How to change the watch resolution
The smartwatch screen is about 1.4 inches, there are applications especially those that you install outside the Play Store that are not optimized for Wear OS although they are functional. This implies that elements of the application interface are hidden because the screen is so small. For this there are some adb commands to temporarily modify the screen resolution (DPI) by following the following steps:
1. If you have not done it yet, follow the steps in the section '
Prepare watch for advanced functions '
2. On your computer, open a command window, for this in Windows type '
cmd' in the toolbar.
3. Then enter the following command to connect to the watch. It then accepts a message on the watch that allows the computer to connect.
Code:
adb connect watch_ip:5555
4. Now, is the step to change the density of pixels on the screen (DPI), type one of these commands:
Code:
adb shell wm density ---> To display the current screen density
adb shell wm density 180 ---> To apply a custom density, for example 180
adb shell wm density reset ---> To restore the default density of the watch
Considerations:
- Note that altering its DPI can cause the Google Play Store to incorrectly label the watch as incompatible when downloading apps. This is because developers limit the compatibility of their application based on the DPI value of a device. So if for any reason you get an error, all you have to do is go back to your original DPI and download the app again. Once you have installed the application, you can go back to its custom DPI.
- As an alternative to using ADB commands, you can change the screen density with Budjaeger app, via phone.
How to troubleshoot boot problems. Bootloader Mode and Recovery Mode.
In addition to the normal boot, there are two other system boot modes. Bootloader or Fastboot mode and Recovery mode. Both modes can be entered through combinations of the physical buttons or by using adb commands. Knowing these boot methods
can save you from a tricky situation where, for example, the screen is unresponsive or the watch is locked.
Bootloader mode can be entered by simultaneously holding down the 2 buttons until you feel a vibration, about 8 seconds and it will reboot into that mode, I don't know what the procedure is with 1 or 3 button watches. Recovery mode can be entered from the options offered in Bootloader mode.
You can also enter these 2 modes from a command line by typing "
adb reboot bootloader" or "
adb reboot recovery". Follow only the first 4 steps to enter these modes in the section below where I explain how to unlock the bootloader.
What is the Bootloader.
The Bootloader is like the BIOS on a PC computer. It is the first thing that is executed when the clock starts, from there the instructions to boot the kernel of the operating system are launched. The manufacturer, in this case, of the watch,
usually keeps this bootloader locked as a security measure, and it is basically to make sure that only the version of the operating system that he has created can be booted.
However, many watches (and Android devices) can be unlocked so that custom firmwares can be installed or the device can be rooted. For now,
this is not the case for the Ticwach Pro 3 as no effective way to root it has yet been discovered and no custom ROM has been created; however,
on the Ticwatch Pro there is a lot more movement, and in fact there is a
thread in forum where they explain how to flash an interesting custom ROM and root the watch, basically flashing from bootloader mode through the command line with ADB instructions. During the half year that I used this model I had flashed this ROM, it was clearly perceived a greater fluidity and a significant improvement in battery life. I recommend it for those who have enough knowledge to do it, I must say that if you unlock the bootloader, except in rare cases,
you lose the warranty, as this is a deep modification in the software. In fact, some android devices (I guess Wear OS watches too) have security mechanisms so that, even if we close the bootloader again, there is a record that this was previously opened, and with this data would be enough to not provide warranty. On the other hand, when you unlock the bootloader,
it resets the watch to factory state (factory reset) so your personal settings and apps that you had installed will be deleted, since important changes are made in the way the watch manages the boot.
In short, if you want to customize your watch as much as possible, unlocking the bootloader is a good option. On the contrary, if you want to use the original firmware and not take risks, it is better to leave it locked, to make sure that there is nothing "strange" at the level of deep system modifications. I reiterate that with the Ticwatch Pro 3 little you can do (for now) with the bootloader unlocked, in other watches for sure this is more advanced.
How to unlock the bootloader
- If you haven't done it yet, follow the steps in the "Prepare watch for advanced features" section of the first post.
- On the computer, open a command window, for this in Windows type "cmd" in the start bar.
- Then enter the following command to connect to the clock. Accept then a message on the clock that allows the computer to connect.
Code:
adb connect IP_of_watch:5555
- Now, it is the step to reboot the clock in bootloader mode.
- Already from bootloader mode will not work debugging via Wi-Fi, as the watch in this mode does not connect to the Wi-Fi network, it will only work with a USB cable. If you have already plugged in the cable, run any of the following commands (whichever works) to unlock the bootloader on your Wear OS watch.
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
OR
fastboot flashing unlock
- Press the top button on the watch to accept the bootloader unlock request, the watch will be formatted and rebooted back into bootloader mode. On the bottom line on the bootloader screen you should read "unlocked:yes" . Now you can reboot your watch in normal boot using the following command:
What can you do in Bootloader Mode?
Besides unlocking the bootloader, to root the watch and/or flash another ROM, from this mode you can choose several options. You scroll with the lower button and choose with the upper button.
- Recovery Mode - Logically enter recovery mode.
- Boot to FFBM - Factory Boot Mode. Resets the watch to factory settings although I didn't notice any difference compared to a normal boot on the Ticwatch pro 3.
- Enter Ship Mode - This is a low power state that prolongs battery life and protects the battery when there are extended periods of non-use. It appears to be used by the manufacturer in the stage prior to sale and shipment to the end user. You exit this state by pressing and holding the top button.
Also at the bottom of the screen it shows
key watch information such as the bootloader lock status or the serial number of the watch. Also, from bootloader mode you can use ADB commands like "
fastboot format userdata" to do a factory reset, or "
fastboot format cache" to clear the clock cache.
What is and what can you do in Recovery mode?
Recovery mode is exactly what its name suggests,
recovering the system in case of problems. Actually it is similar to Download mode, however the goal of Recovery mode is to fix problems with the system, Download mode is more focused on changing the system completely by flashing another ROM for example.
