Well, trying to put some order on one of the most important (yet problematic) app for our Samsung Gear: GEAR MANAGER
Until now (30th Dez 2013) Samsung Gear communicates basically with Gear Manager to configure the overall settings, Samsung Gear launcher, sync settings/multimedia or to receive notifications.
Some of the most important threats (IMO) are:
"gear manager update v1.5.121601" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2586480
"Unable to reply SMS-es through S-voice" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48581831
"Gear Manager Uninstalls Feedly" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48582488
As of 30th Dez 2013, Samsung Gear MK7 and Gear Manager v1.5.121601
Issues:
1) Gear Manager v1.5.121601 crashes/freezes when people press "Notifications" and then "More Notifications" (ex: to turn ON Whatsapp or other app notifications) (temporary fix: uninstall v1.5.121601 -> find & install Gear Manager_1.5.120903 apk)
2) My Samsung Gear has Null_ 16 ROM. Before Gear Manager v1.5.121601, when I tried to update my firmware through Gear, it said "no updates (as I have the latest MK7, though with Null_), now it says "your Gear has been modified".
3) S-Voice does not work to answer SMS: A) voice recognition is horrible! B) it tries to send the SMS to a complete different number!!!
Example: I live in Germany, I received an SMS from (example) +49 1 777 55 66 77. When I reply using S-VOICE, the reply fails "Unable to send SMS" as the stupid software through S-Voice replies to (example) (it is sent to 49 1 0000 777 55 66 77 --> WRONG Number!!! FIRST it ignored the "+" and SECOND it added "0000" to the number...)
4) Gear Manager uninstalls Feedly, another company´s application, and without my consent! (gReader does the trick, but nevertheless... ridiculous!)
What to improve:
1) S-Voice...voice recognition! It is so bad comparing to my Note 3´s S-Voice, that hurts!!!
2) S-Voice capabilities: first I thought that Gear´s S-Voice was just a channel from Note 3´s S-Voice, so it would be (a little) smarter, and could also do some basic web search, etc.... but it doesn´t!!! And so stupid it is...when I try to know the weather in some city that is not the one I am at (or well known like London, Paris, Madrid), it always says the weather to the city I am at! Even "New York" or "Miami" fails! (at least if I speak in German or Spanish)
3) No basic web search....(original software)
4) No basic keyboard writing (original software)
5) No basic RSS / Feedly / Google Translate (original software)
6) No photo/video sharing capabilities to common ways like E-Mail, MMS, Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook,...
7) No standard (-alone) alarm??? what??? (original software) So...if my Note 3 ran out of battery while asleep, my Gear just won´t sound any alarm, or just do alarms.... No comments.
8) No possibility to turn off the camera sound (original software. Null_ 16 ROM turns this off)
9) Auto-Internet teethering (but with On/Off option)
10) Work on every single (also non-Samsung) Android 4.x or iOS device!!!!
Please be free to add Issues: and What to improve: and, if possible, alternatives/solutions to it that do not mean "hard core" solutions like editing system files and others
Personally I have some questions:
A) with Null_ ROM, is it possible to answer Notifications (SMS/E-Mail/Whatsapp) with keyboard? (I can use the keyboard for other apps, but to the default Gear-Manager-mediated-notifications, despite Null_ ROM, I am still limited to the standard Samsung options)
B) Is there a way to take pictures, and directly send to whatsapp/E-mail? (note that I still want to manage my E-mail/Whatsapp on my phone. I just want to send the pictures and basic answer)
C) Better installable alternative to S-Voice? (with web search, more options, etc)
1) Sucks. Even clean install doesn't work for me
2) Well, that is the case, not really an issue. How can it update a rom it knows nothing about? Just like phones
3) Super annoying
4) GM removes all apps that it installs (or knows about - app store or sideload or 'sub apks'). it then reinstalls when GM is installed (except sideload for obvious reasons). Feedly developers included something in newer versions to make it interact with GM hence it gets uninstalled
---
8) It's a legal thing (same as on phones)
9) I'd rather wifi, and instead of Bluetooth tethering, just access internet using current protocol via the app (similar to google glass)
10) Pebble manages to work fine, no reason this watch needs to use touchwiz
I'd like to hope that next version of watch fixes many things and opens up to other devices. This is first gen after all
Really need a SKD!!! That way we won't need to rely on Samsung to make all the changes that we want - just look at everything you can do on the very simple Pebble
A) You need tablet talk. Have a search for it and sms - plenty of discussion here
B) No - only autotransfer (setting in app on phone) or share to evernote
C) There is a thread here about using autoremote (and I think google now?). Requires a bit of setting up though
Brendo: thanks, I´ll look into it!
About my B) question "Is there a way to take pictures, and directly send to whatsapp/E-mail?", I partially solved that. If you install a mail client on Gear (I installed K9, as it is very light), when you take a picture, you can directly from Gear´s Camera app share to the E-mail. To Whatsapp... only the "old solution": take the picture and with the phone.
Something I have wondered but not being a developer I cant answer, has any of you clever sparks thought de constructing the gear manager and doing a re write? ie like we have roms we have a new watch controller (notice I didnt say gear manager)
NZ_Nitro said:
Something I have wondered but not being a developer I cant answer, has any of you clever sparks thought de constructing the gear manager and doing a re write? ie like we have roms we have a new watch controller (notice I didnt say gear manager)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reverse engineer? It's easy enough to view the source code, but there is a hell of a lot. I guess it could be possible
NZ_Nitro said:
Something I have wondered but not being a developer I cant answer, has any of you clever sparks thought de constructing the gear manager and doing a re write? ie like we have roms we have a new watch controller (notice I didnt say gear manager)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory it is possible, *but* Samsung Gear is not a popular model like other smart watches, as it is not iOS/other Android compatible, and it makes to much trouble (perhaps, I do not know).
