BT functions

I am dumping any BT rants here.
It is not fair to spam dev threads with stuff like this - so it is left here.
It has already been acknowledged but has no resolution in sight

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If those functions are time consuming to be added to the new application version - what about adding the additional rights to version 9.1 and keeping it maximally “as is” ?
It works now but only with phone screen on and application on the main screen, so it is somehow related to the Android 10 which sends it to the background when phone screen gets off and it stops to operate?

I am quite surprised that key communication functions had been skipped… watch is in many cases companion to the main (big) phone… in fact the call activation functionality was the CORE functionality of the watch since SM-V700 Samsung Gear watch.

@Luk
It also works with the latest version of watchdroid and Android 10. The prerequisite is that you have installed the following app on your Android phone:

This is set as the standard app instead of the original phone app. The new phone app must now also be selected in the app list in watchdroid. The caller’s name is then displayed on the watch. It is also possible to take the call from the watch.

Please try it out, it is guaranteed to work. If you too have got it to work on your devices, I recommend the following: Share the promised $ 100. Send $ 50 to @lumaticsoft for developing this great app. You can donate the remaining 50 dollars to this excellent forum. We also have a donation button.:slightly_smiling_face:

PS: Tested on LEM12 pro and Prime2.
Phone: Samsung galaxy s10.

Here is a video:-https://youtu.be/uGXYVZg9Ee8

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I have checked XDADevelopers - this thread is 255 pages long
Is version Google_phone_30.0.238745610.apk version 53? (last link on the first page of XDA developers? You refer to the Plays Store - but What I found in the play store is probably "Phone by Google - Caller ID & Spam Protection version 58.0.346367036-downloadable - is it correct?
Can You post the link to the exact version in the play store You refer to?

Does the new Watch Droid version allow to call people from the short list (or from the phone book) ?

Just for test - I have installed the “Phone by Google - Caller ID & Spam Protection version 58.0.346367036-downloadable” from playstore, set it as default and… situation is exactly the same on Watch Droid version 9.1 - no way to call unless the Watch Droid is shown on the screen of the phone.
Also - watch is not showing who is calling…
Any way to tweak it to work? Does version 15 of Watch Droid supports call activation (at least for predefined numbers) from the watch?

This trick is only to answer or hang up the phone. Starting a phone call from the watch is not going to be possible unless the watch Droid app is open and the screen on.

Not good at all. I can answer the call on the BT headset, and as it has the display - I also know who is calling, (on much smaller display) so almost no move forward. Key issue for me is to be able to activate CALL (even if it is small pre-selected group of 6 or 9 persons, and no voice transfer to or from the watch is needed (so no full featured BT calling needed) as the actual talking is done over BT headset. So - for now I guess the only solution is to convince Pablo (Lumaticsoft) to add those functions back to V15… (or change the permission/rights for version 9.1 which was FINE for me) If anybody is interested - maybe some kind of crowdfunding can convince LumaticSoft? I had been using Samsung Galaxy Gear watch (original first version for YEARS with call starting option and I am missing it A LOT.
All brand name watches have this functionality, but they miss CAMERA, and Chinese watches have camera (Prime2 - acceptable one and facing in the good direction), but miss water tightness AND miss proper call handling. Anybody here with knowledge how to write such application?
In the times of oryginal galaxy gear SM-V700 it was ALL working - great camera, all pictures taken by watch were automatically transferred to the phone - this was really great - BTW is version 15 offering picture transfer from the watch to the phone? @pablo11 - maybe You can convince Chinese producers like KOSPET to use Lumatic soft as the main companion application - and in such way encourage LumaticSoft to offer similar functionalities like SAMSUNG or APPLE are offering ? Please make move forward! Functionality of this PAN (personal area network) build from large phone, small watch and headset is the KEY feature, and it was already working! WHY we reduce what is most useful ?

I guess there is some confusion again.
These devices are the same as any other Android phone.
You can’t tether two Android phones and make calls using the other handset through BT.

Only one time with Android 5.1, they were able to re-engineer the BT stack and get it to work. This was a very difficult piece of work and involved switching the device “roles” to enable the watch to become the master and the phone became the slave.

