retained 20 byte-identical management responses and passed desktop VM identity/readiness and real HTTPS authentication checks. Tests used the original Android parser code and isolated Linux Host endpoints; full physical-device pairing, application-list UI and streaming acceptance remains a separate step.

Also included: Host263’s native clipboard support, display-matching stream-start correction, Linux startup diagnostics and Windows display/capture coordination. Bundled SonoBus remains mxs-v1.7.2-13.

Faster Flatpak.
Clearer audio. Better reliability.

Previously delivered in Client257–260 · Retained in the latest Client

Client v1.0.276 retains all the fixes in 257, 258, 259 and 260 below. These rendering, playback and menu corrections remain part of the current download alongside the new pairing and display improvements.

Client257 · Fix recurring audio breakup

• Clearer stream playback: fixes the recurring audio dropouts reproduced in Linux DEB and Flatpak when the audio backend consumes larger batches than the old playback queue could supply.
• Adapts to the real audio device: accounts for negotiated buffers and observed consumption bursts, including PipeWire batches larger than SDL reports. Ordinary small-buffer behavior is retained and learned buffering is bounded; no system audio-server changes are needed.
• Verified playback: 42 queue regression cases and six corrected streaming cases passed. This is a playback correction; microphone forwarding remains a separate audio path.

Client258 · Faster Flatpak, stronger regression checks

The automatic Vulkan Video preference above is Flatpak-specific and retains compatible fallback paths. The Linux test runner also gained the missing SDL development dependencies and metadata check so the audio regression suite can compile and run reliably.

Client259 · More reliable DEB video presentation

• EGL support is now required and verified: the Ubuntu24.04/Linux Mint22 DEB builds the EGL presentation renderer, including separate-layer VA-API surface import. Configuration and package checks reject missing graphics support.
• Correct graphics-context selection: EGL-enabled DEBs choose SDL’s EGL context API early, fixing the older SDL path that could retain GLX and prevent EGL initialization.
• Avoid known bad direct-rendering paths: unusable overlay/subpicture configurations no longer silently select direct VA-API presentation. libva also uses its own X11 display connection.
• Recover from reported presentation failures: a failed direct presentation requests one renderer recreation and disables that path for the stream. Hardware decoding continues through EGL or the existing SDL fallback; failed calls are no longer counted as rendered frames.
• Keep working GPU paths: compatible AMD direct presentation retains its preference and fallback checks. System GPU drivers remain in use, without globally forcing an Intel driver.

Nine AMD/X11 hardware and fault-injection cases verified rendering and recovery, including HEVC4K60, AV1 and windowed/fullscreen operation. The fixes address the DEB presentation paths implicated in black-screen reports; specific Intel laptop/driver and fractional-desktop acceptance remains device-specific.

Client260 · Start Gaming PC is the offline default

• Start comes first: an offline PC’s menu now defaults to Start Gaming PC when remote power control is enabled.
• No accidental destructive default: if Start is disabled during startup, the menu opens without selecting Hard Shutdown. Reopening also clears a previous Hard Shutdown selection.
• Deliberate shutdown still works: keyboard navigation or clicking reaches the existing confirmation. The production menu and dialog passed 27 isolated UI results.

Already included from the previous OpenStream update

Native clipboard paste transfers up to 1 MiB of UTF-8 text to a compatible Host with configurable paste shortcuts. WebGPU-enabled Flatpak Web Games includes the pinned Qt6.10/Dawn toolkit and corrected capability detection. Display Setup keeps Automatic/Manual choice, supported fallbacks, 60 Hz / 60 FPS matching and older-Host guidance. These features were already part of the Client256/Host263 website release.

One-time manual upgrade: DEB/Flatpak versions v1.0.250–v1.0.252 have a disabled update checker. Install v1.0.276 manually once; future compatible releases can then be announced at startup. Updates are not installed automatically.

Desktop update notifications, the GPU-intensive showcase warning, confirmed Hard Shutdown, background startup and persistent ready notifications remain included. Android is a separate implementation and does not gain these desktop Qt features.