Database Users

Anyone have a working .some Google Phone Dialer ?

I prefer the stock Google Phone dialer over all others. I tried to install several different .APK from the website with all the Google Phone downloads. But none of them would install or work.

I've been running Google Dialer with LG G6 for a couple of weeks... here's what I did...
1. Install the APK from this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412
2. After installation, go into Settings, General, Phone Management, Apps.
3. Click the three dots menu and select Configure Apps.
4. Select Phone App, and change that over to the Phone with the blue background (the alternative is LG's Contacts) and click OK.
5. Click on the Special Access at the bottom of that screen. Select Modify System Settings and find the Phone app. Grant it rights to modify system settings.
6. I like to explicitly grant the phone app permissions now, rather than waiting for it later. So I granted all permissions up-front. Back out to the Apps screen and find the Phone app. Click permissions and flip the slider to the right to enable all permissions.
7. Launch the phone app and sign-in to your google account.
You may want to swap out the phone on the lock-screen and launcher as well...

gewecht said:
I've been running Google Dialer with LG G6 for a couple of weeks... here's what I did...
1. Install the APK from this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412
2. After installation, go into Settings, General, Phone Management, Apps.
3. Click the three dots menu and select Configure Apps.
4. Select Phone App, and change that over to the Phone with the blue background (the alternative is LG's Contacts) and click OK.
5. Click on the Special Access at the bottom of that screen. Select Modify System Settings and find the Phone app. Grant it rights to modify system settings.
6. I like to explicitly grant the phone app permissions now, rather than waiting for it later. So I granted all permissions up-front. Back out to the Apps screen and find the Phone app. Click permissions and flip the slider to the right to enable all permissions.
7. Launch the phone app and sign-in to your google account.
You may want to swap out the phone on the lock-screen and launcher as well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not been able to swap out the phone shortcut on the lockscreen unfortunately. It seems the stock phone app is a default that can't be changed.
Thanks for the guide by the way. The stock phone app was aweful. Any way to get the Google contacts app too?
Sent from my LG-H870 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I installed google contact from APKMirror and it works like a charm…
I tried the same with google dialier, but it disappeared after being called once ! Will try again.

matclab said:
I installed google contact from APKMirror and it works like a charm…
I tried the same with google dialier, but it disappeared after being called once ! Will try again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the APKMirror install of Google Dialer working just fine. Didn't run into the issue with dialer disappearing. However, I installed the Dialer from the XDA Forum that I referred to in a previous post.
---------- Post added at 08:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:41 AM ----------
stumpy352 said:
I have not been able to swap out the phone shortcut on the lockscreen unfortunately. It seems the stock phone app is a default that can't be changed.
Thanks for the guide by the way. The stock phone app was aweful. Any way to get the Google contacts app too?
Sent from my LG-H870 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to swap out the phone by going to Settings, Display, Lock Screen, Shortcuts. From there tap on the phone icon (defaults to the far left) and an app list pops up. You need to select the "Phone" app with the blue icon - the green one is the LG-native phone app.

Thanks for the quick guide , it worked great. Finding it slightly sluggish for some reason though
The lock screen shortcut option only appears if you disable screen pin/fingerprint

Thanks, works great!

I am unable to change that default phone shortcut on the lockscreen no matter what I do.

I've always used Google Dialer v3.xxxx rc4 (forget the exact version but it's 3.something rc4), which is the latest version that is able to properly look up phone numbers of places by name on all my non-Nexus/Pixel devices

stumpy352 said:
I am unable to change that default phone shortcut on the lockscreen no matter what I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings/Display/Lockscreen/Shortcuts
Note that it only saves once you exit the Shortcuts screen (press back)

gr__or said:
Settings/Display/Lockscreen/Shortcuts
Note that it only saves once you exit the Shortcuts screen (press back)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but the left phone shortcut cannot be changed on my phone at all.
{
"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"
}
Sent from my LG-H870 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

stumpy352 said:
Sorry, but the left phone shortcut cannot be changed on my phone at all. [/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just deleted them from the lock screen. Never use them anyway. Double press volume down opens the camera.

stumpy352 said:
Sorry, but the left phone shortcut cannot be changed on my phone at all. View attachment 4238136
Sent from my LG-H870 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh, strange. Mine looks a bit different (see attachments). Maybe you're running an older version? My software version is V10e-TWN-XX

stumpy352 said:
I am unable to change that default phone shortcut on the lockscreen no matter what I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem here software ver: V10k-AUS-XX Google Dialer & Contacts installed and working perfectly THX for the how to, Just cant get rid of that stinking green piece of turd on the lock screen no matter what I try. Hate little anoying probs like this LG @ times u suck!!!

gewecht said:
I've been running Google Dialer with LG G6 for a couple of weeks... here's what I did...
1. Install the APK from this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412
2. After installation, go into Settings, General, Phone Management, Apps.
3. Click the three dots menu and select Configure Apps.
4. Select Phone App, and change that over to the Phone with the blue background (the alternative is LG's Contacts) and click OK.
5. Click on the Special Access at the bottom of that screen. Select Modify System Settings and find the Phone app. Grant it rights to modify system settings.
6. I like to explicitly grant the phone app permissions now, rather than waiting for it later. So I granted all permissions up-front. Back out to the Apps screen and find the Phone app. Click permissions and flip the slider to the right to enable all permissions.
7. Launch the phone app and sign-in to your google account.
You may want to swap out the phone on the lock-screen and launcher as well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Gewecht what colour is your in call back ground? I have a LG G6 I get a quick flash of the nice Google blue then it turns a not so nice Turquoise green.
I tried the work around in the Google Dialer main post but no luck as the G6 has no option to change the sim back ground colour. I'm guessing the only way is to disable the stock phone app which the option is greyed out!!
Cheers.

