[Wear OS General] bernarbernuli:
Interesting apps

in the Play Store

After having talked about apps that I use and that are outside the Google circuits, I will highlight other apps that I use regularly and that I find very interesting and which are within the Play Store, and like the previous ones I reviewed, are all free.

Wear GPS Fix: (Download here).​

There is a known bug from Google (not yet resolved) where when you start a training activity on the watch that requires GPS (e.g. running or walking) and at that time you are connected via bluetooth to the phone (you should note that the watch already had acquired GPS positioning from the phone at that time). If that happens the watch will not acquire the GPS position independently and the run will not be tracked. Normally to avoid this error what you do is to turn off the bluetooth of the phone every time you want to run a workout with the watch, but it is uncomfortable to do that. The app fixes this bug. What it does is that it gets a correction independent of the GPS positioning on the watch. While waiting for a GPS correction, the app shows you the satellite status in real time so you can see how many satellites have been found and how many are used in the correction. Once the correction is acquired, Wear GPS Fix immediately opens your preferred workout app (Google Fit, Runtastic, Strava...), transfers the GPS correction to the app and you are ready to start your workout and you can get accurate GPS tracking.​

At the moment, Wear GPS Fix works with the following sports apps and map apps: Google Fit, Ghostracer, Google Maps, Myzone, Nike Run Club, Runtastic (Adidas Running), Sporty Go, Strava, TicExercise, Viewranger.​

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Wear BT Monitor: (Download here).​

App that alerts you if the Bluetooth connection is broken between your Android phone and WearOS device (e.g. your phone goes out of BT range of your watch). This replaces the stock option that alerts you when the phone and watch lose their BT connection as it is not working. The app is managed from the phone, from there you can customize the vibration pattern that will sound when the bluetooth connection is lost so you recognize it when you feel it. From the watch you can activate, or deactivate when you think it is necessary. To test it, simply turn on airplane mode on your phone; your watch should vibrate in the custom pattern you have chosen.​

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Wear Voice Opener: (Download here).​

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This is an app to open other apps on your watch using your voice, it is a workaround until the Google Assistant gets back (hopefully) the ability to launch apps that Google removed a few months ago without any explanation. This feature is very useful when driving or any other time when it's awkward to interact with the watch screen.​

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The idea is that you can assign the app to a physical button (I recommend the Button Launcher app for the possibilities it offers you) and then open other apps just by saying their name.​

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Installation and use:​

Install on the phone the app Wear Voice Opener (Play Store). Wait a few seconds, and install the app on the watch from "phone apps" in the Play Store. Once installed on the watch, you can uninstall the app on the phone.

On the watch, open the app (I recommend customizing a physical button to open it). You will see a sentence "Say app name to open...", say the name of an app you have installed on the watch, for example "calculator" and it will run next.

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Usage considerations:​

Wear Voice Opener opens apps based on partial matches, i.e. to open Google Fit just say "Fit".

The app works correctly with UK English and may not work as well with other languages.

You cannot open an app whose name is not recognized by voice command (e.g. 'AIDA64').

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Informer: (Download here).​

This is an app that improves the way you receive notifications and their management on your watch. The free version allows:​

Present instant cards (better than Wear OS notifications) and allow you to reply to messages with a single tap.

Give instant replies with predefined messages or by "voice to text".

View images received via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram directly on the watch.

Receive WhatsApp call notifications.

Set notification vibration patterns according to contact.

Display notification history and missed calls.

You can set the do not disturb time (phone and watch will be in silent mode).

The Premium version (0,99 €/month) also allows you to listen to WhatsApp voice messages, accept WhatsApp voice and video calls (and answer them by voice), adjust the notification font size, among other things. For much more extensive info and tricks enter here.​

Considerations:

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To receive notifications you must grant permissions to read notifications and storage permission, you must also install the app on the phone and watch.

To avoid duplicate notifications (stock and informer), disable stock notifications in the Wear OS app on the phone, go to notifications > Change notifications watch and disable duplicate apps.

