Timbre v1.8.4

💎 Timbre v1.8.4: Full Upstream Sync, Audiophile Bluetooth Truth, Artwork Preload & Priority Resolution

Welcome to Timbre v1.8.4! This major release fully synchronizes with upstream BitChord v1.8.1 (by Kushagra Singh) bringing across all 176 upstream commits, introduces the brand new Welcome & Onboarding experience, dynamic Glass App Icon switching, fixes tail-end audio stream stutter, enforces Technical Truth for Bluetooth Audio & Anti-Crash Telemetry, guarantees Lossless Priority Resolution on Rapid Skip, introduces Queue Lookahead Artwork Pre-Warming (0ms cover art), adds Seamless Auth & Source Backup & Restore, and strengthens our bot infrastructure.

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🚀 Release Highlights & What's New

1. 🔄 Full Upstream BitChord v1.8.1 Synchronization

• New Onboarding & Welcome Screen: Clean, interactive setup experience on fresh installations:
  • Personalize your Listen Together profile name ("What should we call you?").
  • Quick, seamless Google account connection with YouTube Music or option to skip.
• Search Swipe Actions: Swipe track items in search history to instantly append or prepend them to the playing queue.
• Queue History & Replay Stats: Optional queue history display and accurate weekly/monthly/yearly Listening Stats with daily granularity.
• Wear OS Companion: Comprehensive companion management for connected Wear OS watches directly inside Settings.
• Song Info: Detailed track metadata inspector (Album, Release Date, Views, Likes, and Comments).
• RTL & Synchronized Lyrics: Complete bidirectional RTL text layout and fluid word-sweep karaoke animations across all language combinations.

2. 🔷 Truthful Bluetooth Hi-Res Audio & Anti-Crash Architecture

• Technical Truth for Bluetooth Transmission:
  • Bluetooth A2DP audio (including LDAC 990 kbps and LHDCv5 1000 kbps) is routed through Android's AudioFlinger mixer and undergoes lossy psychoacoustic compression.
  • Emerald Green (#00E676) is strictly preserved for true Bit-Perfect Direct Hardware DACs (USB DACs with direct hardware bypass).
  • Electric Cyan (#00E5FF) designates Hi-Res Wireless (🔷 HI-RES WIRELESS (LHDCv5 / LDAC)), explicitly stating (Lossy Bluetooth transmission via AudioFlinger) and No — Bluetooth LHDCv5 encoding in the bit-exact verdict.
• Eliminated Infinite Crash Loop:
  • Fixed a re-entrant feedback loop where applyOutputRoute() in PlaybackService was invoking bluetoothTracker.refreshCurrentDevice(), which published a new telemetry state triggering applyOutputRoute(). This flooded Android's message queue and crashed the app during Bluetooth route changes.
• Instant Active Codec Detection:
  • Added immediate active device and codec reflection (queryAudioManagerFallback) so that connected Hi-Res earbuds (e.g. realme Buds T500 Pro -> LHDCv5 24-bit / 96 kHz) are identified immediately on app launch, route switch, or opening the pipeline dialog—without requiring earbud disconnect/reconnect.

3. 🎯 Strict Lossless Priority Resolution Window on Rapid Skip

• No More Premature Lossy Fallbacks:
  • Rapidly skipping tracks now strictly honors your configured Lossless Priority Resolution Window (losslessTimeoutSeconds).
• Clean Track Handover:
  • Stale lossy choices are automatically cleared when skipping to track position 0, guaranteeing that FLAC modules (Tidal, Qobuz, Lossless Bridge) are given full time to resolve before any lossy YouTube fallback can trigger.

4. 🖼️ Queue Lookahead Artwork Pre-Warming (Instant 0ms Cover Art)

• Instant Cover Art on Track Switch:
  • Eliminates the 2–3s delay in album art rendering when skipping tracks.
  • Implements sequential, bounded queue artwork prefetching for up to 4 upcoming tracks at full resolution (PLAYER_ART_PX = 1200).
• 100% Network Priority for Hi-Res Audio:
  • Defers artwork downloads by 2.5s after playback starts and paces requests sequentially with 300ms spacing, ensuring that FLAC stream resolution and audio buffering enjoy completely uncontended bandwidth.
  • Subsequent track skips render artwork in 0ms from local cache.