Zorachus said:
I prefer the stock Google Phone dialer over all others. I tried to install several different .APK from the website with all the Google Phone downloads. But none of them would install or work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Attached.

How do I make it so when I receive a call on my lock screen the blue color fills the top notification area and the navigation area at the bottom? See screenshot.

tiger100 said:
How do I make it so when I receive a call on my lock screen the blue color fills the top notification area and the navigation area at the bottom? See screenshot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You go to the Settings app, go to Display settings, tap on App Scaling, find the app (it would be in 16:7.9 aspect ration) and tap it, and thusly make it a forced 18:9 aspect ratio. After this, your application should be formatted to support the LG G6's 18:9 display. Trust me, I had to do this with Lawnchair Launcher and a Pixel 2 Launcher (mod) in order to get it to all fit. I hope this helps you ??.

Tech Trapped said:
You go to the Settings app, go to Display settings, tap on App Scaling, find the app (it would be in 16:7.9 aspect ration) and tap it, and thusly make it a forced 18:9 aspect ratio. After this, your application should be formatted to support the LG G6's 18:9 display. Trust me, I had to do this with Lawnchair Launcher and a Pixel 2 Launcher (mod) in order to get it to all fit. I hope this helps you ??.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. That did the trick. That was really bothering me.

tiger100 said:
Thanks. That did the trick. That was really bothering me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. ??

Fire TV set HALauncher as default

Hello, this is my first topic.
I have an amazon firetvstick 2nd blocked my amazon. I have try to find away to set HALauncher as default here on this forum. I have find a way to do this.
thanks go to @rainman74 for his modified apk now you can use HALauncher as default launcher or select in Hijackv3
1. Install Hijack v3
https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases
2. Install HALauncher USE @rainman74 modified apk
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/development/app-halauncher-fire-tv-t3762950
3. Install Target Home Launcher IGNORE THIS
https://mega.nz/#!gRN2jbqT!mFBoAPRGsAaRIbJWjJ2XyXW_A33q0u9K019iyIz-Nx4
open hijack an set as default launcher the app target home launcher, now when your press the home button target launcher should pop up as default and it you can select halauncher. IGNORE use modified apk
this is my fireTVstick 2nd interface
Have fun.
if you have any questions feel free to ask me
sorry for my english

I am not able to set target home launcher as default launcher with launcher hijack.

xhostluv said:
Hello, this is my first topic.
I have an amazon firetvstick 2nd blocked my amazon. I have try to find away to set HALauncher as default here on this forum. I have find a way to do this.
1. Install Hijack v3
https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases
2. Install HALauncher
https://mega.nz/#!NMlUADYB!7-yC0MVEmR89RTYYn_d4oQ1-B7iQ6uLpa1OEG_2pock
3. Install Target Home Launcher
https://mega.nz/#!gRN2jbqT!mFBoAPRGsAaRIbJWjJ2XyXW_A33q0u9K019iyIz-Nx4
open hijack an set as default launcher the app target home launcher, now when your press the home button target launcher should pop up as default and it you can select halauncher.
this is my fireTVstick 2nd interface
Have fun.
if you have any questions feel free to ask me
sorry for my english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good thanks for sharing
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

download link for my custom background for apps
https://mega.nz/#!kU92UJ6B!-oD4ZzPReKts0bylXBPdFTgk_j6tU9w1q2o_wJrS4Ts
keep in mind is small resolution 1200x765
if someone make other backgrounds app please share it here

pacorey said:
I am not able to set target home launcher as default launcher with launcher hijack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
update link in first post, use halauncher modified by rainman

I love the new setup. Its not so cluttered and "NO ADS"! Sorry for the glare of the window.

Can't activate HAlauncher to be the default Launcher. When I try to activate it in both apps "Hijack v3" and "target Home launcher" it gets back to the stock Amazon Launcher. I can start HALauncher manually.
I use a Fire Tv 2 with root
EDIT:
Works! Need to set another Launcher after "target home launcher" was the default launcher. After that, I can choose HALauncher as default launcher!

starmagoo said:
Can't activate HAlauncher to be the default Launcher. When I try to activate it in both apps "Hijack v3" and "target Home launcher" it gets back to the stock Amazon Launcher. I can start HALauncher manually.
I use a Fire Tv 2 with root
EDIT:
Works! Need to set another Launcher after "target home launcher" was the default launcher. After that, I can choose HALauncher as default launcher!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
update.. link in first post, you can use HALauncher modified by rainman, target home launcher not needed anymore,

I am on FireOS 5.0.5 and this method does not work, the home button detection just does not work, I can set the default launcher but home button does not bring you to it!