Recovery mode is entered from Download mode, once you have rebooted you will see an exclamation mark on the screen, press and hold the top button while swiping the screen with your finger from bottom to top. You will then see the Recovery mode with several options, you scroll the same as in Download mode, in this case it is also enabled touch scrolling. From the options I highlight "
Wipe data/Factory Reset" and "
Wipe cache partition" to remove personal settings and leave the watch as factory default, techniques that can solve some problems with the watch.
Functionality of Ticwatch Pro 3 buttons.
Wear OS devices predominantly use the touch screen for interaction, but physical buttons can also be used. Below I list the default functions of the Ticwatch Pro 3 buttons.
From normal mode:
- Top button short press (from essential screen): Activates AMOLED screen.
- Top button short press (from AMOLED screen): Opens app drawer.
- Top button long press: Activates Google Assistant.
- Top button double press: Increases screen brightness to maximum.
- Bottom button short press: Activates the application of your choice.
- Bottom button long press: Activates menu with different functions, such as speaker drain water, switch to essential mode and reboot/shutdown.
- Bottom button double press: Activates Google Pay (in countries that support it).
- Top button and Bottom button (simultaneous) long press: Take screenshot.
- Top button and Bottom button (simultaneous) long press (+ than 8 seconds): Reset in Bootloader mode.
.
From Essential mode (low power mode):
- Top button short press: Turn on/off display backlight.
- Top button long press: Reset watch.
- Bottom button short press: Measures heart rate.
Also with the help of a third party app,
Button Launcher, you can increase the functionality of these buttons, and you can program them to activate the apps or functions you want depending on the combinations of short presses and long presses you make.
For watches with 1 button, only two actions can be programmed:
- long press
- long press (2 times)
For watches with at least 2 buttons, up to eight actions are allowed to be programmed:
- Top button long press: You could replace the default (Google Assistant).
- Top button long press (2 times).
- Top button long press + Bottom button short press.
- Top button long press + Bottom button long press
- Bottom button short press
- Bottom button short press (2 times)
- Bottom button short press + top button long press
- Bottom button short press + Bottom button long press
Note: In order for you to configure combinations starting with the bottom button, you must select "Button Launcher" under Setting > Customization > Customize Hardware Buttons.
Measures to extend the battery life of watch
If you don't need...
- Adaptive brightness (auto brightness), you can turn it off in Settings > Display > adjust brightness, and adjust the brightness to an intermediate level. Remember, the brighter the screen, the more battery is used.
- "Tilt-to-Wake", you can disable it in Settings > Gestures, also from the Wear OS app of the phone. With this feature enabled when a notification arrives the screen lights up when you lift your wrist, if you disable this feature the notification will still arrive but will not be displayed on the screen until you turn it on with the button.
- "Touch to Wake", you can disable it in Settings > Gestures. With this feature enabled when a notification arrives the screen lights up when touches the screen, if you disable this feature the notification will still arrive but will not be displayed on the screen until you turn it on with the button.
- "always-on Screen", you can disable it in Settings > Display, also from the app Wear OS of the phone. By disabling this option the screen turns off when not in use, also in Ticwatch this feature is less necessary than in any other watch as it replaces the screen is completely off by a screen in essential mode so it would always show the time.
- "OK Google Detection", you can disable the option in Settings > Personalization. The Google Assistant can also be activated by pressing and holding the top button, or by sliding the watch face to the left.
- Wi-Fi connection, you can disable it in Settings > Connectivity > Wi-Fi. In this way you avoid that it is constantly looking for connection when you are not at home, or away from any Wi-Fi network you use, however Wear OS automates this issue, and disables it automatically if it is not necessary, for example, when it is connected by bluetooth to the phone disables the Wi-Fi connection.
- Notifications (or certain notifications) that appear on the watch, you can configure the notifications you do not need in the phone app "Wear OS by Google", in the option notifications. By default the watch constantly synchronizes all emails, messages and reminders, you can thus disable the notifications that you do not need to be notified by your watch.
- Background heart rate monitor (from Google Fit), you can disable it in the settings of Google Fit. If you do not have any cardiac pathology there is no reason to be measuring your pulse all day if you are not doing some kind of sport.
- Watch face with bright colors, animations or with various interactive capabilities, try another watch face. I recommend for low resource consumption Pixel Watch face.
In Mobvoi apps if you don't need to have activated...
Mobvoi, Fossil, Oppo, Xiami, etc. preinstall their own apps in their watches that complement Google applications, most are usually sports-oriented applications. Below I list monitors that act in the background in Ticwatch watches, however it can be extrapolated to the watches of other brands as they will have these monitors or similar.
- 24 hour Tracking (heart rate monitor): Same opinion as the Google Fit monitor. You can disable it in the settings of TicPulse.
- 24 hour automatic background monitoring (blood oxygen monitor): It makes oxygen saturation measurements every hour, in normal health conditions continuous monitoring is not necessary. There are leaks that in upcoming updates of Google Fit will implement a SpO2 monitor, for now there is no alternative. You can disable it in the settings of TicOxygen.
- 24 hour stress monitoring: Check stress level every half hour. You can deactivate it in the settings of TicZen.
- Automatic sport detection (TicMotion): Detects the activity you do according to the type of continuous movement you do for a few minutes. If you don't see it useful or you prefer to manually select the sport you are going to practice it can be disabled in the settings of TicExercise.
Other meassures:
- TicSleep: The application requires to have the heart rate monitor and the blood oxygen monitor activated to monitor while you sleep. From the app, in the settings you can customize the non-monitoring times for heart rate and blood oxygen, for example so that it only monitors at your usual sleep time.
- Do track in the "Wear OS by Google" phone app which apps are consuming the most battery. You see it in Advanced Settings > Watch Battery. It also gives you information on the estimated battery life remaining and a graph showing how it has been draining.
