[Samsung Gear S] biketronic:
Tutorial - Gear S for Samsung Note 8.0 N5120 "tablet" phone on android 4.4.2

There are existing threads for non samsung devices but it's a samsung tablet. And a samsung phone....?! anyway hope this helps someone.

I spent a lot of time, trial and error making this go on my note 8.0 "samsung galaxy note phone", here is what I found

I had to factory reset the phone before things would work, changes are the minimum required. But they didn't work before a factory reset in my case.

Basically it would get stuck on pairing with phone (S3) or connecting to phone (S) before the phone factory reset.

If you can't get things to work you may need to clear cache or copy fingerprints etc from N7105 build.prop to build.prop as I did this many times. But I think the following is what is really required as a minimum.

1. build.prop edits required

2. stock 4.4.2 touchwiz used with no removed apps. (You can install root, twrp and xposed at least, and it doesn't seem to care)

3. copy gearmanagerstub from N7105 4.4.2 rom (note 2)

1. The minimum build.prop edits required are

ro.product.model=GT-N7105

*ro.build.characteristics=phone

*In /data/data/com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager/files/rules.xml there is a reference to

<item supportTabler="false">Gear S</item>

If you edit this to true you can now see the gear when build.prop says you have a tablet. Also works with S3.

If the product model is not changed the gear S will not connect

If the characteristic is not a phone, a gear S or S3 will not connect

If the characteristic is a phone, the phone crashes on incoming or outgoing calls. You can't end the outgoing call when it crashes!

If both are already paired, they disappear once build.prop is changed back to = tablet for example. ("no gear devices" under connect new devices, connecting does not fail to existing paired device)

But you can get around the characteristic problem with the rules.xml file.

3. get gearmanagerstub

you can download the N7105 rom and extract using tar convert system.img using simg2img then mount the fixed system.img and gearmanagerstub is under /apps, not sure which version it is or if it matters. Mine is v. "14.03.12" according to manifest, buildinfo is "20170105" version value "12149750"

I used rom N7105XXSFQA5_N7105VFGFNE1_N7105BUUFND1_HOME.tar (VOD-N7105XXSFQA5_N7105VFGFNE1-20170105.zip)

The right order to do this all in?

1. Edit build.prop to include both edits, copy gearmanagerstub apk across

2. factory reset.

3. Create or sign into samsung account.

4. Open galaxy apps, allow all updates.

5. Install gear wearables from the galaxy app store (won't show without at least the build.prop tablet->phone edit, you may need additional edits to get it to work? I don't want to try again, but originally I had most build properties set as N7105 version).

6. Get your gear S paired. Wait for all updates it installs.

7. Then edit rules.xml, and

8. change build.prop back to =tablet. (should now only have 1 edit left, ro.product.model=GT-N7105)

9. Now select under settings use remote connection.

It works! And phone calls work! Find my gear beeps the device while bluetooth is off on wifi and receives notifications. 3g also works after I fixed the apn. Notifications arrive over 3g within a couple of seconds.

Version of apps left installed at the end / I noticed updated (they all installed by themselves)

Gearmodule 2.2.02.18060151

GearPlugin 2.2.02.18053151

Galaxy Wearable 2.2.21.18080361

Galaxy Apps 5.1.01.8

Call provider 2.0.41

goproviders version GearS.2.1.675

Hostmanager 2.2.02.18060151

Samsung accessory service 3.1.91.80809

Samsung Billing (?) 5.0.16.0

Samsung Health 5.14.1.003

Samsung in app purchase (?) 3.06.000(20160613)

saproviders Version gears.2.0.675

SASystemProviders 2.3.99

Update Gear Software 1.1.02

WordsTransfer 1.0

Hope this helps someone