[Wear OS General] hacktail:
THIS IS ONLY TESTED IN WEAR OS 3 ON A GALAXY WATCH 4

THOUGH THIS SHOULD WORK ON ALL WATCHES AND OLDER VERSIONS OF WEAR OS

Requirements:

ADB installed on your computer

Have your wear OS device connected to the same network as you computer

A bit of patience, this works in a very weird way!

Downloading apks and installing them

Firstly enable adb and adb debugging over WiFi on your wear OS device

Then download the latest apks:

Termux

MultiVnc If you want a graphical environment on Linux

When you have the apks run these commands:

adb connect IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE

You might be able to see your ip under the button for enabling adb debugging over wifi

Then run these commands in the downloads folder

adb -s " IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE" install NAME_OF_THE_DOWNLOADED_TERMUX_APK_FILE

and

adb -s " IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE" install NAME_OF_THE_DOWNLOADED_MULTI-VNC_APK_FILE

BE AWARE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO RESTART THE ADB CONNECTION, SOMETIMES IT MAY FREEZE.

to do that run

adb disconnect

then

adb connect IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE

Installing Linux in Termux

Stay awake sleepyhead!

To make everything easier enable the option in Termux to keep your watch awake, this will save you from so much trouble.

First open up Termux, then long press the black background.

Then press the three dots and choose the option "More...".

Scroll down until you see the option "Keep screen on", turn on that.

Keyboard?

I've discovered that there's a problem with Wear OS keyboards, for some reason they might not interact properly with certain android applications.

So open up Termux in your Wear OS device and see if you can write anything in Termux.

If that works, see if there's any enter button on your keyboard and see if it works.

If Termux gave any response to what you entered then skip this part and head straight for "The Linux multiverse!"

If the enter button doesn't work then you gotta install an android keyboard.

The best keyboard I've found that also works on round Wear OS devices is "Unexpected keyboard"

Download the keyboard and run:

adb -s " IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE" install NAME_OF_THE_DOWNLOADED_KEYBOARD_APK_FILE

When the keyboard is installed change you default keyboard into the previously installed keyboard.

The Linux multiverse!

On your ANDROID PHONE install Andronix.

In there you will have a lot of options for installing Linux on Termux. You can choose whatever you want!

When you've chosen what you want, then Andronix will copy a command to your phones clipboard.

Oh no!

This is where you might only have a few options!

The problems is that you have to get the command from your phone to your Wear OS device, though your Wear OS device might not even let you copy and paste!

Though there is a way to bypass this, ANDROID APPS! The easiest way is to install messenger lite(not messenger for Wear OS).

First download Messenger lite. (source for the messenger download link)

Then In the downloads folder run:

adb -s " IP_OF_YOUR_WEAR_OS_DEVICE" install NAME_OF_THE_DOWNLOADED_MESSENGER_APK_FILE

Log into messenger on your phone and your Wear OS device.

On your phone send the command Andronix gave you, to yourself in messenger.

Then open up messenger on your Wear OS device and long press the command and select copy!

Now the biggest hassle is gone!

The long, really long awakening

Now that you've copied the command, enter Termux. Then long press the black background and press paste.

NOW DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING, so that you don't accidentally change anything in the command.

From your computer run:

adb shell input keyevent 66

Try to remember this command, or put it somewhere easy to copy. You'll need it pretty often. (this command serves as an enter button)

The installation of Linux will now begin, there will be some Y/N questions, just choose the default options by running:

adb shell input keyevent 66

After a while you might get questions about region, keyboard and such.

use

adb shell input keyevent 66

to scroll down when it says [MORE]

then use

adb shell input text "NUMBER/WORD"

(don't remove the parentheses)

then again use

adb shell input keyevent 66

as an enter button

It might also ask you for a vnc password, choose a small and easy password.

FINALLY LINUX!

You should now have Linux installed on your Wear Os device. Go do whatever you want with it.

Just remember that your Wear OS device uses arm, so if you wanna use x86 applications, then you gotta use Box64 if you have a 64-bit processor and Box86 if you have a 32-bit processor

Start Linux(Linux might automatically start after installation)

First run:

adb shell input text "ls"

adb shell input keyevent 66

This will run the ls command.

Look for a file closely name to start-SOME_LINUX_DISTRO.sh or start-andronix.sh

then run:

adb shell input text "./start-SOME_LINUX_DISTRO"

then

adb shell input keyevent 66

BOOM Linux is now running :3

What about GUI?

If you installed a Linux version with a graphical interface then you either gotta use a VNC to display anything on your watch

run

adb shell input text "vncserver-start"

then

adb shell input keyevent 66

then

adb shell input keyevent 66

The terminal will say " New 'remote-desktop' at :NUMBER on machine localhost "

remember that number

now exit Termux and start Mutli-Vnc

Scroll down to "New Connection"

in Address enter localhost

in port enter 590 and then the number. (If the number as is higher than 9, enter 59 and then the number)

Scroll down password and enter in the vnc password you chose earlier.

Then the scroll all the way down and press the big green "Connect" button!

You should now some something, maybe not a lot, but something"

You can manually set the resolution if you want, so that you're able to utilize the screen better, go here for a guide on that.

External GUI :oops:

If you actually wanna use the Linux installation, then you'll have to use an external device to view the desktop.

You can follow this guide here, as it's better at explaining then me.

You can also use this guide if you wanna use XSDL.

A tip for entering &, use the keyboard on the watch! Also the read the explanation of commands before you continue, you'll need it!

Command explanation!!

adb shell input text " " will enter any text into the connected adb device, %s is used for spaces

adb shell input keyevents will do any key event, like pressing enter, 66 is for enter

If something doesn't work, let me know. I might've missed something!