Install bluez

Install the bluez snap via:

$ snap install bluez

The snap is being downloaded and installed. Observe that the snap has been installed like follows:

$ snap install bluez
bluez 5.48-4 from Canonical✓ installed

The naming scheme for the bluez snap includes the current BlueZ version being packaged in the snap (5.48 in this case) and the revision of the snap itself (4th in this case). Whenever the snap is updated but still provides BlueZ version 5.48 the last digit will be incremented.

The above output informs that BlueZ 5.48 has been installed on the system. This effect is equivalent to typing

$ sudo apt install bluez

on a classic Ubuntu flavor that you run on your desktop or laptop computer.

Let’s list the snap plugs/slots for the snap:

$ snap connections bluez
Interface          Plug                     Slot           Notes
bluetooth-control  bluez:bluetooth-control  -              -
bluez              bluez:client             bluez:service  -
home               bluez:home               -              -
network-control    bluez:network-control    -              -
uhid               bluez:uhid               :uhid          -

Note that the bluez:service slot is provided by the bluez snap itself.

bluez tracks and channels

The bluez snap has currently four tracks, and with the exception of ‘latest’, the track name will refer to the base snap version used, and that is the convention used at the moment

• 24: Contains upstream version 5.72 and has a core24 base.
• 22: Contains upstream version 5.64 and has a core22 base. Nowadays, this is the one installed by default if the channel is not specified when running snap install .
• 20: Contains upstream version 5.53 and has a core20 base.
• latest: Contains upstream version 5.48 and has a core16 base. Despite the unfortunate name (there are historical reasons for that) it is the oldest version.