An re-written Gear Manager would be wonderful: flaws solved, opened Gear to all 4.x Android, etc... a dream come true.
I recently retired my son's Galaxy Tab 2 (7") for a new SM-710 (updated OTA to 5.1.1). The old Tab 2 (running CM12) was setup in multi-user mode with him as a restricted user. It worked great - I could limit his access on an app by app basis, his data didn't cross-over into my data, he could log into services with his own account etc etc.
So I had intended to setup his new SM-710 the same way - me as the primary user, him as a restricted user. One HUGE problem - the Samsung (TouchWiz) version of Lollipop seems to be missing a critical menu item that is present on stock Lollipop devices. I can't find the "add users from lockscreen" option in the USER settings. On stock devices there is a menu button (top right) where this option is located. It is usually defaulted to unchecked, however on the Samsung version, the device behaves as if the option is checked, and yet there is no menu item to uncheck. This results in both the "GUEST" and "ADD USER" items appearing in the multi-user lockscreen menu when the device is locked. This is a problem for a multitude of reasons. My son could simply create a new user from the lockscreen and use that account to bypass all the restrictions I have placed on his account. Moreover, anyone else could do the same thing, making it impossible to secure the device.
I have tried a few fixes that I found here and elsewhere. All of them required me to root the device, none of them worked (build.prop edits, sql db edits etc). Happy to describe in detail what I tried, but didn't want to make the post any longer that it had to be). Has no one else noticed this problem/error/bug? Am I missing something obvious?
Any help / insight would be appreciated.
Have a look at Samsungs' "Kids Mode", available in the Galaxy Apps store. It is supposed to be their solution for handing your tablet or phone to your children. It requires a pin code to leave the Kids Mode. However, I suspect it is targeted at rather youngish kids.
My T815, which is still at 5.0.2, doesn't even have the options you describe. I'm a bit annoyed that Samsung has spent time disabling features that just come for free from Google.
The build.prop edit should have worked according to other threads. I'm not rooted, so I can't tell.
Hi all,
So this has been bugging me for a while and I can't seem to find much info on it on the net regarding our Galaxy Tab S2's. In all their wisdom Samsung removed the ability to open a file/link etc with a app just once, instead when you choose a app to open a file with it will automatically set that app as the default. Really annoying when you open certain files with multiple apps (eg links, media files etc). Only way to chose another app to open with is reset the apps defaults, which is tedious and extremely annoying. I've tried 'better open with' but that doesn't work for all media types (links from Chrome is one type that comes to mind).
So does anyone know how to reenable this basic functionality that has been present in Android for a very long time? Hell, currently it's worse than idevices
(On a side note, when I first used this device I thought to myself 'wow, Samsung hasn't butchered the Android interface this time'. How wrong I was... Why Samsung, why!?!?! You've removed functionality with zero benefit!)
I just received a Samsung4 smartwatch and am looking for more apps not available on Google Play! Primarily Social Media apps and Facebook Messenger. LOL. That's where I chat from and those contacts are not in the other message apps - Google Android Messages, Samsung Messages (which is best to use?) I am here to learn how to download the apps listed on this site. I have some IT experience (IT Systems Technician for 16 years/IT Systems Analyst 2 years) but haven't tinkered with a smartwatch. I did brick a phone back in the day so I'm a little scared to mess with my brand-new watch! I did install the Moviebox APK (Kpanda?) on my smartphone, but it didn't require any other software. I already opened Developer Tools - ADB - Debug over WIFI (the IP starts with 10) From what I understand, I have to make changes in Device Manager for the phone, install APK software programs to my laptop (are these free or do I have to pay for it?), download the apps I want from your catalogue and install to the watch? I will watch the videos and follow along! And there is no risk of damaging my watch, like maybe I select something wrong and wipe it out or brick it?
Unfortunately, I don't have a correct IP address - Debug over WIFI shows 10.0.0.194, therefore, I cannot proceed with downloading APKs from Uptodown from either Bugjaeger or Easy Fire Tools. I am connected to Wi-Fi and not getting a 192. IP. There is no notification request sent to a device. When I click continue it says "Authorization Failed". Is there another setting I need to change?
Update: I figured it out. My old internet provider used to begin with 192 but this one starts with 10. Then when I click on the file that I want to install I have to click a prompt on the watch to allow it. All good!
Welcome to the XDA forums! Looks like you found the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 section!
Cheers
I bought this watch some years ago, but never had a Samsung phone running Gear Manager to control it, so it went into a drawer. I found it again recently, and now I'm determined to get at least some value from the device. I know that the watch can do lots of things, but at present I'd just like to achieve using the watch as a watch - meaning, it has to display the correct time. I believe it is running the original Android OS (pre-Tizen), and there is no internal UI to set the time. So what's the quickest way for me to poke the date/time into this watch? I've read about the history of the device, including Kies, Odin, Heimdall, updated Samsung ROMs, custom ROMs, hacked versions of Gear Manager, Tizen, Android Wear, sending strings with sdb, etc. Ideally, I'm looking for a utility that can set the time externally, or a ROM version that has clock-setting as part of its UI. Note, I still don't own a Samsung phone . Thanks for any advice!