Reni10 said:
I am on FireOS 5.0.5 and this method does not work, the home button detection just does not work, I can set the default launcher but home button does not bring you to it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try thoe modified apk by raiman.. link in first post

xhostluv said:
try thoe modified apk by raiman.. link in first post
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did try that one originally and still does not work, any other ideas?

Reni10 said:
Yes I did try that one originally and still does not work, any other ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you be more specific? Hijackv3 is recognizing HALauncher as a launcher?? can you select it? if not try with target home launcher...
give more details

xhostluv said:
can you be more specific? Hijackv3 is recognizing HALauncher as a launcher?? can you select it? if not try with target home launcher...
give more details
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have now tried on 2 separate 1st Gen fire TVs and neither works using your method.
You can select the modified Hal launcher in launcher hijack but when you press the home button it does NOT bring you to the Hal launcher only the normal FireTV launcher.
I can't be any more specific than that and also the same with Target Launcher, you can select it but it will not bring you to it when pressing the home button

Does this work with FireOS 5.2.6.2 ?
I have the same problem as Reni10.

how the hell do you customize the lists? if i select an app and click add it says select a target group, if i click the group and an app it says the same. If i click a group everything under that category comes
edit: nvm can't edit the default groups.

Reni10 said:
I have now tried on 2 separate 1st Gen fire TVs and neither works using your method.
You can select the modified Hal launcher in launcher hijack but when you press the home button it does NOT bring you to the Hal launcher only the normal FireTV launcher.
I can't be any more specific than that and also the same with Target Launcher, you can select it but it will not bring you to it when pressing the home button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the question would be, if the amazon launcher is being loaded in the background consuming RAM. For a alternative launcher, test the very slim "AppStarter 4.0". Keen to know if hijack works with the latest FireOS Updates
AppStarter -> https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135

Sometimes it works perfect and sometimes this tool don't work with the home button.
Fire Stick 2nd Gen.

Just published a new release with full support for Fire TV's: https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/launcher-root-launcher-hijack-v4-t3877467
This post still redirects a few people over every week so thought it was worth mentioning.

Any Launcher, No Root (Launcher Hijack V4)

Launcher Hijack V4
Allows a custom launcher on Amazon Kindle Fire's and Fire TV's
An early, insert seasonally appropriate celebration here, present from me. Adds support for Fire TV devices and the new Fire Tablets. Enjoy.
Please find instructions for use here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/blob/master/HELP.md#fire-tvs). Adb required for first time setup on Fire TV's.
Find the latest release here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases). I'm working on Aptoide and F-Droid releases for those that prefer those methods. Hopefully in the next few days.
If you want to look at my rushed and sloppy code then feel free to look here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack)
Please send any issues here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/issues)
Feeling kind and want to donate? Find instructions here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/blob/master/README.md#donations)
Huge thanks to ParrotGeek1, Speeddymon and Urbanman2004.
ParrotGeek1 made V1 and without him I would have never started this project.
Speeddymon donated a 2018 Fire TV allowing me to implement Fire TV support. If you have a Fire TV you should thank him
Urbanman2004 created the lovely logo/app icon. Be sure to thank him too.
Finally I don't really check these forums often anymore so please head over to the github page and post there if you are having any issues. Usually I am pretty quick to respond there.

im not having any luck getting the accessibility function to work. i am on fireos 5.2.4.2
EDIT: I also have a fully updated firestick with the same issue. 5.2.6.7. hijack says accessibility needs to be enabled.
I believe I have a solution. I had to enable and disable some system accessibility settings to get the setting to take effect.

krsmit0 said:
im not having any luck getting the accessibility function to work. i am on fireos 5.2.4.2
EDIT: I also have a fully updated firestick with the same issue. 5.2.6.7. hijack says accessibility needs to be enabled.
I believe I have a solution. I had to enable and disable some system accessibility settings to get the setting to take effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to run an adb command to get it going on the fire tv's. Instructions explain it all.

The adb command alone wasn't enough. I use settings get... To verify it was there. But through several reboots it wouldnt work until I toggled other accessibility settings. This was the case for 2 different sticks.

Can you post what you did?

even with the adb command it still says accessibility needs to be enabled

huffmybrd said:
even with the adb command it still says accessibility needs to be enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into the standard fire TV settings and toggle.on some accessibility options. Then press home and see which launcher pops up.

Do you have the option in the settings? On the firestick 4k, fire tv (3rd gen?) and the cube (all running fire os 6.x) there are no options so you have to set it via adb. If you can do it through the system ui do it there I just thought all fire tv's didn't have the option.
Honestly I only own my fire tv because speeddymon donated it so that I could implement support for it, and I rarely use it as I have a computer hooked up to my tv making it entirely useless. In short I don't really know the in's and out's of the device.
Please do let me know what devices and fireos versions you are all running so I can update the instructions. Also what exact menu's you have to go through to get to the option.
As an aside you probably need to drop "secure" from the adb command to get it working on devices with the menu option but the system UI option is just better. Google changed it's category to stop you setting it without adb when they removed the menu option.

