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I thought it would be a good idea to share your Tasker profiles.
I recently discovered this app and after 3 years of using Android it feels like Android has a whole bunch of extra features.
My profiles are boring really but I'll share anyway.
My first profile puts my phone on silent between 2am and 10am.
My second profile turns off Bluetooth after 3 minutes of being unpaired.
My third and final profile waits until my screen goes off, waits 5 seconds,turns the screen on displays the time on an app called night screen lite (only between 9pm and 11am)
What are your Tasker profiles?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2
I'm trying to work out this app at the moment, getting everything I want it to do is taking me time.. Getting it perfect
The main ones I want is
After gps is turned on I want it to launch copilot live and radardroid, then dim the screen and turn wifi off..
Also a few other things like bluetooth off after un paired from car, silent mode at night and getting locale hooked up correctly.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
ATHOME
Set %ATHOME to 1 (Enter)
Set %ATHOME to 0 (Exit Task).
ATWORK
Set %ATWORK to 1 (Enter)
Set %ATWORK to 0 (Exit Task).
ATFRIENDS
Set %ATFRIENDS to 1 (Enter)
Set %ATFRIENDS to 0 (Exit Task).
ATCOLLEGE
Set %ATCOLLEGE to 1 (Enter).
Sends a HTTPS POST to my College WIFI Login Portal.
Set %ATCOLLEGE to 0 (Exit Task).
USBCHARGE
Set %USBCHARGE to 1 (Enter)
Set %USBCHARGE to 0 (Exit Task).
GOWORK (I have some problems with sleep in morning)
I turn wifi-on and verify if i stay in my home (ATHOME), and play some BAD song util i leave my home... the only way i found to get out of my bed in the morning. As my tasker are password protected, i can't disable it sleeping.
HOMEUSB
Disable pattern lock, put screen dim into max, things like this.
LowBattery
Shutdown all things that can speed my cellphone to get died far from a charger.
NightSleep
AirPlane mode in the night... from Mon to Thu... Fri-Sun i can be in some party...
NFCHOME (Activated by my xperia tag)
Turn on wifi and verify if i'm in the home... and wake up my computer...
Hey guys, there's a thread going with lots of profiles etc, check it out here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1754500
I have one profile used for automatically transfering calls to my car.
Bluetooth will switch on when incoming call and outgoing call. Connect to car Bluetooth. Transfer audio to car. And Bluetooth will switch off after the call.
With this profile, I do not have to worry about switch on Bluetooth and connecting it manually eveytime I enter the car. Everything is done automatically !
Its indeed a great software.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
I have one for work that rejects all calls and sends a text, also responds to texts. Both say at work will call later, never sends the text to the same person twice in a row. Also prompts me to turn it off after normal work times. Our don't use location since I'm not always in the same place.
Also, while at work it sends my wife a random text once or twice a day. I can't have my phone at my desk and she used to complain that I never call or text during the day.
Also, face down full silent and the Bluetooth others have mentioned... Oh and low power disables everything but calls and sms.
Sent from my SHV-E210S using xda app-developers app
Ive got a few setup.
When on home wifi..deactivate pin code security, reactivate pin when disconnected (need secure settings plugin)
Same as above when paired with my bluetooth car stereo. Also set display timeout to one hour. Turn wifi off. Launch carhome app.
The usual sleep one. Turn off sync. Wifi. Bluetooth etc. Phone to silent.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I created another profile last night...
When I open maps, navigation or camera (geotag) GPS turns on automatically, then turns off when I exit the app.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2
Can all of u please share ur profiles as xml files? It would be great to see them for us noobs
i use llama
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kebab.Llama
awesome app and free.
more info on dev homepage --> http://kebabapps.blogspot.ch/
shivark79 said:
Can all of u please share ur profiles as xml files? It would be great to see them for us noobs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are all mine:
http://db.tt/JtJi6wbB
The 'Night Stand' profile requires an app called 'Night Clock' or a similar app. After a set time, when the screen has been off for 5 minutes and the phone is on charge, it will show the time in big text and stay on for as long as you exit. Very useful for quickly checking the time during the night.
