[Guide] How to set up Galaxy Gear 2 for non Samsung devices (Full Tutorial)

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rlabarca

Member
Nov 4, 2007
35
7
Hi all. Really great work going on in this thread. Thanks for all your efforts.

The amount of stuff working is at the point where I think it makes sense for me to pull the trigger on a Gear 2 to work with my HTC M8. I just can't find the answers to a few questions:

  • Does the camera on the Gear 2 work and send shots to the phone gallery?
  • Has anyone had issues with Bluetooth audio streaming stuttering with BT speakers when the watch is connected? I had this issue with Sony's Smartwatch 2
  • Is it true that the behavior of phone call answering (where it goes - phone or watch) is random based on ROM?

Thanks again. Love the cooperation on XDA to make these kinds of things possible.
 
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beagle1974

Member
Oct 8, 2013
31
1
Hey guys wonder if you can help I have a nexus 4 with carbon ROM everything stock on device is working and I've managed to load up Samsung apps it allows me to download a app from the gear app store but it won't install keeps coming back with installing failed please try again later and WO WO error message?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Free mobile app
 
Sublim3_Tilt

Sublim3_Tilt

Senior Member
May 18, 2008
216
12
Cunningham
rlabarca said:
Hi all. Really great work going on in this thread. Thanks for all your efforts.

The amount of stuff working is at the point where I think it makes sense for me to pull the trigger on a Gear 2 to work with my HTC M8. I just can't find the answers to a few questions:

  • Does the camera on the Gear 2 work and send shots to the phone gallery?
  • Has anyone had issues with Bluetooth audio streaming stuttering with BT speakers when the watch is connected? I had this issue with Sony's Smartwatch 2
  • Is it true that the behavior of phone call answering (where it goes - phone or watch) is random based on ROM?

Thanks again. Love the cooperation on XDA to make these kinds of things possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Camera works fine. Pics do show up in the gallery. I have not yet synced BT speakers to test that yet. If you are on a Touchwiz ROM it should answer calls properly, all other ROMs act improper.
 
R

rlabarca

Member
Nov 4, 2007
35
7
Sublim3_Tilt said:
Camera works fine. Pics do show up in the gallery. I have not yet synced BT speakers to test that yet. If you are on a Touchwiz ROM it should answer calls properly, all other ROMs act improper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks very much. Appears that it will prevent me from taking calls on my car Bluetooth. Going to have to decide if that's a dealbreaker for me...
 
J

jag5516

Member
Aug 9, 2010
9
1
So I know the weather app is not working but how come I don't see it anywhere on my gear watch or no the app section of gear manager
 
K

kartch

Member
Apr 19, 2011
6
1
rlabarca said:
Thanks very much. Appears that it will prevent me from taking calls on my car Bluetooth. Going to have to decide if that's a dealbreaker for me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shouldnt be a dealbreaker. All you need to do is look at the tutorial in the Gear 2 thread about using either tasker or llama couplee with an app called system settings to automate bluetooth switching. On my m8 all calls default to the watch so i set it up.so that if the phone rings there is a 10 second delay before disconnecting the gear. This.allows me to see who is calling. I have a second automation that if I answer or place a call, it disconnects the gear and audio comes through the phone. I then have a third that automatically reconnects the gear when the call is finished. I can also have it directly connect to a.Bluetooth earpiece. Works perfectly and with very little delay. Takes some work but llama is an awesome app and learning how to use it is beneficial regardless of whether you keep the gear.
 
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rlabarca

Member
Nov 4, 2007
35
7
kartch said:
Shouldnt be a dealbreaker. All you need to do is look at the tutorial in the Gear 2 thread about using either tasker or llama couplee with an app called system settings to automate bluetooth switching. On my m8 all calls default to the watch so i set it up.so that if the phone rings there is a 10 second delay before disconnecting the gear. This.allows me to see who is calling. I have a second automation that if I answer or place a call, it disconnects the gear and audio comes through the phone. I then have a third that automatically reconnects the gear when the call is finished. I can also have it directly connect to a.Bluetooth earpiece. Works perfectly and with very little delay. Takes some work but llama is an awesome app and learning how to use it is beneficial regardless of whether you keep the gear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you, that's great advice, and I'm happy digging into the nuts and bolts. I'll give it a shot!
 
thesparky007

thesparky007

Senior Member
Oct 15, 2008
1,781
972
I've not noticed any stuttering or skipping at all with Bluetooth speakers when gear is also connected..

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
J

jag5516

Member
Aug 9, 2010
9
1
So I know the weather app is not working but how come I don't see it anywhere on my gear watch or no the app section of gear manager
 
R

rlabarca

Member
Nov 4, 2007
35
7
Thanks for the help everyone.

I purchased a Gear 2 and followed the OP instructions. All the basic stuff is working. Notifications, calls, camera. I can download from the store too.

Haven't played with Tasker yet but am excited to.

Only issue that concerns me so far is that the apps like Feedly and CNN that I install from the store don't show up in my apps. Known issue?

EDIT: Flashlight shows up. So I guess it's a Gear thing and not a non Samsung device thing.
 
Last edited:
S

svenb352

Member
Nov 10, 2012
27
1
Newbie with a question

Hello guys,

So to make a long story short, I had a gs5 but wasn't a huge fan of it so I returned it for the HTC one m8. I bought the sony smartwatch 2 but thus far I am not super impressed. I did have the gear 2 Neo with the s5 and really liked it. Specifically the screen, notifications, s voice, etc were all really cool features. The sony smartwatch 2 seems to just lack behind overall, notifications are very delayed, and even some don't come through at all. I called sony for support and they basically said a that they cannot guarantee it will work with my phone at all. Hmm lol. This thread has given me some hope as I was considering picking up the gear 2 tomorrow since it seems that with this method the camera, notifications, and most other features work fine.

