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I love the Galaxy Gear. I love the native apps on the watch. However, while a few of the add-on apps are good, I am disappointed some of the others are poor.
I recognize some of the physical design shortcomings of the Gear, but accept the product as it is. In my mind, the watch is not a sport watch, it is a little computer on my wrist. I accept that I need to take reasonable precautions to guard it from water exposure, cold shock and physical impact (caution with glass bezel).
The native apps are fabulous. They are what I consider essential in making the device a truly smart watch (swatch). Overall, it allows me to interact with the smart phone (sphone) upon urgent events: answering phone calls, reading text messages, notification on email, controlling media player while walking, monitoring distance and pace while running. The native watch faces are even good: review of weather or accessing any three apps. Of course, the camera is a huge bonus - not essential, but it truly makes the Gear a distinctive swatch. The inclusion of a speaker for phone calls is an outstanding feature, again this is handy when receiving a call while walking.
The issue I want to make in this thread is my experience with the add-on apps. A few of the apps are excellent and add value to the overall swatch experience (eg: Runtastic). However, some other apps are poorly coded, or outright fail to install or work. It astonishes me that some apps fail to work, given that Samsung has vetted this library of restrictive apps. As I understand it (read elsewhere), Samsung had exclusively invited developers to code apps for the Gear. I presume Samsung would also test these apps prior to including them in the download library. Well, I now suspect they may not have.
I am also disappointed at how slowly apps are being added into the library. I appreciate that the user base for Gear is small and thus revenue opportunities are assuredly small. However, any developer that introduces apps for the library could develop early expertise, etc. However, reality shows that third party apps are few and sometimes even disfunctional.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREAT APPS
Four apps in particular work very well and add value to the swatch experience:
RUNTASTIC
- Shows running performance (pace, distance, etc) on watch
EVERNOTE
- Read notes, checklist etc on watch when shopping etc.
- Upload camera photos to user account for later use.
POCKET
- Play audio reading of previously saved internet articles.
ZDCLOCK
- Set alarms, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- POOR APPS
I tried with frustration and disappointment a few other apps.
MyFitnessPal
- This works, but it forces a very lengthy synchronization with sphone and internet on each access.
- The delay caused by syncing is so frustrating that I uninstalled it, and refuse to use it.
RunKeeper
- This works, but it displaces far less performance data than Runtastic.
- Because of its inadequacy, I uninstalled it.
QuickSpeedometer
- This app fails to install. This failed on numerous attempts.
Mini Gallery
- This app fails to install. This failed on numerous attempts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've got mini gallery installed on my 'swatch' and it's never failed yet.
Works well and runs without fault.
Although I have mini gallery installed and it works (sort of), I have over 400 images on my 64 gig card and mini gallery is so ridiculously slow to load (even after the first time) it is virtually unuseable.
My favorite add on is watch styler it totally makes this watch worthwhile to me. I can make my own face, how awesome is that! Got one with the same wallpaper as my phone got my white and red jumpman (Jordan logo) got my Rolex background and I'm just getting started.
Man I love this watch.
Carried by a Raven
watch styler is one of the apps that I consider useless LOL.
Not only is the hour hand always off on a custom face, it freezes up constantly and kills battery life.
My main annoyance with a specific app is miniSquare. It boggles my mind that this app has been broken since day one with no removal or developer communication. Literally no one can use the app, as it only brings up a Korean error.
As a big fourquare user, I really really want this app to work.
Aside from that, I'm still on the negative side as far as my feelings on the marketplace go. Hopefully that changes in the future.
Amdathlonuk said:
I've got mini gallery installed on my 'swatch' and it's never failed yet.
Works well and runs without fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MINI GALLERY
-------------------
OK, taking your lead, I made another attempt to install Mini Gallery. Nope, it failed to install yet again. Or maybe not? So what happened is that it finally appeared to install and appeared on the Gear. However it seemed to freeze on the watch. After waiting for a couple of minutes I rebooted the Gear and uninstalled it.
Now, after reading your note, I see what might have happened. It was busy scanning my s-phone's thousands of photos stored on my extSDcard. Well then, demanding such a long wait time makes it unusable for me.
QUICK SPEEDOMETER
------------------------------
This app is by the same developer, Symphony Teleca. I tried installing this again, and this time it did load. This makes me think that Samsung's app server might instead be sending a link to the developer's server for downloading. Is this possible? I have only had previous difficulty download the two apps from the same developer.
The app does work. Good. However, I notice something irregular. Only when this app is run on the Gear, its duplicate app appears on the Note-3's notification window as an actively running task. That is because this app needs to poll the s-phone's GPS for data updates, so I presume the developer launches a GPS server service on the s-phone, while on the s-watch is a client service. Later when I stop and quit the app on the Gear, its server app remains active on the Note-3. I must then resort to killing the task on the Note-3 to recover system resources.
I have a suspicion that this might be the fault of Samsung's SDK library and not that of a developer's sloopy program techniques. Regardless, good programming practice, SDK, and libraries should never leave a thread active after the main program has terminated.
On the contrary my boy Watson.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Skeleton said:
MINI GALLERY
-------------------
Now, after reading your note, I see what might have happened. It was busy scanning my s-phone's thousands of photos stored on my extSDcard. Well then, demanding such a long wait time makes it unusable for me.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
The gallery probably works fine if you don't have a ton of images on your MicroSD card, but I just realized I have over 800 images in just one of multiple folders on my 64 gig card.
[Challenge] Why is "because X phone won't work with Gear Manager" acceptable?
I find this hard to believe and a slightly lazy answer to a common problem. There is obviously code in the APK that refuses to work on any non-Samsung device. Dozens of threads exist with people offering up the entire Gear APK catalog, some trying to get it to work on Nexus & and others.
fOmey and others have reverse engineered the entire ROM, but no one has figured out a way to "fix" one single app to allow it to work with all phones?
