Any Launcher, No Root (Launcher Hijack V4) - Fire TV General

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

Related

[Q] How to add a password on nook rooted

Hi
Thanks to the forum, I have rooted my Nook touch. I can access my emails and the market. But nothing is protected.
Is it a way to add a password to the Nook? or how can I set up the apps so they asked for a password.
Thanks
Secure your hacked Nook
There seems no solution to this at this moment but there are some workaround security mitigations.
1. Do not connect public Wifi to use your Nook. Use your own private Wifi and turn on AP isolation (i.e. Wifi clients on the same WLAN are isolated)
2. Install on Nook adbWireless and control adb ON/OFF over wireless
hxxp:// www .appbrain .com /app /adbwireless-(widget-version)/siir.es.adbWireless
SC Leung
Securing after TouchNooter 1.6.24
Would reverting to the original uRamdisk of the stock Nook touch make it secure?... i know it would make adb over wifi unavailable but if that is fine with me...
Somewhere on the forum is attached ramdisk that should enable adb over usb. The topic is something like "adb over usb"..
If you wish to lock single apps, I have had great luck with Protector. You can define any apps you want to be locked and when you try to open these apps, they ask for a password.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.androidpassword.core&feature=search_result
I have not tried it on the new Nook myself but give it a try.
Lock
Use GoLocker
Go locker does really add number lock (iphone style) or connect-the-dots lock (android style) but they tend to leave a shadow on the screen, which was bothersome enough for me to stop using, and the number lock would show the number before becoming a *, so someone could look over your shoulder and pick it up...
Almost good! But the best choice so far for entire NST locking so far!
GO Locker: so far, little luck
Downloaded Go Locker.
It detected an outdated Go Launcher; I approved the download.
Enabled Go Locker and specified a PIN.
Cycled power on the Nook.
Behavior change: I can select among Go Launcher, Go Locker and Home when I press the Home soft button on the right of the screen. Makes sense.
But no request for a PIN.
Perhaps I missed one or more configurations steps?
Any suggestions?
Best regards,
drjekyll said:
Downloaded Go Locker.
It detected an outdated Go Launcher; I approved the download.
Enabled Go Locker and specified a PIN.
Cycled power on the Nook.
Behavior change: I can select among Go Launcher, Go Locker and Home when I press the Home soft button on the right of the screen. Makes sense.
But no request for a PIN.
Perhaps I missed one or more configurations steps?
Any suggestions?
Best regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to set GO Locker as the default so you can't just press home to bypass the lock, and when you reboot it doesn't start immediately unfortunately. But next time you lock the screen it should be there.
Thanks. I set the Go Locker as the default, but I did not see the locking work after reboot, nor how to lock the screen manually.
But my main concern is that approximately 40% of the screen was going grey, making icons and text in that area unusable.
So I removed Go Locker for now.
Is documentation available somewhere? With a quick check of the developer site I did not see enough.
Hi
Excuse me for my bad English writing.
......
I active internal android pass code on may NST. but I can't remove it !!!
however i like it .
for do it you need install ADW louncher . but you don't need any additional program and after uninstalling this launcher , pass code still exist .
in " ADW launcher desktop " do this steps :
Menu > Add > Custom Shortcut > Pick your activity > Activities >
next find "Settings" and collapse it . ( it is your android settings )
next find " Passcode(.ChooseLockPin) " > OK
Click on Shortcut you create ........ WOW !
select passcode.
remember you can't back to previous state !!!
if anyone could remove passcode please notify me .
hshsh said:
Hi
Excuse me for my bad English writing.
......
I active internal android pass code on may NST. but I can't remove it !!!
however i like it .
for do it you need install ADW louncher . but you don't need any additional program and after uninstalling this launcher , pass code still exist .
in " ADW launcher desktop " do this steps :
Menu > Add > Custom Shortcut > Pick your activity > Activities >
next find "Settings" and collapse it . ( it is your android settings )
next find " Passcode(.ChooseLockPin) " > OK
Click on Shortcut you create ........ WOW !
select passcode.
remember you can't back to previous state !!!
if anyone could remove passcode please notify me .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solution by Gabrial http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22110415&postcount=5
ok.
I edit my post too:
Solution by Gabrial : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22110415&postcount=5

[HOW TO] Change the Kindle Fire HD and 2 Lock Screen Noob (Simple) Version

In this Noob Series we explore How To Change the Kindle Fire Lock Screen and Eliminate the Annoying Double Lock Screen. When you complete this Tutorial you will be able to have the Lock Screen look the way you want it to look. The software we use to replace the Kindle Fire Lock Screen is Magic Locker. We decided on Magic Locker since it is well supported and it offers several hundres Themes, so the Lock Screen can look the way you want it to look. If you do not like to work on the Kindle, our new software, Kindle Fire First Aide will automate this process in the next version - Production Version 4.2.4. You can obtain a copy of the software here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888 - Version 4.2.4 will Root your Kindle Fire, Install Google Play, Install Google Apps, Install this Custom Locker, Automated ADB Driver Install and an Additional 40 other Automated Operations! We attempt to keep this tutorial updated regularly - adding information from the end users experience. We have recently upgraded the storage servers to increase uptime, you now have two options for the downloads both are ad free. Option one is a Dropbox Storage Server and Option two is a Ubuntu One Storage Server, if one is under maintenance you may use the other download link. When you are done with the tutorial, please take the time to post feedback, this is very important to us - without your feedback, we have no way of knowing if we are doing our job. Finally, if you feel we did a decent job, please think about donating to us using the "Donate to Me" button - this is how we make a living, without your kind donations we would no longer be able to do this for a living.
