Bluetooth indicator powers off both adapters when two controllers are present

[Roben0815]

What Happened?

On my iMac 27-inch (Late 2015) running elementary OS/Pantheon, two Bluetooth controllers are detected:

• a preferred external USB Bluetooth controller
• the built-in iMac Bluetooth controller

When the Wingpanel Bluetooth indicator is enabled, both controllers end up powered off (Powered: no). This leaves no working Bluetooth adapter for my keyboard and mouse after login.

Both controllers are detected by bluetoothctl, and the preferred external controller can be powered on manually. rfkill is not the cause: neither adapter is soft- or hard-blocked.

For diagnosis, I temporarily disabled the plugin by renaming:

/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/wingpanel/libbluetooth.so

After disabling it and applying a local boot workaround that powers on the preferred external controller and powers off the built-in controller, the state remains stable after reboot:

• preferred external controller: Powered: yes
• built-in iMac controller: Powered: no

This strongly suggests that the Bluetooth indicator does not handle multiple BlueZ controllers correctly.

Note: I use the external Bluetooth controller as a workaround because the iMac’s built-in Bluetooth controller has reliability problems. However, the issue remains relevant: the indicator should not power off every available controller, especially when one controller is needed as the active Bluetooth adapter.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Went here: Logged in to a Pantheon desktop session on an iMac 27-inch (Late 2015) with two Bluetooth controllers detected by BlueZ.

2. Did this: Ensured that the Wingpanel Bluetooth indicator (panel-bluetooth) was installed and enabled.

3. Did this: Rebooted the system or logged in to start the Pantheon session and the Bluetooth indicator.

4. Did this: Checked the state of both detected Bluetooth controllers with:

bluetoothctl list
bluetoothctl show
bluetoothctl show

5. Observed this: After the Bluetooth indicator started, both controllers could be set to Powered: no.

Expected Behavior

When multiple Bluetooth controllers are present, the Bluetooth indicator should not power off all controllers.

The previously active or preferred controller should remain powered on after login. If the indicator needs to select a controller, it should select one deterministically and should not disable the other controllers unless the user explicitly requests it.

OS Version

8.x (Circe)

OS Architecture

amd64 (on most hardwares)

Session Type

Secure Session (Wayland, This is the default)

Software Version

Latest release (I have run all updates)

Log Output

Bluetooth / Pantheon panel-bluetooth diagnostic report (sanitized)
Generated: 2026-08-28T14:22:24+02:00

Privacy redactions
- Hostname: [HOSTNAME]
- Machine ID: [REDACTED]
- Boot ID: [REDACTED]
- Preferred Bluetooth controller MAC: [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]
- Second Bluetooth controller MAC: [CONTROLLER_B_MAC]
- Personal Bluetooth device name: [KEYBOARD_NAME]

===== SOURCE: hostnamectl =====
Static hostname: [HOSTNAME]
Operating System: elementary OS 8
Kernel: Linux 7.0.0-30-generic
Architecture: x86-64
Hardware Vendor: Apple Inc.
Hardware Model: iMac17,1
Firmware Version: 529.120.1.0.0

===== SOURCE: /etc/os-release =====
PRETTY_NAME="elementary OS 8"
VERSION_ID="8"
VERSION="8.1"
VERSION_CODENAME=circe
UBUNTU_PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS"

===== SOURCE: relevant package versions =====
bluez                         5.72-0ubuntu5.5
wingpanel-indicator-bluetooth 8.0.0+r835+pkg35~ubuntu8.1

===== SOURCE: Bluetooth Wingpanel plugin files =====
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 180264 Jan 27 2026 \
  /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/wingpanel/libbluetooth.so.disabled

===== SOURCE: bluetoothctl list =====
Controller [CONTROLLER_A_MAC] [HOSTNAME] #1 [default]
Controller [CONTROLLER_B_MAC] [HOSTNAME]

===== SOURCE: controller status =====
--- bluetoothctl show [CONTROLLER_A_MAC] ---
Manufacturer: 0x000a (10)
Powered: yes
Discoverable: no
Pairable: no
Modalias: usb:v1D6Bp0246d0548
Roles: central, peripheral

--- bluetoothctl show [CONTROLLER_B_MAC] ---
Manufacturer: 0x000f (15)
Powered: no
Discoverable: no
Pairable: no
Modalias: usb:v1D6Bp0246d0548
Roles: central, peripheral

===== SOURCE: rfkill =====
0: hci0: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no
1: hci1: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no