Is this not a work-in-progress somewhere? It's certainly not in any thread I have found.
What are the limitations to such a venture? Has it been tried? Is there a copyright issue? What reason has this not been attempted?
Our community has done some amazing things over the years and this site is the go-to place for rooting and hacking. There has to be one sole out there willing to give this a shot.
I am, by no means, a programmer or coder. I would take this up, but I do not have the skillset. Best I can do is go through XML files and the like hoping to find "if X=Z then A" and remove it.
Ultimately this would give us the missing companion to null_ that allows notifications and interactivity (i.e. Music player controls, etc)
So-- any takers?
I have a Nexus 5, even with the app fully running, I can only get the phone call part to work - talk/listen/incoming caller contact name
The way to get around unsupported device is with the GearManagerStub apk
I've had a bit of a search through most of the code, and from what I can tell all the apks are included so can only conclude there must be something in tw framework. Or I missed something...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2549058
Brendo said:
even with the app fully running, I can only get the phone call part to work - talk/listen/incoming caller contact name
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not helped by the app. I have mine tethered to an iPhone 3gs(not by choice) and it works fine with no software at all.
styz said:
This is not helped by the app. I have mine tethered to an iPhone 3gs(not by choice) and it works fine with no software at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To load the gear manager app, it is.. You simply connected your gear via bluetooth.
The gear manager app pushes notifications to the gear.
Without the GearManagerStub.apk it fails to load, its depends on this particular app.
It's pretty simple actually - and the same reason Sense doesn't run (well) on non-HTC devices. Samsung's got a huge proprietary framework on their phones that their proprietary apps expect to be in place and depend on. So plopping Gear Manager on a phone that doesn't have the expected underlying s/w causes it to fail or deliver bits and pieces of functionality. Someone could probably figure out which pieces of Samsung's framework need to be in place but if there are a ton of them adding useless bloat (outside the Gear functionality) wouldn't it be easier just to use the Gear with a Samsung phone? And the design point Samsung's chosen (dependency on proprietary Samsung code on the phone for the Gear to work) pretty much tells you that, at least for now, they are happy with restricting Gear sales to owners of Samsung devices. Hell, the SGS4 GPe doesn't even support the Gear.
Just a personal thought, at $299 (I know, it was 30% less at T-Mobile) the Gear's a questionable investment (AKA: a "play thing") as it is. Accepting that key features (of the few provided) are missing to get it to work on a non-Samsung phone seems like a great garage project but not a very good use of $299. Just my opinion of course.
BarryH_GEG said:
It's pretty simple actually - and the same reason Sense doesn't run (well) on non-HTC devices. Samsung's got a huge proprietary framework on their phones that their proprietary apps expect to be in place and depend on. So plopping Gear Manager on a phone that doesn't have the expected underlying s/w causes it to fail or deliver bits and pieces of functionality. Someone could probably figure out which pieces of Samsung's framework need to be in place but if there are a ton of them adding useless bloat (outside the Gear functionality) wouldn't it be easier just to use the Gear with a Samsung phone? And the design point Samsung's chosen (dependency on proprietary Samsung code on the phone for the Gear to work) pretty much tells you that, at least for now, they are happy with restricting Gear sales to owners of Samsung devices. Hell, the SGS4 GPe doesn't even support the Gear.
Just a personal thought, at $299 (I know, it was 30% less at T-Mobile) the Gear's a questionable investment (AKA: a "play thing") as it is. Accepting that key features (of the few provided) are missing to get it to work on a non-Samsung phone seems like a great garage project but not a very good use of $299. Just my opinion of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am purchasing home automation items and bluetooth adaptors for my vehicle so I don't think of this as a toy. I consider it a great step forward.
fOmey said:
...Without the GearManagerStub.apk it fails to load, its depends on this particular app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed the stub and the gearmanager apks and it still gave me a 'unsupported device' message. *sadface*
therealduckie said:
I am purchasing home automation items and bluetooth adaptors for my vehicle so I don't think of this as a toy. I consider it a great step forward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Why would an underpowered device with a 315mAh battery, 512MB of RAM, and a 1.63" display be the best "tool for the job" you described? Especially when it requires a host in near-by proximity for the majority of its functions? It's great what people are doing with the Gear outside the mission Samsung released it for but, like I said before, you're talking about parlor tricks more for sport than serving a function unachievable by better means; some of which are more practical. And if you're trying to use the Gear while driving, especially if you've shrunk the DPI with a launcher, good luck. It's hard enough using the basic functions and S Voice while driving without ending up in another lane. I'm not criticizing everyone's ingenuity and cleverness just pointing out how impractical some things can appear when you take in to account what the Gear really is; a shamefully low-spec, low functionality Android "phone" with a tiny screen that happens to have a wrist band.
BarryH_GEG said:
It's pretty simple actually - and the same reason Sense doesn't run (well) on non-HTC devices. Samsung's got a huge proprietary framework on their phones that their proprietary apps expect to be in place and depend on. So plopping Gear Manager on a phone that doesn't have the expected underlying s/w causes it to fail or deliver bits and pieces of functionality. Someone could probably figure out which pieces of Samsung's framework need to be in place but if there are a ton of them adding useless bloat (outside the Gear functionality) wouldn't it be easier just to use the Gear with a Samsung phone? And the design point Samsung's chosen (dependency on proprietary Samsung code on the phone for the Gear to work) pretty much tells you that, at least for now, they are happy with restricting Gear sales to owners of Samsung devices. Hell, the SGS4 GPe doesn't even support the Gear.
Just a personal thought, at $299 (I know, it was 30% less at T-Mobile) the Gear's a questionable investment (AKA: a "play thing") as it is. Accepting that key features (of the few provided) are missing to get it to work on a non-Samsung phone seems like a great garage project but not a very good use of $299. Just my opinion of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why this is a challenge
Im intrigued.. I want to figure this out, I prefer to use AOSP. Iv been forced to go back to TouchWiz since owning a gear.