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Feel The Wear - Notifications TTS (Download here)​

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The app creates custom vibration patterns for notifications that come to your watch (up to 5 different ones), you can assign them to the phone apps you prefer, this way, you can identify the notification without taking the phone out of your pocket. The app has in the Play Store the version for phone that is from where you configure the notifications you want to customize. You can also customize a vibration pattern that will sound when the bluetooth connection is lost, useful for when you are moving away from the phone, like the app "Wear BT Monitor" discussed in the section "Interesting apps outside Play Store".​

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Wear Reminder 2: (Download here)

Application that solves an old Wear OS bug that still remains and manages to replicate Google notifications (news, weather updates, sports...) and reminders that come to the phone also receiving them on the watch. The app must be installed on the watch and on the phone as a bridge. You can configure the importance of reminders and notifications (sound, vibration, text-to-speech...), also if you discard a notification on the watch, it is also discarded on the phone, and vice versa.

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Nav Explorer (Download here).​

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It is a very powerful file explorer for Wear OS, it also has root support to navigate through the system folders in case you have a rooted watch. It also allows you to easily transfer files to/from your computer, phone or tablet. The app creates an FTP server and communicates directly through your local WiFi connection, even also through Bluetooth to transfer files easily and quickly. In the section "Transfer files to/from internal storage" I explain in detail how to transfer files with Nav Explorer. The app has in the Play Store the version for phone/tablet that serves as a bridge to the watch either via Wi-Fi or via bluetooth.​

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Button Launcher (Download here)​

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Allows you to customize the use of the watch's physical buttons to choose which apps or functions to launch quickly based on the combination of button presses. The application uses a combination of short presses and long presses to launch applications. A watch with a single button is limited to four different shortcuts, but if the watch has two buttons, you can use up to eight shortcuts.​

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Wear Favorite Apps Launcher (Download here).​

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Generate a window with shortcuts to your favorite apps for quick access, you can access from physical buttons, from a dial complication, from cards or in combination with Button Launcher.​

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Toggler (Download here).​

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It is an application that generates shortcuts to enter Tilt-to-wake mode, Always-on display mode or a shortcut to quickly turn off the clock. The shortcuts are accessible just like any other app in the app drawer, so you can assign it to the physical buttons with the help of apps like Button Launcher or put it on the watch face as a complication. In my case I use it as a shortcut to have the screen always on when I go running and see the metrics in Google Fit without the screen turning off during the session.​

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MultiTap Wear Keyboard (Download here)​

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Alternative keyboard to the traditional QWERTY, it is the multi-touch keyboard style of the old Nokia. In watches with screens smaller than 2 inches it could be a solution for many if they find the keyboard integrated with the watch uncomfortable.​

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MGRS Wear (Download here)​

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Displays your current GPS location. A button at the bottom toggles the displayed location between MGRS, UTM and geographic coordinate systems. Very useful when you are oriented on a map and you need to know your position on the map and you don't have a reference point where you are.​

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Fit Companion (Download here).​

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It is a vitaminized Google Fit. Google Fit shows statistics of the activities you do throughout the day but these statistics may not be enough for some users, as they need to get much more comprehensive statistics on their physical activities. The app acts by analyzing the data collected by Google Fit and displays it in a comprehensive way. Some things it can do:​

You can create custom fitness goals, these goals can be by activity time, distance or by metrics (steps, active calories, Google Fit heart points and more).

You receive alerts in case of sedentary for prolonged periods.

It has a phone version where you can see all the statistics.

Data is displayed in the form of intervals ranging from one minute to one month.

You can combine data from two sources to compare and correlate the impact caused by both.

Breaks down heart rate into different heart activity zones.

Allows you to view data for up to a year at a time, while allowing you to change the date so you can view activity from any time in the past.

The app is free, and is fully functional, however there is a paid pro version that extends features such as adding more than 2 custom fitness goals and exporting data to an excel file and being able to analyze it in depth. More info here.​

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Wear Logger (Download here)​

Wear Logger is a free app for tracking sports workouts (running or cycling) and uploading the results to Google Fit and/or Strava. The advantage over Google Fit, Strava, Ghostracer, Runkeeper or Nike Run Club is that you can clearly see in real time the distance you have run, the elapsed time and the current heart rate. It also always gets the GPS position from the watch autonomously, without relying on the phone. Also and unlike most sports apps you don't need to register to use it.​

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Characteristics:​

Displays real-time display of distance traveled, elapsed time, heart rate, pace and running cadence.

Allows you to toggle the display between elapsed time, real time, battery level and real time satellite status.

The display uses a large font, designed to be easy to read while running.