- Disabling Mobvoi's preinstalled apps, personally I don't use any of their health and fitness apps, I find more reliable for now, Google Fit (even though I have to do without SpO2 measurement). Disabling the apps I make sure they are not running in the background, another time I will expand information about this.
These are several measures that can help, however, there are no miracles, and if now it lasts 1 or 2 days at most and applying all the measures you will gain maybe 1 day more, it is not a super improvement if in return you have limited many of the functions that the watch can offer you. My advice would be a middle ground and that you will disable what you need the least, or that will interfere the least in your daily use of the watch.
Also you have to take into account the use that you give to the watch, if you daily monitor your workouts that you do, like running, walking, elliptical, etc, 1 hour for example, the battery will last much less than if you only use it to receive notifications. The old Nokia phone battery lasted several weeks, with the advent of smartphones you were forced to recharge the phone almost every day, hopefully every 2 or 3 days, because with the smartwatch is happening the same thing, we must be aware that the smartwatch consumes a lot of battery, and are not old casio that lasted you the watch battery years.
How to disable the Watch's Bloatware. Mobvoi applications.
The Ticwatch watches, and specifically the Ticwatch Pro 3 has preinstalled several health & fitness apps with which you can monitor your sports workouts and sleep cycles, as well as other apps to measure your stress level and ambient noise level. Also preinstalled on the watch are several watchfaces created by Mobvoi and other applications such as calculator, voice notes and an alternative to the Wear OS launcher. All of these apps are from Mobvoi.
To put this post in context, I give my opinion about Mobvoi apps:
- TicExercise in each update is improving but today I personally miscounts the distances in the workouts I do. In this case I use Google Fit and Runtastic although they are not perfect either, they lack for example to monitor blood oxygen (it seems that in future updates of Wear OS they will implement it in Google Fit) and of course a much more complete statistics.
- TicSleep, TicZen/TicBreathe and TicHearing, I do not use them either, in my case I do not need to monitor my sleep cycle, nor the level of stress I have, nor the level of ambient noise.
- TicHealth, TicPulse, TicOxygen, for what has been said in the two previous points are not necessary for me.
- The Mobvoi preinstalled watchfaces I don't like any of them.
- Calculator, voice memo and launcher are perhaps the only things I use from Mobvoi.
Those who regularly use apps to monitor their sports workouts with the phone already have a favorite (such as Strava, Runtastic, Google Fit and a few others). Many of us have used them with the phone and in the servers of these apps we have our history of records, so many of us want to use these apps on the watch, and here comes the question, why do you want all that "bloat" of Mobvoi if you do not use it, which in many cases is working in the background and consuming battery without giving any use.
To remedy this you can disable Mobvoi apps that you don't need. In the Ticwatch Pro 3 are preinstalled all you see in the list below. There are 20 packages.
They can be disabled in 2 ways, via ADB commands, or through the watch settings. In the table, the 1st column is how the application is identified when you use ADB commands, and the 2nd column is how it is identified from the watch settings.
Disable from watch Settings (note the considerations below).
Go to
settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info > System Apps. From there you can disable (and enable again) all the mobvoi apps I show in the box (second column), except
com.mobvoi.wear.mcuservice.aw and
TicSystem. These if you want to disable them will have to be through ADB commands.
Disable through ADB commands (note the considerations below)
- If you have not already done so, follow the steps in the "Prepare watch for advanced functions" section of the first post.
- On the computer, open a command window, for this in Windows type "cmd" in the start bar.
- Then enter the following command to connect to watch. It then accepts a message on watch that allows the computer to connect.
Code:
adb connect IP_of_watch:5555
.
- Now, it is the step to check which Mobvoi applications are installed. The -e parameter (will filter enabled applications) can be replaced by the -d parameter (disabled applications):
Code:
adb shell pm list packages -e mobvoi | sort
- To disable Mobvoi applications one by one (it does not uninstall), you can use the following command:
Code:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 <package_name>
Example:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.mobvoi.wear.fitness.aw
- If you would like to re-enable movboi apps, use the following commands:
Code:
adb shell pm list packages -d mobvoi | sort
adb shell pm enable <package_name>
Considerations:
- Disabling these apps will not damage the watch in any way. You will simply lose access to the services they provide, which, if you don't need or use them you won't care. You also prevent any personal data or metrics from being collected by Mobvoi.
- I recommend NOT disabling com.mobvoi.wear.mcuservice.aw. If you disable it it will not go into essential mode when restarting the watch. Doing tests I check when I disable this package it enters in essential mode but when I reboot it doesn't, the package was kept in RAM memory.
- If you want to keep the secondary button menu (when you long press), do not disable com.mobvoi.wear.system.aw and com.mobvoi.wear.mcuservice.aw.
- If you also want to keep the water draining function from the right-click menu of the previous item, do not disable com.mobvoi.wear.fitness.aw.
- If you want to keep the animation shown on watch when you charge watch, do not disable com.mobvoi.wear.system.aw. If you disable it, it will charge anyway, it is only aesthetic, you can install as an alternative Wear Charging Widget, it applies a nice animation when you charge the watch.
- If you want to keep TicMotion (Automatic sport detection), don't disable com.mobvoi.wear.health.aw and com.mobvoi.wear.fitness.aw.
- If you disable TicSleep, and you are interested in monitoring your sleep cycles, there is an alternative app that is highly recommended, Sleep as Android.
- If you disable LauncherTic, the default Wear OS launcher will run (you can test this by disabling "Enable other launcher" in Settings > Customization).
- If you disable Watchface, you can install other watch faces from the play Store, I recommend some in the "Watch Faces from the Play Store that I like" section of the first post.
- If you do a factory reset all mobvoi apps will be re-enabled, and I think when you update the firmware as well (I haven't checked yet). However, the disabling process is done in a few minutes.