BaronKiko said:
Do you have the option in the settings? On the firestick 4k, fire tv (3rd gen?) and the cube (all running fire os 6.x) there are no options so you have to set it via adb. If you can do it through the system ui do it there I just thought all fire tv's didn't have the option.
Honestly I only own my fire tv because speeddymon donated it so that I could implement support for it, and I rarely use it as I have a computer hooked up to my tv making it entirely useless. In short I don't really know the in's and out's of the device.
Please do let me know what devices and fireos versions you are all running so I can update the instructions. Also what exact menu's you have to go through to get to the option.
As an aside you probably need to drop "secure" from the adb command to get it working on devices with the menu option but the system UI option is just better. Google changed it's category to stop you setting it without adb when they removed the menu option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not the home button option that needs to be toggled. like you say, its not there. but toggling some of the other options seems to get this to work after you have done the adb command. but doing the adb command alone and rebooting doesnt make this work. the system doesn't think it is enabled. toggling other accessibility options on and off finally made it work for me.

BaronKiko said:
Launcher Hijack V4
Allows a custom launcher on Amazon Kindle Fire's and Fire TV's
An early, insert seasonally appropriate celebration here, present from me. Adds support for Fire TV devices and the new Fire Tablets. Enjoy.
Please find instructions for use here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/blob/master/HELP.md#fire-tvs). Adb required for first time setup on Fire TV's.
Find the latest release here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases). I'm working on Aptoide and F-Droid releases for those that prefer those methods. Hopefully in the next few days.
If you want to look at my rushed and sloppy code then feel free to look here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack)
Please send any issues here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/issues)
Feeling kind and want to donate? Find instructions here (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/blob/master/README.md#donations)
Special thanks to ParrotGeek1 and Speeddymon. ParrotGeek1 made V1 and without him I would have never started this project. Speeddymon donated a 2018 Fire TV allowing me to implement Fire TV support. If you have a Fire TV you should thank him
If somebody with some artistic talent wants to make a logo that would be much appreciated as the little android guy looks out of place in my app drawer.
Finally I don't really check these forums often anymore so please head over to the github page and post there if you are having any issues. Usually I am pretty quick to respond there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome.. Thanks for the update. It seems to be a lot more robust then v3. I just got done doing some quick testing. Will detail what worked in my case on a separate post below.
I do have a request. Is there any chance you can take a look at keeping Launcher Hijack as it's own app. But also can you please take a look to see if you can create a fork of a merger of your Launcher Hijack latest version & the last GitHub release of AppStarter v4.0 (Found @ : https://github.com/sphinx02/AppStarter ). AppStarter is the best launcher for FireTV devices. But it is due for an update/upgrade. Adding your Launcher Hijack code would be great. Also updating the SPMC & Kodi link changes would be great. Also merging other opensource projects like On Boot AppStarter (Found @: https://bitbucket.org/Mirakel/onbootappstarter/src would be another). Another of the major things that will need change/updating is what the Settings button (The 3 lines button to the right of the Home button) does in AppStarter vs Launher Hijack. Since right now trying to open the FireTV long press Settings also opens the AppStarter App FireTV Settings popup. Giving you an extra thing to close after coming back from the long press Settings menu.
I can test & help in anyway you want. Let me know if something you are willing to take on. All the pieces are there. They just need to be merged & upgraded.
krsmit0 said:
im not having any luck getting the accessibility function to work. i am on fireos 5.2.4.2
EDIT: I also have a fully updated firestick with the same issue. 5.2.6.7. hijack says accessibility needs to be enabled.
I believe I have a solution. I had to enable and disable some system accessibility settings to get the setting to take effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You where right. Will get more specific in a separate post below.
BaronKiko said:
You have to run an adb command to get it going on the fire tv's. Instructions explain it all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On FireTV devices below FireOS v6. It seems we need two steps to enable everything needed. Will give more detail of some testing below.
krsmit0 said:
The adb command alone wasn't enough. I use settings get... To verify it was there. But through several reboots it wouldnt work until I toggled other accessibility settings. This was the case for 2 different sticks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet both FireTV Sticks are on FireOS v5 FW ?
TimmyP said:
Can you post what you did?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will get specific below.
huffmybrd said:
even with the adb command it still says accessibility needs to be enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Info on how to successfully enable everything posted below.
krsmit0 said:
Go into the standard fire TV settings and toggle.on some accessibility options. Then press home and see which launcher pops up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ADB command is still needed first. Then the only accessibility option that needs toggling is "Screen Magnifier". Just toggle the setting like you are going to turn it on. The instructions screen should popup. Then just choose "TURN OFF MAGNIFIER" at the instructions screen. Hitting "TURN OFF MAGNIFIER" will opens up Launcher Hijack v4. There you can choose AppStarter or your chosen launcher. Then you are all set.
BaronKiko said:
Do you have the option in the settings? On the firestick 4k, fire tv (3rd gen?) and the cube (all running fire os 6.x) there are no options so you have to set it via adb. If you can do it through the system ui do it there I just thought all fire tv's didn't have the option.
Honestly I only own my fire tv because speeddymon donated it so that I could implement support for it, and I rarely use it as I have a computer hooked up to my tv making it entirely useless. In short I don't really know the in's and out's of the device.
Please do let me know what devices and fireos versions you are all running so I can update the instructions. Also what exact menu's you have to go through to get to the option.
As an aside you probably need to drop "secure" from the adb command to get it working on devices with the menu option but the system UI option is just better. Google changed it's category to stop you setting it without adb when they removed the menu option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. It seems FireOS v5 devices need a two-step setup. In correct order both the ADB command & a ACCESSIBILITY Menu Toggle (Screen Magnifier ONLY) are needed for it to proper register everything. The good news is that it only needs to be done once. And it survives a FireTV reboot. Bad news is that if you deliberately stop the Launcher Hijack App. Then you have to do do the two step setup again.
I also tried dropping the "secure" from the adb command but got he following results:
Run Code:
Code:
settings put enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
And
settings enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Both gave the following return:
Code:
ty_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ <
Invalid namespace 'enabled_accessibility_services'
usage: settings [--user NUM] get namespace key
settings [--user NUM] put namespace key value
settings [--user NUM] delete namespace key
'namespace' is one of {system, secure, global}, case-insensitive
If '--user NUM' is not given, the operations are performed on the owner user.
[email protected]:/ $
Let me know if I should test anything else regarding this.
Will post specifics of what worked for me on a separate post below.
---------- Post added at 06:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:44 AM ----------
krsmit0 said:
its not the home button option that needs to be toggled. like you say, its not there. but toggling some of the other options seems to get this to work after you have done the adb command. but doing the adb command alone and rebooting doesnt make this work. the system doesn't think it is enabled. toggling other accessibility options on and off finally made it work for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, thanks to your post I was able to narrow it down to a single Accessibility Toggle. Working on a post that explains everything now.

