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I thought I'd share everything I've learned regarding Android & the T-Mobile G2 over the past 2+ weeks (thanks XDA!). I'm amazed at how many people don't read these forums - they simply blurt out their questions. Well follks, here's what I've picked up by reading reading reading & exploring exploring exploring. Hope this helps n00bs and leets alike.
Android
Press & Hold HOME to see multitasking applications sorted by most recent
Press & Hold SEARCH to activate Google Voice Actions (or VLingo if installed)
Long Press keyboard keys to see alternate characters
Tap Dots near the Dock Bar (bottom set of icons) to shift screens
Assign your Power Button to 'End Calls' via Menu >Settings >Accessibility > Check "Power button ends call"
Add 'Power Control' Widget to easily enable/disable your WiFi/BlueTooth/GPS/Screen/Auto-Sync
Using Volume Control buttons, you can put the phone into Silent or Vibrate modes
You can add Shortcuts to your most used contacts & it will give an icon that lets you access Call/SMS/Email/GTalk/Facebook
Keyboard Tips
Double Press ALT for Num/Symbol Lock
Double Press SHIFT for Capitalization Lock
Hold ALT & Long Press physical keys to see alternative characters
Map Application Shortcuts such as Search + G to launch Gmail. Located under Settings >Applications >Quick Launch
Menu +A(Select All), +C(Copy), +V(Paste), +X(Paste)
Menu +F(Find), +S(Share)
(G2 Only?) Reboot, Press and hold Power + Volume Down + trackpad
(G2 Only?) Use LauncherPro to Assign 'Activities' to the Quick Keys such as Compose SMS or Tweet
(G2 Only?) Press & Hold the Camera Button to activate the Camera
(G2 Only?) While in Camera Mode, gently press the camera button to auto-focus
Miscellaneous
Install a custom launcher like ADW or LauncherPro
- Tip 1: If you get LauncherPro, I encourage you to explore the 'Swipe' feature by Long Pressing any icon in the Dock. Allows for two actions!
- Tip 2: My personal favorite is when you hide the status bar and set the HOME button to display notifications when you press it (Only possible if you make LauncherPro default launcher)
- Tip 3: Long Press an Application & when the Trash Can Appears, Hold over the Trashcan to get an Uninstall Option
Use Tasker to automate things on your phone
TeslaHD will turn your phone's LED into a Flash Light or Strobe Light
AppBrain + Fast Install is excellent for exploring apps from the comfort of a browser (also lets you set backgrounds)
- This App also makes it easy to restore apps if you didn't remember to set your 'backup' as automatic when configuring your phone
VLingo is a great alternative to Voice Actions if you're not on 2.2 OR you want deeper integration with Twitter/Facebook/Foursquare
Google Gestures is a great app to assign to a secondary swipe (see LauncherPro) & is handy when voice doesn't work and you can't easily type
DolphinHD is a great alternative browser that has three great features: Tweet a Page (with Title & Link), Desktop Mode, and Google Mobilizer View
Dial 611 to get to T-Mobile Customer Support (not always clear to new subscribers)
Best Keyboard for two-finger text input is SwiftKey. Swype is good if you practice with one finger.
Other Great Apps to Consider
Evernote (for note storage)
Dropbox (for access to files from your desktop)
Fast Reboot (for a heavy handed, kill all apps when you notice slow performance)
Dato GTasks (simple, easy to use app that integrates with Google Tasks)
NewsRob (elegant RSS reader for Google Reader)
Smooth Calendar (nice calendar widget that shows more than the default Calendar widget)
Xtremelabs Speedtest (helps you test for HSPA+ speeds)
Twicca (better than the standard Twitter App & very beautiful. Easy to map Tweet-Activity to a G2 Quick Key)
Chrome to Phone (possibly my favorite app once I learned how to use it. Great for a variety of needs so I encourage experimentation)
Optimize Your G2
Go to SETTINGS > APPLICATIONS > DEVELOPMENT and enable USB DEBUGGING
Search the Market for "Visionary" and Install (advice: Reboot & then run it for the first time) By default, it will run automatically on boot each time.
- Note: If you want to remove ROOT, visit APPLICATIONS > MANAGE APPLICATIONS > VISIONARY and press "Clear Data". Then re-run & turn off Root-on-Boot or just Uninstall.
Search the Market for "ConnectBot" & Install. Run Connectbot & press the down-arrow next to "ssh" to choose "local" & press Enter (no Nickname needed)
- You will be presented with a command line prompt of "$" & yes, it will be VERY TINY on your screen. Simply type "su" (no quotes) to gain super user.
- Read the first post to determine which items you want to permanently disable (essentially remove) from your phone: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=809231
Visit the market to download "Startup Cleaner 2.0" by Bright Wallace. It will allow you to prevent items from starting up. The software is buggy, but works better than anything else I've encountered.
- Tip: Use the 'Batch Prevent' to prevent all apps from starting, then exit the app. Run the app again & then toggle the apps you want to start by tapping them. Otherwise, the app is very unresponsive when trying to manage apps on an individual basis. You may need to re-run Visionary after you've allowed it to run on boot via Startup Cleaner.
Setup Wifi Tethering
Once you have Root & SuperUser, use your browser to visit http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list & download the most recent version of "Wireless Tether".
- Once downloaded, run it to install. If you have trouble with this, I recommend using Chrome-to-Phone & simply right-click the file link to choose "Chrome-to-Phone"
After successful installation, run the Wireless Tether app. Recommend changing the SSID Name (name that appears).
- Note: Multiple people report issues with WiFi Encryption, so I recommend SETTINGS > ENABLE ACCESS-CONTROL. Your phone will log when something tries to connect to it & then you can "allow" by choosing MENU > ACCESS CONTROL and clicking the checkbox next to the device you want to allow.
{Update} If you're feeling adventurous, check out this article on how to use Tasker
http://androinica.com/2010/08/19/9-ways-to-make-android-automatic-with-tasker/
{Update 2} Long-press App & dragging over trashcan for uninstall is a LauncherPro feature, not android. Thanks to tekkaman_01 for the note!
{Update 3} Removed "When screen is locked but keyboard is open, you only have to press a key to unlock" because it isn't a consistent experience. Not sure what makes it work sometimes.
{Update 4} Added two sections: Optimize Your G2 & Setup WiFi Tethering. Small formatting changes to previous entries.
Long Press an Application & when the Trash Can Appears, Hold over the Trashcan to get an Uninstall Option is a feature of LauncherPro not stock android...
Updated - much thanks!
No problem
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Great job, OP.
Great job, OP. I'm sure many people will appreciate this.
Does this merit a sticky?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Ghostcreamy said:
I'm amazed at how many people don't read these forums - they simply blurt out their questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Ghostcreamy said:
[*]When screen is locked but keyboard is open, you only have to press a key to unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard this before but this hasn't worked for me on two different G2s.
great, thanks
aedv said:
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you
<10 chars>
The cheat sheet of all cheet sheets!
Another good one is to:
HOLD Dots near the Dock Bar to see all screens in a mini navigation look.
Thanks!
Snap!
aedv said:
You're right....people who don't read the forums and just blurt stuff out are horrible. Oh wait....what's this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804439
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SNAP!
I read that thread, but it was fragmented and I already had all of this in Evernote. Regardless, I appreciate the response & I'll continue to monitor that thread for any other tips that I can compile into this one.
Side note: You don't have to be mean to make a point Put a little love in your heart!
GC
Ghostcreamy said:
SNAP!
Side note: You don't have to be mean to make a point Put a little love in your heart!
GC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1!! Great post OP!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Updated original post (OP) with a section on optimizing your G2 & setting up Wifi Tethering. Hope it helps!
awesome tips. i was wondering if theres a good way to allow the home screen and apps screen to auto rotate with gravity(only rotates with keyboard out)? and then on the flip side, to lock the orientation?
Not sure about locking, but LauncherPro or ADW launcher will rotate to landscape.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Here's a tip if you are using Launcher Pro: setup a 2x2 picture frame widget in the middle of a home panel. The frame should have a picture of an icon for things like settings, games, news, people, etc. Then add related app icons around the frame. This way, when you pinch a homescreen and pull up the 7 panel view, you can easily tell at a glance which panel has the apps you want
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using The Force
"+X(Paste)"
Shouldn't that be "+X(Cut)"?
In the gmail and xda apps (the only ones I've tested so far) when you push the space bar after a word/letter, it will add a '.[space]'.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Great post Ghostcreamy. I figured out that you could swipe the home icon of launcher pro, but why it never occured to me that the other icons also have this feature?
Edit:There's your first "Thanks" on the meter...awww.
I set up the WatchOn app to control my devices. I can control them individually just fine. However, what I'd like is to hit a button for an activity, say watching a movie, and it automatically turns on the TV, sets its input to DVD, turns on my receiver, sets its input to DVD, and turns on the Blu Ray player.
Is this something this app does? If so, where do you access this? If not, why does it ask you for all the inputs on your TV and receiver?
DLarva said:
I set up the WatchOn app to control my devices. I can control them individually just fine. However, what I'd like is to hit a button for an activity, say watching a movie, and it automatically turns on the TV, sets its input to DVD, turns on my receiver, sets its input to DVD, and turns on the Blu Ray player.
Is this something this app does? If so, where do you access this? If not, why does it ask you for all the inputs on your TV and receiver?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you actually have a remote control that does all that with the press of one button? Cause I never seen one. I don't think that's possible with the phones WatchOn.
Reinaldo33897 said:
Do you actually have a remote control that does all that with the press of one button? Cause I never seen one. I don't think that's possible with the phones WatchOn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do. It is a logitech harmony.
The reason why I thought it might is because WatchOn has you set the input types on your TV and receiver. If you have to turn each component on manually, then it has no idea what input you want the TV on, so you have to set that manually as well, so why ask for the input.
If it can't do this, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch of the imagination to add a "Watch TV" button which just runs through a step of button presses for you.
I dont know I think watchon is a joke. Samsungs way of saying hey I can turn your components on and off lol. But see if you can hit play on the blueray and it should put tv in blueray input. But then I think yoy manually have to get it back to tv mode.
I think its a nice app if you want to search for tv shows but really worthless to operate the whole system.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Well 1 somewhat long way to do it is using the "Tasker" app. It can emulate virtual screen taps and bunch of other stuff.
Create a task from tasks tab.
Add Action -> App -> Load App -> WatchOn
Add Action -> Task -> Wait and set it to wait a few seconds for the app to load.
Add Action -> Script -> Run Shell and for command enter in "sleep 0.1; input tap 564 1856" where numbers are X,Y of your screen you want tapped.