Sent from my sick ass Samsung Galaxy S3
How do you turn bluetooth off after 3 minutes?
CuBz90 said:
I thought it would be a good idea to share your Tasker profiles.
I recently discovered this app and after 3 years of using Android it feels like Android has a whole bunch of extra features.
My profiles are boring really but I'll share anyway.
My first profile puts my phone on silent between 2am and 10am.
My second profile turns off Bluetooth after 3 minutes of being unpaired.
My third and final profile waits until my screen goes off, waits 5 seconds,turns the screen on displays the time on an app called night screen lite (only between 9pm and 11am)
What are your Tasker profiles?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you could export the XML for your second profile to turn bluetooth off after 3 minutes of being unpaired, I'd be really really grateful, or just provide the steps in your reply.
Thanks
1). Pocket Lock - Detects when phone is upside down in my pocket and activates WidgetLocker.
2). Read Caller Aloud - Incoming caller name said aloud so I can decide whether I want to answer without looking at my phone.
3). Night Mode - From 00:00 to 06:00 Puts phone into silent mode, plus checks whether Wifi, Data, GPS, or Blutooth are on, and turns them off if they are.
4). Battery Low - When battery gets to 15%, and it's not connected to a charger, Says "Battery low, connect charger" and turns off Wifi, BT, Data, GPS.
5). Music Player - When headset is plugged in, loads music app.
6). Wake on Lan - Scan an NFC tag by my front door to send Wake on Lan packets to my pc to resume windows.
7). Home - Gets general location from cell tower, activates Wifi, disables Data & GPS. Exit Task disables Wifi, and enables Data.
8). Work - Gets general location from cell tower, disables Wifi, Data, GPS, BT, and Auto Replies to sms that im working and will reply when i can.
I'm pretty new to tasker, but have been pretty bored lately and have been working on an addition to my Work profile.
This profile will, use variables to save up to 5 peoples numbers and how many times each has txted me, and txt each of them back, using their names from my contact list in the body of each txt.
So lets say BOB txts me once, his number will be added as a variable, and it will begin counting the txts from him. On the first txt he is send a txt saying, something like. "Sorry BOB, im at work, will reply when i can".
Then DAVE txts, he will be assigned to Sender2, and have a txt sent to him like above, with the second Counter and Number (%CNTR2 and %SNDR2).
BOB, realizing it's an auto-reply, decides to be funny and spam txt me, thinking he will get a reply every time. However, tasker counts his incoming txts, (%CNTR1) and when it reaches a value of 10, send just one more txt saying something like (Thats 10 txts you've sent, seems Im still unavailable).
Profile: Auto Reply
Variables:
%SNDR1 <---- BOBs cell number
%SNDR2 <---- DAVEs cell number
%SNDR3
%SNDR4
%SNDR5
%CNTR1 <---- BOBs txt counter
%CNTR2
%CNTR3
%CNTR4
%CNTR5
%TXTVAR <---- Counter determining whether a txt received is from someone new or a number already saved.
Enter Task:
Code:
1). GoTo label Sender1 if %SMSRF ~ %SNDR1
2). GoTo label Sender2 if %SMSRF ~ %SNDR2
3). " " etc.
4).......
5).....
6). If (%SNDR1 ~ 0) then SetVariable %SNDR1 to %SMSRF
7). If (%SNDR2 ~ 0) and (%TXTVAR = 1) then SetVariable %SNDR2 to %SMSRF
8). If (%SNDR3 ~ 0) and (%TXTVAR = 2) then SetVariable %SNDR3 to %SMSRF
9)........etc.
10).