5. 🎨 Dynamic App Icon Customization

• 12 Custom Glass Icons: Choose between 3 iconic form factors across 4 glass styles directly from Settings → Appearance → App Icon:
  • Liquid Glass (Standard, Dark, Clear, Clear Dark)
  • Samsung Glass (Standard, Dark, Clear, Clear Dark)
  • Pixel Glass (Standard, Dark, Clear, Clear Dark)
  • Default adaptive app icon
• Centered high-resolution cyan-and-white Timbre wave insignia with specular glass reflections and ambient neon glows.

6. ⚡ Audio Stream Continuity ("Missed Beat" Stutter Fix)

• Resolved an audio stutter glitch that occurred during the last 5–10 seconds of streaming tracks.
• When ExoPlayer requested tail buffer chunks, continuation requests previously invalidated the stream choice mid-stream. Continuation requests (position > 0) now stream uninterrupted from cache.

7. 💾 Seamless Auth & Source Backup & Restore

• Full Auth Portability: Timbre's JSON Backup & Restore engine (Settings → Backup & Restore) now serializes your YouTube Music session cookies, channel profile IDs, Discord tokens, custom streaming sources, and addon tokens.
• Zero-Friction Restore: Importing a backup automatically activates your logged-in Google session without requiring manual cookie entry.

8. 🎚️ Timbre Studio & Audiophile Pipeline (Preserved & Enhanced)

• Retained Timbre's signature Bit-Perfect / Hi-Res Lossless pipeline badge and real-time Signal Path Inspector.
• Exclusive USB DAC Userspace Streaming: Direct bit-exact playback bypassing Android's 48kHz AudioFlinger OS mixer.
• 24-bit Float32 librempeg Decoder: Pristine studio master decoding without 16-bit truncation.

9. 🛡️ Bot & Gateway Infrastructure Hardening

• Reclaimed and re-secured @Timbre_Lossless_Bot with fresh API credentials.
• Added a strict private chat-type guard so the bot exclusively operates in 1-on-1 direct messages and ignores public group messages.

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📦 Available Release Packages (v1.8.4)

Package	Architecture	Description
Timbre-v1.8.4-arm64.apk	arm64-v8a	Recommended for 99% of modern phones
Timbre-v1.8.4-universal.apk	Universal	Compatible with all devices & architectures
Timbre-v1.8.4-armeabi-v7a.apk	armeabi-v7a	Legacy 32-bit ARM devices
Timbre-v1.8.4-x86_64.apk	x86_64	Android emulators & Chromebooks

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💬 Community & Support

• Official Telegram Community: t.me/Timbre_Community
• Lossless Addon Bot: @Timbre_Lossless_Bot
• Source Code & Releases: github.com/sksalapur/Timbre

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💡 Desktop, Linux, macOS or TV User?

Timbre is engineered specifically and exclusively for Android mobile devices to deliver true bit-perfect audiophile playback. If you are looking for builds for Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android TV / Apple devices, please visit upstream BitChord by Kushagra Singh.

Timbre v1.8-3

Timbre v1.8-3

Bit-Perfect High-Resolution Audio Streaming for Android
Streamlined audiophile player built upon the foundation of BitChord v1.8-3.

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??? Timbre v1.8-3: The True Bit-Perfect & USB DAC Breakthrough

Welcome to Timbre v1.8-3, our most significant audiophile engineering milestone to date. This major release delivers true Exclusive Userspace USB DAC Access, completely bypassing Android?s 48 kHz AudioFlinger system mixer and kernel ALSA drivers, resolves the 24-bit to 16-bit software decoder bottleneck, ensures seamless bit-exact playback across track transitions, and introduces full Timbre Studio backup/restore integration.

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?? Major Breakthroughs & Highlights in v1.8-3

1. ? Full 24-bit Hi-Res Signal Path (Eliminating the 16-bit Decoder Bottleneck)

• FFmpeg / libavcodec Priority: Previously, Android?s platform software decoder (c2.android.flac.decoder) intercepted FLAC streams and downconverted 24-bit audio to 16-bit integer PCM before reaching the audio sink.
• Native Float32 Decoding: We now prioritize FfmpegAudioRenderer (librempeg), natively decoding 24-bit and 32-bit FLAC/ALAC into pristine 32-bit floating-point PCM (ENCODING_PCM_FLOAT).
• Untouched Dynamic Range: 24-bit / 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, and 192 kHz studio masters now travel unquantized from network edge to DAC hardware without bit-depth loss.