I would not consider myself the most technological person when it comes to things like rooting, etc. I have done it only once before, but the things I am reading that you guys have done in this thread is truly amazing, and seemingly beyond the scope of what I think I can understand how to fix.

My question is this - Considering all that I said above, what is the difficulty scale I am looking at trying to get the gear 2 to work with the HTC one m8 with most functionality working? I really like the way the m8 functions and do not want to really mess with the way that it functions on the day to day. Can a novice like me execute the steps that you guys have outlined in this thread, or am I basically SOL?

Thank you to all in advance for the replies. Your work is very encouraging :)
 
Last edited:
B

beagle1974

Member
Oct 8, 2013
31
1
Did you ever find a solution to this ? Keep getting same on my nexus 4?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Free mobile app
 
R

rlabarca

Member
Nov 4, 2007
35
7
svenb352 said:
Hello guys,

So to make a long story short, I had a gs5 but wasn't a huge fan of it so I returned it for the HTC one m8. I bought the sony smartwatch 2 but thus far I am not super impressed. I did have the gear 2 Neo with the s5 and really liked it. Specifically the screen, notifications, s voice, etc were all really cool features. The sony smartwatch 2 seems to just lack behind overall, notifications are very delayed, and even some don't come through at all. I called sony for support and they basically said a that they cannot guarantee it will work with my phone at all. Hmm lol. This thread has given me some hope as I was considering picking up the gear 2 tomorrow since it seems that with this method the camera, notifications, and most other features work fine.

I would not consider myself the most technological person when it comes to things like rooting, etc. I have done it only once before, but the things I am reading that you guys have done in this thread is truly amazing, and seemingly beyond the scope of what I think I can understand how to fix.

My question is this - Considering all that I said above, what is the difficulty scale I am looking at trying to get the gear 2 to work with the HTC one m8 with most functionality working? I really like the way the m8 functions and do not want to really mess with the way that it functions on the day to day. Can a novice like me execute the steps that you guys have outlined in this thread, or am I basically SOL?

Thank you to all in advance for the replies. Your work is very encouraging :)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I also tried the Sony Smartwatch 2 and found it buggy and cumbersome.

I just went through the process last night for my M8. I can say the OPs instructions are clear and straightforward. That said, getting the device to actually connect took a few tries and a couple reboots. I was nervous there for a bit.

One huge note is that my M8 is rooted with the Google Play Edition ROM. I have no idea how stock Sense 6 would work with these instructions.

I'm not a novice however. I have a degree in computer science and am extremely comfortable in a UNIX environment. That is absolutely NOT required to follow the instructions. But I'm not sure if someone without this background would find the instructions easy or not.

Overall I would say the M8 is a worthwhile transition even if you can't get the Gear to work. It's such a great phone. But following the OP instructions, I have phone, camera, notifications, and app installs working. Probably more too but that's what I care about. The software added to the device amounts to A LOT of APKs. But the phone is still running lean. I use Wakelock Detector and Greenify and I've found that the wakelocks from the added APKs are extremely minimal.

The one thing that concerns me is that the Software Update fails all the time. So I've turned auto update off. This means that I may not get new firmware updates for the watch. But I'm sure people here will work through that when the time comes.
 
S

svenb352

Member
Nov 10, 2012
27
1
rlabarca said:
I also tried the Sony Smartwatch 2 and found it buggy and cumbersome.

I just went through the process last night for my M8. I can say the OPs instructions are clear and straightforward. That said, getting the device to actually connect took a few tries and a couple reboots. I was nervous there for a bit.

One huge note is that my M8 is rooted with the Google Play Edition ROM. I have no idea how stock Sense 6 would work with these instructions.

I'm not a novice however. I have a degree in computer science and am extremely comfortable in a UNIX environment. That is absolutely NOT required to follow the instructions. But I'm not sure if someone without this background would find the instructions easy or not.

Overall I would say the M8 is a worthwhile transition even if you can't get the Gear to work. It's such a great phone. But following the OP instructions, I have phone, camera, notifications, and app installs working. Probably more too but that's what I care about. The software added to the device amounts to A LOT of APKs. But the phone is still running lean. I use Wakelock Detector and Greenify and I've found that the wakelocks from the added APKs are extremely minimal.

The one thing that concerns me is that the Software Update fails all the time. So I've turned auto update off. This means that I may not get new firmware updates for the watch. But I'm sure people here will work through that when the time comes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Cool sounds good. I definitely would like to hear from someone that has sense 6 on their phone to see what their experience is like.

Also, does anyone have a guide to a simple "how to" root for the m8? Thanks for the help all ?
 
M

mpogr

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
185
63
Melbourne
Trying to make more progress