If you prefer and are into your own custom Photos you may edit the photos in the original Kindle Fire HD and 2 Lock Screen. This requires a solid knowledge of Photoshop or some other picture editor like GIMP that can change the photo size to 1280x800. If this is your preference, move down to Post #2 below. Post #1 will allow you to do just about anything to the Locker and you do not need Photo Editor knowledge plus Post #1 supports over 1000 Themes.
Prerequisites:
1. Kindle Fire HD 7", Kindle Fire HD 8.9" or Kindle Fire 2
2. Rooted Kindle: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2069117
3. Google Play: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2069329
Custom Locker Step 1. Using Google Play, search for "No Lock". Download and Install No Lock - You may use this link to verify the software: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.jraf.android.nolock&hl=en
Custom Locker Step 2: DO NOT Open No Lock, it will fail. Next, go to the Kindle, open up ES File Explorer or Root Explorer
Custom Locker Step 3: Be sure to enable Superuser on ES File Explorer. Navigate to /data/app, find org.jaf.androidnolock-1.apk - long press on the APK, select Move or Move To. Next, Move org.jaf.androidnolock-1.apk from /data/app to /system/app.
Custom Locker Step 4: Next find org.jaf.androidnolock-1.apk in /system/app. Long press and Choose Permissions (on Root Explorer) or Properties (on ES File Explorer). Change the Permissions to: Owner: Read Write Group: Read Others: Read - Click OK to apply the Permissions.
Custom Locker Step 5: DO NOT Open No Lock. Pull down the Upper Status Bar, Select More+, Select Sounds & Display and change the Screen Timeout to: Never and then reboot the Kindle.
Custom Locker Step 6: Once the Kindle is back to the desktop, open No Lock which is found in the Kindle Apps, select "Locking disabled".
Custom Locker Step 7: Using Google Play Search for MagicLocker Main which you can find here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.lockscreen.magiclocker - Download and Install Magic Locker Main
Custom Locker Step 8: Be sure to enable Superuser on ES File Explorer. Navigate to /data/app, find mobi.lockscreen.magiclocker-1.apk - long press on the APK, select Move or Move To. Next, Move mobi.lockscreen.magiclocker-1.apk from /data/app to /system/app.
Custom Locker Step 9: Next find mobi.lockscreen.magiclocker-1.apk in /system/app. Long press and Choose Permissions (on Root Explorer) or Properties (on ES File Explorer). Change the Permissions to: Owner: Read Write Group: Read Others: Read - Click OK to apply the Permissions.
Custom Locker Step 10: Using Google Play Search for MagicLocker Theme - Download and Install a few Themes that interest you. I use Starry lock screen and Jelly Bean lock screen.
Custom Locker Step 11: Launch MagicLocker Main, click on Next, Next, Next - You will now see a popup, click Next and choose Clear Defaults until it Grays Out, click on the picture of a house (Home Button), you will be asked which Launcher to Use, you choose MagicLocker Main <Select Default>.
Custom Locker Step 12: Launch MagicLocker Main, sometimes you are taken to your regular Launcher App, if this happens repeat Step 11. Select "Lost Robot Music" and click Apply. Next MagicLocker applies the Theme and asks if you would like to Customize it, answer Yes or No depending on your interests. I selected No so we can move on. You can always customize it latter.
Custom Locker Step 13: Next MagicLocker will show you an example of the Theme. Unlock it by pulling down the circle in the Android Picture.
Custom Locker Step 14: Now we need to customize the way MagicLocker reacts when you unlock to the Left which is a Phone Call and when you unlock to the Right which is a SMS Application. Unlock straight down just unlocks the screen.
Custom Locker Step 15: OK, lock the Kindle by depressing the Power Button for 1 brief Second until the screen turns black. Depress the Power Button briefly again, you will see the lock Screen. Unlock to the Right, next you are asked which is your SMS Software, I use Go SMS Pro. Check the Box to "Always use this application". Unlock to the Left, next you are asked which is your Phone Software, I use Google Voice and Groove. Check the Box to "Always use this application".
Custom Locker Step 16: Next, let's install the Themes. Find the name of the Themes you downloaded in Step 8. In this example we picked Starry lock screen and Jelly Bean lock screen. So go into the Apps. Find Starry lock screen, click on Starry lock screen and select "Install this theme". The installer will process and you will be back at the MagicLocker main Theme Menu. Exit MagicLocker, then go to Apps, find Jelly Bean lock screen, click on Starry lock screen and select "Install this theme". The installer will process and you will be back at the MagicLocker main Theme Menu.
Custom Locker Step 17: Now we need to let MagicLocker know what is your Default Launcher, so launch MagicLocker, find Preferred Home Launcher, click on Preferred Home Launcher and select your Launcher, we use Nova Launcher Prime.