- On some watches the performance should be considerably improved. I must say that the Ticwatch Pro 3 is a performance monster, and not at all Mobvoi apps affect its performance, maybe other watch models with more limited performance.
- More info on this at this XDA thread.
How to use Google Pay with unsupported banks.
As of today, Google Pay has spread in most of Europe, USA, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and some countries in Asia such as India and Japan, and in each of these countries there are banks that are compatible with Google Pay contactless payment and others that are not (
here complete list of banks by country), for example, in Spain which is the country where I live, there are many banks that have already joined Google Pay. If you are a customer of one of the supported banks you can easily add your credit and debit cards to Google Pay and pay from your phone or watch without problems but unfortunately, there are 2 major banks (and several more minority ones) that currently do not support Google Pay payments, these are CaixaBank and Banco Santander.
What happens to cards issued by entities such as these that have not joined Google Pay? In principle, you might think that there is nothing to do but, fortunately, there is a solution.
Basically it is to use a debit card that does support payments with Google Pay, and that you can associate with your usual debit card. In other words,
it consists of having the card act as a "bridge" between your bank and Google Pay. It is an interesting option, since it does not imply having to become a customer of another bank or accept their conditions if you become a customer (in some cases, having a minimum amount of money in your current accounts or having your salary paid directly into your bank account). In European countries there is a solution, which is not associated with traditional banks, supports Google Pay and serves perfectly as a bridge, it is the
Curve card. If you check the
list of supported banks by country you will see that it is compatible in almost all European countries, in fact this card operates in 31 European countries. If Curve is not integrated in your country, either inside or outside Europe, investigate the compatible cards in your country from this list in case there is an alternative such as N26, Revolut, Monzo, etc.
In the case of the Curve Mastercard, it is a physical card that is sent to your home free of charge and is not associated with any bank account, but with one or more credit/debit cards that you own. Therefore, once received at home, you must activate the card in the mobile app and then upload the cards you want to associate with Curve. When you pay with the Curve card, the charge is made to the card you have chosen at any given time. Now if you want to make payments through Google Pay you just have to add it as any other since as I said before the Curve card is supported by Google Pay. Every time you use Google Pay to pay with the Curve card, the charge is made to the card you have associated.
Here more info about the Curve card and here with an
explanatory video.
Although I consider that the great advantage is that you can use the card with non-compatible banks, the Curve card also has other advantages:
- You can choose which of your VISA or Mastercard you want to pay with, by using the Curve Mastercard, you no longer need to carry the other cards in your wallet.
- You can withdraw money from any ATM without commission (up to 10 times a month).
- If you are traveling, you can withdraw money from any international ATM without commission (up to £200 / 220€) and you can also pay in foreign currency without commission (up to £500 / 550€ per month).
- If you lose it you can block the card instantly from the mobile app.
- The card is free, you don't pay anything for registration or maintenance and they don't charge commissions for making payments with it.
Steps to link your card to the Curve card, and then add it to Google Pay.
- Follow the steps to open a free account on curve here.
- Now to add it to Google Pay, open Google Pay on the watch.
- Tap "Add card" and the setup will continue on the phone.
- Tap on the card already set up on the phone, or "Add a new card" if it had not yet been set up on the phone.
- Click "Enter details manually" to enter your card number, CVC and validity date.
- Enter your billing address and phone number, then press "Save".
- Read and accept the "Issuer Terms and Conditions".
- Finally, you will have to choose a verification system for the bank to verify your identity. By default the SMS option is checked, so make sure your number is correct and continue. When you receive the message, enter the code and that's it, you will have the card configured in the watch.
Note: When paying for a purchase, if Contactless payment asks you for a PIN, always enter the one you have with the bank card, not the unlock code of the watch.
How to use Google Pay in unsupported countries such as Iceland, Slovenia, Mexico, Israel or Turkey.
There are several countries in the world that support Google Pay for contactless payments,
Here the list of countries supported to use Google Pay on phones and
here the countries supported to use Google Pay on smartwatch (much less). Users in many countries are unable to use Google Pay because they do not yet have official support for Google Pay. Google has informed that in the coming months they will support 26 countries in additionfrom the 11 countries currently supported. Although there is a workaround for this, basically it is to bypass Google's verification of the country you are in based on the IP address which causes Google Pay app to be hidden in seconds if used in an unsupported country. Therefore, to avoid this you need an IP address of a supported country, for this you use a proxy or a VPN, so you can pay in any country where the merchant has Contactless payment. For a much more extensive info and considerations about the trick enter
here, basically the steps to follow are as follows:
- Download the app Permanent Proxy from this link and install it on the watch. The app is designed for Wear OS devices and allows anyone to use Google Pay in regions where it is normally blocked.
- Go to Settings > system > About and tap "Build number" multiple times until you see a message that says "you are now a developer". Next go to Settings > developer options and enable "ADB debugging" and "Debug over bluetooth".
- Run Permanent Proxy app, it will ask for permissions, accept "always allow".
- Now create a personal proxy service that is reliable and avoid changing the IP address frequently, for example in Google Cloud.
- Enter the IP address and port of the proxy you created, and enable it. Después de habilitar el VPN/proxy, sal de la aplicación, dale a tu reloj algo de tiempo y luego vuelve a verificar en la aplicación de proxy permanente para ver si tu IP externa ha cambiado a la que ingresaste como proxy. Si es así, buen trabajo, ¡estás conectado!
- Disable W-Fi on the watch. Don't download Google Pay on your watch. It should enable itself. If it doesn't do it automatically, download Play Sore from Play Store.
Considerations:
- Proxy services can be found online and can be from any country. However, make sure you completely trust the proxy you chose before you enter it. It is possible that all your watch data will be sent through that proxy, including sensitive data, so act at your own risk. It is recommended that you create your own proxy. This can be easily done using Google Cloud (trial version).