OK, during the last 3 days I spent TONS of time trying to make more progress with this setup. I concentrated on the following areas:
  • Trying to make Alarms work
  • Trying to get the Weather work
  • Trying to get S Health work
  • Trying to make Gear Software Update work
  • Trying to make S Voice work on the phone
It turns out Samsung (probably over time) significantly deviated from the stock Android code base, to the point it is REALLY difficult to make Samsung applications work on a device with different Android framework files. I went through several steps trying to mitigate this problem:
  • Bringing the packages providing the core Samsung functionality over from Samsung ROMs. We have already done this in the tutorial with S Voice, Samsung Apps (Samsung app store) and Samsungservice (this one provides access to Samsung account). Fortunately, these apps didn't rely heavily on Samsung-specific framework. This is not the case with other packages though. Good examples are Samsung ClockPackage (responsible for Alarms) and Weather. These APKs refused to run on non-Samsung platform because of their reliance on Samsung-specific code embedded in the device framework.
  • Bringing additional Samsung-specific system modules over from Samsung ROMs. This includes, for example, TouchWiz framework JARs and resources. This did help a little, for example, S Voice finally showed its UI and Weather widget was able to instantiate. However, they both were completely unresponsive and empty. So no real help here.
  • Finally, I started investigating the content of the framework JARs and APKs. It turns out Samsung provides A LOT of additional modules in those. But this is only part of the problem. The bigger problem is the fact they OVERRIDE some of the classes defined by Android framework, often extending their functionality. I went to extent of decompiling Samsung framework JARs, extracting some of the class files from there and adding them into my HTC One M8 framework JARs. This was an exciting exercise, often resulting in my device getting stuck at boot screen, rebooting shortly after boot or throwing tons of error message at me upon boot. This way, for example, I was able to finally get the Weather app installed on the Gear and Weather widget instantiating with proper data and UI on the phone. However, the widget configuration still crashed, so it was capable of showing, and relaying to the watch, only the current local weather. It also didn't update automatically on the phone and manually from the watch (it did update when hitting the update button on the phone). At the same time, other functionality broke, for example, S Voice and Schedule ceased properly working (they did work once in a while but, generally, ended up non-working for most of the time). I did manage to make Gear Software update to reliably work, however, I doubt the trouble of messing around with the system framework files is really worth it.
Some further directions to fix the issues above:
  • Manually merging Samsung and non-Samsung core framework code. This is tedious work which I'm not going to do.
  • Making changes in Samsung Gear Manager App and its components (also on the source code level). This is also something I haven't really considered.
In this situation, perhaps, we should ask ourselves, what are we REALLY missing?
  • Alarms is probably the biggest one. However, using an Alarm app running on the watch itself is a much cleaner solution. Why do you need to share your phone alarms with the watch? I already started using Sleep Genius on the watch as alarm substitute, and it's quite promising. Has some quirks, but it's generally fine. I'm sure there will be more Alarm applications available for the watch soon.
  • I'm not missing Weather that much. After all, I can just say to S Voice "Show Weather", and it'll basically display the same information for me. So why bother?
  • Having Google Now on the phone makes having S Voice on it really redundant. The only S Voice integration currently missing on the watch is SMS. Emails are not working at all, I don't know if they're S Voice-enabled on Samsung devices.
    I think generic solution for all these will be making a Google Now app for the Gear. This will effectively make S Voice redundant everywhere.
  • Changing default SMS templates is not working as well. As they must be stored somewhere on the phone, I'm pretty sure they can be changed on the file system.
  • The issue of phone calls answered on the Gear can be solved with Tasker and alike.
  • The issue of selecting specific calendars to be displayed in the Schedule on the Gear can be solved by unselecting those calendars in my stock Calendar app on the phone (at least this works well on Sense 6 ROMs). So this problems is solved.
  • I'm not really missing the ability to play music residing on the phone directly on the Gear.
  • The Gear firmware can be easily and safely updated using Kies 3 software on the computer.
  • I don't really understand what added value for Gear owners S Health has over Fitness for Gear.
To sum up, it looks like the current state of things is pretty good for me. I know other people have been having issues with some functionalities that do work for me, namely:
  • Installation: no idea, but Sense 6 users have been consistently having success.
  • Notifications: no idea, these seem to be working for most.
  • Media control: again, works fine on Sense 6 ROMs regardless of the music app
  • S Voice: this is a weird one, seems like it's consistently not working for Americans. Maybe it has something to do with the American firmware on the Gear? Do you guys want to flash the Aussie one (XSA) and give it a go?
Anyway, I just reinstalled my setup from scratch following the tutorial to the letter and was able to consistently get back to the working state as it was before I started these wild exercises above. I think I'll stick to this state for a while now.

---------- Post added at 11:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 PM ----------

Looks like I forgot a couple of additional things not working:
  • Voice memos seem to be sent from the Gear to the phone and then vanish. However, the do stay on the Gear, so this is good enough for me.
  • Emails don't work. If you enable notifications from GMail and Exchange Mail (specific to your device), you will be able to see SOME of the email text on the phone. I'm assuming, on Samsung devices you can see the entire email? In terms of replying, maybe it integrates with S Voice? I have no idea...
  • Call logs don't work. This one is probably really valuable, but it's not going to be easy to make it work.
  • Fitness apps requiring GPS: you'd be probably better off with dedicated apps like Runtastic anyway...
 