Y314K said:
Right, thanks to your post I was able to narrow it down to a single Accessibility Toggle. Working on a post that explains everything now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks. I wasn't sure what exactly was working, but i spent sometime on both sticks until it worked. I am on fireos 5 on both sticks. I think the issue i have now is i keep ending up back on the fire tv launcher. i think hijack or my launcher choice (TVLauncher) are getting kicked out of memory. Other then that this feels extremely stable and very consistent.

Guide for FireTV's on FireOS 5 FirmWare v0.5...
Guide for FireTV's on FireOS 5 FirmWare v.05
This guide should work on all FireTV devices on any FireOS 5. Rooted & Non-Rooted
**Will update guide with method to install Launcher Hijack from the FireTV itself.**
Tested on:
- FireTV 1 Box - Rooted with Bootloader fully unlocked.
- On PreRooted Fire OS 5.2.6.6 (617513220)
- Running without SuperSU which means NO Root access except in TWRP.
- Basically it runs like on stock FW with the option to enable root.
- Should be the same for all other FireTV's on FireOS 5 that have the Accessibility option in Settings.
Installation (Based on the Launcher Hijack GitHub Guide):
ADB Code Method
Navigate to this GitHub's downloads page (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases) on your desktop/laptop and download the latest APK.
Install ADB on your desktop/laptop (Google will help you) and ensure a connection to your Fire TV.
Install Launcher Hijack with this command:
adb install <path to downloaded APK>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ensure you have some Launchers installed.
Enable the Accessibility Service using these two commands (exactly in this order):
adb shell
Code:
settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Then...
Code:
settings put secure accessibility_enabled 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this is a first/fresh install of LH (Launcher Hijack). LH will open.
Select your desired Launcher from the list provided
If you had previously opened LH & selected a desired Launcher.
Your previously chosen Launcher will open.
Reboot your device (Recommended but not required).
Congratulation, if all is working correctly your home button should now open your chosen launcher
Accessibility Toggle Method
Navigate to this GitHub's downloads page (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases) on your desktop/laptop and download the latest APK.
Install ADB on your desktop/laptop (Google will help you) and ensure a connection to your Fire TV.
Install Launcher Hijack with this command:
adb install <path to downloaded APK>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ensure you have some Launchers installed.
Enable the Accessibility Service using this command:
adb shell
Code:
settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On your FireTV go to & click on [ Settings / Accessibility / Screen Magnifier ]
The Screen Magnifier instructions menu will popup.
Click on [ TURN OFF MAGNIFIER ].
If this is a first/fresh install of LH (Launcher Hijack). LH will open.
Select your desired Launcher from the list provided
If you had previously opened LH & selected your desired Launcher.
Your previously chosen Launcher should open.
Reboot your device
Congratulation, if all is working correctly your home button should now open your chosen launcher
Important, Accessing Settings and the Long Press Menu
Unfortunately for FireTV devices a compromise had to be made. To access the long press menu and with it settings you have to hold menu and home together. You can also get to the default launcher by simply pressing them together.
Troubleshooting
If you are having issues then there are some common issues you can check here:
Ensure you are using an Amazon TV device running Fire OS 5, compatible with all versions as of release (FW 5.2.6.7 = latest).
Ensure you have enabled the accessibility service with the command: adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Ensure you can open your launcher directly i.e. Using any launcher, other than your chosen launcher, open you chosen launcher like any other app, this should open your chosen launcher.
Ensure you have selected your chosen launcher in Launcher Hijack.
Reboot your device after following all previous steps.
After clicking home initially wait 10 seconds and press home again. This happens when your chosen launchers process gets killed in the background and may happen from time to time, especially after a reboot. There are plenty of existing apps that already keep a chosen application in memory so try one of those if this is a reoccurring issue for you.
If all else fails try using one of the following launchers with known compatibility: AppStarter or HALauncher.

now, any working solution to keep the launcher in memory?