Custom Locker Step 18: Let's eliminate the Ads from ever appearing again. Open either ES File Explorer or Root Explorer, navigate to /system/app find the dtcp_apk.ap, long press dtcp_apk.apk select Rename. Rename dtcp_apk.apk to dtcp_apk.old.
Custom Locker Step 19: Reboot the Kindle.
Custom Locker Step 20: Whenever you reboot, the Kindle Fire Framework starts before anything else, so you may see the Kindle lock screen at Reboot IF you do not let everything start. If you can not wait 5 to 10 minutes, unlock it and let all the services start, usually 10 minutes is sufficient. Once you unlock it, you will notice there are no more Ads! After 10 minutes No Lock Service kicks in and disables the Kindle Fire Lock Screen. We have attempted to play with the start-up timing and ended up with Framework missing, so Amazon was smart when they thought out this function. Also, the service that controls the lock screen is part of the same group that displays the Kindle Framework when you unlock it. Finally, if you do wait 10 minutes you will never see the old Kindle Fire Lock Screen!
That is it! Next we will offer you a solution with the stock lock screen but you will need high resolution photos to make it function properly. Be sure to look at our new Backup and Recovery Software for the Kindle Fire Series: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
[HOW TO] Keep The Original Kindle Fire Lock Screen and Change The Photos
Reserved for new tutorial
add an "r"
... to https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...een.magiclocke
prokennexusa said:
Reserved for new tutorial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whenever I try to open magic locker main I get the force closed error message?
I'm using NovaLauncher could this perhaps affect it?
Edit: Actually I rebooted the KFHD and the problem went away! Good guide thanks
Thank you for the tutorial, ill give it a whack tomorrow. The slide lock doesnt bother me much,i actually prefer it... but i wanna disable it just because i wanna have full control of my device. Take that amazon!
please delete. question was answered already once reread.
Thank you for this guide. I took the Golocker instead of the Magiclocker and it worked as a charm as well.
The only issue I still have, is the “star“ favorite button in the lower right corner. Although the “home“ button has been disabled within the locker software, the star is still active. Think, it's the same with Magiclocker, isn't it?
Soft keys?
nakedtruthishere said:
Thank you for this guide. I took the Golocker instead of the Magiclocker and it worked as a charm as well.
The only issue I still have, is the “star“ favorite button in the lower right corner. Although the “home“ button has been disabled within the locker software, the star is still active. Think, it's the same with Magiclocker, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you referring to the soft keys? There's a nifty fix for that pesky soft key bar. Get rid of it! ...
I used this method. It works great! Just follow the directions carefully.
Yes, I am referring to the lower right soft key. But - I'm glad with it (honestly I'm used to it) and don't want to change the bar.
A possible solution is to empty the favorite function, but maybe there is another one...
Gave this a whirl last night. Sweet. Thanks for this tutorial. After following the instructions in the OP I waited at least ten minutes for all the services to start. I am finding during a reboot the Kindle lockscreen appears; no ads. Unlock and use as normal. It is after the Kindle enters sleep mode then the Magiclocker lockscreen appears and I never see the Kindle lockscreen. Is this functioning correctly. I may have mis-read but thought the Kindle lockscreen will never appear (presumed this to be true after rebooting as well).
blklab49 said:
Gave this a whirl last night. Sweet. Thanks for this tutorial. After following the instructions in the OP I waited at least ten minutes for all the services to start. I am finding during a reboot the Kindle lockscreen appears; no ads. Unlock and use as normal. It is after the Kindle enters sleep mode then the Magiclocker lockscreen appears and I never see the Kindle lockscreen. Is this functioning correctly. I may have mis-read but thought the Kindle lockscreen will never appear (presumed this to be true after rebooting as well).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a chance that on reboot the original lock screen will appear. You should see it when the dpi is below 180.
Way to still view offers without lock screen
This worked great for me thanks. I am wondering though if there is a way to view offers under the offers section with the amazon launcher, but not in the lock screen. I wouldn't mind knowing some of the special offers when they are books.
Thanks
Link Error
Krsmqn said:
... to https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...een.magiclocke
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Krsmqn,
Thank you for pointing out the mistake. we just fixed the link, thanks Krsmqn!
Magic Locker Force Closes
Callum77 said:
Whenever I try to open magic locker main I get the force closed error message?
I'm using NovaLauncher could this perhaps affect it?
Edit: Actually I rebooted the KFHD and the problem went away! Good guide thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Callum77,
Yes, we are aware of this problem. If you Open Magic locker before we instruct you to do so, it breaks Magic Locker. This is why we state to NOT open Magic Locker until we instruct you to open it. We use Nova Launcher as well, it works beautifully with Nova Launcher.
Please DO NOT open Magic Locker until you are instructed to open the application.
Follow Up - Feedback
drugfreejonnyxxx said:
Thank you for the tutorial, ill give it a whack tomorrow. The slide lock doesnt bother me much,i actually prefer it... but i wanna disable it just because i wanna have full control of my device. Take that amazon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
drugfreejonnyxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to post your comments drugfreejonnyxxx. I can completely understand and agree, I too want full control of our Kindles!
Post Mistake
meddle70 said:
please delete. question was answered already once reread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meddle70,
No worries meddle70!
