[Wear OS Software and Hacking General] parshakov:
Always-On Speed [Current Version: 8.0.3; Download Size: ~761 kB; Price: $2; free demo version is available]

A bike computer app with text-to-speech and always-on display.

Available on Wear OS 2.0 and newer smartwatches in English, French, German, and Russian (outside Russia).

View attachment 6001153

The application shows the following metrics while keeping the device awake:

• Speed in km/h, miles/h, m/s, or knots.

• Average and maximum speed for the last 60 seconds.

• Distance traveled in kilometers.

• Duration of travel in minutes and seconds. Measured only when speed > 2.5 km/h.

• Current time in hours and minutes.

• Height above sea level (altitude) in meters or feet. Accuracy: ±10 meters (±30 feet) when using GPS and much better when using a calibrated barometer.

• Gradient in % (elevation gain divided by distance gain), a measure of inclination/slope. Averaged over 30 meters and 10 seconds.

• Heart rate in beats per minute. Accuracy: normally very good; restart the sensor if way off.

• Battery percentage.

• Direction of movement (heading) in cardinal points and degrees. Shown only when the speed exceeds 4 km/h.

Gesture control:

• Swipe left to open Settings.

• Swipe right to set the speed limit**

• Swipe up to change the font color to white and increase the font thickness for maximum readability under direct sunlight. Expect a higher power consumption.

• Swipe down from the middle of the screen to check the power consumption rate.

Text-to-speech:

• The app can read the speed aloud when it exceeds the speed limit.

• Touch the screen with your nose or chin to hear the current time without taking your eyes off the road and/or both your hands off the handlebar.

• Most languages are supported.

Important information:

• "Return from background" is only supported on Wear OS 3. On Wear OS 4 and newer, disable "Auto detect workouts" in Samsung Health and "Mirroring" in Google Maps to enjoy uninterrupted experience.

• Re-calibrate the barometer when the weather changes (sunny → cloudy, temperature change, etc.) for accurate altitude data.

• Please make sure GPS is enabled in the settings of your smartwatch before launching the app.

• The app automatically uses location data from the phone (instead of the watch) when it's available for maximum power efficiency and accuracy. Do NOT disable GPS on the watch in either case.

• The accuracy depends on cloud cover and your speed. The accuracy is very high when the sky is clear and your speed exceeds 20 km/h or 12 mph.

• The app does not log your activity and does not connect to the Internet.

Settings:

• 18 different settings to customize your experience.

• Choose the metrics you want to see.

• Speed limit: set the speed limit, adjust the sound volume and vibration for speed limit alerts.

• Unit of speed.

• Screen rotation: rotate the text on the main screen until it aligns with your eyes. For example, if you wear your watch on your left wrist, set the Screen Rotate setting to 45° when riding a bicycle (either flat-bar or drop-bar).

• Time format: 12h or 24h.

• Inactivity alert.

• Avg & max duration options: 1, 2, or 3 minutes.

• Screen brightness***

Additional information:

• The display stays on until you quit the app.

• Numbers move up and down the screen at the start of every minute (e.g., 11:00:00, then 11:01:00, etc.) to prevent screen burn-in and give you a better sense of time.

• Green font is more power efficient.

• Palm gesture rejection prevents you from accidentally turning off the screen.

• Power consumption: ~10%/h as measured on a 44mm Galaxy Watch 6.

Footnotes:

* This app uses GPS data instead of a magnetometer (compass) to accurately determine the direction of movement.

** Only on devices that support rotary input via a rotating side button or bezel. Alternatively, speed limit and sound volume can be adjusted using arrow buttons in Settings.

*** Screen brightness can be adjusted from inside the app only on devices that support rotary input. Alternatively, screen brightness can be adjusted in the settings of your watch.

_______

v8.0.3:

• Big fixes: pop-up messages not disappearing when calibrating the barometer; false inactivity alerts when avg & max are not displayed.

• Smarter font size adjustment based on the number of metrics.

v8.0.0:

• New metrics: distance, duration, heart rate, elevation, and gradient.

The gradient is calculated by dividing elevation gain by distance gain. It's a measure of inclination/slope and is one the most important metrics in cycling. It's calculated over 30 meters or 10 seconds (whichever takes longer).

• Barometer-based altimeter. There is no automatic calibration, but manual calibration is quite easy and seems to be produce more accurate altitude values than the altimeter in Samsung's Compass app. Make sure to recalibrate when the weather changes (sunny → cloudy, temperature change, etc.).

• New customization options: choose the metrics you want to see.

• Keep rotating the bezel clockwise to enable automatic screen brightness.

• "Return from background" is not supported on Wear OS 4. Disable "Auto detect workouts" in Samsung Health and "Mirroring" in Google Maps to enjoy uninterrupted experience.

• Bug fixes.

v7.1.1

• Feature upgrade: more granular compass / cardinal directions: N, NNW (north-northwest), NW, WNW, W, WSW, SW, etc. (before the update: N, NW, W, SW, etc.)

• Appear on top / Return from background permission is now optional but strongly recommended. Note: not supported on Wear OS 4.

v7.0.0

• Major new feature: text-to-speech/voice support. The app can now read the speed (when exceeding the speed limit set by the user) and time (when the screen is touched) aloud! This feature does not noticeably increase the power consumption and is available in all common languages.

• Automatic rain detection. Text-to-speech for time is disabled when rain drops are detected on the screen.

• "Press again to exit" is back.

v6.0.0 (Wear OS) vs v5.2.2 (Tizen OS):

• Samsung Health automatic workout detection and full-screen notifications no longer interfere with the app.

• Support for Google Location Services: fast and reliable switching between the GPS of the watch and GPS of the phone.

• Much faster launch time.

• Improved Settings UI: see the settings as you change them, without blocking them with your finger.

• Improved gesture navigation and screen rotation.

• French, German, and Russian translation. Bengali and Hindi to follow.

• Code rewritten from scratch.