If you rooted some tablets you have similar experience like me. I’m no computer geek. All I know is how to search and read. I wish I could tell you exactly what I did to root this watch but I didn’t record the process. I know that I had some doubts and I left a note that says “after installing the TWRP patcher I should click “don’t install”” as it was something counter intuitive. Otherwise I probably used this steps:
How to use the files:
With your watch turned on, copy the file “TWRP_patcher.zip” to the /sdcard directory.
Turn off your watch.
Open the “SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1824_Win” folder and run “flash_tool.exe”.
In the “Scatter-loading File” box choose the “MT6739_Android_scatter.txt” file located in the “TWRP_image” folder.
Press on “Download”.
Connect the watch dock to the computer.
Put the watch on your dock and wait until a green tick appears on the screen.
Pick up your watch and power it on.
WARNING: the following step (9) will install the default boot.img for the stock rom of the device. If you have another rom installed, be sure to flash it after finishing this guide.
On the recovery, go to Install -> Install Zip and select the previously copied file “TWRP_patcher.zip”
Wait until it finishes and that’s it!
Do whatever you want with TWRP.
I reccomend that you use Magisk and not SuperSU. Magisk deals with security much better on these newer devices. (edit by Pablo11)
Profit!
With your watch rooted properly Magisk should ask for root permissions when installing/using Macrodroid. If Magisk doesn’t ask about it you can open Magisk Manager and visit Superuser tab. There should be listed apps with root permissions.
If you are rooted and able to decompile fremwork-res.apk I can give you exact xml file I edited so you could put it to your own installation and recompile. Then it has to work.
That is exactly how I rooted my watch. I just turned off the watches setting to assist with 3rd party apps, and when I went into Magisk Manager, there was the menu option! I gave Macrodroid root access, went into the application, and it works! Now I just need to figure out how to put a shortcut for the macro in my apps list! Progress!!
That is exactly how I rooted my watch. I just turned off the watches setting to assist with 3rd party apps, and when I went into Magisk Manager, there was the menu option! I gave Macrodroid root access, went into the application, and it works! Now I just need to figure out how to put a shortcut for the macro in my apps list! Progress!!
Now you have it almost done. In Macrodroid you create macro with trigger called: “Shortcut launched” and action with the brightness script. Then in SwipePad you have to configure this shortcut to be available. I remember having some troubles with the last step because of the roundness of the watch. It works like here: youtube.com/watch?v=49XGcrP6TNc
Now I see that SwipePad is currently not available in Playstore but you can find it somewhere else.
Other things I used root for were booting the watch with specific settings, turning off wifi, bluetooth after specific time. When I have location on, any time I turn on screen, watch makes tiny sound and puts navigation app in the screen. Then it turns off the screen after specyfic time. In Magisk I used youtube module which enables listening to the music with screen off. I also deleted booting sound mp3 which annoyed me (with ES Explorer which I hate so I uninstall it every time after use).
I have it up and running with a few issues. I gave up on Swipepad. Instead, I created a floating button that shows on the screen at all times, and all I have to do to activate the extra brightness is touch it. It is small and does not get in the way of anything, plus it looks like part of the watch face! The problem I am having is sometimes when I press it it works, and sometimes it tries to open Macrodroid. I probably did something wrong, but this program is a bit tricky to figure out when you first dive into it. Once I get this fixed I will be a happy camper! Again, thank you for all of your help with this!!
I have it up and running with a few issues. I gave up on Swipepad. Instead, I created a floating button that shows on the screen at all times, and all I have to do to activate the extra brightness is touch it. It is small and does not get in the way of anything, plus it looks like part of the watch face! The problem I am having is sometimes when I press it it works, and sometimes it tries to open Macrodroid. I probably did something wrong, but this program is a bit tricky to figure out when you first dive into it. Once I get this fixed I will be a happy camper! Again, thank you for all of your help with this!!
I’m glad I could help you. I started my adventures with Macrodroid two years ago. Since then I made dozens of more or less complicated macros. Macros very often interact with each other in matter of milliseconds so sometimes it’s hard to figure out whats wrong. Sometimes you can create loop in macros and this can even freeze the watch. That’s why it’s better to make TWRP backup.
However, well designed set of macros can take care of the watch like nobody else. Currently I have total of 13 macros in two categories and battery life is great. 1%/hour on the phone standby and 10%/h when on gps track recording. Learning Macrodroid is a good investment.
(I also live this illusion that happiness can be found with good car, good bicycle, good watch. It helps but there is always something missing. I’m still looking for the right “macro”.)
I have it up and running with a few issues. I gave up on Swipepad. Instead, I created a floating button that shows on the screen at all times, and all I have to do to activate the extra brightness is touch it. It is small and does not get in the way of anything, plus it looks like part of the watch face! The problem I am having is sometimes when I press it it works, and sometimes it tries to open Macrodroid. I probably did something wrong, but this program is a bit tricky to figure out when you first dive into it. Once I get this fixed I will be a happy camper! Again, thank you for all of your help with this!!
I’m glad I could help you. I started my adventures with Macrodroid two years ago. Since then I made dozens of more or less complicated macros. Macros very often interact with each other in matter of milliseconds so sometimes it’s hard to figure out whats wrong. Sometimes you can create loop in macros and this can even freeze the watch. That’s why it’s better to make TWRP backup.
However, well designed set of macros can take care of the watch like nobody else. Currently I have total of 13 macros in two categories and battery life is great. 1%/hour on the phone standby and 10%/h when on gps track recording. Learning Macrodroid is a good investment.