Kindle Fire HD and 2 - Go Locker Option
nakedtruthishere said:
Thank you for this guide. I took the Golocker instead of the Magiclocker and it worked as a charm as well.
The only issue I still have, is the “star“ favorite button in the lower right corner. Although the “home“ button has been disabled within the locker software, the star is still active. Think, it's the same with Magiclocker, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nakedtruthishere,
I am glad you used this thread with your preferred software. That is the idea, to spark someone to do something different.
I do have to say, Magic Locker will force the Kindle locker to diable, I am not sure if Go Locker will perform the same task. Post your results when done.
No, Magic Locker does not disable the Home button. Magic locker uses the Home button directly and routes your Launcher through Magic Locker.
Kindle Fire Buildprop Edits
Krsmqn said:
Are you referring to the soft keys? There's a nifty fix for that pesky soft key bar. Get rid of it! ...
I used this method. It works great! Just follow the directions carefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Krsmqn,
Now I see why you wanted the Factory USB Cable! Anyone who plays with the build.prop file needs backups! You should see your cable in a couple of days. Did you get a tracking number from Paypal?
Does Magic Locker Disable The Home Button? No!
nakedtruthishere said:
Yes, I am referring to the lower right soft key. But - I'm glad with it (honestly I'm used to it) and don't want to change the bar.
A possible solution is to empty the favorite function, but maybe there is another one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nakedtruthishere,
I have been thinking about it, Go Locker will not work like Magic Locker. You see, Magic Locker manages the overall Framework, thus Blacklisting any application from attempting to lock the screen. Maybe you can integrate the Home button into Go Locker? Magic Locker leaves the Home button in tact.:good:
Kindle Fire HD and 2 Original Lock Screen Behavior
blklab49 said:
Gave this a whirl last night. Sweet. Thanks for this tutorial. After following the instructions in the OP I waited at least ten minutes for all the services to start. I am finding during a reboot the Kindle lockscreen appears; no ads. Unlock and use as normal. It is after the Kindle enters sleep mode then the Magiclocker lockscreen appears and I never see the Kindle lockscreen. Is this functioning correctly. I may have mis-read but thought the Kindle lockscreen will never appear (presumed this to be true after rebooting as well).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blklab49,
The Kindle Lock screen will appear on the first boot if you quickly unlock it, after this first reboot Magic Locker takes over and you should never see the Kindle Lock screen unless you quickly unlock it after a reboot. Magic Locker is a service, so it has to initialize which take a few seconds after startup. Having said this, if you reboot and quickly (1-2 seconds) attempt to unlock the Kindle you may see the old lock screen. After my first reboot, I never saw the Kindle Lock screen again, it is gone!
Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

Llama Way To (Sort Of Run Any Launcher)

Hey guys so today I got un-rootable Fire TV for someone.
I had to figure out a easy way to always somehow get back to custom launcher....
Updated Video Posted Below.
Using Llama I did the following:
1) For "Recents" I linked Kodi (using Ikono TV)
2) I installed FiredTV newest verison in settings I selected -> "Disable Home Button Detection"
of course when we click go back to FireTV Home we won't be able to get back to FiredTV without going to settings -> all appliactions so I had to figure out a way to do it quick without going there..
Please note any other app you open within FiredTV will re-open FiredTV upon clicking "Home Button"
if something goes wrong and it does not go back to FiredTV just launch kodi and click Home button to go back to FiredTV.
I think it goes back because Llama is also configured for Kodi using IkonoTV icon replacer.
3) Step 3
Open Llama:
go to Events:
Add new one by clicking "+"
Add-Condition:
"when current app is KFTV Launcher" -- Active Application (KFTV Launcher)
Add Action now:
Select:
Kill Application - KFTV Launcher
do it again
Kill Application - KFTV Launcher
Add 3rd Action:
Run Application ( FiredTV)
Current Issues With This Method or Annoyances?
When you want to go back to Fire TV (Amazon Launcher) it goes way to quick back to FiredTV Launcher:
Solution I found:
You have to be real quick upon clicking Fire TV Home go back real quick to settings. (Once I was in Settings the Llama script) wouldn't go back to FiredTV Launcher until I scrolled back to any part of Amazon Launcher: example Home or I clicked Home Button.
In my video I didn't get quick ENOUGH to settings I only scrolled onto settings but didn't go the right ->>> to actual settings.
That's it!
Everytime you go to home within seconds you should be automatically set to go back to FiredTV launcher.
If you need to go back to Amazon Fire Screen without being booted back again to FiredTV screen click "home button 3 times quick and go to settings" this way you won't be automatically moved to FiredTV launcher.
Using this way also when I run Kodi then go back the FiredTV always re-launches itself. Which is what I wanted!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdLLazp4qC4&feature=youtu.be
Any Launcher
patt2k said:
Hey guys so today I got un-rootable Fire TV for someone.
I had to figure out a easy way to always somehow get back to custom launcher....
Using Llama I did the following:
1) For "Recents" I linked Kodi (using Ikono TV)
2) I installed FiredTV newest verison in settings I selected -> "Disable Home Button Detection"
of course when we click go back to FireTV Home we won't be able to get back to FiredTV without going to settings -> all appliactions so I had to figure out a way to do it quick without going there..
