The upcoming Linux 6.15 kernel is expected to merge two new Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) display drivers for supporting the Apple Touch Bar displays on older Intel x86 Macs and a newer “ADP” driver for handling the Apple Touch Bar displays on the newer Apple M1/M2-powered MacBooks.
Supporting Apple’s Touch Bar on Linux has been a long journey. In fact, Apple removed the Touch Bar from their Macs in 2023 while now in 2025, Linux is finally ready to support them on these older Macs. As I wrote about a month ago, Apple Touch Bar Backlight and Keyboard Mode drivers are slated to be submitted for the upcoming Linux 6.15 merge window. Now in addition to that, the DRM display drivers for being able to control the display output on these OLED strips is also set to go into this next kernel release.
Sent out today to DRM-Next by way of the weekly drm-misc-next pull is the “ADP” driver for supporting the Apple Touch Bar displays on M1/M2 Apple Silicon devices and then the “appletbdrm” driver for the Apple Touch Bar displays on Intel x86 based Macs. ADP in this context is the “Apple Display Pipe” controller.
So for those wanting to manipulate their Apple Touch Bar off the mainline kernel, assuming no last minute issues these new drivers will be part of the Linux 6.15 kernel – some 7+ years after the Apple Touch Bar was first introduced.
Today’s drm-misc-next pull also adds new code helpers for the TTM shrinker so that it can be used by the Intel Xe driver, HDMI audio support for the Synopsys bridge driver, support for the RK3576 SoC within the Rockchip DRM driver, and other changes.
The Linux 6.15 merge window is expected to open in late March following the v6.14 release. Linux 6.15 stable in turn should be out around the end of May.