11). If (%SMSRF ~ %SNDR1) <-------- Label Sender1
Variable Add (%CNTR1 + 1)
If (%CNTR1 = 1)
Send SMS (Tells this person eg. BOB I'm at work)
Variable Add (%TXTVAR + 1)
Else If (%CNTR1 = 10)
Send SMS to %SNDR1 (Thats 10 txts you've sent me)
Endif x2
12). If (%SMSRF ~ %SNDR2) <-------- Label Sender2
Variable Add (%CNTR2 + 1)
If (%CNTR2 = 1)
Send SMS (Tells this person eg. DAVE I'm at work)
Variable Add (%TXTVAR + 1)
Else If (%CNTR2 = 10)
Send SMS to %SNDR2 (Thats 10 txts you've sent me)
Endif x2
13). If (%SMSRF ~ %SNDR3) <-------- Label Sender3
Variable Add (%CNTR3 + 1)
If (%CNTR3 = 1)
Send SMS (Tells this person eg. EMILY I'm at work)
Variable Add (%TXTVAR + 1)
Else If (%CNTR3 = 10)
Send SMS to %SNDR3 (Thats 10 txts you've sent me)
Endif x2
14). ......Etc.
15). ......
I'm still working on it, deciding whether to have the variables reset as they are all filled, 1 at a time, or to make them reset every hour or so. Also whether to make another profile purely for resetting those variables, or add them to this task. Bearing in mind that on my phone it gets rather annoying to manage/edit the task since its currently at 78 lines long.
As I said I was bored.
If anyone is interested in this I can post a backup xml of this somewhere.
Here are mine:
1. Kill a couple of apps on boot
2. Power Saver – mainly To turn off my WiFi profile
3. Call Brightness – while the phone's ringing, the brightness is maxed.
4. Keyboard Out – disables the display timeout for the time I've got the hardware keyboard out
5. Lost – checks for incoming SMS with one of two predefined phrases. On the first one it starts playing alarm sound (if I forgot where I placed it). On the second one it sends back the GPS coordinates and battery level and puts the same information in my google calendar, so I can see it from anywhere (source tasker wiki. Can't give the link, since I'm new here, sorry. PM me if you can't find it)
6. Sound Control – I hate the thousands chat sounds when I'm texting with someone, but I need them when the phone is not in my hand. So here's what this profile does:
Any time I turn the screen on, the sound volume will be set to 0, and phone will be set to Vibrate.
When I turn the screen off, the sound settings will be restored to their previous values, unless it's currently on MUTE. Then it'll keep it on Vibrate (!) until it's manually raised (in which case it will remember the new volume level). That's cause I never use my phone on "mute" (no sound and no vibration). If I want no sound, I keep the vibration on.
Sound Control Project:
Code:
[b]profile Display On[/b]
Contexts:
event: Display On
state: Not Call Incoming
apps: Not Alarms (or whatever alarm app you use)
Tasks:
Silent Mode: On (if %Mute ~ 1)
Silent Mode: Vibrate (if %Mute !~ 1)
[b]profile Display Off[/b]
event: Display Off
Tasks:
If %SILENT ~ On
Variable Set %Mute to 1
Silent Mode —> Vibrate
Else
Variable Set %Mute to 0
Variable Set %Volnprev to %VOLN (IF %VOLN>0)
Notification Volume —> to level %Volnprev (IF %VOLN~0)
7. WiFi Control – turns on and off WiFi when I'm at home/work.. wherever. The original source is from Tasker Wiki but it wasn't working properly so I did some changes)
Key points:
- It watches the Cell towers only when I'm not connected to wifi.
- It uses Wifi Near to check if I'm near the router ONLY when I'm within the Cell tower range and NOT connected to wifi.
- If I disconnect from wifi it waits a few seconds and checks if I'm connected before continuing.