- sleep X seconds is same as adding wait action. so you can change to whatever duration you want
- To determine X,Y values go in Settings->More ->Developer Options -> check Show Pointer Location.
- If its not there, to unlock the Dev Options menu, go to Settings -> About Device and scroll down to the "Build Number." Tap on your "Build Number" 7 times.
Keep adding actions for tapping all the WatchOn buttons you need (switch to remote view, load the correct room/tv etc).
Then just throw a tasker widget on ur screen and you have ur 1 button that auto does everything you want; after like 10 secs of running lol, sadly not instant.
PM me if you want to try this and need help
Background: I am trying to turn my Nexus 7 (2012) into an Android auto type thing. I saw the headunit app on these forums, but i don't want to rely on my phone to get it working. Also saw the android auto mimic, but I like using the stand alone google maps more.
When i turn on my ignition aka usb power, I would like my spotify to automatically start playing. I have an app installed called "no lock" so I won't have a lockscreen and "auto sleeper" which sleeps my tablet when i turn my ignition off.
In the preview play: So far this tasker opens up Spotify when connected to usb but that's it. It doesn't start playing.
In real time: me plugging in a usb does nothing
This is what i've done, the original instructions I copied it used headphones plugin instead of my usb connected.
STEP 1
• Open your Tasker application.
• Select the “Profiles” tab in the top left.
• Click the “+” icon in the bottom right.
• Click on “State“.
• Select “Hardware“.
• Select “usb connected” and leave the settings as they are and press back. ( should I put docked? I have no idea what the difference is since a docked device uses usb)
STEP 2
Now we will setup the task (actions) that will occur when the profile is triggered.
Loading Spotify
• Press the “New Task +” that appeared.
• Let’s name it “Spotify Plug Play“.
• Click the “+” icon at the bottom to add an action.
• Select the “App” category.
• Select “Load App“. Find Spotify and select it.
• Press back.
STEP 3
Add a Wait action.
(This is to make sure the app is fully loaded before pressing play.)
• Click the “+” at the bottom.
• Select the “Task” category.
• Select “Wait“.
• Set Seconds to 5 or which you prefer,
STEP 4
Raise the Volume
• Click the “+” icon at the bottom to add another action.
• Select the “Audio” category.
• Select “Media Volume” and set Level to your desired volume.
• Press back.
STEP 5
Getting Spotify to play.
• Click the “+” icon at the bottom.
• Select the “System” category.
• Select “Send Intent”
• Set these fields:
– Action: com.spotify.mobile.android.ui.widget.PLAY
– Cat: None
– Package: com.spotify.music
– Target: Broadcast Reciever
Anyone got any ideas?
jgonger said:
Anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you manage to get this to work? I'm trying to achieve the same but just can't get it to play
garywmc said:
did you manage to get this to work? I'm trying to achieve the same but just can't get it to play
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. In mid-dec when I'm done my exams I'll look more into it.
It worked, but my Nexus wouldn't sleep when I turned off the ignition (From what I've read/watched it was the right tasker settings), and it wouldn't charge enough during the ride. The CD player older bounced around too much when I was driving, and I didn't trust it for long term use. I will be sure to reply to this thread in mid-Dec with fully working instructions.
Also, if anyone finds a good way to attach a Nexus 7 to a generic car (Honda Civic 2008) console. I see the Magnet "Phone" holders with suction cup bases., I was thinking of getting 2 and putting them beside each other.
If anyone finds any good car console app as well I would love to try it. Any help getting this console unit going will definitely be appreciated!!!!
Look up Timur's kernel... Just replaced my second n7 and used his roms for the last 3 years or so, amazingness.
Looking for help getting my LG v521 gPad to run as smooth and reliable as my Timur'd n7 and coming up short so far.
Note that this post is being updated with new information as we figure things out.
This jailbreak should allow you to use the console like a normal Android tablet, install and run any software on it from the Play Store and sideload software as well as run the JRNY app. It does not root the device. We have tested it on Bowflex Velocore, but assume that it will most likely work on other new Bowflex products with an Android tablet that are locked into JRNY. While we believe things are working in general, it has not been extensively tested. We are releasing it early in hopes to get more people interested in improving it.
Follow these instructions at your own risk. Read through all of the instructions before deciding to follow through. Making modification to your device may cause it to stop working. It may also void your warranty.
The instructions were written after we had already jailbroken our bikes, so we didn't really have a way to test that they work exactly as documented on a locked bike. Some experimentation may be needed. Good luck!
Step 1: Reboot.
Step 2: On the Bowflex screen showing the serial number, rapidly tap on upper right corner until a menu appears.
Step 3: Select 'Manufacturing App'.
Step 4: Long press the home button at the back of the screen and wait for Google Assistant to pop up.
Step 5: Type 'settings' to Google assistant and hit enter.
Step 6: In settings, enable ADB debugging from: System - Developer Settings - USB debugging.
Step 7: Look up your ip address from Network settings.
Step 8: Using adb (from Android platform tools) on your Desktop (which needs to be connected to the same network as your Velocore):
adb connect <replace-with-velocore-ip-address-from-step-7>adb shelltouch /sdcard/Pictures/nautilusam stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorServicesettings put secure ntls_launcher_preference 0settings put secure navigationbar_switch 1settings put secure notification_switch 1settings put secure statusbar_switch 1settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1Step 9: In settings - apps, force-stop NautilusLauncher.
Step 10: In settings - apps, set Quickstep as the default home app. Otherwise NautilusLauncher will take over when you press the home button and undo the jailbreak.
At this point, a reboot should take you to the Android home screen instead of JRNY. For JRNY to be able to connect to the bike, some of the services in NautilusLauncher need to be running. Unfortunately, starting NautilusLauncher will undo the jailbreak. To get around that, use the following to automatically start NautilusLauncher at startup and perform a jailbreak:
Step 11: Install Tasker (costs $3.50)
Step 12: In Tasker, create a new Profile 'Event - System - Device Boot'. Add the following tasks to the profile:
Task 1: App - Launch App - NautilusLauncher
Task 2: Task - Wait, configuration: 30 seconds
Task 3: Code - ADB Wifi, configuration:
Command:
until appMonitor=$(dumpsys activity services AppMonitorService | grep "(nothing)"); do am stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorService; sleep 1; done;settings put secure ntls_launcher_preference 0;settings put secure navigationbar_switch 1;settings put secure notification_switch 1;settings put secure statusbar_switch 1;settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1;settings put system screen_brightness 255;
At this point one more problem remains. JRNY app has its own screen saver which turns the screen off after five minutes of inactivity. If you have some other app at the foreground, you'll soon notice that your screen turns black and you seemingly can only get forwards by rebooting. To solve this:
Step 13: In Tasker, create a new Profile 'Event - System - Device Boot'. Add the following tasks to the profile:
Task 1: Task - Wait, configuration: 50 ms
Task 2: Display - Display Brightness: 255
Task 3: Task - Goto, configuration: 1
At this point, a reboot takes you to the Android home screen. After a few seconds, Tasker will launch NautilusLauncher and you will be taken to JRNY. Once the tasker wait has finished, a jailbreak is done. Then, you can swipe off JRNY and NautilusLauncher and should be fully jailbroken.
Note that Bowflex pushes software updates to the bike automatically. It's possible that future updates will stop this jailbreak from working. To try to prevent this, we have uninstalled the nautilus_ota_client app as well as set the 'ota_disable_automatic_update' setting above. We haven't confirmed that these are effective to preventing updates. If you decide to uninstall the app and use the setting, consider the following:
You may not receive new updates to the software of the bike anymore.
In case you later decide that you want to get updates again, make sure to backup the apk before uninstalling!.
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Troubleshooting:
If your console takes a long time to boot, the jailbreak may try to execute too early. Try to increase the wait time.
Sometimes the launcher seems to restart itself before the jailbreak is completed. You might still get jailbroken on the second start, but if not, just reboot and try again.
Sometimes when escaping JRNY after the jailbreak, the background might show the Bowflex image. Not sure if it actually effects anything, but just in case, you can just reboot and try again.
Some people seem to have trouble with an automated jailbreak using the device boot Tasker profile (step 12). If you are experiencing this, a more manual approach might work better for you:
Remove the profile from step 12.
Instead, create a profile 'Event - Hardware - Volume Long Press'.
Add task 'Code - ADB Wifi' with the commands from the initial instructions.
Save.
Now, when you reboot, it'll take you to the Android home screen. Then, start the 'NautilusLauncher' app, which will take you to JRNY. Once in JRNY, long press the 'volume up' button behind the screen to manually perform the unlock.
Some people have had problem with step 10 (set Quickstep as default home app). You can try rebooting all the way to JRNY, then doing 'adb shell am stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorService'. Then swiping up and going to settings, force-stopping NautilusLauncher and then setting Quickstep as the default home launcher app.
If the unlock doesn't work after the Tasker automation, you should still be able to connect using adb and execute the commands on adb shell to perform the unlock manually after which you can then edit your Tasker profile.
To view the bike data (burn rate, resistance) with 3rd party applications (full screen):
Start a JRNY workout with entertainment feature available. Manual workout under programs works well.
Choose any of the entertainment app options (ie Netflix) and start workout.
Swipe entertainment app to the side and open the 3rd party application you'd like to use
Use Peloton app (or other apps (with Zwift, use the workout with Zwift program instead)) while showing cadence, resistance and heart rate (split-screen):
Start JRNY app
Go back to the home screen.
Start Peloton app
Swipe up to the side-by-side app selector.
Long press the Peloton icon and select split-screen. This splits the screen to left and right, with left part running Peloton.
Click JRNY app on the right part of screen.
Adjust the screen divider so that Peloton app takes 2/3rds of the screen.
Select programs - work out with Peloton on JRNY and click start workout.
Select your program in the peloton app.
You can have your heart rate monitor synced either to the Peloton app or the JRNY app via the normal heart rate monitor options of the apps.
To get Zwift working on the bike:
Install xapk manager from https://apkfab.com/xapk-manager/com.apkfab.installer/download
Download zwift from https://m.apkpure.com/zwift/com.zwift.zwiftgame
Install
To run, start JRNY and have the workout with Zwift program running. After that switch to Zwift and it'll see the data from the bike.
It looks like getting the bike to send data to Zwift is a bit trickier than I originally thought. Sometimes it's easy to get the link to work. Other times, not so much. Figuring out how you can use Zwift consistently still needs some more work.
The bike console is a bit underpowered for Zwift graphics, so also experimenting with remote desktop type apps to have Zwift running on a laptop while the screen is shown on the bike console with smoother graphics. So far have had some good results with cast receiver / chrome cast. But it is only one way, so while you can see the screen, you can't control it.