This was a one off and Android security has been changed to prevent this from being done again.

The bottom line is that these are called Full Android Watches for good reason.
They are running the same full OS as a mobile phone (customised but full Android none the less)

If you want to make calls through your mobile phone then you have the wrong device.

The idea of these devices is to carry one device, not two.
Mobile phone no longer required.
That is the end game here.

There are quite a few cheap tethering devices on the market using the wear type SOC if you want to make calls through BT.
Just not full Android devices.

That is the bottom line.
Unless a miracle happens and someone re-engineers the BT stack (which despite a lot of talk - does not look like it will be possible) then these watches remain the same as any other Android phone - independent.

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What I do is use Google voice it is a app that will merge 2 numbers together so they both ring at the same time. This way you can just make a call on watch no need for the phone at all it will be the same number on both. If you want just attach the Bluetooth headset to the watch is you want it more private then just on speaker phone.

You will have to give people a new number but the new number rings on both phone and watch at the same time.

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Those virtual numbers are only available to USA as far as I know

Although there a lot of mixed messages on this dialing matter for those who miss the " dial out " function from Version 9.0 there is a simple thing you can do . I have various clockskins using the array 100 touch method with a dialer icon . Touching this takes you to the favourites section in the A10 dialer app . Then i touch the number i want and it dials on phone ( this is not bluetooth calling ). Great when driving as it dials your google account favorites

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Yes, this works…
As you say, a lot of mixed messages and information.

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Hello @pablo11 Pablo, thank You for the reply!

I guess there is some confusion again.

Possibly, so please see clarification in the comments below.

These devices are the same as any other Android phone.

No, they are not the same – their system is Android 10, but the functionality of the watch is limited by several factors – screen size, battery capacity, etc. This ideal companion device with capabilities to be reserve phone in case of emergency/temporary use in places where You do not want to carry big phone with You. In fact to really serve this purpose Prime 2 is missing WATER TIGHTNESS, but they are not good to read and response to emails or watch YT videos or any work related activities.

You can’t tether two Android phones and make calls using the other handset through BT.

I do not want to tether. I do not want to transmit voice over the BT between watch and the phone. All taking is to be made by BT headset – like SBH54, Sony MW1, galaxy buds, etc. System (or “ personal network” is built from 3 devices – regular large phone (like Galaxy Note) Android based watch with camera (like PRIME2), and BT headset (like Galaxy buds or similar)
I want to use the watch as the remote control for the phone for a few basic CORE functionalities:

  • See on the watch who is calling me with option to pick up or reject the call (with NO talking through the watch – all voice functions are performed between large phone and the BT headset) (It worked this way in Watch Droid 9.1 and worked before with Galaxy Watch SM-V700)
  • Remotely from the watch activate the calls minimum to the shortlist of 9 preprogrammed contacts (or to the whole phone book) (with NO talking through the watch – all voice functions are performed between large phone and the BT headset) (It worked this way in Watch Droid 9.1, worked before with Galaxy Watch SM-V700)
  • Automatically send from the watch to the phone specified directory pictures taken by the watch camera with no additional manual action needed. (not supported by Watch Droid 9.1, worked before with Galaxy Watch SM-V700)

Only one time with Android 5.1, they were able to re-engineer the BT stack and get it to work. This was a very difficult piece of work and involved switching the device “roles” to enable the watch to become the master and the phone became the slave.

Again – I do not want to modify BT stack. NO NEED to transmit voice from the watch to the phone and from the phone to the watch!

This was a one off and Android security has been changed to prevent this from being done again.

I see that call activation and reception is possible in Samsung Smartwatches – so apparently there is no Android Security issue here

The bottom line is that these are called Full Android Watches for good reason.
They are running the same full OS as a mobile phone (customised but full Android none the less)

Galaxy Watch SM-V700 and PRIME1, and Genesis were all full android watches. They worked OK together with phones.

If you want to make calls through your mobile phone then you have the wrong device.

Fine, so do we know any “right” device? - which can activate calls, has camera on board, is waterproof, and has (for optional emergency use) phone module on board?