WiFi Control Project:
Code:
[b]A: Cell Network Home[/b]
Contexts:
Cell Near {Cell towers at home}
Not Airplane Mode
Task:
Profile Status "Wifi Near Home" set to On
End Task:
Profile Status "Wifi Near Home" set to Off
[b]B: Wifi Near Home[/b]
Context:
Wifi Near {my router SSID and MAC}
Task:
Wifi On
End Task:
Wifi Off (IF WIFIC !~ 1)
... repeat A and B for each location, for ex. work
[b]C: Wifi Connected[/b]
Context:
Wifi Connected *,*,* (to any)
Task:
Variable Set %WIFIC to 1
Wait 15s
Stop (IF %WIFIC !~ 1)
Profile Status "Wifi Near Home" set Off
Profile Status "Cell Network Home" set Off
... set also profiles for other locations to Off
End Task:
Variable Set %WIFIC to 0
Wait 30s
Stop (IF %WIFIC ~ 1)
WiFi Off
Wait 3s
Profile Status "Cell Network Home" set On
... set also the cell profiles for other locations to On
I have one that sets usb debugging off at boot and displays permanent notification with usb debug status + theres an action attached to the notification that toggles debugging on/off.
This is to toggle debugging on when I need it and to make sure it's off when I'm not using it. I wouldn't want anyone to easily bypass the lockscreen should my phone fall in the wrong hands.
kaczus said:
I have one that sets usb debugging off at boot and displays permanent notification with usb debug status + theres an action attached to the notification that toggles debugging on/off.
This is to toggle debugging on when I need it and to make sure it's off when I'm not using it. I wouldn't want anyone to easily bypass the lockscreen should my phone fall in the wrong hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share this tasker profile? Ether a detailed version or even better a copyed xml we can port to our tasker?
Thanks in advance :thumbup:
sent via Tapatalk 2 with my super modded SGS3 which is pimped out with Foxhnd rising v2.5
Set an alarm if my battery is fully charged.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
deanr1977 said:
Can you share this tasker profile? Ether a detailed version or even better a copyed xml we can port to our tasker?
Thanks in advance :thumbup:
sent via Tapatalk 2 with my super modded SGS3 which is pimped out with Foxhnd rising v2.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, here it is.
You need secure settings with "helper" installed for it to work.
This profile uses %USB_DEBUGGING var to store current state of the setting as there is no way to read the actual state from within tasker (as far as I know).
The usb debugging will be turned off at boot, you can change this by changing the "variable set" action in "Start" task to 1.
kaczus said:
Sure, here it is.
You need secure settings with "helper" installed for it to work.
This profile uses %USB_DEBUGGING var to store current state of the setting as there is no way to read the actual state from within tasker (as far as I know).
The usb debugging will be turned off at boot, you can change this by changing the "variable set" action in "Start" task to 1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers mate, stupid question though how do I import this to my tasker? On the old version this was easy.... but struggling to figure this out with the new ui? Thanks mate
sent via Tapatalk 2 with my super modded SGS3 which is pimped out with Foxhnd rising v2.5
deanr1977 said:
Cheers mate, stupid question though how do I import this to my tasker? On the old version this was easy.... but struggling to figure this out with the new ui? Thanks mate
sent via Tapatalk 2 with my super modded SGS3 which is pimped out with Foxhnd rising v2.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I never tried it before but after some reading I did it this way:
First put the xml file somewhere on your phone, go into your file manager, click on the xml file, a dialog should appear with apps available to open the file - there choose tasker. Do this for all files you want to import.
Now open tasker, open profiles tab and long click on it -> import, choose the imported profile name, "autostart" in this case. Then go to tasks and long click on it -> import, there should be the toggle usb task, exit tasker and restart it. The imported profile and two tasks should all be there. Now when you go to the "Start" task and click the triangle "play" icon (or reboot the phone) the notification should appear
Oh and I didn't notice that tasker did not export one of the tasks required for this to work, don't know why, so I'm attaching it here.
Sorry about the mess.
Hi All,
I've just put Lollipop on my S5 and am getting things back set up how I want them. One such thing I liked was blocking mode (only calls from favourites make a noise during sleep hours). I thought that the Lollipop Priority Interruption and Timeout would do the job (not posting a link because apparently I'm a new user today: support.google.com/nexus/answer/6111295?hl=en) , but I can't see the timeout setting information on the S5. If this something that Samsung have left out, or am I missing something? I've seached today haven't found much discussion of this issue as yet.