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Some random notes for anyone interested in helping and improving the jailbreak:
Before starting to hack around, I strongly recommend that you back up all of the custom nautilus software apks so that you have some way of reinstalling them later if required.
adb via usb
If you open the back of the screen, there is a micro usb slot on the motherboard that can used to connect adb.
As you can connect adb via wifi, not sure if this is really needed for anything.
adb reboot recovery
Reboots, takes you to a screen saying 'erasing' and in the end you end up on a standard android tablet setup screen with all custom software (including the bowflex software) erased.
adb reboot bootloader (my personal experience with this):
Rebooted, got to the 'powered by android' screen, but seemed to be stuck there.
Tried a bunch of key presses at the back of the screen. With some of them pressed, the console playd a sound effect, but wasn't able to get forwards from the screen.
For a while thought that i had bricked the console. Unplugged it for half an hour and when i came back and plugged it back it, it booted again.
factory reset
Unplug the bike.
Hold the top button (which looks like a disk/arrow).
Plug back in.
Release the button once you see a while box blip that says applying golden image.
NOTE: I wasn't able to get this to work after erasing the device with 'adb reboot recovery', which probably means that it only works as long as NautilusLauncher is installed.
serial port
The bike connects to the console via a serial port. The device entry for it is /dev/ttyS4.
Only system/root has access to the device, which is why we need NautilusLauncher running to get JRNY to connect to the bike.
NautilusLauncher has a service called SerialPortService, which basically forwards input and output from and to the serial port to tcp:9999.
JRNY app connects to the serial port via the tcp port.
It might be interesting to make an app that connects to tcp:9999 to listen to the bike, e.g. for a custom HUD.
JRNY
Doesn't require system privileges unlike the other bowflex apps.
You can unpack the apk, make changes to it (such as disabling the screen saver and connecting to a different tcp port to connect to the bike), repack and sign it with our own key and have it successfully installed and ran. While the bike connectivity works after doing this, the app seems to have problems, e.g. if trying to bring up the overlay or start with workout with zwift program. Hoping that these can be fixed over time.
"/sdcard/Pictures/nautilus"
The existance of this file controls if NautilusLauncher disables adb debugging upon startup.
modifying JRNY
unpack: apktool d Bowflex_base.apk
...make changes...
repack: apktool b Bowflex_base -o Bowflex_edited.apk
create your own signing key: keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-apk-hack-key.keystore -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
sign the modified apk: jarsigner -verbose -sigalg MD5withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore my-apk-hack-key.keystore Bowflex_edited.apk mykey
disable JRNY screen saver by modifying JRNY apk:
edit smali/com/nautilus/bowflex/managers/ScreenDimmingManager.smali
change 'getDimmingEnabled' method to:
.method public static final synthetic access$getDimmingEnabled$p(Lcom/nautilus/bowflex/managers/ScreenDimmingManagerZ
.locals 0
const/4 p0, 0x0
return p0
.end method
over-the-air updates
Bowflex pushes new updates to the console. It's possible that one of these future updates will cause this jailbreak to stop working.
To prevent that, we have uninstalled the nautilus_ota_client app, as well use the setting 'settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1'.
We haven't really looked into the updating process, so not completely sure that the above will actually prevent them.
In future, we are hoping to be able to pull the updated apks from somewhere and perform the updates manually. Meanwhile, you can just keep using the current versions of the software.
There is a file that (we assume) contains the credentials for the ota updates. This may be helpful in pulling the updated apks / firmware manually in future: /sdcard/Nautilus/redbend/Credentials.txt
secret menus
In the Bowflex screen showing the serial number
Rapidly click on top right corner to bring up their super secret menu.
Rapidly click on top left corner to bring up the current firmware version number.
Rapidly click on bottom left corner to bring up their secret menu.
In the jrny app login screen:
Rapidly click on top right corner to bring up their advanced features menu.
Updated the instructions with a simple solution to the screen saver / black screen problem.
Updated with instructions on how to use the Peloton app (or other apps) while being able to see cadence, resistance and heart rate on the screen.
Hey, Thanks for the post, I'm very excited to not be locked into JRNY.
I'm not the most familiar with the tools in this process but I got to step 10. When i change to Quickstep the machine restarts, seems to hang a bit at the boot up screen (with the serial number) and just boots back into JRNY. I've tried a few times now with the same result.
in the troubleshooting section it states
If your console takes a long time to boot, the jailbreak may try to execute too early. Try to increase the wait time.
I'm wondering if that's my issue here and was curious how one might "increase the wait time?
Thanks for any clarification you can offer.
magufalo said:
Hey, Thanks for the post, I'm very excited to not be locked into JRNY.
I'm not the most familiar with the tools in this process but I got to step 10. When i change to Quickstep the machine restarts, seems to hang a bit at the boot up screen (with the serial number) and just boots back into JRNY. I've tried a few times now with the same result.
in the troubleshooting section it states
If your console takes a long time to boot, the jailbreak may try to execute too early. Try to increase the wait time.
I'm wondering if that's my issue here and was curious how one might "increase the wait time?
Thanks for any clarification you can offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the most likely cause for that to happen would be if NautilusLauncher was still running.
When you do step 9 (In settings - apps, force-stop NautilusLauncher), does the 'force-stop' button turn gray? If not, see if you have 'Bowflex' application running and force-stop it first and then force-stop NautilusLauncher.
Is there any way to get the Bowflex_base.apk file? Right now I have a $3k android tablet with no NautilusLauncher/Utility/JRNY app. Thank you!
scafs said:
Is there any way to get the Bowflex_base.apk file? Right now I have a $3k android tablet with no NautilusLauncher/Utility/JRNY app. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are links to the ota client and nautiluslauncher in the comments section of the reddit unlocking thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bowflex/comments/mi8wdo
I think they should be enough to get the bike to do a self update and restore all the original software.
xasmx said:
Note that this post is being updated with new information as we figure things out.
This jailbreak should allow you to use the console like a normal Android tablet, install and run any software on it from the Play Store and sideload software as well as run the JRNY app. It does not root the device. We have tested it on Bowflex Velocore, but assume that it will most likely work on other new Bowflex products with an Android tablet that are locked into JRNY. While we believe things are working in general, it has not been extensively tested. We are releasing it early in hopes to get more people interested in improving it.
Follow these instructions at your own risk. Read through all of the instructions before deciding to follow through. Making modification to your device may cause it to stop working. It may also void your warranty.
The instructions were written after we had already jailbroken our bikes, so we didn't really have a way to test that they work exactly as documented on a locked bike. Some experimentation may be needed. Good luck!
Step 1: Reboot.
Step 2: On the Bowflex screen showing the serial number, rapidly tap on upper right corner until a menu appears.
Step 3: Select 'Manufacturing App'.
Step 4: Long press the home button at the back of the screen and wait for Google Assistant to pop up.
Step 5: Type 'settings' to Google assistant and hit enter.
Step 6: In settings, enable ADB debugging from: System - Developer Settings - USB debugging.
Step 7: Look up your ip address from Network settings.
Step 8: Using adb (from Android platform tools) on your Desktop (which needs to be connected to the same network as your Velocore):
adb connect <replace-with-velocore-ip-address-from-step-7>adb shelltouch /sdcard/Pictures/nautilusam stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorServicesettings put secure ntls_launcher_preference 0settings put secure navigationbar_switch 1settings put secure notification_switch 1settings put secure statusbar_switch 1settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1Step 9: In settings - apps, force-stop NautilusLauncher.
Step 10: In settings - apps, set Quickstep as the default home app. Otherwise NautilusLauncher will take over when you press the home button and undo the jailbreak.
At this point, a reboot should take you to the Android home screen instead of JRNY. For JRNY to be able to connect to the bike, some of the services in NautilusLauncher need to be running. Unfortunately, starting NautilusLauncher will undo the jailbreak. To get around that, use the following to automatically start NautilusLauncher at startup and perform a jailbreak:
Step 11: Install Tasker (costs $3.50)
Step 12: In Tasker, create a new Profile 'Event - System - Device Boot'. Add the following tasks to the profile:
Task 1: App - Launch App - NautilusLauncher
Task 2: Task - Wait, configuration: 30 seconds
Task 3: Code - ADB Wifi, configuration:
Command:
until appMonitor=$(dumpsys activity services AppMonitorService | grep "(nothing)"); do am stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorService; sleep 1; done;settings put secure ntls_launcher_preference 0;settings put secure navigationbar_switch 1;settings put secure notification_switch 1;settings put secure statusbar_switch 1;settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1;settings put system screen_brightness 255;
At this point one more problem remains. JRNY app has its own screen saver which turns the screen off after five minutes of inactivity. If you have some other app at the foreground, you'll soon notice that your screen turns black and you seemingly can only get forwards by rebooting. To solve this:
Step 13: In Tasker, create a new Profile 'Event - System - Device Boot'. Add the following tasks to the profile:
Task 1: Task - Wait, configuration: 50 ms
Task 2: Display - Display Brightness: 255
Task 3: Task - Goto, configuration: 1
At this point, a reboot takes you to the Android home screen. After a few seconds, Tasker will launch NautilusLauncher and you will be taken to JRNY. Once the tasker wait has finished, a jailbreak is done. Then, you can swipe off JRNY and NautilusLauncher and should be fully jailbroken.
Note that Bowflex pushes software updates to the bike automatically. It's possible that future updates will stop this jailbreak from working. To try to prevent this, we have uninstalled the nautilus_ota_client app as well as set the 'ota_disable_automatic_update' setting above. We haven't confirmed that these are effective to preventing updates. If you decide to uninstall the app and use the setting, consider the following:
You may not receive new updates to the software of the bike anymore.
In case you later decide that you want to get updates again, make sure to backup the apk before uninstalling!.
----------
Troubleshooting:
If your console takes a long time to boot, the jailbreak may try to execute too early. Try to increase the wait time.
Sometimes the launcher seems to restart itself before the jailbreak is completed. You might still get jailbroken on the second start, but if not, just reboot and try again.
Sometimes when escaping JRNY after the jailbreak, the background might show the Bowflex image. Not sure if it actually effects anything, but just in case, you can just reboot and try again.
Some people seem to have trouble with an automated jailbreak using the device boot Tasker profile (step 12). If you are experiencing this, a more manual approach might work better for you:
Remove the profile from step 12.
Instead, create a profile 'Event - Hardware - Volume Long Press'.
Add task 'Code - ADB Wifi' with the commands from the initial instructions.
Save.
Now, when you reboot, it'll take you to the Android home screen. Then, start the 'NautilusLauncher' app, which will take you to JRNY. Once in JRNY, long press the 'volume up' button behind the screen to manually perform the unlock.
