[Tasker] "Tasface": Flick-your-wrist shows watchface!

As many of you may know, for newer version of TS (at least for 4th List, May version devices), it's NOT possible to flick your wrist to show watch face since the Accelerator is DISABLED whenever screen is OFF!!!

What an oversight! A smart watch needs you to push a button to see time? What if when you are driving or have both hand full and cannot spare even a finger!?

(My Pebble, on the contrast, works great here!)

I tried to force the screen always on with watch face, it's great, except it kills my battery in around 6 hrs (airplane mode!) Not acceptable!

Thus, Here comes "Tasface". With this, you could achieve:
1. Let TS shows you time WHENEVER you LOOK at the watch! (well, actually when the watch is face up) or when you flick your wrist (You can modify this!)
2. Reduce using your button (if you have an Shortcut supported launcher like Smart Launcher 2)

DISCLAIMER: I will not be responsible if Tasface broke/brick your TS in anyway! Since Tasface is only a set of Tasker profiles/Tasks you can read everything before decide go or not! Tasface DO mess around with system files!

Pre-requests:
===============
1. Your TS must be ROOTED!
2. You need to know Tasker basics! (It's not THAT difficult to use Tasker...)
3. Tasker (Obviously)
4. Watchface by Kurt Huwig (I didn't test other watchface app. May not work with stock lock watchface) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.huwig.watchfaces
5. Secure Settings (Required) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.intangibleobject.securesettings.plugin
6. Smart Launcher 2 (Optional, any Launchers supports Shortcut will work. With this you can activate Watch face without using button!) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ginlemon.flowerfree


Set-up
========
1. Have Tasker (required), Watchface (required), Secure Setting (don't forget to install system helper) and Smart Launcher 2 (Optional) installed. DO NOT IMPORT "Tasface" yet!

2. Disable your stock lock watchface: Go to Setting/Personal & Account/Security/Screen lock/None　(<-- This IS IMPORTANT)

3. Launch Watchface by Kurt Huwig, than double tap on any watchface to enter setup
　　a. check "Keep screen on"
　　b. Select desired watchface from "Lockscreen face"
　　c. Recommended to disable all other options

4. Check if the Watchface work or not by turn off than turn on your TS by press the upper physical button. You should see the Watchface you selected shows up when screen on. Swipe to return to your launcher and launch Tasker.

5. Unrar and import Tasface into Tasker

6. Close Tasker

7. Turn off --> Turn on your TS with the upper button

8. Profit!

Notes
=======
1. When watchface is displayed:
　　a. Touch screen is DISABLED to avoid accidental touch.
　　b. Screen will be OFF after 8 seconds (you can setup your prefer time)
　　c. Touch screen lock is achieved by putting a transparent Tasker Scene element on top of the Watchface. A small "X" on bottom right screen is used to reactivate the touch screen. You can also push the lower right button (back) to reactive your touch screen.

2. To show watchface (after automatic screen off as Step 1)
　　a. Just face the watchface up. The watchface should appear for another 8 seconds
　　b. There maybe a 1~2 second delay. This is due to Tasker not detecting the Watchface up event. I cannot do anything about this....
　　c. You could change the watchface up to anything else, like "Sensor shake/Backware-Forward"

3. If you have "Smart Launcher 2" or any other launcher supports Shortcut, you can set a icon to task "Lock". With this TS will activate watchface WITHOUT touch physical button. (I heard horrible stories about broken button so want to avoid use them as much as possible!) It's normal the screen will off for 2 second than back on with watchface for 8 seconds!

4. You must wait for automatic screen off or use the "Lock" shortcut to turn off the screen! Tasface will NOT work if you turn off TS by pressing the upper right physical button. This DISABLE the accelerator as mentioned above. To reactive Tasface, just turn on TS by pressing the upper right physical button to show the watchface than wait for automatic screen off.

I wrote this primarily for myself so a there are a lot of bugs. You are free to modify it and make it better. Just let me know if you have any questions and need help or improvement here!

Thanks button is just a click away if I helped you!

Update the attached file to resolve some bugs and improve responseness

Shake

I was able to use application Shake from ADL Dev (com.adl.appshaker) to switch screen on with shake/twist of wrist. You just have to enable "activate when screen off" option - and it is little battery hungry.
Of course I have version 20140513.

I also strongly suspect, that you can force sensors to work when face is off, by switching into "Sports mode" (Run Settings->SMART MODE->Sports Mode)

Technical stuff -- What is done here?
=================================
It's a bit technical here .... No need to read if you don't care how it works!

Since TS turns off the accelerator whenever screen off, so it's not possible to activate the screen once it's off by external conditions. (You can still set a timer to wake the screen, but it's meaningless)

Thus we need to disable the power hungry backlight while keep the screen on!

I found out that it's possible to control the backlight by doing

Thus, I set up a Task profile which fires whenever Watchface is activated and TS is face up, to activate the backlight then turn off the backlight again after 8 seconds, but KEEP the TS screen wake! (Only backlight is turned off to save battery!)

You can change "1" to anything from 1~255. I just found 1 bright enough for me

Since screen/system is always wake, to avoid accidental touch, a transparent Tasker Scene on top of the screen is add to disable the touch screen. A small "X" is on the bottom right to disable this transparent scene if anything goes wrong. (And it does, Tasker is laggy sometimes and too slow to remove this scene automatically!)

I also lower down the CPU cycle to the lowest possible to further saving battery. CPU returns to normal frequency when leaving watch face (into launcher, etc...)

That's all! Folks!

dragonfly1113 said:

This app you speak of to help save the battery does it work if i already have the cell tower signal turned off? like would it still work if it uses cell towers?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Really don't know...
There was a link to thread so try to ask developer of that app - he'll know answer to that...

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