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Reactions: thesparky007
S

svenb352

Member
Nov 10, 2012
27
1
mpogr said:
OK, during the last 3 days I spent TONS of time trying to make more progress with this setup. I concentrated on the following areas:
  • Trying to make Alarms work
  • Trying to get the Weather work
  • Trying to get S Health work
  • Trying to make Gear Software Update work
  • Trying to make S Voice work on the phone
It turns out Samsung (probably over time) significantly deviated from the stock Android code base, to the point it is REALLY difficult to make Samsung applications work on a device with different Android framework files. I went through several steps trying to mitigate this problem:
  • Bringing the packages providing the core Samsung functionality over from Samsung ROMs. We have already done this in the tutorial with S Voice, Samsung Apps (Samsung app store) and Samsungservice (this one provides access to Samsung account). Fortunately, these apps didn't rely heavily on Samsung-specific framework. This is not the case with other packages though. Good examples are Samsung ClockPackage (responsible for Alarms) and Weather. These APKs refused to run on non-Samsung platform because of their reliance on Samsung-specific code embedded in the device framework.
  • Bringing additional Samsung-specific system modules over from Samsung ROMs. This includes, for example, TouchWiz framework JARs and resources. This did help a little, for example, S Voice finally showed its UI and Weather widget was able to instantiate. However, they both were completely unresponsive and empty. So no real help here.
  • Finally, I started investigating the content of the framework JARs and APKs. It turns out Samsung provides A LOT of additional modules in those. But this is only part of the problem. The bigger problem is the fact they OVERRIDE some of the classes defined by Android framework, often extending their functionality. I went to extent of decompiling Samsung framework JARs, extracting some of the class files from there and adding them into my HTC One M8 framework JARs. This was an exciting exercise, often resulting in my device getting stuck at boot screen, rebooting shortly after boot or throwing tons of error message at me upon boot. This way, for example, I was able to finally get the Weather app installed on the Gear and Weather widget instantiating with proper data and UI on the phone. However, the widget configuration still crashed, so it was capable of showing, and relaying to the watch, only the current local weather. It also didn't update automatically on the phone and manually from the watch (it did update when hitting the update button on the phone). At the same time, other functionality broke, for example, S Voice and Schedule ceased properly working (they did work once in a while but, generally, ended up non-working for most of the time). I did manage to make Gear Software update to reliably work, however, I doubt the trouble of messing around with the system framework files is really worth it.
Some further directions to fix the issues above:
  • Manually merging Samsung and non-Samsung core framework code. This is tedious work which I'm not going to do.
  • Making changes in Samsung Gear Manager App and its components (also on the source code level). This is also something I haven't really considered.
In this situation, perhaps, we should ask ourselves, what are we REALLY missing?
  • Alarms is probably the biggest one. However, using an Alarm app running on the watch itself is a much cleaner solution. Why do you need to share your phone alarms with the watch? I already started using Sleep Genius on the watch as alarm substitute, and it's quite promising. Has some quirks, but it's generally fine. I'm sure there will be more Alarm applications available for the watch soon.
  • I'm not missing Weather that much. After all, I can just say to S Voice "Show Weather", and it'll basically display the same information for me. So why bother?
  • Having Google Now on the phone makes having S Voice on it really redundant. The only S Voice integration currently missing on the watch is SMS. Emails are not working at all, I don't know if they're S Voice-enabled on Samsung devices.
    I think generic solution for all these will be making a Google Now app for the Gear. This will effectively make S Voice redundant everywhere.
  • Changing default SMS templates is not working as well. As they must be stored somewhere on the phone, I'm pretty sure they can be changed on the file system.
  • The issue of phone calls answered on the Gear can be solved with Tasker and alike.
  • The issue of selecting specific calendars to be displayed in the Schedule on the Gear can be solved by unselecting those calendars in my stock Calendar app on the phone (at least this works well on Sense 6 ROMs). So this problems is solved.
  • I'm not really missing the ability to play music residing on the phone directly on the Gear.
  • The Gear firmware can be easily and safely updated using Kies 3 software on the computer.
  • I don't really understand what added value for Gear owners S Health has over Fitness for Gear.
To sum up, it looks like the current state of things is pretty good for me. I know other people have been having issues with some functionalities that do work for me, namely:
  • Installation: no idea, but Sense 6 users have been consistently having success.
  • Notifications: no idea, these seem to be working for most.
  • Media control: again, works fine on Sense 6 ROMs regardless of the music app
  • S Voice: this is a weird one, seems like it's consistently not working for Americans. Maybe it has something to do with the American firmware on the Gear? Do you guys want to flash the Aussie one (XSA) and give it a go?
Anyway, I just reinstalled my setup from scratch following the tutorial to the letter and was able to consistently get back to the working state as it was before I started these wild exercises above. I think I'll stick to this state for a while now.

---------- Post added at 11:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 PM ----------

Looks like I forgot a couple of additional things not working:
  • Voice memos seem to be sent from the Gear to the phone and then vanish. However, the do stay on the Gear, so this is good enough for me.
  • Emails don't work. If you enable notifications from GMail and Exchange Mail (specific to your device), you will be able to see SOME of the email text on the phone. I'm assuming, on Samsung devices you can see the entire email? In terms of replying, maybe it integrates with S Voice? I have no idea...
  • Call logs don't work. This one is probably really valuable, but it's not going to be easy to make it work.
  • Fitness apps requiring GPS: you'd be probably better off with dedicated apps like Runtastic anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Wow that was a lot hehe. I almost wonder if I should give The GS5 another shot if I want to use the watch haha
 
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M

mpogr

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
185
63
Melbourne
svenb352 said:
Wow that was a lot hehe. I almost wonder if I should give The GS5 another shot if I want to use the watch haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hm, if this is your conclusion, seems like I missed the main point of my post, which was to show that, for people ready to work through the tutorial, there is not much to miss, especially if they're on Sense 6 devices...

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk
 
S

svenb352

Member
Nov 10, 2012
27
1
mpogr said:
Hm, if this is your conclusion, seems like I missed the main point of my post, which was to show that, for people ready to work through the tutorial, there is not much to miss, especially if they're on Sense 6 devices...

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Haha no no no ?. I was mostly just kidding :) hehe. I am actually waiting outside the store to get the watch now. I'm going to give it a shot ?. Thank you very much for the awesome breakdown. I am just a bit nervous about doing all of this to my phone. Is there a rooting method you would recommend?
 
thesparky007

thesparky007

Senior Member
Oct 15, 2008
1,781
972
mpogr said:
Hm, if this is your conclusion, seems like I missed the main point of my post, which was to show that, for people ready to work through the tutorial, there is not much to miss, especially if they're on Sense 6 devices...