Some people have had problem with step 10 (set Quickstep as default home app). You can try rebooting all the way to JRNY, then doing 'adb shell am stopservice com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher/com.nautilus.nautiluslauncher.thirdparty.appmonitor.AppMonitorService'. Then swiping up and going to settings, force-stopping NautilusLauncher and then setting Quickstep as the default home launcher app.
If the unlock doesn't work after the Tasker automation, you should still be able to connect using adb and execute the commands on adb shell to perform the unlock manually after which you can then edit your Tasker profile.
To view the bike data (burn rate, resistance) with 3rd party applications (full screen):
Start a JRNY workout with entertainment feature available. Manual workout under programs works well.
Choose any of the entertainment app options (ie Netflix) and start workout.
Swipe entertainment app to the side and open the 3rd party application you'd like to use
Use Peloton app (or other apps (with Zwift, use the workout with Zwift program instead)) while showing cadence, resistance and heart rate (split-screen):
Start JRNY app
Go back to the home screen.
Start Peloton app
Swipe up to the side-by-side app selector.
Long press the Peloton icon and select split-screen. This splits the screen to left and right, with left part running Peloton.
Click JRNY app on the right part of screen.
Adjust the screen divider so that Peloton app takes 2/3rds of the screen.
Select programs - work out with Peloton on JRNY and click start workout.
Select your program in the peloton app.
You can have your heart rate monitor synced either to the Peloton app or the JRNY app via the normal heart rate monitor options of the apps.
To get Zwift working on the bike:
Install xapk manager from https://apkfab.com/xapk-manager/com.apkfab.installer/download
Download zwift from https://m.apkpure.com/zwift/com.zwift.zwiftgame
Install
To run, start JRNY and have the workout with Zwift program running. After that switch to Zwift and it'll see the data from the bike.
It looks like getting the bike to send data to Zwift is a bit trickier than I originally thought. Sometimes it's easy to get the link to work. Other times, not so much. Figuring out how you can use Zwift consistently still needs some more work.
The bike console is a bit underpowered for Zwift graphics, so also experimenting with remote desktop type apps to have Zwift running on a laptop while the screen is shown on the bike console with smoother graphics. So far have had some good results with cast receiver / chrome cast. But it is only one way, so while you can see the screen, you can't control it.
----------
Some random notes for anyone interested in helping and improving the jailbreak:
Before starting to hack around, I strongly recommend that you back up all of the custom nautilus software apks so that you have some way of reinstalling them later if required.
adb via usb
If you open the back of the screen, there is a micro usb slot on the motherboard that can used to connect adb.
As you can connect adb via wifi, not sure if this is really needed for anything.
adb reboot recovery
Reboots, takes you to a screen saying 'erasing' and in the end you end up on a standard android tablet setup screen with all custom software (including the bowflex software) erased.
adb reboot bootloader (my personal experience with this):
Rebooted, got to the 'powered by android' screen, but seemed to be stuck there.
Tried a bunch of key presses at the back of the screen. With some of them pressed, the console playd a sound effect, but wasn't able to get forwards from the screen.
For a while thought that i had bricked the console. Unplugged it for half an hour and when i came back and plugged it back it, it booted again.
factory reset
Unplug the bike.
Hold the top button (which looks like a disk/arrow).
Plug back in.
Release the button once you see a while box blip that says applying golden image.
NOTE: I wasn't able to get this to work after erasing the device with 'adb reboot recovery', which probably means that it only works as long as NautilusLauncher is installed.
serial port
The bike connects to the console via a serial port. The device entry for it is /dev/ttyS4.
Only system/root has access to the device, which is why we need NautilusLauncher running to get JRNY to connect to the bike.
NautilusLauncher has a service called SerialPortService, which basically forwards input and output from and to the serial port to tcp:9999.
JRNY app connects to the serial port via the tcp port.
It might be interesting to make an app that connects to tcp:9999 to listen to the bike, e.g. for a custom HUD.
JRNY
Doesn't require system privileges unlike the other bowflex apps.
You can unpack the apk, make changes to it (such as disabling the screen saver and connecting to a different tcp port to connect to the bike), repack and sign it with our own key and have it successfully installed and ran. While the bike connectivity works after doing this, the app seems to have problems, e.g. if trying to bring up the overlay or start with workout with zwift program. Hoping that these can be fixed over time.
"/sdcard/Pictures/nautilus"
The existance of this file controls if NautilusLauncher disables adb debugging upon startup.
modifying JRNY
unpack: apktool d Bowflex_base.apk
...make changes...
repack: apktool b Bowflex_base -o Bowflex_edited.apk
create your own signing key: keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-apk-hack-key.keystore -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
sign the modified apk: jarsigner -verbose -sigalg MD5withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore my-apk-hack-key.keystore Bowflex_edited.apk mykey
disable JRNY screen saver by modifying JRNY apk:
edit smali/com/nautilus/bowflex/managers/ScreenDimmingManager.smali
change 'getDimmingEnabled' method to:
.method public static final synthetic access$getDimmingEnabled$p(Lcom/nautilus/bowflex/managers/ScreenDimmingManagerZ
.locals 0
const/4 p0, 0x0
return p0
.end method
over-the-air updates
Bowflex pushes new updates to the console. It's possible that one of these future updates will cause this jailbreak to stop working.
To prevent that, we have uninstalled the nautilus_ota_client app, as well use the setting 'settings put global ota_disable_automatic_update 1'.
We haven't really looked into the updating process, so not completely sure that the above will actually prevent them.
In future, we are hoping to be able to pull the updated apks from somewhere and perform the updates manually. Meanwhile, you can just keep using the current versions of the software.
There is a file that (we assume) contains the credentials for the ota updates. This may be helpful in pulling the updated apks / firmware manually in future: /sdcard/Nautilus/redbend/Credentials.txt
secret menus
In the Bowflex screen showing the serial number
Rapidly click on top right corner to bring up their super secret menu.
Rapidly click on top left corner to bring up the current firmware version number.
Rapidly click on bottom left corner to bring up their secret menu.
In the jrny app login screen:
Rapidly click on top right corner to bring up their advanced features menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm atru
I got it unlocked! But now I'm struggling to reaccess JRNY. The generic app store app cannot find my bike and doesn't have an option for Velocore. Is there a way to have the original JRNY (built for the bike) and Peloton up on the screen?
I added links to backups of the preinstalled apps on Velocore to the Reddit thread.
Laurenann said:
I got it unlocked! But now I'm struggling to reaccess JRNY. The generic app store app cannot find my bike and doesn't have an option for Velocore. Is there a way to have the original JRNY (built for the bike) and Peloton up on the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The generic version of the JRNY doesn't support Velocore. You need the version of JRNY that comes with the bike and to have that version of the JRNY app connect to the bike, you need to follow all the steps in the instructions. You can run the generic Peloton app and it'll show up on the screen. But if you want all the bike sensors to show up at the same time, there are some more specific instuctions for Peloton app later in the document.
Hello again - JRNY updated and I'm trying to re-jailbreak but can't access Google Assistant in any way. I long press the home button and the edge of the screen glows white and the little white bubble pops up on the bottom but that's it. I can't hold or tap it enough to make it show back up. Is there any other way to get to settings to force stop Nautilus?
Hi. I've heard from someone else that the jailbreak doesn't work, as described, after the latest update (5.0.0.292 version of NautilusLauncher). I'm still running with the old version myself (I disabled updated after the jailbreak), so not sure if you can get to the settings somehow.
You can still jailbreak the bike by first downgrading the software to 5.0.0.268 and then performing the jailbreak. To do that, you'll need to do a factory reset and then reinstall the old versions of the software that are linked in the reddit thread. Someone also wrote a bit more detailed instructions on how to do this in the comments section there.
EDIT- i now see the post from rg64ml128, and have located the links in the reddit thread I also missed. Thank you!
My bowflex velocore (my gfs bowflex velocore) has a dead spot in the screen, but I wasn't sure it wasn't just the UI /****ty firmware until I tried to do a factory reset to see if that would help solve the issue. I didn't follow any steps above under the assumption it would reboot to factory version of the pre installed software. Oops...
Turns out i factory reset the whole tablet to android, and now I'm stuck in Android mode with no way to get back to the original factory settings. this would be cool if it wasn't my gfs, who is pissed at me. Any one know of any way to go back to the beginning? So far I've seen no traces of the original software.
I factory reset my bowflex velocore using their secret menu (bottom left) and now I don't have audio, but am on android without all the bowflex preinstalled apps. Does anyone else have this issue?
quackinator said:
I factory reset my bowflex velocore using their secret menu (bottom left) and now I don't have audio, but am on android without all the bowflex preinstalled apps. Does anyone else have this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if I ever tried audio right after a factory reset, but I don't see any reason why it would not work. I've done factory resets and then reinstalled the bowflex apps with a jailbreak and definitely have audio at that point.
Unfortunately the jrny app links on the reddit post are no longer valid. Could anyone please share working links if possible?
Running the latest version 5.0.0.425 step 4 to get to the google assistance settings no longer works. When I gold the home button, google assistance appears for a second and immediately disappears, so I can't access settings to turn on.
What are my options ?
Has anyone tried adding a momentary switch on the unpopulated Boot SEL switch ( sw1 ) I am wondering what it does?
{
"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"
}
Hi.
Any idea if that method is working on Vision Fitness treadmill?
Regards.
State of market
Do NOT buy this watch. It looks like excellent value for money, but much modern H1 / W5 series with Android 9 and full Play Store just hit the shelves on AliExpress for almost the same price.
If mine arrives I'll create separate thread about them.
Brands
My specific watch that I used to experiment with is G4P, bought straight from Chinese factory:
{
"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"
}
However almost everything from this thread applies to any watch running on SP9820E SoC, like G4E or G4H series.
Those watches are also often rebranded and sold as: Kinyo, Garett, Lemfo, Wonlex, Locon and many more.
Just check in spec if it is running on 9820E chip and you are good to go.
Reasons for modding
Those watches by default use very limited set of very simple applications presented in most ugly launcher and icon sets achievable by humans.
You can not install any extra applications and what you get from the box is very disappointing.
Also they are meant to be managed exclusively by corresponding phone application like SeTracker 2 (or rebrands like Garett Tracker),
which means you need to send your data to Chinese service and use WeeChat for chats/video calls, whether you like it or not.
This is true shame, because SP9820E is quite powerful hardware, here is GeekBench score.
Do not be fooled by oversimplified stock software - you can run pretty much any "real" application on it.
Luckily because those watches use Android under the hood you can transform them to something more feature-rich and more pleasant to use.