I might have to do some more digging around.
therealduckie said:
I installed the stub and the gearmanager apks and it still gave me a 'unsupported device' message. *sadface*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends how you do it? I moved the apk to system/app and then had to install it (so that it was in data/app as com.whatever as it looks for apk based on that name). May not need it in system app anymore
Which phone?
---------- Post added at 11:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
fOmey said:
That's why this is a challenge
Im intrigued.. I want to figure this out, I prefer to use AOSP. Iv been forced to go back to TouchWiz since owning a gear.
I might have to do some more digging around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know how much touchwiz is in google edition roms? Does gear fully work with ge roms?
Brendo said:
Depends how you do it? I moved the apk to system/app and then had to install it (so that it was in data/app as com.whatever as it looks for apk based on that name). May not need it in system app anymore
Which phone?
---------- Post added at 11:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
Do you know how much touchwiz is in google edition roms? Does gear fully work with ge roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly I was able to test extensively using GE, although I did find all the initial APK's installed & completed successfully.
I didn't get a chance to pair up completely, the base keeps randomly rebooting (nothing related to the gear). This could be due a modified gearmanagerstub.apk on the GE base, I'm not entirely sure.
I could easily upload a version of the stub APK, you can give it a go on your nexus ?
EDIT: GearManagerStub.apk : From KitKat Google Edition (i9505) & (Uninstall existing GearManager.apk before testing).
BarryH_GEG said:
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Why would an underpowered device with a 315mAh battery, 512MB of RAM, and a 1.63" display be the best "tool for the job" you described? Especially when it requires a host in near-by proximity for the majority of its functions? It's great what people are doing with the Gear outside the mission Samsung released it for but, like I said before, you're talking about parlor tricks more for sport than serving a function unachievable by better means; some of which are more practical. And if you're trying to use the Gear while driving, especially if you've shrunk the DPI with a launcher, good luck. It's hard enough using the basic functions and S Voice while driving without ending up in another lane. I'm not criticizing everyone's ingenuity and cleverness just pointing out how impractical some things can appear when you take in to account what the Gear really is; a shamefully low-spec, low functionality Android "phone" with a tiny screen that happens to have a wrist band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gear, with null_, requires no host. It can also connect to bluetooth enabled devices other than a phone.
I was motivated but this: http://daisyworks.net/btgarage.html
It's brilliant and exactly what i have needed for years.
Other interesting links:
http://www.smarthome.com/android_apps.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Automation-using-Arduino-Android-Phone/
Fact is, this is not a toy when something like null_ is used. It offers a great deal more functionality in a much smaller and more portable/handy package.
Your bias against the device is obvious so it begs the question: why are you here? Just to raise your post count and stir drama in an otherwise peaceful sub-group? Or, do you own it and you are so disappointed that you refuse to see its potential?
Either way, your negativity will not sway me or change my mind. I know it has potential and I plan to use it fully. The fact that it has a wristband is a feature and a plus.
Oh, and I don't consider something that has multiple times the computing power of the original Apollo moon landings "low specs". <3
fOmey said:
To load the gear manager app, it is.. You simply connected your gear via bluetooth.
The gear manager app pushes notifications to the gear.
Without the GearManagerStub.apk it fails to load, its depends on this particular app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe i wasn't clear in my post. I was responding to the phone call portion of the gear. Even without the software installed it still allows the phone calls to be taken and shows the contact information on the watch just like it did on the g4s with the app. All i was saying is that he commented that he was only able to get the phone portion working with the app and i was explaining that you can do that without the app.
fOmey said:
EDIT: GearManagerStub.apk : From KitKat Google Edition (i9505) & (Uninstall existing GearManager.apk before testing).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it. Same result. 2 gear manager apps still refuse to install - music and weather (I believe because they reply on specific apps?). Nfc setup connection still works. App still works, but no details get sent to watch. Perhaps tw framework hooks in and serves data to gearmanagerstub, then stub sends to manager, which sends to watch?
---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 AM ----------
styz said:
Maybe i wasn't clear in my post. I was responding to the phone call portion of the gear. Even without the software installed it still allows the phone calls to be taken and shows the contact information on the watch just like it did on the g4s with the app. All i was saying is that he commented that he was only able to get the phone portion working with the app and i was explaining that you can do that without the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, from what I understand, the Bluetooth headset part is the only 'generic' part of the watch. It receives data just like a car headset when it displays contact info etc
Just installed that STUB with both the 1.5 and 1.2 GM and both still showed me a 'device not supported" error message.
I spent about 2 hours with Samsung one night and they told me it had to do with baseband version...or that mine was a 4.1 baseband (even though I am running CM 10.2 with 4.3 OS).
Perhaps there is a lockout on older baseband versions?
This is an SG3 phone, by the way.
therealduckie said:
Just installed that STUB with both the 1.5 and 1.2 GM and both still showed me a 'device not supported" error message.
I spent about 2 hours with Samsung one night and they told me it had to do with baseband version...or that mine was a 4.1 baseband (even though I am running CM 10.2 with 4.3 OS).
Perhaps there is a lockout on older baseband versions?
This is an SG3 phone, by the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you install? Try deleting; move to system/app; installing from system/app
Brendo said:
How did you install? Try deleting; move to system/app; installing from system/app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I should have been more clear...
I installed them both fine. It's when i try to pair the Gear that I get that message.
therealduckie said:
Sorry, I should have been more clear...
I installed them both fine. It's when i try to pair the Gear that I get that message.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you delete the touchwiz launcher off your gear ? That will cause a unsupported device error also.. learnt this the hard way !
Brendo said:
Tried it. Same result. 2 gear manager apps still refuse to install - music and weather (I believe because they reply on specific apps?). Nfc setup connection still works. App still works, but no details get sent to watch. Perhaps tw framework hooks in and serves data to gearmanagerstub, then stub sends to manager, which sends to watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can narrow down which two of those APK's dont install, I can try figure out why.. First step on getting this working is simply identifying what exactly is not working and why.