Y314K said:
Guide for FireTV's on FireOS 5 FirmWare v.05
This guide should work on all FireTV devices on any FireOS 5. Rooted & Non-Rooted
**Will update guide with method to install Launcher Hijack from the FireTV itself.**
Tested on:
- FireTV 1 Box - Rooted with Bootloader fully unlocked.
- On PreRooted Fire OS 5.2.6.6 (617513220)
- Running without SuperSU which means NO Root access except in TWRP.
- Basically it runs like on stock FW with the option to enable root.
- Should be the same for all other FireTV's on FireOS 5 that have the Accessibility option in Settings.
Installation (Based on the Launcher Hijack GitHub Guide):
Navigate to this GitHub's downloads page (https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/releases) on your desktop/laptop and download the latest APK.
Install ADB on your desktop/laptop (Google will help you) and ensure a connection to your Fire TV.
Install Launcher Hijack with this command:
Ensure you have some Launchers installed.
Enable the Accessibility Service using this command:
On your FireTV go to & click on [ Settings / Accessibility / Screen Magnifier ]
The Screen Magnifier instructions menu will popup.
Click on [ TURN OFF MAGNIFIER ].
If this is a first/fresh install of LH (Launcher Hijack). LH will open.
Select your desired Launcher from the list provided
If you had previously opened LH & selected your desired Launcher.
Your previously chosen Launcher should open.
Reboot your device
Congratulation, if all is working correctly your home button should now open your chosen launcher
Important, Accessing Settings and the Long Press Menu
Unfortunately for FireTV devices a compromise had to be made. To access the long press menu and with it settings you have to hold menu and home together. You can also get to the default launcher by simply pressing them together.
Troubleshooting
If you are having issues then there are some common issues you can check here:
Ensure you are using an Amazon TV device running Fire OS 5, compatible with all versions as of release (FW 5.2.6.7 = latest).
Ensure you have enabled the accessibility service with the command: adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Ensure you can open your launcher directly i.e. Using any launcher, other than your chosen launcher, open you chosen launcher like any other app, this should open your chosen launcher.
Ensure you have selected your chosen launcher in Launcher Hijack.
Reboot your device after following all previous steps.
After clicking home initially wait 10 seconds and press home again. This happens when your chosen launchers process gets killed in the background and may happen from time to time, especially after a reboot. There are plenty of existing apps that already keep a chosen application in memory so try one of those if this is a reoccurring issue for you.
If all else fails try using one of the following launchers with known compatibility: AppStarter or HALauncher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the detailed write up.
Can I just confirm that on the latest 4K firestick, there is no way to do the above without running the ADB commands? I recall using the launcher highjack on the 2nd Gen firestick WITHOUT running any ADB commands.
thanks again