Android KitKat is NOT Android Wear
Those watches use Android 4.4, codename KitKat. Just like old phones. Please do not confuse it with Android Wear operating system and do not try to use applications built for Android Wear. Whatever you use must be Android 4.4 compatible, anything newer won't install at all. Android on this watch is heavily modified, lacks some components and you will run into many crashes or weird behaviour. Sections below will help you to navigate through those issues.
Also applications back in KitKat era were not designed with watch screens in mind, so expect bad interface scaling, not accessible buttons and huge or microscopic fonts.
How to install any application from stock Launcher?
Get application *.apk file from trusted site.
Set up Bluetooth connection between your watch (in Settings -> More -> Bluetooth) and computer / phone. Do not use macOS computer, it does not work. Android phone seems to be most compatible.
Upload *.apk file to watch using Bluetooth.
On watch go to Settings -> Tools -> File explorer and select Local -> bluetooth. Click on *.apk file and install it.
Installed application will not be visible from stock Launcher. So I really recommend installing another Launcher as first application.
Launcher
I use Nova Launcher. You need 5.5.4 version, this is the last one compatible with Android 4.4.
Once you install it using installation method described above press power button and it should prompt you which Launcher to use. Select Nova.
And enjoy freedom. It is also surprisingly fast and does not consume more battery than stock one.
If you have Nova Pro purchased you can activate it in two ways:
Use APK extractor on phone where you have Nova Prime activation installed. Dump license application to phone storage and install it the same way as launcher itself. But beware - it must be 2017 or earlier activation package. You cannot dump it from modern phone.
Search for nova_launcher_prime_v2017_full.apk and install this fake license. This is questionable way of activating it. But if you do not have old phone with old license preinstalled you have no other options. I think that if you own legal license on Play Store you will do no harm to developers this way.
Tips:
To avoid being asked for launcher when pressing power button you can disable stock launcher (requires root) through ADB shell: su, and then pm disable com.sgtc.launcher.
This firmware has very aggressive power management and you may notice lag when waking up watch after longer period of time. This is because Nova got killed by operating system and must start from scratch. To avoid it convert Nova launcher to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Nova, click on Nova, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Remember to have default launcher or ADB enabled while doing this, because you will need one of those to invoke reboot.
Lock screen using button (broken, workarounds available)
If you have two Launchers power button will always prompt for Launcher when pressed on unlocked screen. You cannot change it without root, there is something modified under the hood and even Nova cannot set itself as default Launcher.
The workarounds are to lock screen using icon:
Add Nova action widget and set it to lock screen.
Add Power Toggles widget and add lock screen button to it.
Settings (partially works)
Settings are very simplified compared to stock Android 4.4. I've tried to install stock AOSP Settings APP but it fails. A lot of "hidden settings" applications allows to invoke deep buried panels like HotSpot or lock screen patterns configurations. Tedious job, lot of crashes along the way.
You can also:
Go to engineering mode by dialling *#*#83781#*#*.
Go to Developer Options by using Developer Options Shortcut application.
Status bar (broken, workaround available)
It does not work on any launcher (I tested a few beside Nova). Probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible. It cannot even be invoked by ADB service call statusbar 1.
The good replacement is Power Toggles, which allows to add widgets with battery level, fast volume profiles switching, enabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. Pretty much everything you used status bar for. Except cellular signal strength. I use version 6.0.4.
Tips:
Just as for launcher - aggressive power management will close it as inactive user application after short period. So because it is invoked every time screen is turned on best way to reduce screen wake up time is to convert Power Toggles to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Power Toggles, click on Power Toggles, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Reboot watch.
You can set different battery colors, which makes it easier to use on small screen. I has mine set up to red (below 20%), yellow (20-80%) and green (above 80%).
You can set how frequent battery indicator is refreshed. By default it is quite laggy.
To get something looking like real status bar disable home screen margins in Nova launcher. Check my screenshot below for final effect.
Notification bar (broken)
Same deal as with Status bar - probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible with launchers.
You can open notification list service directly from Nova action. But you cannot manage it in any way (like cleaning old notifications) so it is pretty useless long list of accumulated trash.
I haven't found any good replacement.
Luckily Nova launcher notification dots work on applications icons and you can pretty much quickly figure out what just pinged you.
Clock time picker (broken)
By default you manage alarm clocks on this watch through phone application. But if you open on watch stock Android clock app you will see that you cannot set time, only set alarms on and off. Probably some Android component is missing. No fix or workaround yet. Also beware, because once you add alarm using APP on the watch there is no way to remove it - no option in app itself and SeTracker sees only first 3 of them. You will need to clean app data from ADB.
Power management (work in progress)
There are no options to keep app running in background. I'm still searching for good power management app replacement to keep things like WhatsApp or other services running.
For controlling:
screen delay (by default set to annoyingly short 10 seconds)
fine screen brightness
you can use buttons on Power Toggles widget. Once you set it to your preference widget can be removed and settings are remembered after reboot.
Screen rotation (tricky, broken)
Accelerometer is mounted 90 degrees clockwise and stock applications have this tilt compensation hardcoded into them.
This really dumb design has bad consequences:
If accelerometer rotation (auto-rotation) is enabled all "real" applications will think "up" is on the side where power button and flashlight is.
If accelerometer rotation is disabled most "real" applications will stay in fixed portrait orientation (also called user rotation) but some may still rely on accelerometer. The reason is that you can not fully disable accelerometer. Disabled only means "not taken into consideration unless explicitly asked for". And a lot of applications (mostly camera-related) still try to be user friendly and rotates screen the wrong way.
If you mess something up you can lock Screen Rotation again by adding such button on Power Toggles widget and using it.
Or if you have root:
disable accelerometer rotation: settings put system accelerometer_rotation 0
set user rotation to portrait mode: settings put system user_rotation 0
Start sound
Requires root.
First remount /custom in read-write mode: mount -o rw,remount /custom.
Then remove /custom/movies/bootsound.mp3.
Apps recommendations (please share yours)
A lot of "phone" applications work out of the box, assuming you get Android 4.4 compatible versions of them. You can install them the same way as launcher or through ADB. My set is:
Simple Keyboard is perfect for this watch. Disable symbols, set height to 150% and typing will be really comfortable and fast.
Power Toggles. Must have to compensate broken status bar and missing settings.
WhatsApp. Communication freedom. Pretty much you can stop here if you want this watch to be simple device for kid.
VLC for listening audiobooks (although interface does not scale well, looking for something better).
Wulkanowy (polish e-grade book with lessons plan, homework, etc. I assume a lot of people from Poland will come here because of Garett popularity so I'm mentioning it).
Solid Explorer. Built-in explorer is very castrated and crashes often when other apps try to use it (for example to select icon picture or file to share). Solid Explorer is stable and has a lot of built-in format viewers. Unfortunately one cannot run FTP server using it - button to start is off the screen. Bug reported, I hope it will get fixed soon.
OurGroceries. Excellent shopping/checkbox list that can be synchronized between various devices. Very useful to make list of things kid should take to school for example.
Diki. Online dictionary with simple interface that scales very well on this small screen. Translations are straightforward, without tons of magic grammar shortcuts. Allows to listen for words pronunciation.
Stock apps that are preinstalled and work OK:
Dialer
Contacts (you can even import cards from vcf file)
Flashlight
Looking for:
CalDav / CardDav sync (unfortunately there is no accounts management in API and most apps adding Dav support to Android crash).
Call blocker that will reject everything outside contacts list. To protect kid from scammers, marketers and other unwanted calls.
Known to fail:
SMSes. Can be sent but watch management API interrupts receiving to capture push control commands. Installing any other SMS application and setting it as default one breaks watch management from phone application.
WhatsApp. Camera during video calls is upside down.
Google Play Services. Instant crash.
Google Chrome 81. Crashes after few seconds of activity. For all apps that need SystemWebView component to work try Bromite replacement. However in KitKat WebView was not an application and Developer Options has no way of choosing default one. So it may fix very small amount of applications which are self-aware of different WebViews providers.
Google Calendar. Needs working Google Play Services.
F-Droid store. Crashes randomly and may require patience to install anything.
OpenSync. Cannot add any DAV account due to SSL crash.
Wikipedia. No articles can be displayed. Probably due to their latest TLS 1.2 mandatory API switch. However simply bookmarking Wikipedia in Bromite browser works just fine.
ADB and USB debugging
By default those watches are sold with charging cable only, it does not have signal pins. Your life will be a lot easier if you will be able to transfer files directly from your computer to watch and use ADB to do stuff. You can check cable dimensions here: https://allegro.pl/oferta/magnetyczny-kabel-zasilajacy-do-garett-kids-xd-10972606997 . Remember - it must have four pogo pins.
Connecting with cable is straightforward just like when connecting regular phone. Just be aware of two things:
Magnets are not strong enough to press four pins to contact pads. If you have trouble connecting try pressing magnet plug to watch firmly.
This is Android 4.4, so you need ancient knowledge. Like for example there is no "cmd" command available in ADB shell. Some command line switches are very different from what is being used today. Etc.
You can set USB to file transfer mode. Android File Transfer desktop application works perfectly and transfers are surprisingly fast. Probably it is the most convenient way to transfer applications, audiobooks and music to this watch.
Root
Based on https://github.com/eisaev/SuperSUInstaller process.
Install Developer Options Shortcut. Installation method is irrelevant. You can do it the same way as Launcher installation described above. Or if you already have more advanced stuff installed you can use an file transfer method and any file manager to do it.
Run Developer Options Shortcut and enable USB debugging.
Install SuperSU Installer. Again installation method is irrelevant.
Run SuperSU Installer. Wait for Hello World message and go back to Launcher.
In Local files on the watch there should be new SuperSU Manager APK generated. Install it but do not open.
Restart watch.
Disable WiFi and Bluetooth.
Connect USB cable.
Open dialer and enter *#*#83781#*#*. Engineering settings will open.
Go to CONNECTIVITY tab.
Click Start Service.
Click Wifi eut and confirm popup.
run adb shell on your computer
in shell enter: am start --user 0 -n ru.eisaev.supersuinstaller/.MainActivity
Wait for Hello world message on watch screen.
In shell enter: am start --user 0 -n eu.chainfire.supersu/.MainActivity
On watch screen SuperSU Manager should pop up and offer binary update. Choose Normal mode.
Restart watch.
Open SuperSU Manager. Method is irrelevant, can be clicked from Nova launcher or invoked from ADB like in 16.
Go to Settings and set Default access to Grant.
Confirm that you have root access by going to ADB shell and invoking: su
Clean up all files generated by SuperSU Installer from Local directory on the watch.