The watch display can be always on, at 1 second update intervals or at longer update intervals.

Works in standalone mode, while running/walking without your phone. Avoids that known bug, and not fixed by Google of losing GPS signal when you move away from your phone.

Starts automatically when GPS fix is acquired.

Allows auto pause for running/walking (based on pedometer) or auto pause for cycling (based on GPS based movement).

If GPS is lost during a run, it continues to record distance based on your real-time pace (leading to higher accuracy of total distance).

You can use the pedometer for step counting (for Google Fit) or alternatively it estimates steps from distance run.

Displays real-time satellite status while waiting for GPS connection (and optionally during the run).

Vibrates on laps (you can adjust the lap distance and the duration of the vibration)

Allows you to receive status messages to keep you informed: when updating watch settings from the phone, when locking/unlocking, when pausing, when finishing, when writing data to phone

Automatically lock the screen after 10 seconds, unlock by swipe, long press or button press.

Allows you to upload race results to Google Fit and/or Strava, manually or automatically. You can usually see the results in a few seconds. Data such as location, steps, heart rate and cardio points.

Allows you to delete any data uploaded from this app to Google Fit (to be 100% sure).

You can export workout data to a standard GPX file or CSV file (for use with any spreadsheet application).

No registration is required; no personal data is stored anywhere other than your existing Google Fit account.

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Installation and Setup:​

Install from the Play Store Wear Logger on the watch and phone.

On the watch, grant permissions for location and sensors.

On the phone app, sign in with your Google account.

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Instructions for use (watch and phone):​

Open Wear Logger on your watch and wait for the GPS to lock on (you need to be outdoors and ideally with a clear view of the sky).

Press the top button to start the workout (if you press it again, it will pause/resume), and press the bottom button to end the workout, press it again to send the activity data to your phone

Now in the phone app, select "Add Session" from the menu to upload your workout details to Google Fit

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WearMedia (Download here).​

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It is a music player. It is one of the few music players for Wear OS that allows you to play music when you go for a run/walk without the need to also carry your phone as it can Play music contained in the watch's internal storage. The music player also includes an equalizer and supports many formats such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, etc. Wearmedia also has in Play Store the version for phone/tablet that serves as a bridge to transfer music to the watch, however for transferring music (or any file) I find it more practical Nav Explorer.​

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Wear Casts (Download here).​

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It is a podcast player that allows you to download, manage and listen to your favorite podcasts directly from your watch without the need for your phone. You can sync podcasts and receive notifications of new podcasts you follow. Wear Casts also has a phone version, but it is only useful for adding podcasts to the watch, however you can add them from the watch itself. Other things you can do:​

Automatically downloads new episodes and automatically deletes played episodes.

Remembers the last played position for each podcast.

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Shazam (Download here)​

This is the watch version of the well-known application that identifies the songs that are playing around you. For it to work properly you must have the app installed on the phone and have the phone nearby connected via bluetooth to the watch. The advantage provided by the app on the watch is that you don't need to take the phone out of your pocket and you can quickly identify songs you listen to. When identifying the song, it just shows the name of the song and the singer, however, in the phone the search is registered in your shazams and you can see the lyrics and video clip of the identified song.​

Yr (Download here).​

A very cool weather forecast app, the weather service is provided jointly by NRK and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. It is one of the most popular weather services in the world. At a glance you see day-by-day and hour-by-hour details in the forecast, alternative to the stock weather app.​

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Bugjaeger Mobile ADB: (Download here)​

The app is an adb command emulator that can be run from an android phone. Personally the app has become my preferred tool to send and install apps on my watch via apk. You won't need to install any app on the watch to make it bridge like Wear Installer, you just need to connect it via Wi-Fi and that's it, no computer. Also with the app you can do many more things, it is very powerful, I list the most useful to control the watch:​

Commands tab: Execute ADB commands or custom shell scripts to control the watch.

Log tab: read and export clock message log (logcat).

Packages tab: Install/Uninstall Apps, list and filter installed apps, open apps remotely, extract apk files from installed apps and send them to the phone.

Screencap tab: Take screenshots and send them to the phone.

Device tab: Information and specifications of O.S., CPU, memory, battery and screen.

Files tab: Send files from phone to watch (and vice versa), delete files from watch, modify watch file permissions.