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

haha he definitely missed the point but

Im running sense 6 on the original HTC One and i have everything working like mpogr except for svoice and that is probably because its the american firmware like he said

Rooting the m8 seems straightforward from what I saw but then again, I am an advanced user...

I really want to get the m8 though!
 
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  • 27
    CarbonWyre
    CarbonWyre
    I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THIS METHOD IS NO LONGER VALID. PLEASE LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR YOUR ANSWERS.
    ​
    What's needed:
    Galaxy Gear 2
    Rooted Non Samsung device
    CWM Recovery or TWRP Recovery
    This has been tested on:
    Nexus 5, KitKat 4.4.2, LiquidSmooh 3.0, Purity ROM
    HTC One M8, Stock DOES NOT work, Insert Coin M8 2.5.0 does

    Build.Prop Edit:
    WARNING, SCREWING THIS UP CAN BRICK YOUR DEVICE
    ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP ON THE PHONE SIDE
    [QUOTE]Method 1(GUI Based):
    1. Download Solid Explorer
    2. Browse to /System/
    3. Open "build.prop"
    4. Edit the following:
    Code: 
    ro.product.manufacturer=Samsung
ro.product.model=GT-I9500
ro.product.brand=Samsung
    5. Save
    6. Restart Phone

    Method 2 (CMD/Computer):
    1. Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging
    2. Plug phone into computer and let drivers install
    3. Open CMD in ADB/Fastboot Folder
    4. Type "adb remount"
    5. Type "adb pull /system/build.prop
    6. Backup the old build.prop (now contained in the adb/fastboot folder)
    7. Open build.prop in Notepad ++
    8. Edit the following:
    Code: 
    ro.product.manufacturer=Samsung
ro.product.model=GT-I9500
ro.product.brand=Samsung
    9. Save
    10. Type "adb push build.prop /system/"
    11. Restart Phone[/QUOTE]





    Using Phone/GUI Interface

    Installation Instructions:
    1. Download:
    Code: 
    A. [URL="http://xdaforums.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=5772&task=get"]Samsungservice[/URL]
B. [URL="http://xdaforums.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=5771&task=get"]Samsung Apps[/URL]
C. [URL="http://xdaforums.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=5770&task=get"]S-Voice_Android_Phone[/URL]
D. [URL="http://xdaforums.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=5769&task=get"]GearManagerStub[/URL]
E. [URL="http://xdaforums.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=5768&task=get"]S-Voiced_Signed[/URL]
    2. Move Samsung Apps, S-Voice_Signed, and GearManagerStub to /System/app
    3. Correct the permissions on each file to:
    Code: 
    A. Long press on the app
B. Press "Properties"
C. Change Attributes to -rw-rw-r-- (664) or (644)
D. Under Attributes change "Group" to 0:root and press Set
    4. Move Samsungservice to /System/priv-app and correct the permissions
    5. Restart Phone
    6. Open S Voice and agree to all TOS
    7. Go into /System/app and delete S Voice
    8. Move S-Voice_Android_Phone to /System/app and correct permissions
    9. Restart Phone
    10. Open Settings > Accounts (or press on the notification) and enter account/Register
    11. Open S-Voice, it will stop working, don't worry that's normal
    12. Open Samsung Apps
    13. Search for, and download, Gear Manager
    14. Open Gear Manager
    15. Connect to Device
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Using ADB/Computer
    1. Settings > Turn on Developer Option
    2. Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging (Should be on by default for InsertCoin)
    3. Settings > Security > Unknown Sources (Should be on by default for InsertCoin)
    4. Plug into computer and allow drivers to install (Or install HTC Sync Manager for drivers), keep phone on
    5. Download Gear2ADBToolkit.zip and unzip
    6. Open Folder, Shift+Right Click and click "Open command window here"
    7. Type "adb devices", it should return a list with your phone listed (random numbers/letters)
    7a. If a list is returned empty you need to reinstall drivers
    8. Type "adb remount"
    9. Edit Build.prop (Methods above)
    10. Type "adb push samsungapps.apk /system/app" press enter
    11. Type "adb push gearmanagerstub.apk /system/app" press enter
    12. Type "adb push svoice-signed.apk /system/priv-app" press enter
    13. Type "adb push samsungservice.apk /system/priv-app" press enter
    14. Type "adb shell" press enter, type "su" press enter
    15. Type "chmod 644 /system/app/samsungapps.apk"
    16. Type "chmod 644 /system/app/GearManagerStub.apk" (Make sure you get the caps)
    17. Type "chmod 644 /system/priv-app/svoice-signed.apk", type "exit"
    18. Type "chmod 644 /system/priv-app/samsungservice,apk", type "exit"
    19. Type "adb reboot recovery"
    20. On phone press "Wipe" > "Advanced Wipe" > Check Dalvik & Cache > Swipe to Wipe, Press back until at home screen
    21. On Phone press "Advanced" > "Fix Permissions" > Swipe to Confirm, Reboot System
    22. Once phone has rebooted, press on Samsung Account notificaiton and log in/create an account
    23. Open SVoice and agree to TOS
    24. Type "adb remount"
    25. Type "adb shell" press enter, type "su" press enter
    26. Type "cd /system/app" press enter, type "rm svoice-signed.apk" press enter, type "exit"
    27. Type "adb push Svoice-Final.apk /system/priv-app" press enter
    28. Type "adb shell" press enter, type "su" press enter
    29. Type "chmod 644 /system/prvi-app/Svoice-Final.apk" press enter, type "exit"
    30. Type "adb reboot recovery"
    31. On phone press "Wipe" > "Advanced Wipe" > Check Dalvik & Cache > Swipe to Wipe, Press back until at home screen
    32. On Phone press "Advanced" > "Fix Permissions" > Swipe to Confirm, Reboot System
    33. Open Samsung Apps, search for Gear Manager, install Gear Manager
    34. Connect Gear to Gear Manager
    35. Follow instructions on setting up notificaitions
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    Click here for alternate method for installation FOR NEXUS 5



