[Sony Smartwatch 3] stormPremier:
Hi people,

I own a sony smartwatch 3, got some problems about sync multiple times. I always found simples workarounds but some days ago, Google dropped support for wear 1.5 devices.

I consider this as an official announcement:

https://support.google.com/wearos/thread/5538033?hl=en

Therefore, we have a "workaround" for those that need more time to buy another smartwatch or else.

Inspired from this: https://xdaforums.com/smartwatch/smartwatch-3/fix-app-sync-smartwatch-3-dead-t4121409

# Download the latest GService for Wear OS

Using apkmirror website you can find the latest apk for "Google Play Services (Wear OS)",

This link will give you the page of GService v20.21.17 which is the latest available on 2020-06-25.

You must ensure 2 things:

- Is it the latest version

- Is it compatible with Android 6.0+ (as it's the wear android version, 7.0+ and above will not work)

You can also download other apks to install, see the "More" section at the bottom of this post.

Soon or later, Google will definitely drop android 6.0. When this will happen, the latest version will not be available anymore for android 6.0+, therefore it will be the end.

# Download/Install adb debugging tools on your computer

There are multiple ways to install the adb debugging tool, I recommend following the steps you'll find on XDA website: https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/

Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

# Enable ADB Debugging options on your watch

Enable developer mode by going to

Settings --> about --> build number (click it 7 times, congrats you are now a developer)

Now go to Settings --> Developer Options --> ADB Debugging (enable)

Then open and keep the command line window (aka "terminal")

# Connect your watch to your computer

Then using the terminal, type "adb devices", after a moment, you should get a prompt asking for debugging permission on your watch: accept.

In the terminal, you should now see something like "14452D11F536B52	device" when typing "adb devices" again.

If you see "unauthorized" or else, you're not ready for the next step, go back and try again.

If you struggle at this step, you may need specific drivers or else for your watch, google will be your best friend at this point.

# Send the app to your watch

In the terminal, type "adb install -r path_to_the_apk_file", replace path_to_the_apk_file by the path to the file you download from apkmirror earlier.

Then wait, the installation can take several minutes. Once it's done, restart your watch and you should see the apps beginning to synchronize themself =)

----

If you're new to the command-line tool (aka "terminal"), I'll assume you're a window user.

So you may need to type something like "adb install -r C:/Users/Robert/Downloads/file_downloaded.apk", again, you'll have to replace Robert by your windows username and file_downloaded.apk by the name of the file you downloaded earlier.

The best way to get this line right: open the file explorer, click "This computer" in the sidebar, then click on your main hard drive, then the folder "Users". Here you should see a folder with your username, click on it, then go through folders & files until you see the downloaded file. Once it's done, you should be able to get the full pathname by click in the explorer address bar (didn't understand ? See https://winaero.com/blog/show-full-path-address-bar-windows-10-file-explorer/ ) then at this point you should know how to execute the last command by reading again the last step "Send the app to your watch" ;)

----

# More

You can follow this step and install any apk you want, but I don't recommend installing apk not made for Wear OS even if it works ;)

More apps installable this way on your watch if you don't want to wait for app sync:

- Google Messages (SMS), latest is v6.1.095 on 2020-06-25

- Google Maps, latest is v10.35.2 (android 6.0+) on 2020-06-25

The GMaps is a good example about obsolete versions: on 2020-06-25, the real latest available is v10.43.2, but it's android 7.0+ only, so don't expect GMaps to work indefinitely for your watch, it will stop working soon or later.

# Say thanks

Please, if you can click upvote or post an answer: it will help people with the same problem find this :)