Please note any other app you open within FiredTV will re-open FiredTV upon clicking "Home Button"
if something goes wrong and it does not go back to FiredTV just launch kodi and click Home button to go back to FiredTV.
I think it goes back because Llama is also configured for Kodi using IkonoTV icon replacer.
3) Step 3
Open Llama:
go to Events:
Add new one by clicking "+"
Add-Condition:
"when current app is KFTV Launcher" -- Active Application (KFTV Launcher)
Add Action now:
Select:
Kill Application - KFTV Launcher
do it again
Kill Application - KFTV Launcher
Add 3rd Action:
Run Application ( FiredTV)
That's it!
Everytime you go to home within seconds you should be automatically set to go back to FiredTV launcher.
If you need to go back to Amazon Fire Screen without being booted back again to FiredTV screen click "home button 3 times quick and go to settings" this way you won't be automatically moved to FiredTV launcher.
Using this way also when I run Kodi then go back the FiredTV always re-launches itself. Which is what I wanted!
I can make a video if someone requests it.. but it's very simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been on youtube for ages
alandmo said:
It's been on youtube for ages
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didnt see a way to get back to custom launcher within few seconds. I only saw it boot on 1 st start.
Maybe i didnt see it before lol.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
I would love to see you make a video.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Free mobile app
jorv976 said:
I would love to see you make a video.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure I will tomorrow it will be on fire stick I returned the un-rootable fire TV it turned out it was a refurb/used.
So will do tomorrow!
Any luck with the video @patt2k ?
bigyin said:
Any luck with the video @patt2k ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I didn't have much time I will try to make it today and upload later on.
This method is great but remember if you USE amazon prime (on that fire stick we don't use it's for someone else that I did it for) so this is a perfect resolution.
If you do use PRIME you can use it but it's little trickier, because once you go to KFTV launcher it goes back to FiredTV launcher *using llama*.
Sorry for the delay guys!
This method does not work properly for me on the FireTV Stick.
I have it setup exactly as you have described but whenever I reboot my FireTV Stick it loads the Standard FireTV Launcher and NOT FiredTV!
Once you go into FiredTV from the Settings>Apps Menu it works everytime from there but does not work on initial Boot!
Is it working on Boot everytime for you?
Thank you so much! Will try this and report back when I get home.
Reni10 said:
This method does not work properly for me on the FireTV Stick.
I have it setup exactly as you have described but whenever I reboot my FireTV Stick it loads the Standard FireTV Launcher and NOT FiredTV!
Once you go into FiredTV from the Settings>Apps Menu it works everytime from there but does not work on initial Boot!
Is it working on Boot everytime for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know I promised a video but I didn't have access to that stick... I will today lol..
Did you select in FiredTV to disable home button detection?
it has to load into standard launcher for few seconds but then goes to FiredTV Launcher real quick.
When you click Home inside FiredTV you will go back to FiredTV no matter what you do.
If you go to "Home" (Amazon Launcher) if it sees you are in "Home" you will be put back into FiredTV launcher within like 2-3 seconds.
I will do my best to provide a video today (around 9 pm EST Time)
Also another thing I never reboot that Fire Stick because there really is no point it's on 24/7
Disable home page detection is disabled in FiredTV settings.
I don't know how this can actually work on every boot as Llama does not load automatically so how can it trigger anything if it is not even loaded?
If this does not work on boot then it actually does not do anything that the Home Page Detection setting in FiredTV provides anyway???
Reni10 said:
Disable home page detection is disabled in FiredTV settings.
I don't know how this can actually work on every boot as Llama does not load automatically so how can it trigger anything if it is not even loaded?
If this does not work on boot then it actually does not do anything that the Home Page Detection setting in FiredTV provides anyway???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I can't 100% answer your question I shared what I set up and worked for me the only way would be to show you guys a video which I will today when I have access to that fire stick :highfive:
Here is the short video showing that it works.
Fire TV Stick Llama w/Fired TV: http://youtu.be/zdLLazp4qC4
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
That works alright but that is only the same as having home page detection on in firedtv.
Does it work when the stick boots up without you having to start it?
That is the real issue not it just working after you boot and start it manually, this I thought was supposed to work as a start on boot method as what you have shown is already built into firedtv!
Thanks for this as it seems to work fine. Getting back to the Fire TV home screen by pressing the Home button three times also does return me back to that screen but....
Using it as it is how would I actually be able to change any of the settings for the Fire TV as soon as I go near that option then bang I'm back to the Fired TV home screen.
Accessing the settings from that icon on the screen will just kill the Fire TV launcher, as it is meant to do.
Using it on my Fire TV seems useful but only if I could get into the settings options for the few times that I need to do, putting the unit into sleep mode for example - but I would like to get to that screen without being thrown back into the Fired TV home screen . When my FTV is in sleep mode then my media server will hibernate, when th FTV is active so the server remains awake.
Reni10 said:
That works alright but that is only the same as having home page detection on in firedtv.
Does it work when the stick boots up without you having to start it?
That is the real issue not it just working after you boot and start it manually, this I thought was supposed to work as a start on boot method as what you have shown is already built into firedtv!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For it to boot up I think you just have to follow the old guide, I think the action was launch application and you would select firedtv launcher.