If it has been left out is there another way to get at the settings?
This might be push for me to have a look at CM12, I was a long time user of CM11 on my S3...
Grateful for any help!
thanks,
Dave
Just installed and have the same problem! Appears parts of the menu that allow this are missing on the S5...
---------- Post added at 01:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
Ok, just been playing.
I tried a factory reset incase that helped and no joy, however you can set these up from the settings menu when you want them - just not schedule them as we both want!
Yup.
I was looking at this as well.
As far as I can read, the "Blocking Mode" was a Samsung specific extra, but now with Lollipop Google have add their own bit.
Advantage: Can be installed into quick menu items in the notification bar.
Disadvantage: No time period (between 23:00 and 07:00), and no grouping of users (allow all "family" to call but no-one else).
Maybe Google's delivery has superseded Samsung's to the point that the latter's is not compatible? Seems a shame to lose those features. An area where the software developer could have learnt from one of it's hardware partners.
Tasker Workaround for missing timeout...
I was sufficiently annoyed with the missing 'make my phone mostly silent at night' mode - and didn't get an alarm on a couple of occasions because I left the interrupt mode as 'None' - that I used Tasker to solve the problem... Don't know why I didn't think of this straight away - I just take for granted a number of other Tasker automations to set things up in the car and for a timesheet check-in /check-out (Time Recording) for work...
Time Context from: 2200 til 0500
Entry Task ("NightMode"):
Action Interrupt Mode = Priority
Exit Task ("DayMode"):
Action Interrupt Mode = All
I'll probably add a few other tweaks to the NightMode and DayMode tasks to make sure that notifications, alarms and ringtone have appropriate volumes... but basically this has given me back what I needed.
Hope that this helps someone else!
D
Any one knows if it is possible to "unhide" the schedule feature for Interruptions in rooted S5?
Dear XDA Community,
As you know thanks to touchwiz it is still possible to turn on silent mode on Android 6.0.
I have been searching the web for hours but could not find "a simple app that when launched turns on silent mode without the need to tap anything (like a widget)".
Can you tell me where to find such an app ? or create it for me ?
I would really appreciate it and I think it help other people facing the same issue.
You must be thinking why isn't he using a widget or an app with a button to tap or something like tasker for silent mode. Well that's because I don't like Tasker and use "Smart connect" instead but Smart connect has limited sound options (ring/vibrate/Do not disturb). However Smart connect allows you to launch an app automatically, so a workaround could be to launch this simple app automatically.
Why the following solutions won't work for me :
- Do not disturb mode
On samsung phones correct me if I'm but you can't set up more that one DND profile. The problem is I need silent mode when I'm at work where I can't accept any sound. On the other hand I use DND at night where I only allow calls (in case of emergency).
- Sound mode toggle widget
I want silent mode to turn on in a certain time period on weekdays. I don't want to have to press a widget every time. I don't even need a widget for that because I could tap on the quick setting in the notification menu.
- A tasker like app for sound modes
Would work but I don't like the idea to have several tasker like apps on my phone. I believe having multiple tasker-like apps triggers wakelock that would impact battery life and/or create wakelocks.
Hello,
I'm starting to hate my S7 Edge, and I'm really missing my Edge 6 Plus. Has anyone else had these problems and perhaps have any advice for resolving them? I've searched around and can't find any other reports of these problems.
First, if I'm traveling, *sometimes* I can't use the Google Navigation App if I'm in motion. For example, if I'm driving home, and I decide to get gas, if I say "OK Google, navigate to the Gas Station" It will of course find a close gas station, and allow me to choose which one. After I do so, the app will plot a course, but then will fail to acquire a satellite. The app will just sit there constantly saying "Acquiring Satellite" (or something to that effect, I can't remember the exact error) but it never does find the satellite. The only fix for this is to repeatedly turn off and on the Location services, until eventually it just works. Which is extremely infuriating not to mention dangerous while driving. I rememeber falling in love with my S6 Edge Plus because it had such an easy time navigating and this S7 Edge is so consistently terrible at locating my position.