===== SOURCE: bluetooth.service =====
Loaded: loaded; enabled
Active: active (running)
Bluetooth daemon 5.72

===== SOURCE: bluetooth-reset journal, current boot =====
Bluetooth-Reset gestartet
Bevorzugter Controller gefunden: [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]
Aktiviere Controller [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]
Deaktiviere Controller [CONTROLLER_B_MAC]
Wähle bevorzugten Controller [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]
Bluetooth-Konfiguration abgeschlossen

===== SOURCE: Bluetooth-related kernel messages, current boot =====
Bluetooth: hci0: CSR: Setting up dongle with HCI ver=6 rev=22bb
Bluetooth: hci0: LMP ver=6 subver=22bb; manufacturer=10
Bluetooth: hci1: BCM: chip id 102 build 0730
Bluetooth: hci1: BCM: product 05ac:8294
Bluetooth: hci1: BCM: features 0x2f
Bluetooth: Core ver 2.22
Bluetooth: MGMT ver 1.23
Bluetooth HID mouse connected on [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]
Bluetooth HID keyboard [KEYBOARD_NAME] connected on [CONTROLLER_A_MAC]

===== CONTEXT =====
This final state was collected after disabling the Wingpanel Bluetooth plugin
(libbluetooth.so was renamed to libbluetooth.so.disabled) and applying a local
boot workaround. Before that workaround, both controllers were observed as
Powered: no after the Pantheon/Wingpanel Bluetooth indicator had started.

This report is a sanitized excerpt of the full diagnostic output. It retains
the relevant versions, controller states, service state, and kernel detection
information while replacing device-specific identifiers.

Hardware Info

elementary OS hardware summary (sanitized)
Generated: 2026-08-28T14:27:11+02:00
Privacy note: hostnames, serial numbers, MAC/IP addresses, UUIDs, and machine IDs are intentionally excluded.

===== Operating system =====
OS: elementary OS 8
Kernel: 7.0.0-30-generic
Architecture: x86_64

===== General hardware =====
sys_vendor: Apple Inc.
product_name: iMac17,1
product_version: 1.0
chassis_type: 9

===== CPU =====
CPU(s): 4
Liste der Online-CPU(s): 0-3
Skalierung der CPU(s): 82%
NUMA-Knoten0 CPU(s): 0-3

===== Memory =====
gesamt benutzt frei gemns. Puffer/Cache verfügbar
Speicher: 31Gi 3,0Gi 21Gi 14Mi 7,5Gi 28Gi
Auslager: 3,8Gi 0B 3,8Gi

===== Graphics and display controllers =====
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Saturn XT [FirePro M6100] (rev 80)

===== Audio and network controller classes =====
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller (rev 31)
01:00.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Tobago HDMI Audio [Radeon R7 360 / R9 360 OEM]
02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43602 802.11ac Wireless LAN SoC (rev 01)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries NetXtreme BCM57766 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 01)

===== Storage devices (model and size only) =====
NAME MODEL SIZE TYPE ROTA TRAN
loop0 402M loop 1
loop1 25,8M loop 1
loop2 614,5M loop 1
loop3 4K loop 1
loop4 50,1M loop 1
loop5 17,5M loop 1
loop6 91,7M loop 1
loop7 66,8M loop 1
sda APPLE HDD ST1000DM003 931,5G disk 1 sata
sdb WDC WD20SDRW-11VUUS0 1,8T disk 1 usb

===== USB device classes =====
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05ac:8511 Apple, Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 05ac:8294 Apple, Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 1058:2621 Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Elements 2621

===== PCI devices =====
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6th-10th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Q170/Q150/B150/H170/H110/Z170/CM236 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode] (rev 31)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #1 (rev f1)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #2 (rev f1)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Z170 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Saturn XT [FirePro M6100] (rev 80)
01:00.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Tobago HDMI Audio [Radeon R7 360 / R9 360 OEM]
02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43602 802.11ac Wireless LAN SoC (rev 01)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries NetXtreme BCM57766 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 01)
03:00.1 SD Host controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM57765/57785 SDXC/MMC Card Reader (rev 01)
04:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
05:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
05:03.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
05:04.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
05:05.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
05:06.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Bridge [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]
06:00.0 System peripheral: Intel Corporation DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 NHI [Falcon Ridge 4C 2013]

===== Bluetooth controller summary =====
Controller [BLUETOOTH_MAC_REDACTED]
Controller [BLUETOOTH_MAC_REDACTED]

===== End of report =====