What I also discovered was if you cant get it to boot set ikono tv app with kodi you can run kodi from home screen.. When you exit kodi it should go back to firedTV launcher.
About settings what I found was if I am quick enough to scroll down to SETTINGS it won't move me to " FiredTV" on my video you could see I did scroll to settings but I didn't actually move to the right into the settings MENU.
By doing this when I was in "Settings" I would not be moved into FiredTV.. hope that helps!
Give it a try
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
vimesUK said:
Thanks for this as it seems to work fine. Getting back to the Fire TV home screen by pressing the Home button three times also does return me back to that screen but....
Using it as it is how would I actually be able to change any of the settings for the Fire TV as soon as I go near that option then bang I'm back to the Fired TV home screen.
Accessing the settings from that icon on the screen will just kill the Fire TV launcher, as it is meant to do.
Using it on my Fire TV seems useful but only if I could get into the settings options for the few times that I need to do, putting the unit into sleep mode for example - but I would like to get to that screen without being thrown back into the Fired TV home screen . When my FTV is in sleep mode then my media server will hibernate, when th FTV is active so the server remains awake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add settings icon to firedTV launcher it might be hidden, when you click it might look like ita stuck i think you just have to press like left or right and you should stay at settings.
My fire tv is rooted so i discovered this by accident.
If i went to settings fast enough it wouldnt move me to firedtv launcher.
You gotta be quick
Sorry for any mistakes was typing from my phone.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+)​STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER:
Before installing version 1.1.8 uninstall any previous version.​ 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV.​(Latest: 1.1.8)​ 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager.​ 3. To Enable Custom Launcher, Click on "Launcher Options" and go to "Home Button Hook".​Enable "Home Button Hook" and "Use ADB for Home" then select Trigger of your choice.​ 4. Go to previous menu, then go to "Custom Launcher Options" and select "Active Launcher"​to select launcher of your choice.​ 5. Press [Home] to open your custom launcher.​
STEPS TO DISABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER:
To Disable Custom Launcher, Click on "Launcher Options" and go to "Home Button Hook", ​Disable "Home Button Hook" and "Use ADB for Home".​​INFO:
If you get "CONNECTION FAILED", click on "OPEN ADB SETTINGS" and enable "ADB DEBUGGING" and Press BACK Button. If you still get this error Restart your Device (Long Press SELECT + PLAY/PAUSE Button) and disconnect from PC if Connected.​
If your Current Launcher says "Launcher Manager", it means you don't have a custom launcher Installed, just install the launcher and you'll be good to go, no need to enable stock. ​
LAUNCHER MANAGER (1.1.5):
​_____________________________________________________________
Short Link for Downloader
Launcher Manager 1.1.8 (FOS 6 & 7)
https://bit.ly/SWLMF118
_____________________________________________________________
Credits:
@Finnzz
_____________________________________________________________
Changelog:
1.1.8 (14-Mar-23)
Uses ADB to launch Home
1.1.6 (02-Mar-22)
Added Some more Translation
Added System apps to LMU Handler
Added Password protection for LM
Fixed app conflict issue
Fixed icon on Fireos 7
Added option to execute saved adb shell commands
Integrated Update Blocker in LM (Doesn't work with latest release of FireOS)
1.1.5 (03-Jan-22)
Added German and Spanish Translation
Some Bug Fixes
Some minor changes
1.1.4
Ability to change Screensaver
Ability to change System Language (on Request)
Added / Changed some Icons
Some minor changes
1.1.3
Re-added option for Selecting any app as launcher (LM Handler), can be accessed within Launcher Options.
1.1.2
Added Keyboard Change Options (in Display & Sound section) (moved to Other Settings)
Reuploaded version
Fixed 4K detection for Display Resolution
Fixed Crash for Devices with non-usable overscan values
1.1.1
Added Display & Sounds Option (Display, Sounds, Overscan, CEC)
Changing Display Resolution requires System Restart
Fixed Equipment Control
1.1.0
Added App Store Shortcut
used icon from https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/5761458/app_appstore_ic_iphone_icon# removed in 1.1.4
Equipment control is accidentally broken
1.0.9
Boot Delay is fixed by Amzon on newer Roms.
Settings from Amazon Hud opens Launcher Manager (On updating to 1.0.9 from older version its mendatory to click on "Enable Custom Launcher" just one time for this to work)
1.0.8
For the Devices with New Updated Amazon Interface
Removed Launcher Choices
Now using single key for all the apps. (Remove older version first to update the key.)
Delay is still there, needs logcat
1.0.7
In-app Updates
1.0.6
Fixed some bugs
1.0.5
Changed UI
Changed Package Name
Changed Install location to Internal Only
Added System and Developers Shortcut
Fixed issue where launcher is stuck sometimes
Added option to choose any Custom Launcher *
Can be Launched from Amazon Hud *
* Needs Launcher Manager to be set as Default Launcher. (LM is auto selected)
* If launched by Amazon HUD, Long press will open Launcher manager, press back to exit from there. (Fixed in 1.0.6)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FireOS Update Blocker (FOS 6+)​This app can be used to Enable or Disable Amazon System Update.