2. ?? True Exclusive USB DAC Access (Bypassing AudioFlinger)

• Direct Userspace USB Streaming: Communicates directly with external USB Audio Class devices (both UAC1 and UAC2, including DSP IEMs like Moondrop Chu II DSP, Fiio, Qudelix, and desktop DACs) via Android?s USB Host API.
• Kernel & Framework Bypass: Completely bypasses the Linux kernel snd-usb-audio driver and Android's fixed 48 kHz AudioFlinger mixer, eliminating unwanted OS resampling, dither noise, and digital attenuation.
• Native Sample Rate Delivery: Play 44.1 kHz CD audio, 96 kHz, and 192 kHz Hi-Res files at their exact native hardware clocks.

3. ?? Smart Gated USB Permission & Hot-Plug Lifecycle

• Zero Annoyance Gating: The app now requests Exclusive USB Access only when the "Direct Bit-Perfect Mode" toggle is turned ON in Settings. If the toggle is off, no permission popups will ever appear.
• Dynamic Toggle Activation: If your USB DAC is already plugged in and you flip the Bit-Perfect toggle ON, Timbre detects it immediately and prompts for authorization on the spot.
• Seamless Hot-Reconnection: Disconnecting and reconnecting your USB DAC automatically prompts for authorization and immediately triggers a forced pipeline rebuild, restoring green bit-perfect output instantly without needing manual setting toggles.
• Foreground-Only Lifecycle: Observers strictly register and unregister with Activity foreground states (onStart to onStop), ensuring background operations are never disrupted.

4. ?? Gapless Crossfade & Track-Transition Bit-Exact Fix

• Eliminated False "Converted Downstream" on Song Change: Resolved an architectural dual-player crossfade bug where natural track transitions dropped telemetry, leaving the status as "Bit-exact: No (converted downstream)".
• Audible Buffer Certification: PrecisionAudioSink now dynamically certifies bit-exact telemetry upon active buffer emission, ensuring continuous ?? BIT-PERFECT: Bit-Exact Signal Path certification across your entire playlist.

5. ??? Truthful Color-Coding & Signal Path Certification

• Strict Certification: The Audio Pipeline inspector now enforces honest color-coding. The badge will never display green if audio is routed through AudioFlinger, downsampled, or routed to the built-in speaker.
• Truthful Yellow Badges:
  • ?? Framework Mixed (AudioFlinger): Clearly indicates when audio is managed by the OS mixer.
  • ?? Downsampled (24-bit ? 16-bit): Alerts you if output precision is restricted.
• Phone Speaker Recognition & Guidance:
  • Phone speakers are identified as ?? Phone Speaker (Framework Mixed).
  • Informational banners explain that built-in speakers always pass through AudioFlinger and OEM protection limiters, with direct guidance: "Connect an IEM or a lossless-codec-supported TWS (e.g. LDAC / LHDC) for bit-perfect audio."
• Detailed USB Hardware Inspector: Displays live USB Protocol (UAC1/UAC2), Exclusive Access state, DAC Max Supported Sample Rates, Supported Bit Depths, and Kernel Driver status.

6. ??? Timbre Studio Settings & Add-ons in Backup & Restore

• Complete Data Portability: Timbre?s JSON Backup & Restore engine (Settings -> Backup & Restore) now fully serializes:
  • All Custom Streaming Sources and Community Add-ons.
  • Custom Source priority rankings and health parameters.
  • All Timbre Studio configuration preferences and DAC options.
• Seamlessly migrate your entire bespoke audiophile setup across devices in one click.

7. ?? Source Edge Health & Persistent FLAC Resolution (from v1.8-2)

• Interactive Multi-Provider Health Dialog: Live ping and latency testing across Lossless Bridge, Timbre Cloudflare Edge, YouTube Music, and JioSaavn with HTTP/2 persistent connection pooling (<50ms re-test latency).
• Disk-Backed StreamChoice: Resolved FLAC stream URLs persist across cold app restarts with a 12-hour validity window.
• Contaminated Cache Purge: Automatically detects and purges lossy Opus bytes in HiFi cache slots before playback begins.