Once we can get gearmanager running on other branded phones, I'm confident the notifications may work.. or atleast the "more notifications".
fOmey said:
Did you delete the touchwiz launcher off your gear ? That will cause a unsupported device error also.. learnt this the hard way !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Nova Launcher as my launcher on my phone. TouchWiz doesn't even load on boot, that I am aware of.
fOmey said:
Did you delete the touchwiz launcher off your gear ? That will cause a unsupported device error also.. learnt this the hard way !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I still have tw on my gear :s
If you can narrow down which two of those APK's dont install, I can try figure out why.. First step on getting this working is simply identifying what exactly is not working and why.
Once we can get gearmanager running on other branded phones, I'm confident the notifications may work.. or atleast the "more notifications".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have to install all the extra apks manually
- SAMusicProvider_signed.apk
- SAWeatherProvider_signed.apk
Hi,
I was wondering if it was possible to tether the wifi based location data to the gear (running null) from a phone. I know it is possible to tether the GPS data (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47857358#post47857358), but this will require a lot of power on the phone. Wifi needs a lot less power and works for most purposes good enough in big city with a lot of wifi access points.
skyworxx said:
Hi,
I was wondering if it was possible to tether the wifi based location data to the gear (running null) from a phone. I know it is possible to tether the GPS data (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47857358#post47857358), but this will require a lot of power on the phone. Wifi needs a lot less power and works for most purposes good enough in big city with a lot of wifi access points.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you find an answer???
I am also interested with this,
thanks
Hi,
I am also interrested in having my location available on the gear without having to drain the battery using gps or have to start/stop the gps tether on both phone and gear when I need it. So having done some android development I tried to put together a small app that enables you to use three modes for location tethering, off, wifi/cell or gps. The wifi/cell updates every 5 minutes if the location has moved 100 meters or more. The setting can be changed on the phone or on the gear. I have tested it on my stock S4 and gear with null_13 so it may not work in other situations and as it is my first test I do not guarantee it will work in all situations or that it will not crash your devices.
The app must be installed on both phone and gear, it is signed with my debug certificate so you must enable app install from untrusted sources.
This is my first contribution to the community so I hope I have done it in the right way.
Regards
Martin
Get the app from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48333080&postcount=5
link is not working
mohlsson said:
Hi,
I am also interrested in having my location available on the gear without having to drain the battery using gps or have to start/stop the gps tether on both phone and gear when I need it. So having done some android development I tried to put together a small app that enables you to use three modes for location tethering, off, wifi/cell or gps. The wifi/cell updates every 5 minutes if the location has moved 100 meters or more. The setting can be changed on the phone or on the gear. I have tested it on my stock S4 and gear with null_13 so it may not work in other situations and as it is my first test I do not guarantee it will work in all situations or that it will not crash your devices.
The app must be installed on both phone and gear, it is signed with my debug certificate so you must enable app install from untrusted sources.
This is my first contribution to the community so I hope I have done it in the right way.
Regards
Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
link is not working.... can't download
Uploaded to github
I hope this works for everyone interested, the project is now on github. As a new user here I cannot post direct links so here goes
Screenshot:
raw.github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/master/device-2013-12-08-162923.png
Install and run the apk on both gear and phone
github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/blob/master/bin/GearLocationBridge.apk?raw=true
/Martin
I was able to get it installed and was able to select connection method but neither worked in google maps to pull my location.
well done
works for me, get location now on Gear without GPS.... great for Google Now / Search / Weather etc
Thanks
I must have something else going on. I can't get the "old" manual way of Share GPS to work either. It used to work but now it doesn't. I know this is off topic but I'm having trouble with Autoremote BT as well. I'm working in another thread to get it working but since both don't seem to be working, they must be related to my BT connection but for the life of me I can't figure out what. Everything else seems to work great, I get notifications, the stock weather app updates correctly, and other items like mini gallery and pedometer work.
Feeling lost and confused.
triplerider said:
I must have something else going on. I can't get the "old" manual way of Share GPS to work either. It used to work but now it doesn't. I know this is off topic but I'm having trouble with Autoremote BT as well. I'm working in another thread to get it working but since both don't seem to be working, they must be related to my BT connection but for the life of me I can't figure out what. Everything else seems to work great, I get notifications, the stock weather app updates correctly, and other items like mini gallery and pedometer work.
Feeling lost and confused.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let see if we can help you getting my app to work by first looking at the app status. What does the title in my app say on the phone and on the gear (sorry to ask, you did install it on both right?) when you run it? If it says "Gear connected" and "Phone connected" BT communications work. If it says "Waiting for connection" there are problems opening the BT connection. If it says "Restarting" the connection has been made and then lost.
/Martin
mohlsson said:
Let see if we can help you getting my app to work by first looking at the app status. What does the title in my app say on the phone and on the gear (sorry to ask, you did install it on both right?) when you run it? If it says "Gear connected" and "Phone connected" BT communications work. If it says "Waiting for connection" there are problems opening the BT connection. If it says "Restarting" the connection has been made and then lost.
/Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They both said connected and as I would make different selections it would change on the other device. But no actual location service on the gear (as mentioned, the previously working Sharegps app also isn't working but also shows connected).
triplerider said:
They both said connected and as I would make different selections it would change on the other device. But no actual location service on the gear (as mentioned, the previously working Sharegps app also isn't working but also shows connected).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, good! Next check that I can think of is that mock locations is allowed in developer settings on the gear and Use GPS is checked i the phone settings.
/Martin
mohlsson said:
Ok, good! Next check that I can think of is that mock locations is allowed in developer settings on the gear and Use GPS is checked i the phone settings.
/Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked these things again thinking maybe one of them got unchecked but sadly they are correct and still no joy.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
mohlsson said:
I hope this works for everyone interested, the project is now on github. As a new user here I cannot post direct links so here goes
Screenshot:
raw.github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/master/device-2013-12-08-162923.png
Install and run the apk on both gear and phone
github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/blob/master/bin/GearLocationBridge.apk?raw=true
/Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very Interesting. Installed and working!
Edit: NOT Working, Still has ShareGPS running. Once that was turned off Gear no longer gets location, Withing Maps it says "Waiting for location" when I try and get it. All other settings are correct.
Edit: A restart of both devices has fixed the issue. (But needed to wait for the app to update)
Would be nice if we could have it update our location at specific intervals.
New version of GearLocationBridge
Hi all!
I have been using my app for a week now and found some bugs that i fixed. I also added settings for network location update frequency. You can now set the intervall for updates from one second to one hour and the minimum distance moved for updates to occur from none to 1000 meters. Updates are sent to the gear if both criteria are fulfilled. Be aware that network location might not be available everywhere, so if you don't get a location on the gear when using network location that is the most probable reason.
Donwload from
github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/blob/master/bin/GearLocationBridge.apk?raw=true
Instructions, thanks to almulder1092, can be found at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48324092&postcount=15&nocache=1&z=9810111129152026
Note that you must allow mock locations on the gear as described in the turtorial for option one in the first steps of setup. Also, this is beta software and I take no responsibility if it messes up your device. All source code is on Github if you are interrested in how it works.
/Martin
mohlsson said:
Hi all!
I have been using my app for a week now and found some bugs that i fixed. I also added settings for network location update frequency. You can now set the intervall for updates from one second to one hour and the minimum distance moved for updates to occur from none to 1000 meters. Updates are sent to the gear if both criteria are fulfilled. Be aware that network location might not be available everywhere, so if you don't get a location on the gear when using network location that is the most probable reason.
Donwload from
github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/blob/master/bin/GearLocationBridge.apk?raw=true
Instructions, thanks to almulder1092, can be found at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48324092&postcount=15&nocache=1&z=9810111129152026
Note that you must allow mock locations on the gear as described in the turtorial for option one in the first steps of setup. Also, this is beta software and I take no responsibility if it messes up your device. All source code is on Github if you are interrested in how it works.
/Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great job bud, you should get your hands stuck into a tasker plugin !
Thank you fOmey, good idea to make it a Tasker plugin. I took a google crash course on how to make a plugin so there is a new version on github that should work with Tasker. I haven't used Tasker myself so I have only done some simple testing creating a task and triggering it.
mohlsson said:
Hi all!
I have been using my app for a week now and found some bugs that i fixed. I also added settings for network location update frequency. You can now set the intervall for updates from one second to one hour and the minimum distance moved for updates to occur from none to 1000 meters. Updates are sent to the gear if both criteria are fulfilled. Be aware that network location might not be available everywhere, so if you don't get a location on the gear when using network location that is the most probable reason.
Donwload from
github.com/Mohlsson/GearLocationBridge/blob/master/bin/GearLocationBridge.apk?raw=true
Instructions, thanks to almulder1092, can be found at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48324092&postcount=15&nocache=1&z=9810111129152026
Note that you must allow mock locations on the gear as described in the turtorial for option one in the first steps of setup. Also, this is beta software and I take no responsibility if it messes up your device. All source code is on Github if you are interrested in how it works.
/Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like this needs to be updated for ML1 firmware, could you take a look?
or its just me. Using null_18 full system ui.
Tried reinstalling same thing "GearLocationBridge has stopped"
almulder1092 said:
Looks like this needs to be updated for ML1 firmware, could you take a look?
or its just me. Using null_18 full system ui.
Tried reinstalling same thing "GearLocationBridge has stopped"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
al i found i think i got it go to developer options on the gear and enable mock locations. zfarishta
red rocket said:
al i found i think i got it go to developer options on the gear and enable mock locations. zfarishta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that was already turned on. I could not figure it out, So i just tried a full reset again. now it works. ODD not sure what is different this time around, but not going to complain.
Mods: I'm hoping you'll let this thread stay. The one dedicated Tizen thread is a combination of how to install/uninstall, personal views of the change, and discussion of actual changes and features. It's really hard to follow and at the speed Samsung's pushing out Tizen (all the EU's already done) it's going to be a large share of this forum's discussion that'll be difficult to contain to one thread.
NakedFaerie said:
Tizen is really crap if you ask me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SenseiEmu said:
Why don't you like the Tizen update? Personally, I love it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're both right. It depends on what your view of the GG1's purpose is and what you bought it for.
If you bought it as a garage hobby to tinker with, sideload apps for larger displays, and to run it stand-alone and type and watch movies on a tiny display just because you can Samsung's abandonment of Android for the Gear family is a bummer. I've admired the things people like this have done but other than the sport of it I don't (personally) get it.
For people that bought a Gear (or any wearable) for the productivity benefits Samsung moving the GG1 to Tizen is great. Look at it this way, with the move away from Android with the GG2's the GG1 was an orphan. No one was developing apps for it even before the move and Samsung would have stopped providing updates for it also. So it would have suffered death by neglect. Samsung's sold (or shipped) an estimated 1M GG1's so add that user base to the ongoing Samsung/Tizen mix and you have the largest wearable audience out there and at least a chance of gaining some developer interest.
My thoughts after using Tizen for a few days...
The "ugly"
The lack of apps available is a big deal. Some people with GG2's have said they have more apps available in Samsung Apps than we do for the GG1 so hopefully what's missing is just Samsung having issues getting the GG1 configured in their App store. Some of the apps I used heavily and liked are gone: TripIt, Glympse, CNN, Vivino, and Peel Remote for example. I doubt some will be back so I'm kind of bummed.