Backup tab: Backup the watch (and restore it).

To connect and to be able to execute the functions, you only have to do the following:​

On the watch, go to Settings > System > About and tap "Build number" several times until you see a message that says "you are now a developer". Next go to Settings > developer options and enable "ADB debugging" and "Debugging over Wi-Fi".

Make sure both your watch and mobile are connected to the same wifi network, momentarily disable bluetooth on your watch if Wi-Fi is not enabled on the watch. Now go to Settings > Connectivity > Wifi, click on the network you are connected to and write down the IP of your network.

In the Bugjaeger app of the phone click on the plug icon, enter the IP of your network and press "Connect".

When connecting you will see a notification appear on your watch where you have to give permission to link the phone to the watch, so click on "Always allow from this computer". Now in the app you will see the notification "Connected" and you will see the list of apps that are on the watch.

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Lefty(Download here)​

This app inverts the interface 180 degrees so that the watch can be used on the right wrist, ideal if you are left-handed and you usually put the watch on your right wrist. With this app you avoid that the buttons are facing your body, when they should be facing outwards. Install Lefty on the watch and once you open the app for the first time, enable permissions for "Display other apps" and "modify system settings", and then enable accessibility for "Lefty". Finally, tapping the purple "Rotate" button in the app will invert the entire watch interface 180°. This will affect apps, the watch face, settings, basically everything on the watch.​

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Note: Some users report that the battery saving modes and some other functions may briefly interrupt the app from time to time, but overall it works great.​

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WearMouse - Wear OS Air Mouse (Download here)​

WearMouse allows you to remotely control your computer mouse by moving your hand. You can use this app to connect to virtually any computer or device running Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, Mac OSX, Android, Android TV, without any additional software, it just requires it to have a Bluetooth receiver. Once the app has paired with the device you could do the following:​

Use it as a pointer for Powerpoint presentations (and also swipe slides by touching the sides of the watch screen), watch this video to see what it looks like.

Play games like Fruit Ninja with your arms (e.g. by downloading it on Android TV or installing it on a Chromebook from the Play Store).

Control a media player from the couch (e.g. when using a computer connected via HDMI).

Impress your friends with some telekinetic powers.

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Installation and Configuration:​

Install WearMouse on the watch. Once the app is running on the watch you will see the list of previously paired devices. Select "Available devices" and select the device you want to pair.

When you have a paired device, connect to it.

Now you can choose between the 4 emulation modes and you're done.

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Modes:​

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The application has four emulation modes:​

Virtual mouse mode: You move the cursor with your wrist, on the watch screen you will see two buttons to emulate when you click with the left and right mouse button, also a top drawer to configure the motion tracking depending on how you will use the watch (on left wrist, on right wrist, or held in hand as a laser pointer), and a bottom drawer for some additional functions: click and hold and middle click. If the watch is equipped with a rotating crown, you can also use it for scrolling.

Touchpad mode: Swipe the watch screen to move the cursor, tap to click, tap and hold to drag, tap with two fingers to right-click, swipe with two fingers to scroll. To exit this mode, touch the screen or press the right button of your watch (if you have one).

Cursor keys mode: The watch screen is divided into cursors that allow movement around the screen of the connected device. In addition, this mode allows gestures to expand the possibilities. Tap on the sides of the screen to activate the corresponding keys, double tap in the center to activate the Enter key, hold down the key to exit and there are also swipe gestures for Escape, Backspace, Space and Tab keys.

Keyboard mode: Allows you to use a mini keyboard on screen or by voice commands.

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Considerations:​

If your watch has additional buttons, you can use them to quickly switch between different input modes.

There are also some settings available. You can choose to stabilize pointer movements (this will smooth out smaller movements like waving your hands), enable diagonal movements for the cursor keys (which are useful for those cardboard games), or reduce the data rate (which is useful when using the app with an older Nougat-based Android TV box, and the mouse pointer just can't keep up). You can also choose whether to keep the clock connected when you minimize it (disabled by default).

If you connect and find that the mouse pointer is moving unsteadily, try turning your watch's Airplane mode on and off and then reconnecting it.

If you want to adjust the "sensitivity", do it from the pointer settings on the connected device, not in the app itself.

If you are using the app with a device that is connected to a TV, it is recommended that you switch your TV to "Game" picture mode, this should disable any post-processing that may cause lag on the TV.