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?? Available Release Packages (v1.8-3)

Package	Architecture	Description
Timbre-v1.8-3-arm64.apk	�rm64-v8a	Recommended for 99% of modern phones (fastest, optimized native 64-bit binaries).
Timbre-v1.8-3-universal.apk	Universal	Universal package compatible with all Android devices.
Timbre-v1.8-3-armeabi-v7a.apk	�rmeabi-v7a	Legacy 32-bit ARM devices.
Timbre-v1.8-3-x86_64.apk	x86_64	Android emulators, ChromeOS, and x86 devices.

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?? Community & Support

Join our official Telegram Community for discussions, updates, and setup assistance.

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??? Lineage & Upstream

Timbre is an audiophile Android mobile fork built upon BitChord by Kushagra Singh. Desktop and TV users can find upstream builds on BitChord's repository.

💬 Community & Support

Join our official Telegram Community for discussions, updates, and setup assistance.

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📲 Install & Update

• ARM64 (Recommended for most phones): Download Timbre-v1.8-3-arm64.apk
• Universal (All devices): Download Timbre-v1.8-3.apk

💡 Desktop or TV user? Timbre is engineered specifically for Android mobile devices. If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android TV builds, please check upstream BitChord v1.8-3.

Timbre v1.8-2

Timbre v1.8-2

Bit-Perfect High-Resolution Audio Streaming for Android
Streamlined audiophile player built upon the foundation of BitChord v1.8-2.

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🎛️ Timbre Studio: Source Health & Persistent Resolution (v1.8-2)

Welcome to Timbre v1.8-2, bringing major audiophile infrastructure upgrades, full Source Edge Health diagnostics across all upstream providers, persistent disk-backed FLAC stream resolution across app restarts, and upstream migration to the official KATx-dev/qobuz-addon Cloudflare edge infrastructure.

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🌟 New Features & Architectural Enhancements in v1.8-2

1. 🌐 Interactive Source Edge Health Diagnostics

• Multi-Provider Health Inspector: Replaced the static single ping with a dedicated Source Edge Health popup dialog matching Timbre's dark and light Material 3 design system.
• Simultaneous Provider Probing: Automatically measures live network latency across all active audio streaming providers simultaneously:
  • YouTube Music: Core audio provider (AAC / Opus 160 kbps).
  • Lossless Bridge: Dedicated dual-engine resolver on Fly.io (LastWave + Qobuz 24-bit Hi-Res FLAC).
  • Timbre Cloudflare Edge: Public Cloudflare worker resolver (timbre-lossless-worker) powered by Cloudflare D1.
  • JioSaavn: Indian music catalog provider (when enabled).
• Color-Coded Status Badges:
  • 🟢 Ultra-Low Latency (<150ms): Optimal response for instant playback start.
  • 🟡 Optimal (150ms – 400ms): Fast resolution within the Priority Resolution Window.
  • 🔴 High Latency (>400ms) / Offline: Network congestion or upstream down.
• Persistent Connection Pooling: Features a live "Re-test" button utilizing a persistent OkHttpClient connection pool to reuse negotiated HTTP/2 TCP/TLS sessions, dropping diagnostic re-test latencies down to <50ms.

2. 💾 Persistent Stream URL Resolution (StreamChoice)

• Disk-Backed State: Previously, resolved FLAC URLs were stored strictly in RAM, meaning closing the app from recent apps caused Timbre to forget the stream URL and fall back to Opus on cold restart.
• Instant Cold Start Playback: StreamChoice now persists resolved FLAC stream URLs to disk storage via encrypted SharedPreferences with JSON serialization and a 12-hour validity window.
• Zero Hot-Swaps on Replay: Replaying a previously resolved studio FLAC track streams bit-perfect 24-bit audio directly from 0:00 instantly without waiting for resolution or executing a jarring mid-song transition.

3. 🛡️ AudioCache Opus Contamination Purge

• Byte-Signature Inspection: Updated AudioCache.kt key factory to inspect #hifi and #alt cache slots before serving cached audio chunks.
• Automatic Purge: If an #alt cache slot contains contaminated lossy YouTube Opus audio bytes (e.g. from an earlier playback prior to FLAC resolution), Timbre automatically purges the tainted chunks immediately.
• Prevents False Cache Hits: Completely eliminates 65ms false lossy cache hits that previously bypassed the Priority Resolution Window.