    Fix "Galaxy Gear Connecting" forever: (This is a known bug for the Nexus 5)
    1. Download Connecting-Fix.zip
    2. Move onto phone
    3. Unzip
    4. Install normally by clicking on them and installing
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Turning On Notifications:
    1. Open "Notifications" in Gear Manager
    2. Uncheck "Limit Notifications"
    3. Press on "0) More Notifications"
    4. Press "Turn On"
    5. Check the box next to "Gear Manager"
    6. Return to "Notifications" in Gear Manager
    7. Scroll down and check the boxes you want to receive notifications from
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    What's working and what's not: (Thanks to @mpogr)
    • Alarms: don't work, plain and simple. I am in a desperate search for a LOCAL alarm app for the Gear, even thinking about writing one myself!
    • Making calls: works using dialer, from Contacts and using S Voice. However, the call is always transferred to the Gear first. You can transfer it back to the phone from the Gear or from the phone. However, if you also want to use Bluetooth headset (or in-car), you're out of luck. I implemented a workaround disconnecting the Gear and connecting to the earpiece using Tasker.
    • Receiving calls: works fine, except the answering device limitation above.
    • Browsing contacts: works fine. If you tap on the phone number, it makes a call straight away, without asking anything else (with Samsung it might be acting a bit more intelligently asking if you wanted to call or text). If you tap on email address, nothing happens (I'm assuming with Samsung it would allow you to send an email, more on this below).
    • Browsing schedule: works fine. On Samsung, you can select specific calendars to be displayed on the Gear in Gear Manager settings. On Sense devices like my M8, you can select calendars to be displayed in your Calendar app, this selection automatically propagates to the Gear. You can't change anything in the appointment. Not sure if this is different in any way on Samsung devices.
    • Messaging: for starters, you need to use stock Messaging app and not a substitute, e.g. Hangouts. Second, you can only send texts, and only to contacts. You can't see received texts (you can see content of received texts if you chose to receive notifications from Messaging app, but this is not the same as with using the texting app, which allows you to browse ALL of the text messages stored on your phone). To send a text message, tap on "Messages" on the Gear. You will see "No messages". If you SLOWLY drag the window from the top to the middle, an option of "Send message" will appear. You can tap on it, then it will allow you to select the contact. Then you will be able to either select a predefined template (I already posted on how to change those) or compose a message from a bunch of emoticons. S Voice doesn't work with non-Samsung Messaging app.
    • Email: this one simply doesn't work. It totally relies on Samsung emailing app and refuses to work with anything else. You can get notifications about incoming emails if you select "Gmail" and "Email/Mail" as 3rd party notification providers, and these would typically include the sender, subject and a couple of lines of text, but that's it. You totally depend on what your emailing application chooses to put in those notifications. You can neither browse past emails nor compose new ones. I'm assuming email composition on Samsung devices relies on S Voice.
    • S Voice: this one requires further investigation. As mentioned above, texting and emailing don't work. Web search is not supported either, I'm assuming this is true for Samsung devices as well. Calling, showing weather, appointments and contacts does work, as well as composing new appointments and meetings (but it doesn't send meeting invites if you add attendees to your meetings). I guess more research is needed to figure out what else is working.
    • Call logs: doesn't work, shows empty log. Again, you do get notifications about missing calls, but you can't browse any kind of call history.
    • Media Controller: seems to be fully working on Sense 6 devices, regardless of music app (tested with built-in Sense player as well as Poweramp).
    • Music Player: seems to be working with music stored on the Gear, including streaming to a Bluetooth headset. You can get music onto the Gear in two ways: either copy from the computer over USB or transfer directly from the phone using Gear Manager. I think, on Samsung, you can also play music stored on the phone directly, without prior copying it to the Gear. Not sure why this is a valuable function though...
    • Voice Memo: seems to be working locally on the Gear. When you finish recording the memo, it gets transferred to the phone and then, apparently, goes nowhere. I'm assuming on Samsung it's integrated with the Memo app and becomes available from there, either in audio and/or in text form.
    • Weather: doesn't even get installed on the Gear. This means both Weather app on the Gear and Weather watch faces are unavailable. A simple workaround is to ask S Voice "Show current weather", it basically displays the same information.
    • Exercise apps: there are 4 apps there: running, walking, biking and hiking. The former 2 seem to be working, while the latter 2 seem not to, because they rely on GPS info from the phone which doesn't get relayed on non-Samsung phones. The apps that are working seem to be quite crappy though.
    • Other fitness apps: Heart Rate, Pedometer and Sleep seem to be working. All these seem to be perfectly synchronising into Samsung account using Fitness for Gear app on the phone.
    • Editing text templates: Gear Manager crashes when you try to do that. I already published a way of working around this.
    • Changing watch wallpaper from Gear Manager crashes (it didn't in the previous versions). There is a simple workaround: choose the wallpaper on the watch. You can copy it over to the Gear using your computer over USB.
    • Gear Software Update crashes once in a while and fails to update the Gear firmware (again, was working fine in previous versions of the Gear Manager): install Kies 3 application on your PC and update your Gear firmware using it.
    • Find the Gear and Find the Device are working.
    • S Health doesn't work. Not sure if it has any added value for Gear owners on top of what Fitness for Gear has to offer.
    • S Voice installed on the phone as a part of this process (to enable S Voice functionality on the Gear) doesn't work on the phone. Not sure it has any value considering what Google Now has to offer.
    • Once Gear gets disconnected from the phone, it doesn't reconnect on its own (it does with Samsung phones). There is a simple workaround for this using Tasker.
    • Last but not least: installing apps from Samsung store seems to be working.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse


    Change Log:

    1.4
    Added Computer/ADB based method
    Added downloads for Computer based method
    Updated information
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    1.3
    Updated specifics
    Updated working ROM list
    Updated which apps work
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    1.2
    S-Voice now works! (Credit to mpogr)
    Streamlined process..kinda
    Process now works instead of not working
    New Downloads
    Updated directory
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    1.1
    Streamlined install process
    Attempted to make it more simplistic
    Now include proper way to install Samsung Apps
    Added downloads
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    XDA:DevDB Information
    Gear 2 on non Samsung Devices, Tool/Utility for the Samsung Gear 2

    Contributors
    CarbonWyre, thesparky007, mpogr

    Version Information
    Status: Beta
    Current Beta Version: 1.4
    Beta Release Date: 2014-04-25

    Created 2014-04-26
    Last Updated 2015-02-16
    View
    11
    S
    Starfire-1
    Nexus 5 Stock KitKat and other AOSP 4.4.x ROM Variation

    I have spent quite some time investigating why my Nexus 5 installation does not seem to go as smoothly as the OP's and other's HTC One M8 experience.

    To the best of my knowledge, the AOSP / Kit Kat 4.4.x system have changed their policy with respect to granting system level rights to apks. It is no longer sufficient to place an APK on the system partition, it must be in the /system/priv-app subdirectory. Because of this, when apps tried to install/download additional packages they either failed (silently) or popped up an install dialog box because INSTALL_PACKAGES and DELETE_PACKAGES permissions are denied.

    When I installed SamsungApps to priv-app, all three automatic downloads (Samsung Billing, In App Purchasing, and Push Service) all seemlessly installed. However, when these dependent apks install, they are placed into /data/app, a non-system location so any call to a signatureOrSystem permission will be denied.

    I was hoping that if I moved the Gear Manager app to /system/priv-app *before* running it the first time, that it would take care of all ten or so dependent apks. But as it turns out, it only installs about four or five automatically and it can sometimes get hung trying to install an apk, but never finishes.

    So in the end, here is my variation on the OP's original procedure.


    1. Download:
    Code:

    A. Samsungservice
    B. Samsung Apps
    C. S-Voice_Android_Phone
    D. GearManagerStub
    E. S-Voiced_Signed

    2. Move Samsung Apps, S-Voice_Signed, SamsungService, and GearManagerStub to /system/priv-app
    3. Correct the permissions on each file to:
    Code:

    A. Long press on the app
    B. Press "Properties"
    C. Change Attributes to -rw-rw-r-- (664) or (644)
    D. Under Attributes change "Group" to 0:root and press Set

    4. Move Samsungservice to /System/priv-app and correct the permissions
    5. Restart Phone
    6. Open S Voice and agree to all TOS
    7. Go into /System/priv-app and delete S Voice
    8. Move S-Voice_Android_Phone to /System/priv-app and correct permissions
    9. Restart Phone
    10. Open Settings > Accounts (or press on the notification) and enter account/Register
    11. Open S-Voice, it will stop working, don't worry that's normal
    12. Open Samsung Apps
    13. Search for, and download, Gear Manager
    14. Open Gear Manager
    15. Connect to Device (Connection will fail since dependent apks are not installed so cancel.)

    16. Manually install Connecting-Fix apk (from OP download or from Gear Manager APK that you downloaded)
    • ConnectionManager,
    • HostManager,
    • SAFTCore,
    • SAFotoProicder,
    • SAccessoryService,
    • Gear2Plugin,
    • goproviders,
    • SANotiProvider,
    • SANSyncProvider,
    • saproviders,
    • SAWeatherProvider (won't install),
    • TextTemplateProvider

    17. Re-open Gear Manager, sync, accept terms.

    18. Install "/system/app mover" from play store, launch and grant root.

    19. Reboot - precaution to clear out running apps

    20. Use /system/app mover to move the following APKs to /system/priv-app. After selecting each apk and are asked if you want to reboot now, press cancel, until you get to the final apk, then reboot your phone.
    • Gear Manager
    • Gear2Plugin
    • Samsung Billing
    • HostManager



    These last four APKs all contain INSTALL_PACKAGES and DELETE_PACKAGES in their manifest and were highly likely to require system level permissions. Some of the other APKs contain "non third-party" permissions and could be candidates for promotion, but I have not gone that far yet.

    With this approach I can
    • Install Samsung watch apps
    • Uninstall watch apps without Gear2Plugin force closing
    • Pay for Samsung watch apps with credit card

    Hopefully as Samsung moves into the new versions of Android, later versions of both Samsung Apps and Gear Manager will install dependent apks in better locations.

    P.S. S-voice still does not work for me.
    View
    3
    M
    mpogr
    I've done all this today (kind of got to this independently myself and somehow ended up with an identical process on my HTC One M8). All is working well except alarm notifications on the Gear 2. I was able to receive notifications from GMail, Mail (HTC analogue of Google Exchange Email), phone calls and Messages (didn't try Hangouts, Skype, Viber and WhatsApp yet). However, no matter what I did, I couldn't get Clock Alarm notifications on the Gear. I did add the "Clock" app (the HTC one coming in the ROM) to the notification list in the Gear Manager, that didn't help. I even downloaded and tried a 3rd party Alarm app, and it didn't work either.
    Any suggestions?
    View
    3
    jamm513
    jamm513
    For who wants to downgrade the Gear Manager app, this is the Gear Manager v2.1.14071502, whit all the add-ons included. Please tell me if works.

