---
name: "SDL_HINT_AUDIO_DEVICE_STREAM_ROLE"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "libsdl3-doc"
version: "3.2.10+ds-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/SDL_HINT_AUDIO_DEVICE_STREAM_ROLE"
---

# SDL\_HINT\_AUDIO\_DEVICE\_STREAM\_ROLE(3)

Specify an application role for an audio device.

## NAME

SDL\_HINT\_AUDIO\_DEVICE\_STREAM\_ROLE - Specify an application role for an audio device.

## HEADER FILE

Defined in SDL3/SDL\_hints.h

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include "SDL3/SDL.h"
```

**#define SDL\_HINT\_AUDIO\_DEVICE\_STREAM\_ROLE** *SDL\_AUDIO\_DEVICE\_STREAM\_ROLE"*

## DESCRIPTION

Some audio backends (such as Pipewire) allow you to describe the role of your audio stream. Among other things, this description might show up in a system control panel or software for displaying and manipulating media playback/recording graphs.

This hints lets you transmit that information to the OS. The contents of this hint are used while opening an audio device. You should use a string that describes your what your program is playing (Game, Music, Movie, etc...).

Setting this to "" or leaving it unset will have SDL use a reasonable default: "Game" or something similar.

Note that while this talks about audio streams, this is an OS-level concept, so it applies to a physical audio device in this case, and not an

**SDL\_AudioStream** , nor an SDL logical audio device.

This hint should be set before an audio device is opened.

## AVAILABILITY

This hint is available since SDL 3.2.0.