This method slightly diverges from original because users are different and because SuperSU Installer crashes when leaving to desktop using home button. Making it impossible to go from step 8 to 9 described in original method.
So for Installer and Manager to see each other at the same time you need to do this weird loop: install Installer which generates Manager which you can install prematurely to be able to later fire up both Installer and Manager at the same time from ADB without using watch home button.
Kudos for eisaev for discovering this process and building SuperSU!
My result
Home screen of Nova launcher:
Power Toggles bar on top emulates status bar. It handles battery info, fast volume and brightness settings and connectivity settings.
Two Nova action widgets added on the bottom - one for power off, second one for applications list.
Application list:
Nova allows to hide applications, so I used it to hide everything kid is not supposed to mess with. Like settings of various sort.
Many apps like Calculator or Gallery I've extracted directly from my old Android 4.4 phone.
Keyboard:
Simple Keyboard is far more usable and fast than stock keyboard. Kid has no problem with typing on it. However just as on stock keyboard you have to type blindly and occasionally minimize keyboard to verify what you've typed.
Please contribute
If you have found solution to any of mentioned problems, encountered new problem on your own or just found good app please share in comments.
bbkr said:
Brands
My specific watch that I used to experiment with is G4P, bought straight from Chinese factory:
View attachment 5407991
However almost everything from this thread applies to any watch running on SP9820E SoC, like G4E or G4H series.
Those watches are also often rebranded and sold as: Kinyo, Garett, Lemfo, Wonlex, Locon and many more.
Just check in spec if it is running on 9820E chip and you are good to go.
Reasons for modding
Those watches by default use very limited set of very simple applications presented in most ugly launcher and icon sets achievable by humans.
You can not install any extra applications and what you get from the box is very disappointing.
Also they are meant to be managed exclusively by corresponding phone application like SeTracker 2 (or rebrands like Garett Tracker),
which means you need to send your data to Chinese service and use WeeChat for chats/video calls, whether you like it or not.
This is true shame, because SP9820E is quite powerful hardware, here is GeekBench score.
Do not be fooled by oversimplified stock software - you can run pretty much any "real" application on it.
Luckily because those watches use Android under the hood you can transform them to something more feature-rich and more pleasant to use.
Android KitKat is NOT Android Wear
Those watches use Android 4.4, codename KitKat. Just like old phones. Please do not confuse it with Android Wear operating system and do not try to use applications built for Android Wear. Whatever you use must be Android 4.4 compatible, anything newer won't install at all. Android on this watch is heavily modified, lacks some components and you will run into many crashes or weird behaviour. Sections below will help you to navigate through those issues.
Also applications back in KitKat era were not designed with watch screens in mind, so expect bad interface scaling, not accessible buttons and huge or microscopic fonts.
How to install any application from stock Launcher?
Get application *.apk file from trusted site.
Set up Bluetooth connection between your watch (in Settings -> More -> Bluetooth) and computer / phone. Do not use macOS computer, it does not work. Android phone seems to be most compatible.
Upload *.apk file to watch using Bluetooth.
On watch go to Settings -> Tools -> File explorer and select Local -> bluetooth. Click on *.apk file and install it.
Installed application will not be visible from stock Launcher. So I really recommend installing another Launcher as first application.
Launcher
I use Nova Launcher. You need 5.5.4 version, this is the last one compatible with Android 4.4.
Once you install it using installation method described above press power button and it should prompt you which Launcher to use. Select Nova.
And enjoy freedom. It is also surprisingly fast and does not consume more battery than stock one.
If you have Nova Pro purchased you can activate it in two ways:
Use APK extractor on phone where you have Nova Prime activation installed. Dump license application to phone storage and install it the same way as launcher itself. But beware - it must be 2017 or earlier activation package. You cannot dump it from modern phone.
Search for nova_launcher_prime_v2017_full.apk and install this fake license. This is questionable way of activating it. But if you do not have old phone with old license preinstalled you have no other options. I think that if you own legal license on Play Store you will do no harm to developers this way.
Tips:
To avoid being asked for launcher when pressing power button you can disable stock launcher (requires root) through ADB shell: su, and then pm disable com.sgtc.launcher.
This firmware has very aggressive power management and you may notice lag when waking up watch after longer period of time. This is because Nova got killed by operating system and must start from scratch. To avoid it convert Nova launcher to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Nova, click on Nova, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Remember to have default launcher or ADB enabled while doing this, because you will need one of those to invoke reboot.
Lock screen using button (broken, workarounds available)
If you have two Launchers power button will always prompt for Launcher when pressed on unlocked screen. You cannot change it without root, there is something modified under the hood and even Nova cannot set itself as default Launcher.
The workarounds are to lock screen using icon:
Add Nova action widget and set it to lock screen.
Add Power Toggles widget and add lock screen button to it.
Settings (partially works)
Settings are very simplified compared to stock Android 4.4. I've tried to install stock AOSP Settings APP but it fails. A lot of "hidden settings" applications allows to invoke deep buried panels like HotSpot or lock screen patterns configurations. Tedious job, lot of crashes along the way.
You can also:
*#*#83781#*#*.
Developer Options Shortcut application.
Status bar (broken, workaround available)
It does not work on any launcher (I tested a few beside Nova). Probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible. It cannot even be invoked by ADB service call statusbar 1.
The good replacement is Power Toggles, which allows to add widgets with battery level, fast volume profiles switching, enabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. Pretty much everything you used status bar for. Except cellular signal strength. I use version 6.0.4.
Tips:
Just as for launcher - aggressive power management will close it as inactive user application after short period. So because it is invoked every time screen is turned on best way to reduce screen wake up time is to convert Power Toggles to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Power Toggles, click on Power Toggles, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Reboot watch.
You can set different battery colors, which makes it easier to use on small screen. I has mine set up to red (below 20%), yellow (20-80%) and green (above 80%).
You can set how frequent battery indicator is refreshed. By default it is quite laggy.
To get something looking like real status bar disable home screen margins in Nova launcher. Check my screenshot below for final effect.
Notification bar (broken)
Same deal as with Status bar - probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible with launchers.
You can open notification list service directly from Nova action. But you cannot manage it in any way (like cleaning old notifications) so it is pretty useless long list of accumulated trash.
I haven't found any good replacement.
Luckily Nova launcher notification dots work on applications icons and you can pretty much quickly figure out what just pinged you.
Clock time picker (broken)
By default you manage alarm clocks on this watch through phone application. But if you open on watch stock Android clock app you will see that you cannot set time, only set alarms on and off. Probably some Android component is missing. No fix or workaround yet. Also beware, because once you add alarm using APP on the watch there is no way to remove it - no option in app itself and SeTracker sees only first 3 of them. You will need to clean app data from ADB.
Power management (work in progress)
There are no options to keep app running in background. I'm still searching for good power management app replacement to keep things like WhatsApp or other services running.
For controlling:
screen delay (by default set to annoyingly short 10 seconds)
fine screen brightness
Power Toggles widget. Once you set it to your preference widget can be removed and settings are remembered after reboot.
Screen rotation (tricky, broken)
Accelerometer is mounted 90 degrees clockwise and stock applications have this tilt compensation hardcoded into them.
This really dumb design has bad consequences:
If accelerometer rotation (auto-rotation) is enabled all "real" applications will think "up" is on the side where power button and flashlight is.
If accelerometer rotation is disabled most "real" applications will stay in fixed portrait orientation (also called user rotation) but some may still rely on accelerometer. The reason is that you can not fully disable accelerometer. Disabled only means "not taken into consideration unless explicitly asked for". And a lot of applications (mostly camera-related) still try to be user friendly and rotates screen the wrong way.
If you mess something up you can lock Screen Rotation again by adding such button on Power Toggles widget and using it.
Or if you have root:
disable accelerometer rotation: settings put system accelerometer_rotation 0
set user rotation to portrait mode: settings put system user_rotation 0
Start sound
Requires root. Remove /custom/movies/bootsound.mp3.
Apps recommendations (please share yours)
A lot of "phone" applications work out of the box, assuming you get Android 4.4 compatible versions of them. You can install them the same way as launcher or through ADB. My set is:
Simple Keyboard is perfect for this watch. Disable symbols, set height to 150% and typing will be really comfortable and fast.
Power Toggles. Must have to compensate broken status bar and missing settings.
WhatsApp. Communication freedom. Pretty much you can stop here if you want this watch to be simple device for kid.
VLC for listening audiobooks (although interface does not scale well, looking for something better).
Wulkanowy (polish e-grade book with lessons plan, homework, etc. I assume a lot of people from Poland will come here because of Garett popularity so I'm mentioning it).
Solid Explorer. Built-in explorer is very castrated and crashes often when other apps try to use it (for example to select icon picture or file to share). Solid Explorer is stable and has a lot of built-in format viewers. Unfortunately one cannot run FTP server using it - button to start is off the screen. Bug reported, I hope it will get fixed soon.
OurGroceries. Excellent shopping/checkbox list that can be synchronized between various devices. Very useful to make list of things kid should take to school for example.
Diki. Online dictionary with simple interface that scales very well on this small screen. Translations are straightforward, without tons of magic grammar shortcuts. Allows to listen for words pronunciation.
Stock apps that are preinstalled and work OK:
Dialer
Contacts (you can even import cards from vcf file)
Flashlight
Looking for:
CalDav / CardDav sync (unfortunately there is no accounts management in API and most apps adding Dav support to Android crash).
Call blocker that will reject everything outside contacts list. To protect kid from scammers, marketers and other unwanted calls.
Known to fail:
SMSes. Can be sent but watch management API interrupts receiving to capture push control commands. Installing any other SMS application and setting it as default one breaks watch management from phone application.
WhatsApp. Camera during video calls is upside down.
Google Play Services. Instant crash.
Google Chrome 81. Crashes after few seconds of activity. For all apps that need SystemWebView component to work try Bromite replacement. However in KitKat WebView was not an application and Developer Options has no way of choosing default one. So it may fix very small amount of applications which are self-aware of different WebViews providers.
Google Calendar. Needs working Google Play Services.
F-Droid store. Crashes randomly and may require patience to install anything.
OpenSync. Cannot add any DAV account due to SSL crash.
Wikipedia. No articles can be displayed. Probably due to their latest TLS 1.2 mandatory API switch. However simply bookmarking Wikipedia in Bromite browser works just fine.
ADB and USB debugging
By default those watches are sold with charging cable only, it does not have signal pins. Your life will be a lot easier if you will be able to transfer files directly from your computer to watch and use ADB to do stuff. You can check cable dimensions here: https://allegro.pl/oferta/magnetyczny-kabel-zasilajacy-do-garett-kids-xd-10972606997 . Remember - it must have four pogo pins.