Disable wrist gestures in the watch settings when using mouse mode, otherwise there is a high chance that the "back" or "go home" gesture will be activated.

Other well-known apps:

Apps that need no introduction, and also very useful on Wear OS....

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- Spotify - Streaming music player.​

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- Adidas Running by Runtastic - sports tracking app.​

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- Strava - Other sports tracking app.​

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- Google Keep - Notes and reminders.​

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- Duolingo - Language learning​

Useful ADB commands

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ADB is a tool that allows us to interact with our watch in a more advanced way. It should be clarified that this interaction is done via command line. Usually, these commands are executed from a Windows or Linux computer; or a Mac with MacOS. ADB commands can be used for many tasks. These include resetting the watch, manually installing applications, extracting files, etc. To be able to execute ADB commands, if you have not done it yet, follow the steps in the section "Prepare clock for advanced functions" from the first post of this thread. Below I list the most significant ones to apply and useful to apply to a Wear OS.

I recommend this page and this where much more information about the parameters of each adb command is provided.

adb reboot --> Reboot
adb reboot recovery --> Reboot and boot to recovery mode
adb reboot-boot-bootloader --> Reboot and boot in bootloader mode

adb connect <Watch_ip> --> Connects the device via Wi-Fi
adb disconnect --> Disconnect device
adb devices --> Show connected devices
adb shell --> Execute adb commands in a terminal

adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release --> Displays Android Version
adb shell getprop ro.serialno --> Displays Serial Number
adb shell dumpsys battery --> Displays battery status

adb push file.png /sdcard/file.png --> Copy files from the computer to the watch
adb pull /sdcard/file.png --> Copy files from watch to computer

adb shell ls -a /mnt/sdcard --> Show list of folders and files, including hidden files
adb shell ls -d /mnt/sdcard --> Displays only list of folders

adb install <app_name.apk> --> Install applications
adb install -r <app_name.apk> --> Reinstall (update) applications
adb uninstall <app_name.apk> --> Uninstall apps

adb shell pm list packages mobvoi | sort --> List installed applications in alphabetical order and only with the word "mobvoi".
adb shell pm list packages -d --> list disabled applications
adb shell pm list packages -e --> list enabled applications
adb shell pm list packages -3 --> list of installed third-party applications
adb shell pm list packages -s --> list system applications list
adb shell pm list packages -i --> list with source of installation of each package
adb shell pm list packages -f --> List of applications with path

adb shell pm enable <package_name> --> Enable app
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 <package_name> --> Disable app
adb shell pm clear <package_name> --> Clear all data associated with a package
adb shell pm reset-permissions -p <package_name> --> Reset all permissions of an app
adb shell pm grant <package_name> <permission_name> --> Grant a permission to an app.
adb shell pm revoke <package_name> <permission_name> --> Revoke a permission of an app.

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.CALL -d tel:+34666123456 --> Make a call.

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SENDTO -d sms:+34666123456 --en sms_body "Test message" --ez exit_on_sent true --> Send an SMS message.

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adb shell wm density 288 --> Adjust screen density.
adb shell wm density reset --> Restores default density

adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/my_screenshot.png --> Take screenshot
adb shell screenrecord --time-limit 20 --output-format raw-frames --verbose /sdcard/my_video.raw[ --> Records the activity on screen for 20" in RAW format

adb logcat -d > bugerror.txt --> Saves a logcat to a file on the local device

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Speaker drain (Only Ticwatch Pro 3)

After swimming or showering, water can get into the speaker (this is the hole on the right side of the watch), and the sound quality may change. Holding down the lower button, a menu is displayed, choose 'speaker draining' and it will play a kind of audio trill that will expel any water that has accumulated in the Speaker.

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How Wear OS watches are updated.

There is quite a bit of confusion with this as to what the latest update is and where to look (system version, Wear OS version or firmware version?), plus it is also confusing how Wear OS watches are updated as it is somewhat different than Android phones.

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In order to clarify concepts for the future update of the watch, I briefly explain how it is about updates in Wear OS.

Wear OS watches receive improvements through updates that arrive through 2 ways.

Through Play Store, updating "Wear OS by Google" app.