4. ⚡ Ultra-Fast Cloudflare Edge Manifest Fast-Path

• Zero Database Overhead: Added an ultra-low latency fast-path to Timbre-addon-worker. Manifest requests (/manifest.json) are now served directly from Cloudflare Edge memory in <5ms without executing cross-continental Cloudflare D1 database roundtrips.
• In-Memory Token Cache: Validated user tokens are cached in worker memory for 15 minutes, slashing manifest ping times from 600ms+ down to under 100ms.

5. 🚀 Official Qobuz Upstream Migration (KATx-dev/qobuz-addon)

• Migrated to Official Upstream: Updated all resolvers in both Timbre-addon-worker and lossless-bridge-fly from deprecated third-party mirrors to the official, verified https://qobuz-dll.foreyou.workers.dev upstream.
• 100% Resolution Availability: Direct integration with official Akamai CDN streaming endpoints (streaming-qobuz-std.akamaized.net), guaranteeing zero 402/502 errors and instant delivery of bit-perfect 24-bit Hi-Res FLAC masters.

6. 🏎️ Dual-Engine Parallel Racing & Quality Ranking

• In lossless-bridge-fly (v1.1.0), the engine races LastWave (lastwaveaddons.clashprojects.qd.je) and Qobuz (qobuz-dll.foreyou.workers.dev) simultaneously in parallel.
• Candidate tracks are ranked by a strict mathematical quality formula:
  $$\text{score} = (\text{bit_depth} \times 1,000,000) + \text{sample_rate} + \text{cdn_bonus}$$
  • 24-bit / 192 kHz beats 24-bit / 96 kHz
  • 24-bit / 96 kHz beats 24-bit / 44.1 kHz
  • 24-bit beats 16-bit Lossless
  • Direct Akamai CDN streams receive a +1 bonus tie-breaker to preserve Fly.io bandwidth.
• Clean Query Normalization: Automatically strips YouTube noise tags ((Official Music Video), [Lyric Video], etc.) before querying catalogs, cutting resolution time in half.

7. 🏷️ Quality Upgrade Toggle Fix

• Fixed format detection in QualityUpgrade.kt so tracks that were previously substituted or cached display "Upgrade quality" instead of "Revert to original" when lossy audio is playing.

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📦 Available Release Packages

Package	Architecture	Description
Timbre-v1.8-2-arm64.apk	arm64-v8a	Recommended for 99% of modern phones (fastest, optimized native 64-bit binaries).
Timbre-v1.8-2.apk	Universal	Universal package compatible with all Android devices.
Timbre-v1.8-2-armeabi-v7a.apk	armeabi-v7a	Legacy 32-bit ARM devices.
Timbre-v1.8-2-x86_64.apk	x86_64	Android emulators, ChromeOS, and x86 devices.

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💖 Upstream Foundation & Lineage

Timbre is an audiophile Android mobile fork built upon BitChord by Kushagra Singh.

• Desktop & TV Builds: If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, Android TV, or Fire TV builds, please download upstream BitChord Releases.

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💬 Community & Support

Join our official Telegram Community for discussions, updates, and setup assistance.

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📲 Install & Update

• ARM64 (Recommended for most phones): Download Timbre-v1.8-2-arm64.apk
• Universal (All devices): Download Timbre-v1.8-2.apk

💡 Desktop or TV user? Timbre is engineered specifically for Android mobile devices. If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android TV builds, please check upstream BitChord v1.8-2.

Timbre v1.8

Timbre v1.8

Bit-Perfect High-Resolution Audio Streaming for Android
Streamlined audiophile player built upon the foundation of BitChord v1.8.

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## 💎 Timbre Audiophile Architecture

• Bit-Perfect Lossless Pipeline: Uncompressed 24-bit/192kHz direct hardware output to external USB DACs and Type-C DSP earphones (such as Moondrop Chu II DSP at native 96kHz).
• Lossless-First Audio Routing (0:00): Studio FLAC sources are prioritized from the first second with a customizable 0.5s – 5.0s Lossless Priority Window in Settings → Playback.
• Predictive 4-Track Lookahead: Quadrupled queue lookahead pre-caching from 1 track to 4 tracks (2-second stagger), ensuring instant gapless transitions.
• Accurate Decoded PCM Telemetry: Nerd Stats displays live physical decoded PCM throughput (e.g., 1,411 kbps for 16/44.1, 4,608 kbps for 24/96) matching hardware sink throughput.
• Timbre Waveform Vector Identity: Redesigned minimalist audio waveform vector branding across app headers, status-bar notifications, and Replay cards.
• Streamlined Mobile Performance: Stripped desktop/TV overhead to maximize Android battery efficiency and RAM throughput.