- An alternative to "Permanent Proxy" is to use a VPN on the phone that routes Internet traffic from the Wear OS app on the phone through it. To make it work you have to disable WiFi on the watch, only use Bluetooth connection and keep the VPN on the phone always on.
- "Permanent proxy" may not work if the watch is connected directly to the Internet (watches with eSIM).
- There's no relation between GPay for phones and GPay for Wear OS. if there is an official support for given country it is not ( and for many EU countries it is the case) always valid for watches.
- Only bank cards that you can use to pay with your phone in stores can be added to Google Pay on your watch. This means you will need a card from a country supported by Google Pay.
- GPay app is installed by default on the watch, but it is hidden for the countries without official support. Don't download Google Pay on your watch. It should enable itself. If you disable Wi-Fi on the watch and start a VPN on your phone, the app should appear in a while.
- You can make your watch refresh its Google Pay availability check in two ways.: Either by setting the IP/port again in the Permanent Proxy app, or by tapping "Home App" in Settings > System > About > Versions.
- Even if you are using "Permanent proxy", sometimes GPay is disabled after update of some related Google apps, Services framework, Play services, Google main app. In this case manual install of this Google Pay (Wear OS) app version and after watch restart it appeared again.
- Free VPNs may work, but they usually stop working within a couple of days if they work at all.
- If Google Pay does not work, delete Google Pay data in the watch settings. Also try to delete updates.
- Google Pay will work if you see the icon in the quick settings of the watch.
- "Permanent proxy" only works for IPv4 networks. If you are on a network that uses IPv6, in theory, Google can still verify which country you are in. Turn off WiFi if necessary.
- Uninstalling the proxy permanently will not stop the proxy. Stop the proxy using the application before uninstalling it, or stop the proxy using the ADB command below.
Code:
adb shell settings delete global http_proxy
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_host
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_port
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_exclusion_list
adb shell settings delete global global_proxy_pac_url
adb shell reboot
- For more information go to the original XDA thread here.
How to take long screenshots with the Wear Stitch tool.
If you want to take an long screenshot, showing an entire conversation or menu, you can do it with the help of adb and a Python script called Wear Stitch. This tool takes a screenshot, scrolls a bit, takes another screenshot and so on until it reaches the end of the screen. It then performs some image processing to combine the screenshots into one
Previous requirements:
- Install Pyhon on the computer. Download it here.
- Follow the steps in the "Prepare watch for advanced features" section of the first post.
- Download the Wear Stitch tool here, and unzip the zip. It is an open source Python script that is available on GitHub.
Steps:
- On the computer, open a command window and change to the directory where you saved the wear_screenshot_stitch script.
- If you haven't done it yet, install the Pillow library in Python with the following command
- Then enter the following command to connect to the watch. It then accepts a message on the watch that allows the computer to connect.
Code:
adb connect IP_of_watch:5555
- Now to run the script and be able to make long snapshots, enter the following command:
Code:
python ./wear_screenshot_stitch.py --round
Here you have more info to modify the command parameters. If everything went well, the script will start taking screenshots while scrolling the watch screen. When it has a few screenshots ready, it joins them all into a final image which is an long image. The process may take a few minutes.
Conclusions on the current state of the Wear OS catalog.
For some time now, on the Reddit forum there has been uploaded a spreadsheet where all the models (I think) of watches with Wear Os that have been launched on the market since its inception are recorded (and have been recorded). Click
here to see it. If it is true that some information is missing, but it gives you a clear picture of how Wear OS has been doing since it launched in 2014. Now that it looks like Wear OS
is going to turn around in a few months thanks to its partnership with Samsung I've been taking a look at this log and have come to some quick conclusions.
Does anyone draw any interesting conclusions from this database?.
- Since June 2014 some 125 models of watches have been released.
- There are 25 brands that are currently launching or have launched watches with Wear OS. These can be structured into 3 groups:
- Technology companies such as Mobvoi, Huawei, OPPO and Xiaomi.
- Watch manufacturers such as Fossil, Misfit, Skagen, Casio, Polar and Suunto.
- Fashion brands such as Diesel and Emporio Armani
.
- Fossil has released 17 models with Wear OS, the last one launched in January 2021, Fossil Gen 5. The watch brands Skagen and Misfit also belong to Fossil, and Fossil also manufactures under license for fashion brands such as Diesel, Emporio Armani, Puma, Michael Korps, Kate Spade NY and Tory Burch so the Fossil group would currently be the manufacturer of 40% of the models of watches with Wear OS that exist in the market.
- The first watch with Wear OS (Android Wear at the time) was LG G Watch model launched in June 2014, and the first watch with Android Wear 2.0 was LG Watch Sport, launched in February 2017. I don't think this trend will continue, it looks like the first watch with Wear 3.0 will be a Samsung.
- Interestingly, Samsung launched in June 2014 a watch with Wear OS, Samsung Gear Live, along with LG G Watch, as a presentation to the world of Android Wear at Google I/O 2014 and never again. It focused on its own operating system, Tizen.
- The vast majority of Wear OS watches have been manufactured with round dial, only a few models such as the Xiaomi Mi Watch and OPPO Watch have been manufactured with a square dial, they are also among the few that carry a custom layer of Wear OS, MIUI and ColorOS respectively.
- Only 13 watches allow to activate eSIM or NanoSIM and thus have autonomy with respect to the phone to receive internet signal. Some of them are Fossil Gen 5, OPPO Watch 2, Xiaomi Mi Watch and Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 3.
- Only 3 watches have the Qualcomm SnapDragon Wear 4100 processor: Ticwatch Pro 3, Ticwatch E3 and Oppo Watch 2 (last 2 aren't visible in the spreadsheet, they have been launched recently). The most powerful on the market for Wear OS for now, actually the current watch catalog is divided between Snapdragon 2100 and 3100. Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will have an Exynos W920 processor, which seems to improve the efficiency of Snapdragon 4100.