Gosh that's a lot to break down.
Y314K said:
I do have a request. Is there any chance you can take a look at keeping Launcher Hijack as it's own app. But also can you please take a look to see if you can create a fork of a merger of your Launcher Hijack latest version & the last GitHub release of AppStarter v4.0 (Found @ : https://github.com/sphinx02/AppStarter ). AppStarter is the best launcher for FireTV devices. But it is due for an update/upgrade. Adding your Launcher Hijack code would be great. Also updating the SPMC & Kodi link changes would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Merging the code into AppStarter would be a lot of work with no real benefit. Simply install them both separately and select AppStarter in Launcher Hijack. Also as I said in a previous post I honestly don't use my Fire TV so I don't really want to maintain AppStarter. I see more use in making the Fire TV a dedicated kodi/plex box with Launcher Hijack anyhow.
Y314K said:
Also merging other opensource projects like On Boot AppStarter (Found @: https://bitbucket.org/Mirakel/onbootappstarter/src would be another).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Boot AppStarter is just a broadcast receiver which this app already uses to start on boot. Again there would be no benefit to a merge as it's not related to Launcher Hijack.
Y314K said:
Another of the major things that will need change/updating is what the Settings button (The 3 lines button to the right of the Home button) does in AppStarter vs Launher Hijack. Since right now trying to open the FireTV long press Settings also opens the AppStarter App FireTV Settings popup. Giving you an extra thing to close after coming back from the long press Settings menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately this is the best compromise I could make and it effects whatever app you happen to have open. I chose this because generally the menu press is something easy to cancel (as you said you just press back or menu again). I could cache the menu press and activate it with a delay but that could break applications that depend on long press of the menu button (don't know any apps that do that but it's possible) so it's just not worth it. It would also be a whole lot of work when I'm busy trying to get another job as I tend to like eating.
Y314K said:
The ADB command is still needed first. Then the only accessibility option that needs toggling is "Screen Magnifier". Just toggle the setting like you are going to turn it on. The instructions screen should popup. Then just choose "TURN OFF MAGNIFIER" at the instructions screen. Hitting "TURN OFF MAGNIFIER" will opens up Launcher Hijack v4. There you can choose AppStarter or your chosen launcher. Then you are all set.
Right. It seems FireOS v5 devices need a two-step setup. In correct order both the ADB command & a ACCESSIBILITY Menu Toggle (Screen Magnifier ONLY) are needed for it to proper register everything. The good news is that it only needs to be done once. And it survives a FireTV reboot. Bad news is that if you deliberately stop the Launcher Hijack App. Then you have to do do the two step setup again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's totally bizarre, no idea why that would be the case. My assumption is the settings aren't being applied for whatever reason after the command. Would really like a purely adb solution.
Y314K said:
I also tried dropping the "secure" from the adb command but got he following results:
Run Code:
Code:
settings put enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
And
settings enabled_accessibility_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ
Both gave the following return:
Code:
ty_services com.baronkiko.launcherhijack/com.baronkiko.launcherhijack.AccServ <
Invalid namespace 'enabled_accessibility_services'
usage: settings [--user NUM] get namespace key
settings [--user NUM] put namespace key value
settings [--user NUM] delete namespace key
'namespace' is one of {system, secure, global}, case-insensitive
If '--user NUM' is not given, the operations are performed on the owner user.
[email protected]:/ $
Let me know if I should test anything else regarding this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok it's under secure then, I assume you don't get an invalid namespace error for the original command?
Oh boy there's a whole other post I didn't see before getting this far. Wont quote it as it's really long but I'm glad to see you have a reliable way to set it up. I found this command that may help if run first:
Code:
settings put secure accessibility_enabled 1
No idea if it will fix the issue I just saw it mentioned in a post over here: https://autotools.helprace.com/i98-control-accessibility-via-secure-settings It does seem like your trick could set this variable allowing it to work, I just don't know. Regardless I will update the instructions with your findings so others don't have such issues.
krsmit0 said:
Great, thanks. I wasn't sure what exactly was working, but i spent sometime on both sticks until it worked. I am on fireos 5 on both sticks. I think the issue i have now is i keep ending up back on the fire tv launcher. i think hijack or my launcher choice (TVLauncher) are getting kicked out of memory. Other then that this feels extremely stable and very consistent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Launcher Hijack is a service so it shouldn't ever be ousted from system memory. It is possible but if it ever does happen then it calls my close function (there so code can wrap up) and the code simply starts a new instance. If it went down you would have to disable then enable the service via adb or reboot. If you just have to press home again it's the launcher. After some Googling there are "sticky intents" that may help but apparently they are not great to use as they can cause memory issues. It leads to the fundamental issue, is it a smart thing to fix? These devices don't have a lot of memory to begin with and the fact that your launcher is getting killed means the device has run out. In that case I would say the right thing to do is to kill the launcher an it can be started again later and it's better that what you are doing lagging badly.
If I find some time, big if there, I can see if sticky intents are the magic they seem to be, honestly I'm doubtful but, if so I can put it as an option via settings. Right now your best bet is to use a light weight launcher or simply press home again.
Been writing this for an hour now -_-
But finally can one of you with a Fire TV (or stick) running Fire OS 5 check that the settings menu in Launcher Hijack has "Hardware Button Detection", "Broadcast Receiver Detection" and "Disable while menu held" checked by default and the others off. You can load the defaults with the menu if you changed any of the options. Just want to make sure that the defaults are correct for your device.
Yet another post:
Intenti0n said:
Many thanks for the detailed write up.
Can I just confirm that on the latest 4K firestick, there is no way to do the above without running the ADB commands? I recall using the launcher highjack on the 2nd Gen firestick WITHOUT running any ADB commands.
thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can enable "Overlay Detection" in the Launcher Hijack settings to get it working like the old Launcher Hijack but it's just not as good and you can't use the long press menu so I don't suggest it.

krsmit0 said:
now, any working solution to keep the launcher in memory?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have not had experience on this. I still use AppStarter v4.0. Which seem to be pretty good at staying in memory. Specially since I also use [NOROOT] On Boot AppStarter v1.0. For it to load on Boot. I don't remember it ever being closed. Unless I choose to close it.
Intenti0n said:
Many thanks for the detailed write up.
Can I just confirm that on the latest 4K firestick, there is no way to do the above without running the ADB commands? I recall using the launcher highjack on the 2nd Gen firestick WITHOUT running any ADB commands.
thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to be a new method found by the developer to work with the changes that Google/Amazon have made between FireOS 5 & FireOS 6 (Google's base Android code usually has the biggest changes). Harder to do when your dealing with two different versions of Android.

Y314K said:
Have not had experience on this. I still use AppStarter v4.0. Which seem to be pretty good at staying in memory. Specially since I also use [NOROOT] On Boot AppStarter v1.0. For it to load on Boot. I don't remember it ever being closed. Unless I choose to close it.
Seems to be a new method found by the developer to work with the changes that Google/Amazon have made between FireOS 5 & FireOS 6 (Google's base Android code usually has the biggest changes). Harder to do when your dealing with two different versions of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear you don't need AppStarter, this app does that on it's own for the selected launcher. Appstarter simply uses very little memory so it rarely gets kicked. It's also super quick to boot so if it does get kicked it can usually start in time.
Also you should have enabled the accessibility service on the old version too, I just use it more now and disabled the old method be default as it causes issues when both methods are running in parallel.

You can enable "Overlay Detection" in the Launcher Hijack settings to get it working like the old Launcher Hijack but it's just not as good and you can't use the long press menu so I don't suggest it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have enabled the "Overlay detection" and rebooted. After rebooted, the HAL launcher starts up automatically.
However, when I press the home key on the remote, it goes back to the default launcher.
is that expected?