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✨ New in v1.8 (Upstream BitChord & Timbre)

• Spotify Integration: Connect your Spotify account to import playlists and Liked Songs into native playback with full-size artwork and no track limits.
• Apple Music-Style Menus: Long-press popups for songs, albums, and playlists featuring smooth frosted glass aesthetics.
• Redesigned Artist Pages: Clean action header, latest release card, top songs, and detailed artist credits accessible directly from the player.
• Enhanced Lyrics Engine: Added lrc.red provider, lyric snippet sharing card, optimized CJK title matching, and smooth syllable-level scrolling.
• Playlist Management: Reorder songs inside custom playlists, bulk-add tracks, and view total album/playlist duration.
• Listen Together Enhancements: Invite deep-linking and synchronized queue state across devices.

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🏛️ Upstream Foundation & Other Versions

Timbre is a specialized Android mobile audiophile fork built upon BitChord by Kushagra Singh.

• Desktop & TV Builds: If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, Android TV, or Fire TV builds, please download upstream BitChord Releases.
• Version Lineage:
  • v1.8: Spotify library integration, redesigned artist credits, frosted glass action menus, playlist management.
  • v1.7: Revamped playback pipeline, high-precision lyric clock sync, and enhanced network stream caching.
  • v1.6: Listen Together group sessions, WebDAV & SMB custom storage support, and Discord RPC scrobbling.
  • v1.5 & earlier: Core architecture, YouTube Music scraping engine, and initial multiplatform foundation.

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💬 Community & Support

Join our official Telegram Community for discussions, updates, and setup assistance.

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📲 Install & Update

• ARM64 (Recommended for most phones): Download Timbre-v1.8-arm64.apk
• Universal (All devices): Download Timbre-v1.8.apk

💡 Desktop or TV user? Timbre is engineered specifically for Android mobile devices. If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android TV builds, please check upstream BitChord v1.8.

Timbre v1.8-1

Timbre v1.8-1

Bit-Perfect High-Resolution Audio Streaming for Android
Streamlined audiophile player built upon the foundation of BitChord v1.8-1.

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🎛️ Timbre Studio Audiophile Suite (v1.8-1)

Welcome to Timbre v1.8-1, a milestone release introducing the complete Timbre Studio audiophile suite, true bit-exact hardware routing, concurrent predictive FLAC pre-warming, and major cache engine optimizations.

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🌟 Timbre Studio: All Features & Options Explained