The "bad"
I miss the ability to swipe down to access the Camera and swipe up to access settings (my upward swipeable app of choice). It's kind of strange that something so simple couldn't have been replicated in Tizen. The solution is to use the App clock which gets you access just as quickly. I'd rather have the weather showing but c'est la vie.
The "good"
So far, there's not a single stock app or feature I've found that's not better in Tizen than Android. Some examples.
Gear Manager
It's cleaner, faster, and better organized. The Home screen styler provides nice customizations without having to install battery-draining third party apps to stylize the watch face. The amount of discussion in this forum dedicated to watch faces kind of boggles my mind. So for the watch face obsessed the new customizations should be welcome. Before, if your phone lost its connection to the Gear, Gear Manager closed. Now, it stays open and displays a warning in the notification panel that the connection's been lost. There are settings now that allow you to receive notifications on your Gear while the phone's display is on and to receive notifications on your Gear without illuminating the display. Pretty nifty.
Connectivity
Way better. I can be about 15' further from my phone before my Gear loses its connection compared to Android. The phone/Gear also maintain their connection better and re-connect faster when it's lost. I like the audible notification when the connection is gained and lost too. Smart relay and Auto lock are a lot faster and more reliable too. Weather updates reliably for me every hour which was pretty random before. When a third BT device was thrown in the mix the Gear and my phone would fight for the connection. For example when I was in my car using BT audio. Everyone plays nice now.
UI
I -hate- the default Tizen interface display which is small icons flanking the clock. I liked the former jumbo icons because when running through an airport or walking on a street they are a lot easier to hit when moving. The new UI is highly customizable and there are now two home screen display options. The large clock/small icons default and the former jumbo icons. I was bummed when I first saw that "favorites" and "re-ordering" apps was gone from Gear Manager. It isn't gone it's now on the Gear itself and on steroids. Long pressing an app in the Apps panel allows it to be moved to the home screen. You can even re-order apps within the app panel by dragging and dropping them. The home screen works the same way. The clock is the default home page. You can re-order apps around it by dragging and dropping them. Long-pressing something on the home screen allows it to be deleted. Other than the loss of drag up/down app access from the clock screen I can't see how anyone can say the new Tizen UI approach isn't more customizable, flexible, and better overall.
Here's a quick vid of the Gear set up with jumbo icons as before...
Notifications
Hallelujah. What a mess the Android notification apps/management process was. Call logs getting stuck with no way to remove them, CNN staying in notifications permanently after the first notification was received, e-mail being treated separately, just to name a few. Every notification is now treated as a peer. While on the Notifications main screen you can now drag down and "delete all" appears so all your notifications can be deleted at once. The same exists for all individual notification categories too.
Mail
Gear Manager now lets you specify what e-mail accounts you want displayed on your Gear. In addition, you can now keep scrolling and read 100% of a received e-mail. If you're in the dedicated e-mail app you can now swipe left or right to delete a single e-mail. Maybe the old Android e-mail app did that too, I never tried it.
Messaging
There's now a dedicated messaging app. Messages now display with accompanying received pictures too. If you're in the app and swipe down a "send message" option's available that allows you to scroll your contacts with mobile numbers and originate a message from a template or using S voice. Speaking of which you now set either as a default across the device to manage how you reply. You can also now send an emoticon (only) as a message or reply.
Contacts
Way faster scrolling. Swipe right to call and left to message works the same but the latter now actually works. In Android it would stumble over +1 or "(XXX)" around an area code. Contacts with pictures now have their pictures show up reliably wherever the Gear's able to display them.
S voice/Speaker/Mic
Wow, what a difference. S voice is twice as fast and the speaker/mic both louder/clearer. I've tested calls with some friends and they said I sounded fine where before I faded in and out and sounded like I was underwater.
Camera
Way faster and now includes geo-tagging. Voice now actually works consistently (EG: "shoot") which is a lot easier than trying to hit the display and allows you to look at your subject and not just your wrist when setting up a picture. The video limit is 15 seconds. Transfer speeds to the host device are now a lot faster too.
Music Player
Kind of cool. I used it with BT ear buds when mowing the lawn and it was surprisingly strong. Kind of a neat feature to have when you don't want to schlep your phone around to listen to music. I have a N3 so not schlepping it around is a bigger benefit than to someone with a S4 mini.
Fitness with Gear app/Health
I never used S Health on my phone but with the changes made to the Gear's health reporting and syncing apps I'll probably start. I've only browsed the apps/functions available but what they track seems interesting to capture and monitor to improve your health-related habits or routines.
So, for those that use their Gear for the out-of-the-box features the upside's pretty strong to move to Tizen. The biggest downside is the limited number of apps and the potential loss of those you may have used previously. The swipe up/down loss is a bummer but by using the Apps clock certainly livable. For those that bought the Gear as a "franken-watch" to play with you're obviously better off skipping Tizen.
If I've gotten anything wrong or if someone wants to add something to the list to keep it current just let me know.
Thanks for your detailed information! This Tizen thingy is Iching me so much right now, but as there is no way back(for now), there won't be any chance for me at this moment. As I play instruments I use my gear alot to tune instruments(it works pretty well!). And there is no way this will be available on Tizen(so far).
Thanks OP for the breakdown. I was one of those that bought this thing as a "garage product" when they were blowing them out for $100. I loved tinkering with it so much (installing Null rom) that I eventually bit the bullet and upgraded my aging Note 1 for an officially supported Note 2 hoping to reap better battery life from the upspec to BT 4.0 and better Gear Manager pairing.
Sadly, this has not been the case...So I am now pondering the benefits of Tizen and it's purported battery life enhancement. Can you comment further on this?
Can your setup make "hands free" calls? Currently I have the Google Now Launcher on my Gear and I can place calls by simply saying "OK Google, Call my Wife". Can something similiar be done with S Voice?
Hi Barry_GEG ,
To start , i to like to state , that i was one of " those" forum members ,not really interested in upgrading (?)
That said i was curious and open to suggestions and advice.!!