Intenti0n said:
I have enabled the "Overlay detection" and rebooted. After rebooted, the HAL launcher starts up automatically.
However, when I press the home key on the remote, it goes back to the default launcher.
is that expected?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It probably shouldn't do that but I'm gonna say that feature just isn't supported on fire TV's. It's for 2017 and earlier fire tablets and you just don't need it on the TV's.

BaronKiko said:
It probably shouldn't do that but I'm gonna say that feature just isn't supported on fire TV's. It's for 2017 and earlier fire tablets and you just don't need it on the TV's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK thanks, I will try the ADB method then

(Guide): How to enable custom launchers on Chinese ROM EMUI

Note: Please don't tell us how easy it is to change launchers in default apps, that has not been possible since EMUI 9 for chinese roms, see > https://forum.xda-developers.com/hu...i-9-removes-default-launcher-options-t3853441
WARNING:RECENT APPS MENU WILL STOP WORKING
All credits to Web1n on Github for figuring out this method.
Here is official guide in chinese
App download on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=web1n.stopapp&hl=zh
Steps:
(Note that this method needs to be repeated every restart)
- Install the custom launcher of your choice and ensure it is the only launcher installed other than Huawei home
- Install and setup adb on your computer
- Enable developer options on your phone
- Turn on adb debugging and adb in charge only mode
- Make sure your device is on usb charge only mode
- Install the app from link above
(note i am using a Samsung for screenshots as I don't want to mess up my main Huawei, but I got it working there through the same steps)
https://imgur.com/a/hYPkSiY
After installing app tap the right arrow until this page, tick the box to agree to TOS
https://imgur.com/a/2e3B2Vp
Tick second box
https://imgur.com/a/dKxEZwm
Tap right and you will be greeted with this home screen, tap the plus arrow
https://imgur.com/a/j1SzlFX
Tap second tab to look for system apps, find the app huawei home
https://imgur.com/a/3GgZfSA
Return to this screen, you will see the Huawei home icon, ensure it is greyed out, tap it if it is not so.
Done! Gesture navigation will no longer work but an app like fluid gestures work well enough, enable 3 button navigation in options and tap home to enjoy your new launcher. Your multotasking button has also just become useless...
Again, all credits goes to the developer

jalk44 said:
Note: Please don't tell us how easy it is to change launchers in default apps, that has not been possible since EMUI 9 for chinese roms, see > https://forum.xda-developers.com/hu...i-9-removes-default-launcher-options-t3853441
All credits to Web1n on Github for figuring out this method.
Here is official guide in chinese
App download on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=web1n.stopapp&hl=zh
Steps:
(Note that this method needs to be repeated every restart)
- Install the custom launcher of your choice and ensure it is the only launcher installed other than Huawei home
- Install and setup adb on your computer
- Enable developer options on your phone
- Turn on adb debugging and adb in charge only mode
- Make sure your device is on usb charge only mode
- Install the app from link above
(note i am using a Samsung for screenshots as I don't want to mess up my main Huawei, but I got it working there through the same steps)
https://imgur.com/a/hYPkSiY
After installing app tap the right arrow until this page, tick the box to agree to TOS
https://imgur.com/a/2e3B2Vp
Tick second box
https://imgur.com/a/dKxEZwm
Tap right and you will be greeted with this home screen, tap the plus arrow
https://imgur.com/a/j1SzlFX
Tap second tab to look for system apps, find the app huawei home
https://imgur.com/a/3GgZfSA
Return to this screen, you will see the Huawei home icon, ensure it is greyed out, tap it if it is not so.
Done! Gesture navigation will no longer work but an app like fluid gestures work well enough, enable 3 button navigation in options and tap home to enjoy your new launcher.
Again, all credits goes to the developer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you :good:

Thank you. It works but recent app not work even if with 3 button navigation.

nhan1411 said:
Thank you. It works but recent app not work even if with 3 button navigation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately yes, huawei even went to the step of removing old vertical overview menu so that the only overview menu in these buklds comes from the launcher

Recent apps stopped working for me when I updated to EMUI 10 then downgraded because of this and now it works on EMUI 9. Thanks for this, was going mad for 3 days because I couldn't disable the stock launcher even though my phone is rooted.

For those now missing Recents : Swiftly is a circular gesture activated app launcher with its own Recents :laugh:
I now have "Tap for Recents"
You can place Swiftly with a surface area (over where the middle icon would be on the dock) for activation on the bottom center. You can then tap or tap-hold for recents.
Make sure the middle position there on the dock is empty, so it doesn't have an app icon or folder. Make the rectangle big enough to activate Swiftly, but small enough not to overlap with selecting the input field of WhatsApp, Messenger, ...
In my Nova 5T I also lost swipe up for home (anyone else?) When I uninstalled the default launcher. So I use Fluid Natural Gestures for all of the bottom to swipe up for home.
The two overlay areas of these apps overlap but for me don't interfere with each other. You can also enable "immediate activation" in both for nice swift operation.
(I could choose between Nova and Default Launcher in Emui 10, I'm in Europe. But removed default because regularly it would switch back to Default Launcher)

Update: has stopped working
Feel free to still try as it seems to be different builds for everybody

.

Guys...i've done....but not with this method....

TheFastGT said:
Guys...i've done....but not with this method....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How have you done it then?

SP9820E SoC powered kid watches and rebrands: Kinyo, Garett, Lemfo, etc.

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