This is the most frequent type of update you will receive on the watch (every few days). These updates usually provide bug fixes, design updates and new features. They are completely controlled by Google, usually done "silently" with no user intervention required for the update to be applied and no reboot required afterwards.

What version do you have on your watch? It is checked in Settings > System > About > Versions > Wear OS by Google

How to update if available? From Play Store and also by tapping on Home App in Settings > System > About > Versions.

Through system updates.

On the other hand, the watch manufacturer applies specific improvements for the device via OTA through full firmwares, in these updates are also implemented large updates from Google (H Wear OS updates) where improvements are applied that from Play Store can not reach, for example security patches. These updates do require a reboot afterwards. Each manufacturer sets the pace of updates, for example, Mobvoi or Fossil update the system more frequently than Asus. Usually with these updates the watch receives important improvements such as in battery life, new functions that require special hardware features and/or security patches.

What System version do you have on the watch? It is checked in Settings > System > Info > Versions > System Version

What about the firmware version? It is checked in Settings > System > About > Build number

How to update if available? It is updated from Settings > System > About > System Updates

How to force update if available? Go to the "Force firmware update" section of the first post.

As an example, these are the latest versions as of

today

for the Ticwatch Pro 3 GPS:

Wear OS version: 2.30

System Version: H-MR2

Firmware Version: PMRB.210624.001

To put in context the pace of updates you can see Version history section of this link, the rate of updates that Wear OS receives, that does not mean that the partners (Mobvoi, Fossil...) apply updates to their watches on the release dates of each Wear OS update, as I said above the partners set their own pace. In the same way, you can see in the link the improvements planned with H-MR2 and others more distant based on Android 11.

How to force firmware update (Only Ticwatch Pro 3)

To make sure you have the latest firmware update for your watch, follow these steps:

Plug the watch into the charger, and make sure it has at least 60% battery power and is connected to a Wi-Fi network. If there is, the update should start automatically.

If it doesn't update, go to settings > System > About > System Updates. When it reports that it is updated, press in the center of the screen for about 5 seconds and after a few seconds it will start updating.

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Latest Firmware version:​

For TicWatch Pro 3 GPS: PMRB.220111.001 (dated January 26, 2022).​

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For TicWatch Pro 3 LTE: PMRL.220111.001 (dated February 16, 2022)​

Update History:

Ticwatch Pro 3 GPS​

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PYDA.200427.061.MRB.200911.001 - September 2020 (Initial version).​

PYDA.200427.064.MRB.201023.001 - 10 November 2020​

PYDA.200427.080.MRB.210114.001 - 01 February 2021​

PMRB.210407.001 - 24 April 2021​

PMRB.210624.001 - 13 July 2021​

PMRB.220111.001 - 26 January 2022​

Ticwatch Pro 3 LTE​

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PYDA.200427.075.MRL201116.001 - December 2020 (Initial version).​

PMRL.210414.002 - 01 May 2021​

PMRL.220111.001 - 16 February 2022​

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System updates of the most popular Wear OS watches..

In the link below there is a list with the most representative Wear OS watch models currently available in each brand, where I put when and what was the last update of each model.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wm81Hv9Z898If86O3olsXlnyFNYv-1TR_ynh0leqO1c/edit?usp=sharing​

Most common Wear OS issues and how to fix them.

'OK Google' does not activate Google Assistant

Numerous Wear OS users have noticed that their watch does not activate the Google Assistant when saying the voice command "OK Google". Although Google months ago acknowledged the problem and fixed it in a March update to the Google app many users were still reporting that it was not working.​

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Google Issue Tracker: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/172776291

Who is affected?: All Wear OS watches of any model.

Solution:

Make sure that "OK Google detection" is enabled in the Google Assistant settings.

Now it's about removing the Google app updates, so go to Play Store and click on My Apps > Google > Uninstall. You can also do it from Watch settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info > System Apps > Google > Remove Updates.

Say "OK Google" and check that it works correctly, restart if necessary.

Go back to Play Store, and update the Google app, also reboot if necessary.