- If I had to choose 1 or 2 of the most representative watches (in my opinion) by each of the top brands it would be:
- Mobvoi: Ticwatch Pro, Ticwatch Pro 3.
- Fossil: Fossil Sport, Fossil Gen 5
- Skagen: Skagen Falster 2, Skagen Falster 3
- Misfit: Misfit Vapor 2
- Suunto: Suunto 7
- Polar: Polar M600
- Casio: Casio Pro Trek
- Xiaomi: Xiaomi Mi Watch
- Oppo: Oppo Watch
- Huawei: Huawei Watch 2
What is the best app for running, cycling and hiking routes?
Ghostracer is the best app currently available on Wear OS to monitor your running or cycling (also trekking or hiking) workouts. I consider that it is currently way ahead of other apps for Wear OS maintained by big sports brands like
Nike Run Club,
Adidas Running o
Strava. These apps and others designed for hiking (which I will talk about later) such as
Locus Map ,
Oruxmaps ,
komoot o
Outdooractive have fantastic versions on Android, but their Wear OS versions suck, they barely get the attention of these companies. Ghostracer is developed by someone who uses Wear OS watches. and it shows,
gives the feeling of running all at once with a better sports watch. The app is developed by an active British Wear OS watch user who updates it frequently. The app is not new, in fact, it was released for Wear OS a few years ago, in 2014, so it is very refined.
Personally, to an app for running, cycling or hiking with the watch
I ask at least three conditions, that is, that it is
autonomous from the phone, that it
supports offline maps and that it can
follow routes with GPX files. Ghostracer meets these and more:
- It is optimized for use from the phone, and from the watch, even standalone from the phone. Using the application from the watch does not require a GPS signal from the phone, nor does it require carrying the phone with you or having an Internet connection.
- You can download offline maps from MapBox Maps, both on your phone and on your watch (Premium version only).
- Allows you to view/track routes on the map (even offline).
- You can navigate with maps from Google Maps or Mapbox.
- You can add GPX files from your phone to follow the marked route also from the watch on the map.
- The information displayed on the watch screen (fully customizable) is clearly visible when you train. Up to 6 fields of information can be displayed per screen. Provides a lot of training data, more than 40 parameters that you can view in real time.
- Allows you to automatically upload your workouts to Strava, SmashRun or RunKeeper.
- Allows you to export your workouts in GPX or TCX format.
- You can compete against virtual opponents (Ghosts) through Strava segments or GPX files.
- Compatible with Bluetooth and ANT+ accessories such as speed, heart rate, cadence and power sensors. It is also compatible with the Wahoo RFLKT Bike GPS.
Ghostracer has a
free version, which is fully functional
and another premium version, which I recommend, as it has a one-time payment of
€3.49, but it activates in the free version, 3 very interesting features
- Allows you to download offline maps from Mapbox Maps to create a truly offline experience both on the phone and on the watch, for me the most essential feature of these 3, which just for that alone already deserves to buy the premium version. If you really use the app in places where there is always internet, the free version is enough.
- Allows you to enable unlimited ghosts per activity (the free version only allows two ghosts).
- Allows you to add more screens on the watch (the free version only allows 3 screens).
I. Installation and setup.
- Install Ghostracer from the Play Store on your Android phone and Wear OS watch.
- Make sure the phone is paired to the watch via Bluetooth.
- On the watch, open the app and grant location and sensor permissions. Swipe to the right to enter the settings window:
- Select standalone or paired mode, whether you want the training to be synchronized on the watch and on the phone at the same time, or not. If you choose standalone mode, the sensor settings are enabled.
- You can choose the type of training (running or cycling). You can also download offline maps to the watch that must be previously downloaded to the phone.
- In the display settings, select whether you want to keep the display on permanently or not. If you have a Ticwatch with the TFT display it gives compatibility problems, so I recommend selecting for these cases "Display always on" and then restart.
4. On the phone, open the app and grant location permissions. Go to settings (top right):
- Select the type of activity you want between running and cycling, if you select running it is also valid for hiking or trekking activities.
- Fill in your personal data (age, maximum heart rate, etc).
- If you have it, link your Strava, Smash Run or RunKeeper account, this way your workouts will be uploaded to your account.
- In sensors option, you can connect for example your chest heart rate monitor.
- In display option, you can customize the workout information display with your phone as you like.
- In Map option select the type of map between Google Maps and Mapbox and the style (Satellite, offroad, Streets, etc). From here you can also download offline maps.
- In Android Wear option, you can customize the watch screen with a multitude of options, for example the font size of the screen and force the use of the GPS of the watch. I recommend looking at this option carefully, and adapt it to your needs.
II. Description of Ghostracer on the watch.
When you open the app on the watch, you will see several options by swiping from top to bottom:
- Main Screen: From this screen, you will be able to start/stop the training. You can also see the quality of the GPS signal (other apps just report and if there is GPS coverage or not).
- Training information screen: Sliding screens from left to right you will be able to see in real time, distance run, race pace, heart rate and your position on the map. From here you can choose the parameters that best suit you among more than 40 alternatives.
- Ghosts screen: From this screen you can choose the virtual opponent of your choice, such as a GPX file, a Strava segment or a custom interval. In order for you to select them, you must add them from the phone.
III. How to use Ghostracer for hiking and trekking.
Until a while ago I used Viewranger as a hiking app on my watch, but shortly after it was bought by Outdooractive they deactivated the app. The truth is that there are not too many alternatives that are similar, however I consider Ghostracer and although it is not a specific app for hiking, it is the one that best meets my needs.
A. ADD ROUTES TO THE WATCH AND FOLLOW THEM.
Before following a route, you have to get it and add it to the app.
- Get the track of the route to follow, for example, from a Wikiloc route that you download. The track must be in GPX format (not KMZ). To download Wikiloc tracks from your phone in GPX format, log into Wikiloc from the browser and search for a wikiloc route, inside the web page click the green "Download" button, select the "file" tab and finally "download".
