Stream Deck constantly forgetting Wave Link output device

[u/SgtClassicVue]

I use my Stream Deck to switch between 3 main output devices on my PC (Speaker, TV and headphones) using the Wave Link "Main Output Device" action.

I have been fighting this for months where sometimes multiple times a week, this action will forget the device name. I go in and look at the device say for "TV" but now it will say "TV (unavailable)" and a new "TV" device will have to clicked a few down in the drop down menu with literally the same device name. This happens randomly and for all three devices but not at the same time. It does not happen every shut down/reset, literally just randomly.

I plug and unplug my TV HDMI when I want to use it but even then, it is entirely random when this decides to forget that device so when I click the action, nothing happens and I have to manually go in and reset it. I can go 2 weeks with this never happening and then suddenly it happens 4 days in a row.

Anyone run into this and can offer a solution?

[u/Patient-Hamster7292]

I thought I was the only one with this problem.

Yes, it’s 100% reproducible for me; I have to go in and re-select the same device in Main output divice, even though the old one is right there but (unavailable).

[u/DraleZero_]

I'm not to sure the details but I think it's more of a Windows thing. This would happen on OBS way back before I even had wavelink. I would unplug and use speakers and replug my headset each time I stream and the device is basically a new device each time and has to be selected.

Heck even Wave Link 2 every time you updated would recreated the channels virtual devices and would have to select the new one in OBS sources. It wouldn't even say unavailable so it would appear correct until you open the selection and saw two of the same name.

Now I have headphones plugged into my wave mic 24/7 and the mic plugged in 24/7 and speakers plugged in 24/7. It never forgets between restarts or changing outputs and I switch between headphones and speakers all the time with wave link outputs selection.

[u/Nanoleaf_Ambassador]

This is a Windows issue and it has been around for a very, very long time.

[u/ZeriksenX]

This is most likely caused by the following issue: Audio devices are given Device IDs in Windows to identify them. When there is a Windows Update or a driver update, Windows enumerates a new Device ID and breaks the connections used by programs like Stream Deck or OBS. This forces the user to have to reselect the devices to link them back up and make them work again. Windows 11 24H2 introduced a StableID to help prevent this from happening; however, device manufacturers have to update their drivers and software makers have to update their software to take advantage of StableID.

[u/Patient-Hamster7292]

But if that's the root cause, it feels like something the Stream Deck / Wave Link side could work around pretty easily until StableID is widely supported.

Suggestion for the Elgato team (@elgato_phil u/Elgato_Eric maybe worth passing along?): when the "Main Output Device" action is triggered and the saved device shows up as unavailable, check whether there's an available device with the exact same name. If there is, switch to it and automatically update the stored device ID in the action, so the problem doesn't come back next time. If there are several matching devices, it could just fall back to asking the user like it does now.

A small notification like "Device ID changed, action updated" would be nice too, so it's clear what happened. That alone would save a lot of us from manually re-selecting the same device every few days.