Note: From essential mode it will not detect "OK Google", only from watchface.​

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Loses GPS signal, when you get separated from the phone

There is a known bug from Google (not yet resolved) where when you start a training activity on the watch that requires GPS (e.g. running or walking) and at that moment you are connected via bluetooth to the phone (you should keep in mind that the watch already had acquired GPS positioning from the phone at that moment). If that happens the watch will not acquire GPS positioning independently and the run will not be tracked when you move away from your phone.​

The ideal is to use the GPS of the watch itself (actually it should say GNSS), as it will normally be more accurate than positioning with the phone, remember that the watch can simultaneously make use of several navigation systems, in addition to GPS these are, GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO and QZSS. Normally the phones do not receive the signal of all these systems, although there are more and more phones that do, but in general terms, it is normal that the watch is better positioned. In addition to this, it would also be to avoid dependence on the phone when you go for a run. What happens? That after you have done the training session you check that the GPS was not detected and therefore nothing was recorded.​

Google Issue Tracker: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/183515540 and https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/176625267

Who is affected? All Wear OS watches of any model.

Solution 1:

When you go out for a run/walk disconnect the bluetooth from the phone to lose the phone-watch link, and wait for the watch to position itself. The downside is that it usually takes quite a while for the watch's GPS to become active.​

Solution 2:

Another more recommended solution is through the app Wear GPS Fix, what it does is that it gets the GPS location on the watch. While you wait for the GPS location, the app shows you the real-time satellite status so you can see how many satellites have been found and how many are used in location detection. Once purchased, Wear GPS Fix immediately opens your favorite workout app (Google Fit, Runtastic, Strava...), transfers the GPS location to the app and you are ready to start your workout and you can get accurate GPS tracking. You can install the app from the Play Store on your watch.​

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Google Assistant in certain (too many) situations does not work properly.

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This bug has been known for at least 2 years (and unbelievably not fixed by Google). The fact of not having fixed this problem makes palpable the huge neglect in which Google has subjected Wear OS considering that the Google Assistant is one of the big claims (if not the biggest) when announcing the watches. One day you find yourself as a brand new owner of such a watch and you simply find that the Assistant does not work, it is very frustrating. Below I relate a few situations where the user experience is terrible when interacting with the Assistant:​

- "Call xxxxx" (from your phonebook) and it will say "Sorry , I can't do that anymore". Interestingly if you call a spelled out number (even if it is in the phonebook) it works correctly.​

- "Send text message to xxxxx Hi, how are you? " (from your phonebook or a spelled out number), it then asks for confirmation of what to send with the "cancel" or "send" buttons, I click "send" and screen is shown "Couldn't connect to your phone" .​

- "Send whatshap/telegram to xxxxx", It asks "to whom?", but never recognizes the contact, it always asks "to whom?".​

- "Play music", then says "here you go" (or something similar) and screen is displayed "Couldn't connect to your phone"​

- "Nearby restaurantss", and clicking on one of them displays the screen "Can't reach the phone at the moment" (can't reach the phone now). Any suggestions about places or businesses that you ask for and the assistant offers will do the same.​

- "When you open McDonals", if there are more than one it shows a list of locations, and when you click on one of them, it says "Can't reach the phone at the moment".​

- 'Browse to McDonals"​

If there is more than one destination, it shows you a list of locations, and when you click on one of them, it will return the error "Can't reach the phone at the moment"".

If there is only one location, it will say it understood but a black screen will be displayed and will not indicate anything.

- "View appointments from my calendar" (calendar).​

If there is more than one entry, it will describe the first entry and announce that you will see the remaining ones, finally it does not show them, just a black screen.

If there is one entry, it will describe the entry but you will not be able to see more details, just a black screen.

- "Search results for xxxxxxxx", it will say "this is the main result", but you will only see a black screen. This happens whenever the wizard needs to show you results from your request.​

- "Show pictures of 'Cats'" and it will respond "Showing your photos of cats". However, it will not show any pictures, you will only see a black screen.​

Google over the years has been tentatively fixing the interaction in some situations through Wear OS updates, for example, it has frequently been reported that reminders and notes could not be added through the assistant, currently those functions work correctly.​

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Google Issue Tracker: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/174344676 and https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/174594748 and https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/182882377.​

Who is affected? All Wear OS watches of any model.​

Solution: ​

There is currently no solution, however there are several indications that suggest that soon will be released an update to repair all these problems, these are:​

In March this year they finally fixed the bug where the assistant did not recognize the voice command 'OK Google'.

A few days ago they released the first app for Wear OS in years, the Gboard keyboard for WearOS.

This week, many users are receiving a notification via phone to take a Wear OS satisfaction survey.

