Gear S3 with the Android P

[coppertop24]

Is anyone using their Gear S3 with a phone running the Android P dev preview? Been trying to connect mine and it constantly force closes. Just want to see if it's just me or if it is a problem with the app not working with P.

 

[Jackz314]

You're not alone, I've contacted Samsung support several times about the incompatibility issue in their app, but it seems like nobody in Samsung cares, I either don't get responses at all, or they just tell me to wait for updates (which would probably take years considering how Samsung handles this kind of stuff.

BTW, in case you're wondering what went wrong, here's the error log I retrieved from Logcat:

** --------- beginning of crash
03-28 19:53:29.528 3377-3377/? E/AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
*** Process: com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager, PID: 3377
*** java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Failed resolution of: Landroid/content/pm/IPackageInstallObserver$Stub;
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.makeInstance(Unknown Source:6)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.getInstaller(Unknown Source:4)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.util.CleanupAsyncTask.onPreExecute(Unknown Source:40)
******* at android.os.AsyncTask.executeOnExecutor(AsyncTask.java:648)
******* at android.os.AsyncTask.execute(AsyncTask.java:595)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment.startCleanupTask(Unknown Source:28)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment.access$3100(Unknown Source:0)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment$13.handleMessage(Unknown Source:121)
******* at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)
******* at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:164)
******* at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6656)
******* at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
******* at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:438)
******* at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:823)
**** Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: Didn't find class "android.content.pm.IPackageInstallObserver$Stub" on path: DexPathList[[zip file "/data/app/com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager-ExhBUk2ofzT0Hwta2wDw9w==/base.apk"],nativeLibraryDirectories=[/data/app/com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager-ExhBUk2ofzT0Hwta2wDw9w==/lib/arm64, /system/fake-libs64, /data/app/com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager-ExhBUk2ofzT0Hwta2wDw9w==/base.apk!/lib/arm64-v8a, /system/lib64]]
******* at dalvik.system.BaseDexClassLoader.findClass(BaseDexClassLoader.java:125)
******* at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:379)
******* at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:312)
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.makeInstance(Unknown Source:6)*
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.getInstaller(Unknown Source:4)*
******* at com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.util.CleanupAsyncTask.onPreExecute(Unknown Source:40)*
******* at android.os.AsyncTask.executeOnExecutor(AsyncTask.java:648)*
******* at android.os.AsyncTask.execute(AsyncTask.java:595)*
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment.startCleanupTask(Unknown Source:28)*
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment.access$3100(Unknown Source:0)*
******* at com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager.setupwizard.HMConnectFragment$13.handleMessage(Unknown Source:121)*
******* at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)*
******* at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:164)*
******* at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6656)*
******* at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)*
******* at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:438)*
******* at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:823)*
****
****
*** --------- beginning of system (end of crash)

Seems like a stupid coding problem to me, and a fix would be pretty easy by just changing several lines, but unfortunately they don't seem to worry about problems in their apps, so... The choices are to wait, switch to Android Wear, or roll back to Android O.

 

[iHelp101]

I kept having this issue and finally realized the issue. Android deprecated the hidden API Samsung references (IPackageObserver). This hidden API only works if the app is a system app, so it is weird that Samsung has this. Maybe it makes the experience a little nicer on Samsung devices since everything can be done in the background, but when it causes crashes it is not ideal. All you need to do to resolve this issue is edit the smali file for com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.

The method makeInstance() needs changed to false (So it doesn't try hidden API). After that you will have to re-sign Samsung Gear, Accessory, and Plugin APK's because they use a shared user ID. One issue I noticed is due to having to re-sign the APK Samsung Pay was giving me issues. Hopefully Samsung resolves this issue soon.

 

[dsmitty166]

I kept having this issue and finally realized the issue. Android deprecated the hidden API Samsung references (IPackageObserver). This hidden API only works if the app is a system app, so it is weird that Samsung has this. Maybe it makes the experience a little nicer on Samsung devices since everything can be done in the background, but when it causes crashes it is not ideal. All you need to do to resolve this issue is edit the smali file for com.samsung.android.app.twatchmanager.packagecontroller.PackageControllerFactory.