    Download Link: https://mega.co.nz/#!dpJg3BSI!CbCSnpqTy2_FYV1JgRtZktddbLMF0h3IKceSCQQXtb0
    View
    3
    M
    mpogr
    Working/non-working summary

    Guys, I should probably elaborate on what is and isn't working in terms of integrated Gear/phone functions:
    • Alarms: don't work, plain and simple. I am in a desperate search for a LOCAL alarm app for the Gear, even thinking about writing one myself!
    • Making calls: works using dialer, from Contacts and using S Voice. However, the call is always transferred to the Gear first. You can transfer it back to the phone from the Gear or from the phone. However, if you also want to use Bluetooth headset (or in-car), you're out of luck. I implemented a workaround disconnecting the Gear and connecting to the earpiece using Tasker.
    • Receiving calls: works fine, except the answering device limitation above.
    • Browsing contacts: works fine. If you tap on the phone number, it makes a call straight away, without asking anything else (with Samsung it might be acting a bit more intelligently asking if you wanted to call or text). If you tap on email address, nothing happens (I'm assuming with Samsung it would allow you to send an email, more on this below).
    • Browsing schedule: works fine. On Samsung, you can select specific calendars to be displayed on the Gear in Gear Manager settings. On Sense devices like my M8, you can select calendars to be displayed in your Calendar app, this selection automatically propagates to the Gear. You can't change anything in the appointment. Not sure if this is different in any way on Samsung devices.
    • Messaging: for starters, you need to use stock Messaging app and not a substitute, e.g. Hangouts. Second, you can only send texts, and only to contacts. You can't see received texts (you can see content of received texts if you chose to receive notifications from Messaging app, but this is not the same as with using the texting app, which allows you to browse ALL of the text messages stored on your phone). To send a text message, tap on "Messages" on the Gear. You will see "No messages". If you SLOWLY drag the window from the top to the middle, an option of "Send message" will appear. You can tap on it, then it will allow you to select the contact. Then you will be able to either select a predefined template (I already posted on how to change those) or compose a message from a bunch of emoticons. S Voice doesn't work with non-Samsung Messaging app.
    • Email: this one simply doesn't work. It totally relies on Samsung emailing app and refuses to work with anything else. You can get notifications about incoming emails if you select "Gmail" and "Email/Mail" as 3rd party notification providers, and these would typically include the sender, subject and a couple of lines of text, but that's it. You totally depend on what your emailing application chooses to put in those notifications. You can neither browse past emails nor compose new ones. I'm assuming email composition on Samsung devices relies on S Voice.
    • S Voice: this one requires further investigation. As mentioned above, texting and emailing don't work. Web search is not supported either, I'm assuming this is true for Samsung devices as well. Calling, showing weather, appointments and contacts does work, as well as composing new appointments and meetings (but it doesn't send meeting invites if you add attendees to your meetings). I guess more research is needed to figure out what else is working.
    • Call logs: doesn't work, shows empty log. Again, you do get notifications about missing calls, but you can't browse any kind of call history.
    • Media Controller: seems to be fully working on Sense 6 devices, regardless of music app (tested with built-in Sense player as well as Poweramp).
    • Music Player: seems to be working with music stored on the Gear, including streaming to a Bluetooth headset. You can get music onto the Gear in two ways: either copy from the computer over USB or transfer directly from the phone using Gear Manager. I think, on Samsung, you can also play music stored on the phone directly, without prior copying it to the Gear. Not sure why this is a valuable function though...
    • Voice Memo: seems to be working locally on the Gear. When you finish recording the memo, it gets transferred to the phone and then, apparently, goes nowhere. I'm assuming on Samsung it's integrated with the Memo app and becomes available from there, either in audio and/or in text form.
    • Weather: doesn't even get installed on the Gear. This means both Weather app on the Gear and Weather watch faces are unavailable. A simple workaround is to ask S Voice "Show current weather", it basically displays the same information.
    • Exercise apps: there are 4 apps there: running, walking, biking and hiking. The former 2 seem to be working, while the latter 2 seem not to, because they rely on GPS info from the phone which doesn't get relayed on non-Samsung phones. The apps that are working seem to be quite crappy though.
    • Other fitness apps: Heart Rate, Pedometer and Sleep seem to be working. All these seem to be perfectly synchronising into Samsung account using Fitness for Gear app on the phone.
    • Editing text templates: Gear Manager crashes when you try to do that. I already published a way of working around this.
    • Changing watch wallpaper from Gear Manager crashes (it didn't in the previous versions). There is a simple workaround: choose the wallpaper on the watch. You can copy it over to the Gear using your computer over USB.
    • Gear Software Update crashes once in a while and fails to update the Gear firmware (again, was working fine in previous versions of the Gear Manager): install Kies 3 application on your PC and update your Gear firmware using it.
    • Find the Gear and Find the Device are working.
    • S Health doesn't work. Not sure if it has any added value for Gear owners on top of what Fitness for Gear has to offer.
    • S Voice installed on the phone as a part of this process (to enable S Voice functionality on the Gear) doesn't work on the phone. Not sure it has any value considering what Google Now has to offer.
    • Once Gear gets disconnected from the phone, it doesn't reconnect on its own (it does with Samsung phones). There is a simple workaround for this using Tasker.
    • Last but not least: installing apps from Samsung store seems to be working.
    That's it more or less. I didn't check "WatchOn" remote control app, but I read somewhere someone tested it and found working.

    @CarbonWyre: you probably would like to add these to the tutorial
    View

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