Connecting with cable is straightforward just like when connecting regular phone. Just be aware of two things:
Magnets are not strong enough to press four pins to contact pads. If you have trouble connecting try pressing magnet plug to watch firmly.
This is Android 4.4, so you need ancient knowledge. Like for example there is no "cmd" command available in ADB shell. Some command line switches are very different from what is being used today. Etc.
You can set USB to file transfer mode. Android File Transfer desktop application works perfectly and transfers are surprisingly fast. Probably it is the most convenient way to transfer applications, audiobooks and music to this watch.
Root
Based on https://github.com/eisaev/SuperSUInstaller process.
Developer Options Shortcut. Installation method is irrelevant. You can do it the same way as Launcher installation described above. Or if you already have more advanced stuff installed you can use an file transfer method and any file manager to do it.
Developer Options Shortcut and enable USB debugging.
SuperSU Installer. Again installation method is irrelevant.
SuperSU Installer. Wait for Hello World message and go back to Launcher.
In Local files on the watch there should be new SuperSU Manager APK generated. Install it but do not open.
Restart watch.
Disable WiFi and Bluetooth.
Connect USB cable.
Open dialer and enter *#*#83781#*#*. Engineering settings will open.
Go to CONNECTIVITY tab.
Start Service.
Wifi eut and confirm popup.
run adb shell on your computer
in shell enter: am start --user 0 -n ru.eisaev.supersuinstaller/.MainActivity
Wait for Hello world message on watch screen.
In shell enter: am start --user 0 -n eu.chainfire.supersu/.MainActivity
On watch screen SuperSU Manager should pop up and offer binary update. Choose Normal mode.
Restart watch.
Open SuperSU Manager. Method is irrelevant, can be clicked from Nova launcher or invoked from ADB like in 16.
Go to Settings and set Default access to Grant.
Confirm that you have root access by going to ADB shell and invoking: su
Clean up all files generated by SuperSU Installer from Local directory on the watch.
This method slightly diverges from original because users are different and because SuperSU Installer crashes when leaving to desktop using home button. Making it impossible to go from step 8 to 9 described in original method.
So for Installer and Manager to see each other at the same time you need to do this weird loop: install Installer which generates Manager which you can install prematurely to be able to later fire up both Installer and Manager at the same time from ADB without using watch home button.
Kudos for eisaev for discovering this process and building SuperSU!
My result
Home screen of Nova launcher:
View attachment 5420419
bar on top emulates status bar. It handles battery info, fast volume and brightness settings and connectivity settings.
Two Nova action widgets added on the bottom - one for power off, second one for applications list.
Application list:
View attachment 5420423
Nova allows to hide applications, so I used it to hide everything kid is not supposed to mess with. Like settings of various sort.
Many apps like Calculator or Gallery I've extracted directly from my old Android 4.4 phone.
Keyboard:
View attachment 5420427
Simple Keyboard is far more usable and fast than stock keyboard. Kid has no problem with typing on it. However just as on stock keyboard you have to type blindly and occasionally minimize keyboard to verify what you've typed.
Please contribute
If you have found solution to any of mentioned problems, encountered new problem on your own or just found good app please share in comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought this watch for my child, but when I want to use another tracking program other than the se tracker program, I cannot change the ip number. Can you help me with this? Since I couldn't find any more resources about g4h, I asked for help under this topic. The link to the watch I actually bought is below. If I can change the server of the watch with the sms sent to the watch, maybe I can switch to an application other than tracker. Engineering mode opens but I don't know how to do it.
Find my kids application server: pw,123456,ip,tcp.findmykids.org,8001#
https://tr.aliexpress.com/item/1005002878573395.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1cc04c4dVwpHt3
got one watch with the same chipset, but it is running at Android 8.1. any idea for root it?
already try above way to to do it. but it was failed.
rootzero7 said:
got one watch with the same chipset, but it is running at Android 8.1. any idea for root it?
already try above way to to do it. but it was failed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No model name, no build version... with amount of details you provided you won't get an answer.
afyden2018 said:
I bought this watch for my child, but when I want to use another tracking program other than the se tracker program, I cannot change the ip number. Can you help me with this? Since I couldn't find any more resources about g4h, I asked for help under this topic. The link to the watch I actually bought is below. If I can change the server of the watch with the sms sent to the watch, maybe I can switch to an application other than tracker. Engineering mode opens but I don't know how to do it.
Find my kids application server: pw,123456,ip,tcp.findmykids.org,8001#
https://tr.aliexpress.com/item/1005002878573395.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1cc04c4dVwpHt3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you want is not possible.
Findmykids.org and SE Tracker do not speak the same protocol, it is not the matter of simply changing IP.
Also findmykids.org service running on watch is for Android 5.0 and up, while this watch runs on Android 4.4.
By the way: location reporting IP is stored in /custom/config. You can remount storage it in read-write mode and change it, but as I said earlier this is pointless. What you need is Android Service running on the watch, reporting to findmykids.org in data format expected by this site.
here is some detail for this watch. it comes NO band name.
chipset,
processor : 0
model name : ARMv8 Processor
BogoMIPS : 52.00
Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm aes pmull sha1 sha2 crc32
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 8
CPU variant : 0x0
CPU part : 0xd03
CPU revision : 4
processor : 1
model name : ARMv8 Processor
BogoMIPS : 52.00
Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm aes pmull sha1 sha2 crc32
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 8
CPU variant : 0x0
CPU part : 0xd03
CPU revision : 4
Hardware : Spreadtrum SC9820e
Revision : 0000
Serial : 0000000000000000
re : Spreadtrum SC9820e
Revision : 0000
Serial : 0000000000000000
getprop | grep ver
[persist.sys.android.version]: [9.0]
[ro.build.version.release]: [8.1.0]
[ro.build.version.sdk]: [27]
[ro.build.version.security_patch]: [2019-11-05]
kernel info.
Linux localhost 4.4.83+ #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Aug 20 17:30:34 CST 2021 armv7l
install the SuperSUInstaller apk file and launched it .
adb logcat says the connection was denied by SElinux. also there is no cmd_services running when "enable wifi eut". which "superSUinstaller" needs it to run on.
also by dig the system, it seems like the SELinux was misconfigured somehow.
does it work on android 9
because i try to root LEMFO LEMP
and got this message
DMN_C16_TFT_PIX32:/ $ am start --user 0 -n ru.eisaev.supersuinstaller/.MainActivity
Starting: Intent { cmp=ru.eisaev.supersuinstaller/.MainActivity }
DMN_C16_TFT_PIX32:/ $ am start --user 0 -n eu.chainfire.supersu/.MainActivity
Starting: Intent { cmp=eu.chainfire.supersu/.MainActivity }
Error type 3
Error: Activity class {eu.chainfire.supersu/eu.chainfire.supersu.MainActivity} does not exist.
i realy need solution for root this Sh*t devices
Great tutorial!
I bought polish Garett kids 4g and I want to play with it a little bit (it's not only for kids but also for daddies ).
1. I installed WhatsApp (KitKat version) and it works great. Surprisingly I can see it in the default launcher next to "steps" ("kroki") and "QR code". How it is possible and how to do it with other apps?
2. When I change watch faces I can see a little weather icon on the preview. But when I choose one there is no weather. Do you know what weather application is missing and how to force it to show weather on the watch face?
Thanks alot! I asked for the firmware from chinese's seller, and I had got a link:
QQ邮箱中转站文件
mail.qq.com
ivvitan said:
Thanks alot! I asked for the firmware from chinese's seller, and I had got a link:
QQ邮箱中转站文件
mail.qq.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,I have a watch of the same model, but I don't know how to brush it. I tried SPD_ Research_ Tool, the driver is also installed. I tried to insert the data cable when the watch is shutting down, but the Tool reported an error "user cancel". Can you tell me how you brush the watch?Thanks.
Is there a possibility of putting an android later than android 4.4 in these watches?
Surely there must be a dev on xda who could port a rom to this watch.. anyone ?
bbkr said:
State of market
Do NOT buy this watch. It looks like excellent value for money, but much modern H1 / W5 series with Android 9 and full Play Store just hit the shelves on AliExpress for almost the same price.
If mine arrives I'll create separate thread about them.
Brands
My specific watch that I used to experiment with is G4P, bought straight from Chinese factory:
View attachment 5407991
However almost everything from this thread applies to any watch running on SP9820E SoC, like G4E or G4H series.
Those watches are also often rebranded and sold as: Kinyo, Garett, Lemfo, Wonlex, Locon and many more.
Just check in spec if it is running on 9820E chip and you are good to go.
Reasons for modding
Those watches by default use very limited set of very simple applications presented in most ugly launcher and icon sets achievable by humans.
You can not install any extra applications and what you get from the box is very disappointing.
Also they are meant to be managed exclusively by corresponding phone application like SeTracker 2 (or rebrands like Garett Tracker),
which means you need to send your data to Chinese service and use WeeChat for chats/video calls, whether you like it or not.
This is true shame, because SP9820E is quite powerful hardware, here is GeekBench score.
Do not be fooled by oversimplified stock software - you can run pretty much any "real" application on it.
Luckily because those watches use Android under the hood you can transform them to something more feature-rich and more pleasant to use.
Android KitKat is NOT Android Wear
Those watches use Android 4.4, codename KitKat. Just like old phones. Please do not confuse it with Android Wear operating system and do not try to use applications built for Android Wear. Whatever you use must be Android 4.4 compatible, anything newer won't install at all. Android on this watch is heavily modified, lacks some components and you will run into many crashes or weird behaviour. Sections below will help you to navigate through those issues.
Also applications back in KitKat era were not designed with watch screens in mind, so expect bad interface scaling, not accessible buttons and huge or microscopic fonts.
How to install any application from stock Launcher?
Get application *.apk file from trusted site.
Set up Bluetooth connection between your watch (in Settings -> More -> Bluetooth) and computer / phone. Do not use macOS computer, it does not work. Android phone seems to be most compatible.
Upload *.apk file to watch using Bluetooth.
On watch go to Settings -> Tools -> File explorer and select Local -> bluetooth. Click on *.apk file and install it.
Installed application will not be visible from stock Launcher. So I really recommend installing another Launcher as first application.
Launcher
I use Nova Launcher. You need 5.5.4 version, this is the last one compatible with Android 4.4.
Once you install it using installation method described above press power button and it should prompt you which Launcher to use. Select Nova.
And enjoy freedom. It is also surprisingly fast and does not consume more battery than stock one.