The method makeInstance() needs changed to false (So it doesn't try hidden API). After that you will have to re-sign Samsung Gear, Accessory, and Plugin APK's because they use a shared user ID. One issue I noticed is due to having to re-sign the APK Samsung Pay was giving me issues. Hopefully Samsung resolves this issue soon.

Can you share the APK?

 

[Jackz314]

Can you share the APK?

I'm working on it, if nobody else shares it I'll try and upload it here.

 

[huskerpat]

Please do post it. I'm tempted to roll back if I can't get my watch working.

 

[julk13]

Did anybody test Samsung Gear with P Beta ?

 

[Djfrost]

DO NOT INSTALL ANDROID P IF YOU HAVE THE SAMSUNG GEAR APP ON YOUR PHONE.
Sorry didn't mean to yell but it will render your gears s3 a paper weight...and Samsung could care less

---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 PM ----------

Please do post it. I'm tempted to roll back if I can't get my watch working.

I have been trying to opt out of android P for 18 hours now...and got nothing. Getting ready to just do a warranty exchange.

---------- Post added at 01:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------

Did anybody test Samsung Gear with P Beta ?

don't do it...your gear smart watch or fitness device will become useless. Requested a rollback from Google back to android O 19 hours ago and haven't gotten it yet. Cant even sideload the previous android O.....

 

[Thealshear]

There is a way to get it working I did it with my pixel 2 xl on DP1 when it was released I flashed the factory image while removing the -w command from the script, this preserved my data and I was able to continue using my watch.

 

[samt3]

Just grab the Oreo image from Google and use fastboot to flash it. You might can even get by without having to factory reset the phone doing it that way if you just remove the "-w" from the fastboot command.

 

[huskerpat]

Just grab the Oreo image from Google and use fastboot to flash it. You might can even get by without having to factory reset the phone doing it that way if you just remove the "-w" from the fastboot command.

Don't think I can do that on a locked bootloader. Got a Verizon phone.

 

[samt3]

Yea your right. Forgot Verizon have there bootloaders locked down. My girlfriend had the original Pixel that ended up being the Verizon model. I ran into the exact same problem on her phone with the Oreo beta. The roll back kept failing to download. I think I ended up joining the beta and exiting it about 10 to 15 times before it successfully downloaded.

 

[TheUndertaker21]

i came here for that
tried to pair my watch but no P support yet

 

[fiffan86]

DO NOT INSTALL ANDROID P IF YOU HAVE THE SAMSUNG GEAR APP ON YOUR PHONE.
Sorry didn't mean to yell but it will render your gears s3 a paper weight...and Samsung could care less

---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 PM ----------



I have been trying to opt out of android P for 18 hours now...and got nothing. Getting ready to just do a warranty exchange.

---------- Post added at 01:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------



don't do it...your gear smart watch or fitness device will become useless. Requested a rollback from Google back to android O 19 hours ago and haven't gotten it yet. Cant even sideload the previous android O.....

My Tmo Gear s3 is working perfectly fine on my p2xl on android P, I had it setup before taking the P Beta OTA.

 

[keaheng]

Not working on Android p beta 2. Samsung does not give a f*** about their users.

 

[Patofety]

Samse issue here, it'd be good if there is an alternative app

 

[armada786]

Not working on Android p beta 2. Samsung does not give a f*** about their users.

Why would Samsung support software that is not meant for general use and aimed at developers? Google even warns you it is not to be used as a daily driver and all your software may not work. Stop being so entitled. Support for P will come in due time, probably during one of the later builds that finalize the APIs if the O preview was anything to go by.

 

[cpetersen2791]

My Tmo Gear s3 is working perfectly fine on my p2xl on android P, I had it setup before taking the P Beta OTA.

Mine worked too (including Samsung Pay), until i lost bluetooth connection, and to "re-pair". Couldn't reconnect without going back to Android O. Gear App kept crashing.

 

[jidccruz]

My Gear S3 is working fine with my Pixel XL with Android P DP2. All notifications and fitness related features are working. Also, Samsung Pay is working on the watch. The only problem is you cannot open Samsung Pay anymore in Gear app. It will only show "Installing Samsung Pay (Gear Plug-in)". Samsung store and Samsung health are both okay.

I came from Oreo 8.1 with Gear paired completely with my phone. I just opt in Android P DP2 and update it.

 

[Rosmith]

So is it if you already had everything set up it works fine on the beta?