[Samsung Galaxy Watch 4] 73sydney:
@Dante63 (and anyone else having issue connecting a Watch at all to a rooted Samsung phone)

Hey Dante, apolgies first up for the length of this (it started out much shorter in my head, as often happens), but it might be helpful to others....remember the other day when i had a *slight* unburdening of my hatred for Samsung because my Watch 4 refused to connect to Android 13?

Earlier tonight i flashed my S20+ 5G back to Android 12 (not the debloated BeyondROM, so as to have it stocky stock), and did what i normally do:

* Flash ROM via ODIN (including my special AIO.zip to install TWRP, format data, decrypt data etc)

* Complete setup

* Reboot to TWRP recovery

* Root with Magisk via TWRP

* Reboot

* Install Magisk App to complete install

* Install USNF (Mod) and clear data on Google Play Store/Services to pass Integrity Check

* Run Migrate to restore the same backup as i just had on A12 before i flashed A13 to test

Should work right, i mean the Watch was connected perfectly before A13...

Wrong

Same issue, would not connect my Watch 4, failure at same point

I now suspect that its entirely possible to successfully setup a Watch with one version of the many underlying components:

- Galaxy Wearable

- Galaxy Watch 4 Manager

- Wearable Manager Installer (this is i think obviously a stub installer to call the latest Galaxy Wearable from the Play Store)

and then have one of more Wearable apps/plugins update while your Watch is working perfectly, but have one of those same updates hose the possibility to connect if youre trying to perform initial setup with them as new....OR puzzlingly i noticed another possibility in that previously i had a Samsung Accessory Service app (included in my backup), that when i was trying to troubleshoot under both A13 and tonight A12 told me there was an update on the Play Store, but when i got there told me that the package (in entirety) was no longer compatible with my device. I can tell you that ignoring the message or removing the package made no difference, my Watch 4 would not connect, but perhaps this borked package (and lets face it Samsung borks a lot of packages) may have still had some effect on other packages or a key in a database somewhere that made things a bit fudged up.

So i spent an hour trying to figure out the magical cocktail that would work, and none was forthcoming.

Knowing from previous experience that adding an extra level of mayhem with root (even with everything hidden as good as i can get it), can make things impossible if theyve go a little off the deep end. I reflashed the stock A12 ROM a second time and did NOT root it, so i had a known good working base, and heres how i got my Watch 4 back connected:

* Flash ROM via ODIN (including my special AIO.zip to install TWRP, format data, decrypt data etc)

* Make sure Watch 4 was powered on and waiting to be detected when setup wizard looks for it towards end of setup

It downloaded the full Galaxy Wearable app (via i now assume Wearable Manager Installer which i suspect is a stub installer), which in turn downloaded Galaxy Watch 4 Manager during the step after pairing, and soon the normal Watch connection steps were done and completed.

So having used my usual restore my previous backup including the same Samsung Watch and Wearable related apks as ive literally just backed up before doing a clean flash, im going to connect things the way i referenced above, and let the device use the stub installer to set off the connection and grab the apps, because while it grabs the same packages, it did leave out the Samsung Accessory Service app....and maybe thats the difference. Who knows, Samsung is just the absolute worst, always making things harder than they need to be seemingly just to be difficult with a side helping of borking things by releasing buggy apps.....

TLDNR version:

I am now NOT including any Samsung Wearables related apps in my backups, and you folks might also want to consider doing the same (if you are currently doing it), and the initial setup wizard do its thing, instead of trying to save time with the app restore, though ymmv....

This is just putting my findings out there....

Now to see how things go when i root it and install everything else :) And will i submit myself to the madness that is Samsung Stock A13 again when i know for a fact there IS a known (albeit random) Watch 4 connection issue with it, which may not be the one ive just seemingly solved....tune in next week to find out

And yes, im still tired of Samsung's bs and still in the process of buying a Pixel, going to wait till Black Friday and a get a 6 Pro cheapish. Life was easier on a Pixel