Second, this is a problem I did not know I had until today: After mis-placing my phone, I went to the Google "Find my phone" web page on my computer, to force my cellphone to ring. I have used this service before with all my other phones and it never failed to force the device to ring. But this time, my S7 did not ring. Luckilly I was able to find my phone on my own. When I did locate it, i noticed that there was an icon in the notification tray saying "Ringing phone" and yet the phone was NOT RINGING! With the phone in hand, I tried to use the webpage to locate my phone by ringing it again. The same thing happened. It put a notification up that my phone was "ringing" in the phone's notification display, but made no actual noise.
I checked the settings - > Lock Screen and Security -> Find my Mobile, and it asks me for my Samsung Account Password.
Why my samsung account? Why not google? I don't understand.
So I signed in, and google location service is set to ON, as expected. Remote controls is also set to ON. There is a notification at the bottom that says to track and control my device, go to: findmymobile.samsung
So I go there, and I tell it to ring my phone, and what do you know? It rings my phone perfectly. Noise and everything.
How do I switch it over to google's service? I really don't like most of Samsung's software offerings, and would prefer to use native google apps out of convenience. I don't remember ever having this problem with any other galaxy device. Not even my tablet does this.
Can anyone help?
I haven't had any GPS problems with mine (U.S. Sprint version). What are your location settings? Make sure it's set to use GPS, and not just network or WiFi.
Find My Mobile and Android 's service are two different things FMM is Samsung's product. To make sure Google's is active, go to Device Administrators and make sure Android Device Manager is turned on. Then go to Apps, scroll to the bottom and tap on Google, then scroll down and tap on Security. Make sure 'Remotely locate this device' (and 'Allow remote lock and erase' if you want that) are turned on.
meyerweb said:
I haven't had any GPS problems with mine (U.S. Sprint version). What are your location settings? Make sure it's set to use GPS, and not just network or WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have GPS, WIFI and Mobile Networks turned on.
meyerweb said:
Find My Mobile and Android 's service are two different things FMM is Samsung's product. To make sure Google's is active, go to Device Administrators and make sure Android Device Manager is turned on. Then go to Apps, scroll to the bottom and tap on Google, then scroll down and tap on Security. Make sure 'Remotely locate this device' (and 'Allow remote lock and erase' if you want that) are turned on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Android Device Manager is turned on in the Device Administrators Section.
-I am not sure how to complete the second instructions. I do not see "Apps" as an option in the Settings panels. Can you advise where to find it?
Thank you!
Kirren said:
-Android Device Manager is turned on in the Device Administrators Section.
-I am not sure how to complete the second instructions. I do not see "Apps" as an option in the Settings panels. Can you advise where to find it?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings / Applications
Scroll to bottom, tap Google (on my Sprint S7 Edge, it's the very last item).
Scroll down until you see "Security" and tap there.
The first two toggles (on mine) are "Remotely locate this device" and "Allow remote unlock and erase."
meyerweb said:
Settings / Applications
Scroll to bottom, tap Google (on my Sprint S7 Edge, it's the very last item).
Scroll down until you see "Security" and tap there.
The first two toggles (on mine) are "Remotely locate this device" and "Allow remote unlock and erase."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I was able to find the settings under Google, however both are already checked. Are there any other settings I need to check?
{{Edit: I toggled the setting just to test it, and now it seems to be working. I don't know why this worked, because the setting was already properly configured. But it works now. *shrug* Thank you so very much for your help and patience!}}
Glad to help. I seen lots of things get fixed when you toggle a setting. Something in the settings file got corrupted, and toggling the settings on and off rewrote what should have already been there. At least that's my guess.
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
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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.
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thank for this tutorial