- On the phone, start Ghostracer click on "+" at the top and then on "GPX file". Select the GPX file you have downloaded from Wikiloc and finally click on "Add Ghost".
- On the watch, open the app and swipe to the "Ghosts" screen, click on the icon to update and select the GPX track.
- The track is now displayed on the map, on the watch start the workout (not mandatory to follow the route, go to the workout info screen and swipe right until you see the map, this way you can follow the route on the watch (also simultaneously on the phone if you wanted to).
B. CONSIDERATIONS WHEN FOLLOWING A ROUTE.
- What is a track? A track is a record of the itinerary where you have moved. Within the track it contains statistics such as length, speed and elevation.
- You can see the location where you are on the map. View the route itinerary on the map, and zoom and pan the maps.
- While following a route, you can start, pause or stop the activity.
- When recording the route you can view live route statistics such as distance traveled, trip duration, altitude, total ascent, walking speed and heart rate.
- When you finish following a route, go to the main screen and select "Stop".
- Here is a video generated by the app developer explaining how to add offline maps to the watch.
IV. Alternatives to Ghostracer for hiking.
There are not really too many alternatives, and none of them meets all the conditions (offline maps, independent of the phone, follow GPX routes and free), however there are several interesting apps besides Ghostracer:
I have omitted in the comparison
Outdooractive and
Komoot. In the case of Outdooractive you pay a monthly subscription which means that you would pay up to €60 per year! and in the case of Komoot you pay for having maps of regions (very few square kilometers in each region), if you make a bike route, and you leave that region, which is very easy, you will have to pay for another region. Each region has a cost (except the first one), which means that if you do long routes when you realize you have spent 30 or 40 euros in maps. As I don't like this business model, and I'm not willing to pay so much money, I haven't tested them and that's why they are not in the comparison, the others are because I have tested them personally.
From the comparison of this type of apps on Wear OS I think it can be extracted that:
- If you just want to see your position on an offline map without depending on the phone, the most appropriate is Wristmap (Free) and GPS Navigation (paid).
- If you want to see your position on an offline map without depending on the phone and also follow GPX routes, the most appropriate are Ghostracer (paid) and Standalone Wear Maps (paid).
V. What Ghostracer needs to improve.
Although Ghostracer is the one I like the most among the running and hiking apps for Wear OS, it's not perfect, especially for hiking (I know, the developer didn't create it for that). Although it is not essential (for me) I would ask for future updates that:
- Enable a button to add Waypoints when I am recording the route or training.
- Upload training logs to Google Fit.
- That when I click on my location on the map it shows me the UTM coordinates of where I am.
- When starting a route provide navigation instructions, i.e. 'at 10m turn left' and similar.
- Fix bug on Ticwatch watches with TFT screen, probably there is some incompatibility with this type of screens. Ghostracer's display settings prevent the secondary display from being activated and it stays black, and you can only reboot to see the screen content again.
How to take photos/videos remotely on your phone with a Wear OS watch.
Among some uses for Wear OS watches is to "take photos" remotely. Wear OS watches do not have cameras, but they
can act as a remote shutter to take a picture with your phone's camera and even a real-time viewer that what the phone's camera sees, that is, as long as they are paired via bluetooth phone and watch, that is, as long as the bluetooth signal reaches it.
I. USES:
What is this function for? Imagine you want to take a picture with you in it, you could place your phone on a tripod or other place, aim, then enter the frame with your companions watching it from the watch screen and press the shutter release of photos or videos from the watch. Another function would be that you can watch and monitor your baby or pet while you are in another room of your house; or watch in dark and hard to reach places like a car engine.
II. METHODS:
Currently, there are four ways to use Wear OS to turn your watch into a phone camera viewer.
- If you own a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy S/Note phone (WearOS 3 only) you can control the camera from the watch without the need for third party apps by using Google's app, Google Camera (v6.1 or higher). The moment you open Google Camera on the phone, the watch will display a new card called "Remote". If you touch it, the screen of your watch will become a viewfinder of what you see through the phone's camera, from the watch you can also set a timer (self-timer) so that for example you have time to position yourself since you press the shutter release on the watch or switch from front to rear camera, or vice versa.
- If you don't have a Google Pixel or a Samsung Galaxy S/Note, or want more control over the settings from the watch there are third-party apps that also show a preview of what the phone's camera sees on the watch and in addition, you can adjust from the watch itself the zoom, exposure, flash, switch between the main camera and selfie, take photos with timer (self-timer). You just need to launch the app from the watch and it will be able to take pictures even when your phone screen is off. Currently, there are several Android camera apps that can "talk" to Wear OS watches such as Wear Camera, Camera One, Wrist Camera, PixtoCam and Camera Remote Wear.
- Owners of Galaxy Watch 4 watches along with any Samsung phone (does not work with other phones) have another method and that is through a camera app integrated into the watch. Just install (if you don't already have it installed) the Samsung Camera Controller app and that's it. The app like Google Camera or third-party apps has real-time viewer of what is seen by the phone camera, but has the disadvantage that the phone screen must be unlocked and turned on, otherwise it will not work.
- All three of the above methods have a built-in viewfinder of what is seen by the phone's camera, and other sophisticated elements like adjusting zoom, flash exposure etc, but if you just want a method to use the watch as a simple remote shutter button for your favorite camera app via bluetooth use a app to automate tasks like Macrodroid. An explanation of this method is given below.
III. COMMON CONSIDERATIONS:
- Regardless you use Google camera, or another third party app it is necessary for it to work to install the phone version on the phone, and the watch version on the watch and preferably from the Play Store the 2 versions.
- To work properly you must disable the power saving feature for the app on the phone, so that it works in the background. This permission is needed because some phones cono Nokia, Huawei, OnePlus and Xiaomi "kill" this app completely when not in use.