(I also live this illusion that happiness can be found with good car, good bicycle, good watch. It helps but there is always something missing. I’m still looking for the right “macro”.)
I am getting a huge battery drain from Macrodroid. I did not use the brightness widget\button I created all today, and after very light use, my watch went from 100 to 45% battery in 11 hours. Normally it would be at around 90%.
If you think that’s Macrodroid (which I doubt) just make a backup of your macros (there are two ways of making backup) and uninstall it. Your method of creating persistent event in the screen (button) can be more energy consuming.
I don’t know what your “light use” means but my watch takes around 1% of the battery per hour only when it’s in 2G and I hardly use it. Macrodroid is always on.
If you think that’s Macrodroid (which I doubt) just make a backup of your macros (there are two ways of making backup) and uninstall it. Your method of creating persistent event in the screen (button) can be more energy consuming.
I don’t know what your “light use” means but my watch takes around 1% of the battery per hour only when it’s in 2G and I hardly use it. Macrodroid is always on.
I use the watch for call and text notifications, weather, etc. I do not run applications on it. Wifi gets turned off automatically by Naptime which I installed and that runs in the background. Location services are all turned off and I do not use 2G or 3G, and no sim card is in the watch. I will remove the button and see if that is the culprit.
I never used any notifications. I imagine they eat battery like hell because they need a connection. Good thing about Android 7 is that it lets phone sleep really well with GSM standby. There is a “Battery Optimization” tab in settings. When I look there, all apps are optimized.
(If you wonder how can I see your posts here without notifications the explanation is simple I work on computer. If I’m out only my family can reach me.)
I never used any notifications. I imagine they eat battery like hell because they need a connection. Good thing about Android 7 is that it lets phone sleep really well with GSM standby. There is a “Battery Optimization” tab in settings. When I look there, all apps are optimized.
(If you wonder how can I see your posts here without notifications the explanation is simple I work on computer. If I’m out only my family can reach me.)
The phone and watch stay connected all day via bluetooth. Apps seem to be properly optimized on my watch. I turned off the floating button to see if that is the culprit!
I thought you use this watch as standalone. I have absolutely no experience in setup like yours. I don’t even understand the reasons behind it. If my watch talked to my phone I would think my person was kind of redundant. I would quit. If they can talk to each other maybe they are so smart to charge themselves.
Feb 6, 2019 16:11:19 GMTjoseph1234 said: I thought you use this watch as standalone. I have absolutely no experience in setup like yours. I don't even understand the reasons behind it. If my watch talked to my phone I would think my person was kind of redundant. I would quit. If they can talk to each other maybe they are so smart to charge themselves.
Yes, you and I use this device very differently! lol The smartwatch is a good way to see incoming calls and messages without taking my phone from its holster. It also allows me to quickly respond to text messages, again, without touching my phone. I also could not use this device as a phone. I would have use a headset, and would not want to walk around with one on, and do not want to talk to it like Dick Tracy!
As far as applications, I already get eyestrain if I stare at my phone too long, and it has a 6.4" screen. I am not a heavy phone user also. Just a few texts and calls a day. I do not use it for business, and I am also not a phone addict like some of my friends!
Good to hear you are not phone addict. But if that’s so I see even less reasons for you to use your phone as a transmitter - when watch has a transmitter of it’s own. You probably struggle with idea of having two separate cell numbers. In fact I find the same liberating. My watch number is known only by closest family so I’m not bothered when I travel. That’s why I happen to be Dick Tracy not that often and usually in deep forest or on the river. But also when driving a car it’s handy to answer calls from your wrist. The same with bicycle. Love it and don’t give a flying f what people think about it. I’m old fart anyway.
If I were to carry along paired devices I would choose some Android Wear but this idea doesn’t appeal to me at all. When I travel for more than one day I carry along my phone and I use it for photos, reading books and newspapers. It stays in airplane mode all the time. Watch is much more “handy”.
I am 58, so I may be close to being an old fart. I am certainly not a young fart! Removing the button did not stop the battery drain. When I got home, it was at 41%, less than half of what it normally is after a day of use.
I am 58, so I may be close to being an old fart. I am certainly not a young fart! Removing the button did not stop the battery drain. When I got home, it was at 41%, less than half of what it normally is after a day of use.
Ha ha ha, I am 52 so you can feel comfortable here
I’m in between you - age wise and I’ve learnt a lesson. Never too late. That’s funny that over the computer everybody seems to be younger.
Back to battery. I think that you don’t need so long samples like 10 hours to figure out what eats on your battery. This watch (at least mine) has
extremely well calibrated battery gauge. It’s very reliable. Normally I can predict battery drain within one hour. Once, when I tested some launcher battery gauge went totally nuts. Luckily it went back to normal after uninstall.
I don’t know what apps you have installed there but you have an option to come back to bare bone stock firmware and start from there. I didn’t install latest version so I’m on December 17-th. One thing I learnt is to never install updates without reason. Anyway, if you make full TWRP backups it takes 5 minutes to come back to any firmware/setup without loosing your data.
I am 58, so I may be close to being an old fart. I am certainly not a young fart! Removing the button did not stop the battery drain. When I got home, it was at 41%, less than half of what it normally is after a day of use.
Ha ha ha, I am 52 so you can feel comfortable here i just turn 52 a month ago, maybe the floating app
I am 58, so I may be close to being an old fart. I am certainly not a young fart! Removing the button did not stop the battery drain. When I got home, it was at 41%, less than half of what it normally is after a day of use.
Ha ha ha, I am 52 so you can feel comfortable here