And finally, at the annual Google I/O 2021 conference held in mid-May the partnership with Samsung was announced which could definitely boost the development of Wear OS, also rumored to launch before the end of the year Wear OS 3.0.

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Alternative Solution:​

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As I was saying there is no official solution to this by Google, but if an alternative solution for part of these problems, specifically when you want to:​

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"Call xxxxx" (from your address book).​

"Send text message to xxxxx Hi, how are you?" (from your contact book).​

"Send whatshapp message to xxxxx".​

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It is through Wear Text app (developer Malcolm Bryant). This app allows you to make phone calls or send a text message or WhatsApp using voice commands. This post explains about installation, configuration and use of Wear Text.​

In the same way, we can all push the solution through the internal bug tracking system that Google uses, Google Issue Tracker for Wear OS developers to listen to our complaints and prioritize solutions to this major bug. Enter the tab of this bug in the tracker and give it a vote by clicking on the star in order to give it notoriety, you can also give your opinion in the issue tab if you think you can contribute something new. I recommend that you enter the tracker, right now is the most direct way for us to be heard by the developers.​

Google notifications and reminders are notified on the phone, but NOT on the watch.

This bug has been occurring for a long time in Wear OS watches, it consists in that all notifications that come from the Google app and that are notified on the phone are not notified also on the watch (Google notifications about news, weather, sports, etc.) nor the reminders that had been created with the Google Assistant (even if they had been created on the watch), it is always notified ONLY on the phone, but not on the watch. If the reminder is created from the calendar it notifies correctly on the watch and on the phone, therefore this error only happens with the Google app and Google assistant, the other third party apps work normally in terms of receiving notifications (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)​

Google Issue Tracker: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/188096935​

Who is affected? All Wear OS watches of any model.​

Solution: ​

There is currently no official solution from Google, we just have to wait. We can all push the solution through the internal bug tracking system that Google uses, Google Issue Tracker so that Wear OS developers hear our complaints and prioritize solutions to this major bug. Enter the tab of this bug in the tracker and give it a vote by clicking on the star in order to give it notoriety, you can also give your opinion in the issue tab if you think you can contribute something new. I recommend that you enter the tracker, it is currently the most direct way for us to be heard by the developers.​

Workaround:.​

There is a temporary workaround (until Google deigns to officially fix this problem). It is through the app Wear Reminder 2 by Malcolm Bryant (other apps of his among several others are Wear GPS Fix and Wear Installer). What Wear Reminder 2 does is that it replicates Google notifications (news, weather updates, sports...) and reminders that arrive on the phone by also receiving them on the watch. The app is installed on the watch and on the phone as a bridge. You can configure the importance of reminders and notifications (sound, vibration, text-to-speech...), also if you discard a notification on the watch, it is also discarded on the phone, and vice versa. Here a video of how Wear Reminder 2 works.​

When you receive missed calls with the watch connected to the phone via bluetooth, the missed call notification is discarded from phone.

Another bug that has been maintained for years, is that when you receive a call that you do not answer (missed call) and the watch is connected to the phone via bluetooth, the missed call notification disappears (is discarded) automatically from the phone and remains only on the watch, if the bluetooth is disconnected (i.e. the phone-watch link is lost) the missed call notification remains on the phone. This is a major bug because it is easy to not realize that someone has called when the notification disappears, being only present on the watch.​

Google Issue Tracker: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/182682216​

Who is affected All Wear OS watches of any model.​

Solution: ​

There is currently no official solution from Google, we just have to wait. We can all push the solution through the internal bug tracking system that Google uses, Google Issue Tracker so that Wear OS developers listen to our complaints and prioritize solutions to this major bug. Enter the tab of this bug in the tracker and give it a vote by clicking on the star in order to give it notoriety, you can also give your opinion in the issue tab if you think you can contribute something new. I recommend that you enter the tracker, it is currently the most direct way for us to be heard by the developers.​

Workaround:​

While waiting for the official workaround, follow the steps below and you will be able to receive missed calls and it will show the notification on your phone and watch without being automatically dismissed.​

On the watch, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Notifications > Show All> System Apps > Call Manager and uncheck "Missed Calls".

Then go to Settings > connectivity > bluetooth and make sure you have "Listen to phone voice call on watch" checked.