Read your detailed comparison and thought about it for a while and then came to conclusion you got some good points covered.!!
Well i flashed Tizen , and yes first impressions ( always count !!! )
Gear 1 is much smoother now (really trust me on this and Barry_GEG ) ,but the deal breaker for me is the music player !!
( i thought i could play music on my Gear 1, but via no headset, no go.! )
but this music player is a basic stand alone player.!!
I tested it with my Plantronic headset ,very impressed .!
I transferred my music to Gear via pc (switched my Note 3 bluetooth off )
I was connected directly with bluetooth headset to Gear and it plays 100% without handset ( Note 3 ).
This to me is already worthwhile.and a big bonus .
Forget about sentiments about this o/s and that o/s.
.( i am not a Tizen fan, as long as i can use my Gear better, it has to do )
Yes ,i lose some apps etc..and not much apps true, but found a good watchface in store .
(Not interested further, at moment about extra apps )
yes, to me already the stand alone music player
( Gear 1 on wrist and headset @ bluetooth connected ) is a worth while bonus .( for me )
Good luck ,
Thanks
Post note ..battery ,well we will just have to see ,but it looks ok ?
Battery life! It has been great. I just flashed it last night and it drained 1% in 12 hours.
The music player is a welcome add on, I like to run without distraction from phone.
Man, is there no way to send a msg template using another sms app? I hate the stock messaging app..
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Using the music player, does anyone know or have tried to listen to an audio book from overdrive or audible? I still use a little ipod to work around the house/garden and would love to use just one device.
This is pretty cool. You can move content off and on the Gear via USB rather than, for example, having to transfer music to the Gear via Gear Manager which has an 11 song at a time limit and is painfully slow.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
[/url]
You can also load off-line pictures and videos for display/playback via the Gallery app. Here's a sample MP4 I transferred to the Gear via USB. Notice how decent the audio sounds. It was never that clear on Android, at least for me.
So basically we can use the Gear now to playback photo, video, and audio files. We just have to figure out what file formats it supports.
ive updated my gear to tizen and I love it, watch styler works very well and the interface is clean
only 1 problem I think
I goto gear manager ,then Samsung apps,
completely nothing there, no apps at all
has this happened to anyone else
rachaelslp said:
Using the music player, does anyone know or have tried to listen to an audio book from overdrive or audible? I still use a little ipod to work around the house/garden and would love to use just one device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I listened to an hour and a half podcast in MP3 format, so I would think if you have Audible in that one, that you would be able to listen to it too.
how did you get watchstyler installed? please share how if you don't mind
Sent from my SM-N900P
Hello,
I'm new here and be interested to now if there is anny chance that after flash tizen the watch is able to work whit Nexus 5 ? (notification and calls)
Thx Alex
Notifications working really well for me on Tizen paired with an Xperia Z Ultra. You get to pick which apps are allowed to notify through gear manager and then they sync up well. Attached is a pic (sorry for quality) of Tapatalk xda notifications I just got a minutes ago.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Update: media control also works very well with non samsung device - full control of poweramp was very unexpected.
Calls tested and working too. Photos sync back to phone and everything else is working as expected. For a non Samsung paired device the Tizen update is a good one (in my opinion).
iBuzman said:
Notifications working really well for me on Tizen paired with an Xperia Z Ultra. You get to pick which apps are allowed to notify through gear manager and then they sync up well. Attached is a pic (sorry for quality) of Tapatalk xda notifications I just got a minutes ago.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 AM ----------
Update: media control also works very well with non samsung device - full control of poweramp was very unexpected.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thx for the information i will flash my gear and test it this evening
You don't have installed gearmanager on phone ?
Alex
Yes, have gear manager installed (plus about 10 other gear apps) - you will need to install gear manager and associated apps for anything to work - there's a gear manager thread to guide you through it
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
After the restore to fix the battery its getting better but I would still go back to Android if there was a way. Yesterday a few of us found out you can flash the Android firmware but you had no touch so you couldn't do anything.
As it just got rooted hopefully it will get better faster.
forshaw said:
only 1 problem I think
I goto gear manager ,then Samsung apps,
completely nothing there, no apps at all
has this happened to anyone else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this exact issue and finally got it resolved today.
After clearing data on the Gear Manager app, logging out/in, etc. what eventually fixed it for me was uninstalling and re-installing Gear Manager.
Good luck!
@caseyc are you on Gear1 or 2 ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
kashortiexda said:
@caseyc are you on Gear1 or 2 ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gear 1
caseyc said:
I had this exact issue and finally got it resolved today.
After clearing data on the Gear Manager app, logging out/in, etc. what eventually fixed it for me was uninstalling and re-installing Gear Manager.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but now no watchstyler
I had watchstyler working before uninstalling gear manager,
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the new Gear VR controller and a Note 4 ? I understand I may have to root my SM-N910C in order to temporarily modify the model version [to a Note 5] in order to pair/calibrate controller ?
If I have to choose this route [unless anyone knows a work around] I am having trouble finding recommended method on FW build MMB29K.N910CXXS2DQF2
Any help appreciated !
Solution !
I did find some info on this so here's how you fix this problem WITHOUT root.
Go find
com.samsung.android.app.vr.input.service_1.0.44-44_minAP121(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
or just look for Samsung gear vr input apk
Side load apk, you are then able to pair and calibrate ! This loop problem is ether intentional or a genuine bug.
Tested for a number of hours and works fine !
I would have imagined that the Gear VR Controlller would have worked perfectly fine with the Note 4. As long as you have bluetooth enabled.
Hello friends,
I tried the apk : com.samsung.android.app.vr.input.service_1.0.44-44_minAPI21(nodpi)_apkmirror.com
however my samsung note 4 (not rooted) is able to the gear vr controller, it can't appair to it.
I tried several time after rebooting my phone, I'm in the same situation
Any idea ?