• 🛡️ Bit-Exact Certification Badge: Live signal-path verification indicator located at the top of the Audio Pipeline inspector.
  • 🟢 BIT-PERFECT: Bit-Exact Signal Path: Confirms audio bypasses Android's system mixer (AudioFlinger) and reaches your hardware DAC unresampled at its native bit depth and sample rate.
  • 🟡 Framework Mixed (A2DP) / AudioFlinger: Indicates when audio is being routed through Android's system or Bluetooth mixer.
• 📶 Bluetooth Codec Telemetry: Real-time detection and display of active negotiated Bluetooth A2DP codecs (LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC) with exact negotiated transmission bit depth and sample rate (e.g. 24-bit / 96kHz for LDAC at 990 kbps).
• 🔌 Direct Bit-Perfect Mode (USB DAC Passthrough): Requests Android OS hardware USB host permissions via UsbManager.requestPermission for attached external USB DACs and Type-C DSP earphones (e.g., Fiio KA11/KA13/KA17, Moondrop Dawn Pro, Moondrop Chu II DSP, Apple USB-C Dongle). Bypasses Android's 48kHz resampler completely.
• 💎 Purist Mode ("Lossless or Nothing"): Strict audiophile gatekeeper. When enabled, Timbre strictly refuses lossy YouTube audio fallback (128–160 kbps Opus/AAC). If a studio FLAC master stream cannot be resolved within the Priority Resolution Window across edge workers and addons, Timbre automatically skips past the unplayable track to the next song instead of ever degrading your listening experience with lossy audio.
• ⏱️ Priority Resolution Window (0.5s – 8.0s): Customizable slider controlling how long Timbre waits for Cloudflare edge workers and lossless addons to match and return a 24-bit FLAC stream before proceeding. Range now expanded up to 8.0 seconds (0.1s increments) to give edge workers ample time for deeper catalog searches.
• 🧠 Audio Buffer Sizing: Multi-tier internal memory buffer control for the AndroidX Media3 AudioTrack PCM sink:
  • Low Latency (~250ms): Ultra-fast tactile response to seeks and pause/resume.
  • Standard (~500ms): Optimal balance of latency and playback stability.
  • Audiophile Stable (~1500ms): Deep PCM buffer immune to micro-stutters during Android backgrounding or heavy Doze power-saving.
• 🔄 Bit-Perfect Rate Switching: Dynamically reconfigures the hardware AudioTrack sink on the fly to match each track's native container sample rate (44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz), eliminating non-integer sample rate conversion jitter.
• ⏩ Queue Lookahead Engine (3 to 20 Tracks): Configurable lookahead buffer that resolves upcoming tracks in parallel over the network. Rapid skipping no longer cancels in-flight jobs.
• 📡 Lossless Pre-warming Network Mode: Multi-state selector (Off, Wi-Fi Only, Any Network) controlling background audio pre-caching to preserve mobile data.
• 💾 Pre-cached Songs Count (3 to 50 Songs): Configurable slider determining how many upcoming tracks have their audio bytes pulled and verified into disk cache ahead of the playhead.
• ⚖️ FLAC Dynamic Normalisation: Multi-tier volume safeguard (Off, Preserve Dynamics, EBU R128 Peak Safeguard) preventing jarring volume spikes without compressing acoustic dynamics.
• 📊 Live Decoded PCM Telemetry (Stats for Nerds): Real-time overlay showing genuine physical data rate (e.g. 1,411 kbps for 16/44.1, 4,608 kbps for 24/96, 9,216 kbps for 24/192) alongside active server, container format, and buffer health.
• ☁️ Cloudflare Edge Health & Latency Monitor: Real-time round-trip ping measurement embedded directly inside Settings.

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🚀 Major Fixes & Performance Enhancements in v1.8-1

1. True FLAC Background Disk Caching:
   • Fixed cache key alignment in AudioCache.kt where lock probes previously queried bare videoId instead of #alt-noatmos, which had caused pre-caching lock probes to evaluate to 0 bytes and abort. Upcoming tracks now pre-cache their opening 1 MB and full stream chunks onto disk.
2. Concurrent, Non-Destructive Lookahead:
   • Replaced monolithic sequential job cancellation with concurrent, non-destructive per-track pre-warming. Rapid skipping no longer cancels in-flight lookahead jobs, eliminating delays when skipping through playlists.
3. Lossless Cache Retention:
   • Added Origin.LOSSLESS so cached FLAC tracks stay permanently on disk according to your LRU cache limit and appear cleanly in the Library's Cached songs folder.
4. Instant Priority Window Fallback Race:
   • Eliminated the 2–3s YouTube resolution stall after the priority window expires: Timbre now races the lossless search against YouTube, playing lossless immediately if ready.
5. Light Mode UI Tuning:
   • Re-engineered SegmentedControl selectors for Audio Buffer Sizing and Lossless Pre-warming to adapt dynamically to light mode with a soft light-gray track, elevated pure-white active pill, and sharp high-contrast typography.
6. Player Badge Vertical Alignment:
   • Fixed vertical clearance on the frosted glass Hi-Res pill badge under the seekbar, eliminating text clipping.
7. CI Hardcoded Secret Security Fix:
   • Cleaned up .github/workflows/build-and-release.yml by removing hardcoded token fallback, resolving the GitHub Actions security alert.

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💖 Upstream Foundation & Lineage

Timbre is an audiophile Android mobile fork built upon BitChord by Kushagra Singh.

• Desktop & TV Builds: If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, Android TV, or Fire TV builds, please download upstream BitChord Releases.

---

💬 Community & Support

Join our official Telegram Community for discussions, updates, and setup assistance.

---

📲 Install & Update

• ARM64 (Recommended for most phones): Download Timbre-v1.8-1-arm64.apk
• Universal (All devices): Download Timbre-v1.8-1.apk

💡 Desktop or TV user? Timbre is engineered specifically for Android mobile devices. If you need Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android TV builds, please check upstream BitChord v1.8-1.