The idea of these devices is to carry one device, not two.

I do not see carrying 1 as practical nor in every day life possible solution – can you please edit XLS files on the watch effectively? Respond with keyboard fast? Watch YT videos?? 1.6 or 2.1” screens are not for that, but they are great as the watch, as the additional display, as the sport tracker, and as COMPANION device to the phone, so I have 3 devices (in fact 3 or more in the personal area network as I often have Pebble and Electric unicycle all together 5 devices and all of them were working flawlessly over BT together)

Mobile phone no longer required.

It is required, and it will be required for effective work. (explanation above)

That is the end game here.

I hope not. All brand name companies have watches, but hey resigned from cameras in those devices.

There are quite a few cheap tethering devices on the market using the wear type SOC if you want to make calls through BT.
Just not full Android devices.
That is the bottom line.

Please propose which one You have in mind (with camera onboard)

Unless a miracle happens and someone re-engineers the BT stack (which despite a lot of talk - does not look like it will be possible) then these watches remain the same as any other Android phone - independent.

Is BT stack re-engineered by Samsung or other companies to allow to start the calls? Again – NO NEED to transmit voice from the watch to the phone and from the phone to the watch.

I hope that this explanation provides more interest in the subject – I can tell from my experience that such trio – phone+watch+bt headset works GREAT for many uses – also in many activities (when skiing, when biking or motor biking) and in ALL activities where taking out big phone from the backpack/pocket/case just to start the call is time consuming or dangerous, or similar.

Nice read,
But I have already said all that I have to say about this.
In many threads and over a few years now.

If there is any change, it will be announced.

Cheers.

@pablo11 Can we get to some action here? Can You confirm if there is BT Stack modification need or not? As tested even now with Android10 Watch droid 9.1 call functions work - if the Watch droid app is active on the main phone in the foreground. This stops to work when it goes background or You switch the phone screen of - so this is all related to how much the app “fights” tor the rights on the phone - I am not into Android development that much - please say more what is needed to get those functions to work.

there are lots and lots and lots of them, for example this one: https://www.banggood.com/LYNWO-T8-1_54-inch-MTK6261D-Bluetooth-Pedometer-TF-Card-Extend-GSM-Smart-Watch-p-1138630.html?cur_warehouse=CN&ID=224

for four and a half years I have used only smartwatches (I’m currently on my fourth one and will get my fifth in a couple of days) and a bluetooth headset and it works mostly pretty well. If I’m editing excel files it would be xlsx, not xls and I would never edit them on a phone, thats too unpractical when I can do it on my laptop, but if you wanted to edit them on a watch I’m sure it would work fine enough. It seems my watch has become slower in the last half a year so now there will be some autocorrect mistakes and some lost words, but I’m fairly certain it was better before, and then I could answer pretty fast with the keyboard on the watch. Watching youtube videos is no problem although I would prefer to watch them on my laptop, but watching on a watch isn’t much worse than watching on a phone.

This whole ecosystem build from 3 devices worked already 5 years ago. At that time there were no android watches available except Samsung SM-V700 with custom rom of fOmey - so the users group was really small. As the watches are more popular and available now - this knowledge that it can work like this has to be re-popularized as it is generally unknown to general public- (that is the issue with early adopters that they have to educate now that something was already working before well) so please read broader post above and cosider your needs / support the idea.

As has already been said, nothing more can be done for the moment. Not even when you’re pushing. The problem is Android 10. It’s not because nobody wants to help you. Even waving bundles of money will not help here. If the missing functions are vital for you, you should switch back to an android 7 device. Maybe a Prime 1. And then watch the development in peace…
For my part, I would now end this discussion.

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0.3 Mp camera is useless. and all 5 usd cameras claimed to be “8mp” while being 2 mp are useless as they are cheapest available modules on the market. I had been using as mentioned the SM-V700 Samsung, and while it has 1.9mp camera the quality of the pictures is by FAR better than those cheapo “8mp” cameras. so - the device must have “usefull” camera, not the “marketing” camera.

For my use - working on daily basis on the round screen of 1.6" or even 2.1" screen is not possible. So as most of users I will stay with watch and the phone also.