I think they have dropped the Gear VR Controller Support on the Note 4 completely. Now the "Controller" menu is completely missing from the Oculus VR settings "More" menu. I tried installing older versions of the input service "1.0.44" but that didn't bring the menu back.
Someone any idea how to fix this?
Theoretically the controller is compatible with the Note 4 so it is probably a commercial step why they removed it.
PS: I didn't try rooting my phone to change the ID to see if the "Controller" menu reappears.
I am rooted on a Sprint Note 4 (SM-N910P). A few months ago, I got it to work by doing the process https://www.reddit.com/r/GearVR/comments/67z5sd/will_the_controller_work_with_note_4/ It worked, but then one day the option for the controller was gone again and the controller would not work. Oculus app updates may have done it.
I just went in and changed back build.prop so that ro.product.model=SM-G935P so that it thinks it's a Sprint Galaxy S7 Edge. I rebooted, and now the Controller option in the menu is back. That is all I did. I'm not sure if I'll have any negative effects just leaving it as SM-G935P, but I'm going to try.
I tested VR and controller functionality after leaving it as SM-G935P, everything seems to work just fine.
preslin said:
I am rooted on a Sprint Note 4 (SM-N910P). A few months ago, I got it to work by doing the process https://www.reddit.com/r/GearVR/comments/67z5sd/will_the_controller_work_with_note_4/ It worked, but then one day the option for the controller was gone again and the controller would not work. Oculus app updates may have done it.
I just went in and changed by build.prop so that ro.product.model=SM-G935P so that it thinks it's a Sprint Galaxy S7 Edge. I rebooted, and now the Controller option in the menu is back. That is all I did. I'm not sure if I'll have any negative effects just leaving it as SM-G935P, but I'm going to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
preslin said:
I tested VR and controller functionality after leaving it as SM-G935P, everything seems to work just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does charging work with this mod?
Thanks
nasinec said:
Does charging work with this mod?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't charge my phone while it's in VR, but I have no reason to think it won't work.
preslin said:
I don't charge my phone while it's in VR, but I have no reason to think it won't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 did not charge in previous editions of Gear Vr.
Hi everyone! So glad I can contribute to XDA!
1st: size is key, sm325 note8 Gear VR is the only one I was able to use with space to fit the size of Note 4 & Note Edge (remember that one?).
Second, you want to use Nova launcher activities (google it) and something like Aptoide to download the following:
Oculus VR apks (Home, App framework, etc.) as many as possible
More important still : download apps of Samsung's "Gear VR" service, setup wizard, system, input service, etc.
No need to root.
Once downloaded, create activities in Nova launcher widget on touchwiz or direct on Nova or custom launcher. Create them esp for Input Service to pair that VR controller that's the best $30/30€ you'd ever spend...
Better news still, all this is DPI free so if like me you are using a low setting for extra space on your Note 4 screen esp with the docking station HDMI that gave us D'ex before Dex, it does not screw with your stock VR apps.
Hi roniboian
Could explain more precisely your trick?
it look excellent but don't understand how to get GEAR VR controller connected to note. 4
roniboian said:
Hi everyone! So glad I can contribute to XDA!
1st: size is key, sm325 note8 Gear VR is the only one I was able to use with space to fit the size of Note 4 & Note Edge (remember that one?).
Second, you want to use Nova launcher activities (google it) and something like Aptoide to download the following:
Oculus VR apks (Home, App framework, etc.) as many as possible
More important still : download apps of Samsung's "Gear VR" service, setup wizard, system, input service, etc.
No need to root.
Once downloaded, create activities in Nova launcher widget on touchwiz or direct on Nova or custom launcher. Create them esp for Input Service to pair that VR controller that's the best $30/30€ you'd ever spend...
Better news still, all this is DPI free so if like me you are using a low setting for extra space on your Note 4 screen esp with the docking station HDMI that gave us D'ex before Dex, it does not screw with your stock VR apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, i joined just to ask you how to do what you describe above! You said you would be happy to contribute, that would be really great,.. What you have written is very vague, at XDA the best people tend to share complete info, Could you give actual steps by steps?
I can find any of the APKs at 'APKMirror' site, they have the gear vr service, oculus home, everything, for Many many back dates.
(but; any advice on which dates or which actual files? Ideally the most recent update where the motion controller still worked..)
Please explain this 'create activities in NOVA launcher widget' method. (I am hoping it means, the apk's will install without the 'automatic wifi method' which invariably gives the newest files...)
What do you mean by DPI free? Please explain the process.
Thanks for the hope!
Yes, please explain in more detail. I am somewhat familiar with these sort of things and moderately comfortable messing around with stuff. I currently don't have a PC or easy access to one so I'm sure rooting my Note 4 is out of the question. That's why I've restarted my seach for a workaround to get the gear vr controller working with my Note 4 and corresponding headset. When I bought the controller a few months ago, I couldn't find anything reliable without root. This was the first place I came to so my hope is that this thread was abandoned b/c some of your brilliant minds have come up simple and successful patch. I have my fingers crossed, I'm getting kinda tired of using my steel series controller. Thanks everyone
Hi I can help. I started this thread, but XDA Password recovery can takes hours, even days or infinity now, since the link they send for password recovery, opens a random page, that has nothing to do with password recovery... I have never once gotten any help here with anything, ever, so I don't care enough to bother logging in anymore... BUT:
I have the Motion Controller working on my Note 4 in a limited fashion. You need to go to APKMirror (just Google 'download Gear VR Apk'... As you should have to begin with.) Download all the early APKs, one in each category, uninstall your gear software, and such, reinstall each apk (about 8 I believe) until it works. I remember centering around the earliest 'APRIL' Updates. You can run a LOT of apps with the controller, but not any new or newer apps. Im at: NextWorldVR (@) gmail.com if you need more help. The guy above will never answer you, this place is a bit of an elitist joke, I just figure out everything on my own now rather than bolster their tiny weaning toddler egos...