Update Blocker (Click to Download)
_______________________________________
Short Link for Downloader
Update Blocker
http://bit.ly/SWUB12
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAUNCHER MANAGER (Android TV)​STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER:
1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your AndroidTV. (Latest: 1.0.4)​ 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager.​ 3. To Enable Custom Launcher, Click on "Enable Custom Launcher".​4. Press [Home] to open your custom launcher.​
STEPS TO GO STOCK:
Click on "Disable Custom Launcher", press Home.​
_______________________________________
Short Link for Downloader
Launcher Manager 1.0.4 (ATV)
https://bit.ly/SWLMA104
_______________________________________
Changelog:
1.0.4
Added Custom Launcher support
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FIRETV SETTINGS (3.0)
*ANY FIREOS (Version 71 or lower) or 6.2.8.0 with patched Accessibility​pm grant com.wolf.firetvsettings android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
needed for proper working of this app
pm grant com.wolf.firetvsettings android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (not necessary for app working)
needed to show mouse/package overlay
pm grant com.wolf.firetvsettings android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS (needed for package overlay only when accessibility services are disabled) (not needed)
pm grant com.wolf.firetvsettings android.permission.READ_LOGS
(needed for prime accessibility workaround) (prime workaround will disable accessibility services temporarily so prime video will auto hide the bar, it will restart the services once home button is pressed).
To start service for first time click on (START SERVICE) on Top Right.
To toggle mouse mode long press "Play/Pause", to scroll use Fast Forward/Rewind
press menu button to switch scrolling direction.
Key Bindings:
Menu (Long Press) + Home (Long Press) = Traditional Amazon Menu
Menu (Long Press) + Home (Single Click) = Amazon Home
Home (Long Press) = Shortcuts & App Drawer
(In App Drawer) Long Press on Item = App option & Appstore link
Mouse functionality added from this source. MATVT (GitHub)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAUNCHER MANAGER (1.0.7) (FOS5)​STEPS:​1. Steps to install app on FireTV
Download Main File via this link Launcher Manager (FOS5)
then install it on Your FireTV running FireOS 5
2. Steps to be setup the App
If you know how to use ADB then here are the commands
adb shell pm grant com.wolf.fos5.settings android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW
adb shell pm grant com.wolf.fos5.settings android.permission.READ_LOGS
[OR]​or you can download FireTV Toolbox
install it on any Android device (not on the Main FireTV device)
Enter the IP address of your FireTV in this app and click on Connect
Click on "GO" button after "Setup Launcher Manager"
it will auto launch the app on FireTV.
Select the launcher of your choice and enable Launcher Detection, click on save.
___________________________________
Short Link for Downloader
FireTV Toolbox
http://bit.ly/SWFTB16
Launcher Manager (FireOS 5)
http://bit.ly/SW5LM107
LAUNCHER MANAGER ULTIMATE​
This app can disable Stock Launcher of Any Android TV (except anything running on Fireos 5), it requires Network Debugging to function.
The way it works is it finds the stock launcher and disables it.
It does that in a loop until "android" itself is set as default launcher.
at this point if there are no Custom launchers are installed on the system then you will see only a black screen.
So a custom launcher should be installed prior to enabling the custom launcher.
some apps also broadcasts themselves as launcher and if they are installed as system app and are set as default launcher then it will also disable them.
some launcher integrates settings in them so disabling the launcher will disable settings also.
the apps who broadcasts themselves as Fallback home will not be disabled.
There were certain cases where user uninstalled launcher and got blank screen, to mitigate that issue LMU will set itself as the launcher and call the other launchers on its behalf. so if the launcher is deleted then pressing the home button will launch LMU, from where you can disable custom launcher support.
If it detects that after disabling everything it doesn't reach the "android" itself and is unable to find a launcher then it will rollback itself, enabling every single thing it disabled.
Changes:
1.0.8
Fixed Settings Shortcut for Amazon Hud.
Fixed Disabling of "Android"
All other functionalities are similar to Launcher Manager from the First Post.
Screenrecord:
{
"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"
}
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PERMISSIONS MANAGER
Version: 1.0.3 (1-Mar-22)​
This app uses shell to grant or deny any permissions that an app requires.
Usage:
Select an app and click on it
From the list of permission which you want to grant or deny the access and click ok
select "Allow" or "Deny"
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DEBLOAT TOOLBOX (FireOS 6 & 7)
Version: 5 (19-Jan-22)​Debloat System Apps on FireOS 6 & 7
Thanks. Working great on a 2nd gen Cube
Is it possible to add a shortcut to the amazon live tv guide??
Dumb question, but can you still use prime video?
ASCiiDiTY said:
Thanks. Working great on a 2nd gen Cube
Is it possible to add a shortcut to the amazon live tv guide??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome.
About the Live TV Guide, that thing is integrated inside Amazon launcher (IMDB app also)
and Amazon launcher is disabled so no live tv.
funnypanks said:
Dumb question, but can you still use prime video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can
SweenWolf said:
Welcome.
About the Live TV Guide, that thing is integrated inside Amazon launcher (IMDB app also)
and Amazon launcher is disabled so no live tv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks. Another thing, I think it is stopping mouse toggle from working, is there any way around this? I really need to use it for ProtonVPN.