If you have Nova Pro purchased you can activate it in two ways:
Use APK extractor on phone where you have Nova Prime activation installed. Dump license application to phone storage and install it the same way as launcher itself. But beware - it must be 2017 or earlier activation package. You cannot dump it from modern phone.
Search for nova_launcher_prime_v2017_full.apk and install this fake license. This is questionable way of activating it. But if you do not have old phone with old license preinstalled you have no other options. I think that if you own legal license on Play Store you will do no harm to developers this way.
Tips:
To avoid being asked for launcher when pressing power button you can disable stock launcher (requires root) through ADB shell: su, and then pm disable com.sgtc.launcher.
This firmware has very aggressive power management and you may notice lag when waking up watch after longer period of time. This is because Nova got killed by operating system and must start from scratch. To avoid it convert Nova launcher to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Nova, click on Nova, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Remember to have default launcher or ADB enabled while doing this, because you will need one of those to invoke reboot.
Lock screen using button (broken, workarounds available)
If you have two Launchers power button will always prompt for Launcher when pressed on unlocked screen. You cannot change it without root, there is something modified under the hood and even Nova cannot set itself as default Launcher.
The workarounds are to lock screen using icon:
Add Nova action widget and set it to lock screen.
Add Power Toggles widget and add lock screen button to it.
Settings (partially works)
Settings are very simplified compared to stock Android 4.4. I've tried to install stock AOSP Settings APP but it fails. A lot of "hidden settings" applications allows to invoke deep buried panels like HotSpot or lock screen patterns configurations. Tedious job, lot of crashes along the way.
You can also:
Go to engineering mode by dialling *#*#83781#*#*.
Go to Developer Options by using Developer Options Shortcut application.
Status bar (broken, workaround available)
It does not work on any launcher (I tested a few beside Nova). Probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible. It cannot even be invoked by ADB service call statusbar 1.
The good replacement is Power Toggles, which allows to add widgets with battery level, fast volume profiles switching, enabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. Pretty much everything you used status bar for. Except cellular signal strength. I use version 6.0.4.
Tips:
Just as for launcher - aggressive power management will close it as inactive user application after short period. So because it is invoked every time screen is turned on best way to reduce screen wake up time is to convert Power Toggles to system application (requires root). This can be done using Link2SD application. Open it, search for Power Toggles, click on Power Toggles, click triple dot menu menu and you will have option to convert to system. Reboot watch.
You can set different battery colors, which makes it easier to use on small screen. I has mine set up to red (below 20%), yellow (20-80%) and green (above 80%).
You can set how frequent battery indicator is refreshed. By default it is quite laggy.
To get something looking like real status bar disable home screen margins in Nova launcher. Check my screenshot below for final effect.
Notification bar (broken)
Same deal as with Status bar - probably it was so heavily modified that API is no longer compatible with launchers.
You can open notification list service directly from Nova action. But you cannot manage it in any way (like cleaning old notifications) so it is pretty useless long list of accumulated trash.
I haven't found any good replacement.
Luckily Nova launcher notification dots work on applications icons and you can pretty much quickly figure out what just pinged you.
Clock time picker (broken)
By default you manage alarm clocks on this watch through phone application. But if you open on watch stock Android clock app you will see that you cannot set time, only set alarms on and off. Probably some Android component is missing. No fix or workaround yet. Also beware, because once you add alarm using APP on the watch there is no way to remove it - no option in app itself and SeTracker sees only first 3 of them. You will need to clean app data from ADB.
Power management (work in progress)
There are no options to keep app running in background. I'm still searching for good power management app replacement to keep things like WhatsApp or other services running.
For controlling:
screen delay (by default set to annoyingly short 10 seconds)
fine screen brightness
you can use buttons on Power Toggles widget. Once you set it to your preference widget can be removed and settings are remembered after reboot.
Screen rotation (tricky, broken)
Accelerometer is mounted 90 degrees clockwise and stock applications have this tilt compensation hardcoded into them.
This really dumb design has bad consequences:
If accelerometer rotation (auto-rotation) is enabled all "real" applications will think "up" is on the side where power button and flashlight is.
If accelerometer rotation is disabled most "real" applications will stay in fixed portrait orientation (also called user rotation) but some may still rely on accelerometer. The reason is that you can not fully disable accelerometer. Disabled only means "not taken into consideration unless explicitly asked for". And a lot of applications (mostly camera-related) still try to be user friendly and rotates screen the wrong way.
If you mess something up you can lock Screen Rotation again by adding such button on Power Toggles widget and using it.
Or if you have root:
disable accelerometer rotation: settings put system accelerometer_rotation 0
set user rotation to portrait mode: settings put system user_rotation 0
Start sound
Requires root.
First remount /custom in read-write mode: mount -o rw,remount /custom.
Then remove /custom/movies/bootsound.mp3.
Apps recommendations (please share yours)
A lot of "phone" applications work out of the box, assuming you get Android 4.4 compatible versions of them. You can install them the same way as launcher or through ADB. My set is:
Simple Keyboard is perfect for this watch. Disable symbols, set height to 150% and typing will be really comfortable and fast.
Power Toggles. Must have to compensate broken status bar and missing settings.
WhatsApp. Communication freedom. Pretty much you can stop here if you want this watch to be simple device for kid.
VLC for listening audiobooks (although interface does not scale well, looking for something better).
Wulkanowy (polish e-grade book with lessons plan, homework, etc. I assume a lot of people from Poland will come here because of Garett popularity so I'm mentioning it).
Solid Explorer. Built-in explorer is very castrated and crashes often when other apps try to use it (for example to select icon picture or file to share). Solid Explorer is stable and has a lot of built-in format viewers. Unfortunately one cannot run FTP server using it - button to start is off the screen. Bug reported, I hope it will get fixed soon.
OurGroceries. Excellent shopping/checkbox list that can be synchronized between various devices. Very useful to make list of things kid should take to school for example.
Diki. Online dictionary with simple interface that scales very well on this small screen. Translations are straightforward, without tons of magic grammar shortcuts. Allows to listen for words pronunciation.
Stock apps that are preinstalled and work OK:
Dialer
Contacts (you can even import cards from vcf file)
Flashlight
Looking for:
CalDav / CardDav sync (unfortunately there is no accounts management in API and most apps adding Dav support to Android crash).
Call blocker that will reject everything outside contacts list. To protect kid from scammers, marketers and other unwanted calls.
Known to fail:
SMSes. Can be sent but watch management API interrupts receiving to capture push control commands. Installing any other SMS application and setting it as default one breaks watch management from phone application.
WhatsApp. Camera during video calls is upside down.
Google Play Services. Instant crash.
Google Chrome 81. Crashes after few seconds of activity. For all apps that need SystemWebView component to work try Bromite replacement. However in KitKat WebView was not an application and Developer Options has no way of choosing default one. So it may fix very small amount of applications which are self-aware of different WebViews providers.
Google Calendar. Needs working Google Play Services.
F-Droid store. Crashes randomly and may require patience to install anything.
OpenSync. Cannot add any DAV account due to SSL crash.
Wikipedia. No articles can be displayed. Probably due to their latest TLS 1.2 mandatory API switch. However simply bookmarking Wikipedia in Bromite browser works just fine.
ADB and USB debugging
By default those watches are sold with charging cable only, it does not have signal pins. Your life will be a lot easier if you will be able to transfer files directly from your computer to watch and use ADB to do stuff. You can check cable dimensions here: https://allegro.pl/oferta/magnetyczny-kabel-zasilajacy-do-garett-kids-xd-10972606997 . Remember - it must have four pogo pins.
Connecting with cable is straightforward just like when connecting regular phone. Just be aware of two things:
Magnets are not strong enough to press four pins to contact pads. If you have trouble connecting try pressing magnet plug to watch firmly.
This is Android 4.4, so you need ancient knowledge. Like for example there is no "cmd" command available in ADB shell. Some command line switches are very different from what is being used today. Etc.
You can set USB to file transfer mode. Android File Transfer desktop application works perfectly and transfers are surprisingly fast. Probably it is the most convenient way to transfer applications, audiobooks and music to this watch.
Root
Based on https://github.com/eisaev/SuperSUInstaller process.
Install Developer Options Shortcut. Installation method is irrelevant. You can do it the same way as Launcher installation described above. Or if you already have more advanced stuff installed you can use an file transfer method and any file manager to do it.
Run Developer Options Shortcut and enable USB debugging.
Install SuperSU Installer. Again installation method is irrelevant.
Run SuperSU Installer. Wait for Hello World message and go back to Launcher.
In Local files on the watch there should be new SuperSU Manager APK generated. Install it but do not open.
Restart watch.
Disable WiFi and Bluetooth.
Connect USB cable.
Open dialer and enter *#*#83781#*#*. Engineering settings will open.
Go to CONNECTIVITY tab.
Click Start Service.
Click Wifi eut and confirm popup.
run adb shell on your computer
in shell enter: am start --user 0 -n ru.eisaev.supersuinstaller/.MainActivity
Wait for Hello world message on watch screen.
In shell enter: am start --user 0 -n eu.chainfire.supersu/.MainActivity
On watch screen SuperSU Manager should pop up and offer binary update. Choose Normal mode.
Restart watch.
Open SuperSU Manager. Method is irrelevant, can be clicked from Nova launcher or invoked from ADB like in 16.
Go to Settings and set Default access to Grant.
Confirm that you have root access by going to ADB shell and invoking: su
Clean up all files generated by SuperSU Installer from Local directory on the watch.
This method slightly diverges from original because users are different and because SuperSU Installer crashes when leaving to desktop using home button. Making it impossible to go from step 8 to 9 described in original method.
So for Installer and Manager to see each other at the same time you need to do this weird loop: install Installer which generates Manager which you can install prematurely to be able to later fire up both Installer and Manager at the same time from ADB without using watch home button.
Kudos for eisaev for discovering this process and building SuperSU!
My result
Home screen of Nova launcher:
View attachment 5420419
Power Toggles bar on top emulates status bar. It handles battery info, fast volume and brightness settings and connectivity settings.
Two Nova action widgets added on the bottom - one for power off, second one for applications list.
Application list:
View attachment 5420423
Nova allows to hide applications, so I used it to hide everything kid is not supposed to mess with. Like settings of various sort.
Many apps like Calculator or Gallery I've extracted directly from my old Android 4.4 phone.
Keyboard:
View attachment 5420427
Simple Keyboard is far more usable and fast than stock keyboard. Kid has no problem with typing on it. However just as on stock keyboard you have to type blindly and occasionally minimize keyboard to verify what you've typed.
Please contribute
If you have found solution to any of mentioned problems, encountered new problem on your own or just found good app please share in comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank for this tutorial