ASCiiDiTY said:
Okay thanks. Another thing, I think it is stopping mouse toggle from working, is there any way around this? I really need to use it for ProtonVPN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mouse Toggle is working Fine, check error codes in Mouse toggle app, you might need to renable adb debugging in settings (Mouse toggle needs that also)
SweenWolf said:
Mouse Toggle is working Fine, check error codes in Mouse toggle app, you might need to renable adb debugging in settings (Mouse toggle needs that also)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what has happened, it's stopped working and refusing to start, even after disabling and enabling adb debugging. It is just stuck on "starting" and not starting up at launch any longer. Same thing after reverting to old launcher and restarting device. I'm not sure what I could have done to break it? I'm sure it was working when I first started using the new launcher. Confused.
ASCiiDiTY said:
I'm not sure what has happened, it's stopped working and refusing to start, even after disabling and enabling adb debugging. It is just stuck on "starting" and not starting up at launch any longer. Same thing after reverting to old launcher and restarting device. I'm not sure what I could have done to break it? I'm sure it was working when I first started using the new launcher. Confused.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to fix that from the Smartphone app
SweenWolf said:
You need to fix that from the Smartphone app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had any mobile app installed, I don't have an android phone. I used mouse toggle for years on my 2nd gen box, just upgraded to a cube 2 today and all of a sudden it's stopped working. It seems to of stopped in the last hour or so, but I'm not sure what I have done to break it suddenly, none of the tips to make it work are working, I've never had this issue in years of use. I think I'm going to have to factory reset.
Sorry it's probably not even related to this launcher, I just don't understand. I haven't done much other than add the launcher and it was working at first. Nothing I do now is fixing it.
EDIT: I found the problem. It was my fault. I disabled Wi-Fi in the Cube settings by mistake. Sorry about that, please feel free to delete my last few posts.
ASCiiDiTY said:
I've never had any mobile app installed, I don't have an android phone. I used mouse toggle for years on my 2nd gen box, just upgraded to a cube 2 today and all of a sudden it's stopped working. It seems to of stopped in the last hour or so, but I'm not sure what I have done to break it suddenly, none of the tips to make it work are working, I've never had this issue in years of use. I think I'm going to have to factory reset.
Sorry it's probably not even related to this launcher, I just don't understand. I haven't done much other than add the launcher and it was working at first. Nothing I do now is fixing it.
EDIT: I found the problem. It was my fault. I disabled Wi-Fi in the Cube settings by mistake. Sorry about that, please feel free to delete my last few posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Smartphone app is the original app which installs and setup the "Mouse Toggle" app on TV. current stable version is 1.12
it is also used to troubleshoot the app.
WiFi should not be a problem for Mouse Toogle, it does not need that unless to connect to its partner app.
I cannot delete any post, its up the forum moderator to delete the posts.
SweenWolf said:
The Smartphone app is the original app which installs and setup the "Mouse Toggle" app on TV. current stable version is 1.12
it is also used to troubleshoot the app.
WiFi should not be a problem for Mouse Toogle, it does not need that unless to connect to its partner app.
I cannot delete any post, its up the forum moderator to delete the posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's strange. TBH I don't really understand the Wi-Fi setting in the Cube 2. This option isn't on the 2nd gen box when you are connected via ethernet, I think?
I guess it might be needed even with a wired connection for people using voice to control lightbulbs, echo clock, smart plugs and similar. No idea why it affects mouse toggle.
I can 100% confirm though, if you turn it off in the cube's settings, mouse toggle stops working. Turn it back on and the adb connect screen pops up again and it works.
Okay I see, I've always used version 1.11 on the Fire TV by sideloading it.
FOS5 latest version force closed on my Firesticks 2nd . It opened once at the first time, then not anymore. Permissions had been granted. I disinstalled and installed again. Then it opened, and I could choose and save the default launcher. All apps I opened afterwards closed after a few minutes. So sorry to say, it still doesn't work.
Hello! thanks you for sharing, I guess this requires root, no?
ASCiiDiTY said:
Thanks. Working great on a 2nd gen Cube
Is it possible to add a shortcut to the amazon live tv guide??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonderful! Great Great Great Job! Thank you !!!!
I can confirm everything is working a a new Fire Stick Lite with FOS 7.
Which Widgets are you using in these screenshot? I cannot find any working fine at the moment.
Thanks.. :good::good:
FransisFor said:
Which Widgets are you using in these screenshot? I cannot find any working fine at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are just shortcuts to Plex, Blockada, and ProtonVPN.
ASCiiDiTY said:
They are just shortcuts to Plex, Blockada, and ProtonVPN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, but how you did setup these shortcuts? no options available under widget except for "Favourite App" widget.
FransisFor said:
thanks, but how you did setup these shortcuts? no options available under widget except for "Favourite App" widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With that exact option..
Great launcher, my only buts are:
1. Using on my Nvidia Shield Pro 2017, typed several times the appwidget grantbind, but the widgets won't work and still stays failed? So using without widgets.
2. See a update to version 0.1.6, but when I update I get the "fireTV" in the top left instead of my Nvidia Shield. May there is an option to change that?
3. May there an option to change the text color, some wallpapers are very nice, but the topline in white can't be read or is any visible.

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.
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thank for this tutorial

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