- This app needs at least these permissions to work properly: Camera permission, Storage permission (to save photos/videos on your phone) and Microphone permission (when recording a video).
- Be it Gooogle Camera, or be it a third-party app, these are capable of taking photos and videos even when your phone's screen is off, this means you can go completely unnoticed while taking photos and videos.
- The disadvantage of the third party apps of the second method is that it does not use your camera app to take the picture but only uses the APIs of the phone's camera so the settings you would have adjusted in the camera app (exposure, contrast, filters, flash, etc) are not taken into account. The photo will be taken with the factory default settings.
- Live streaming works as long as you are in Bluetooth range.
- A small preview of the final image appears on the watch screen, while the actual image will be stored on the phone.
- If the preview has some lag in the image transmission, Restart the watch.
- For Sony Xperia users, disable the STAMINA mode, if you want to take a picture with the screen off (Settings > Power management > STAMINA mode).
- All third-party apps for these purposes that I know of (and that I list below) are either paid or with in-app purchases integrated within the free app (with limited features). All of them are currently working properly (at least in TWP3) and have been updated recently. The paid versions can be tried for free if a refund is requested within 48 hours of installation, and some of the ones with in-app purchases give you a trial period to try and buy later. The prices to receive the full versions are around 1€ to 3€ (in europe), so it is not a big outlay to have all the possible features they offer. Perhaps the most complete if you do not want to pay anything is Wrist Camera.
How to take photos/videos remotely on your phone with a Wear OS watch (only bluetooth shutter button).
In the previous section I explained three methods I know of for taking photos from a distance depending on the watch and phone you have. These three methods add in the watch a real time viewer of what is seen by the phone camera and other sophisticated elements like adjusting from the watch zoom, flash, exposure, etc, but
if you just want a method to use the watch as a simple remote shutter button for your favorite camera app via bluetooth use a app to automate tasks like Macrodroid.
Macrodroid allows you to automate a myriad of tasks on any Android phone, it's a great app if you're looking to get the most out of your phone. The free version is limited to only 5 macros but
it is a very easy to use application (unlike tasker for an initiated user). I use it among other things to activate the flashlight with a shake when I'm in the dark, when I go to work the phone is put on silent, on holidays from Monday to Friday turn off the alarm clock, when I enter the car plays music and runs the road navigator and radar detector.
In addition Macrodroid is compatible with Wear OS and you can press on the watch to take a picture or record a video from the phone remotely. To get the latter follow the steps below:
- Make sure the watch is connected to the phone.
- On the phone, install Macrodroid. You will need to accept different permissions for it to work properly.
- On the watch, install Macrodroid.
- Now from the phone app click "Add macro".
- At the top enter a name for the macro, for example "Take photo".
- Under Triggers, press "+" and select "Android Wear" under Connectivity and then select the appropriate icon.
- Under Actions, press "+" and select "UI Interaction" under Device Actions. Then select "click", then "Identify app". Next open the camera, and before pressing the camera shutter, click on the UI interaction notification.
- Save the macro and open Macrodroid on the watch. You will see the macro you have created there, now just click on it and if everything went well it will take the picture.
This would be a basic macro setup for taking a photo from your favorite phone camera app.
A more advanced macro would be the capture macro.
Your explanation of what the macro does would be this:
Once you press the button from the watch, if the camera app is not open it will open it, once open and if you press the watch button again, it informs you to position yourself for the photo and will start a 3 second timer, finally it will take the photo by tapping on the phone shutter button for you.
CONSIDERATIONS IN MACRODROID METHOD:
- Unlike third-party apps this method takes photos from your camera app with the settings you have defined.
- All macros containing the "Android Wear" trigger are displayed in the Macrodroid app on the watch.
- If you have video mode selected in the camera when you run the macro, it will record video instead of taking photos.
- To work properly Macrodroid you must disable the power saving feature for the app on the phone, so that it works in the background. This permission is needed because some phones such as Nokia, Huawei, OnePlus and Xiaomi "kill" this app completely when not in use.
What is known about water protection on Ticwatch Pro 3 and Ticwatch E3.
I. What does Mobvoi say?
That it has IP68 resistance and is suitable for swimming in pools. Having IP68 resistance implies that it is protected against dust (no dust would enter under any circumstances) and against water (it can be fully and continuously submerged to a depth and for the maximum time determined by the manufacturer). When Mobvoi's support team has been asked how long the watch can be in the water, they have replied that it has no time limit for swimming in a freshwater pool. They have also expanded on the information about use in activities where it is in contact with water: It can be used for swimming, handwashing (exposure of the watch to soap should be minimized), sweating or when it rains. Avoid placing it under hot water, soap, detergent and seawater. In addition, they mean that it is not suitable for showering, diving, water-skiing and activities in deep water and/or high speed water movement (waves, waterfalls, high pressure water guns...).
So, and as far as water protection is concerned, you can submerge it (i.e. you can wear it swimming in a freshwater pool) but it is not protected against short range high pressure, high temperature jets, e.g. when showering, as water could enter the internal components if it is receiving jets of water directly. When swimming in a pool it clearly specifies swimming, that implies that it would not be protected when diving in a freshwater pool beyond the depth that the watch would be when swimming, i.e. less than one meter deep. Among the 100 sports modalities available in TicExercise app, the only aquatic modality available is swimming.
II. What about Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra?
This model, in addition to having IP68 resistance and is suitable for swimming in a pool, has MIL-STD-810G military certification. This means that according to performance tests created by the U.S. Department of Defense, the watch can also withstand harsh environmental conditions. Mobvoi has not reported what tests it has passed, therefore, I consider it to be more of a marketing move than actually providing ruggedness to the watch. It should be known that it is sufficient to pass only one of the 29 tests to obtain MIL-STD-810 certification, so it could for example have passed the test on sudden temperature changes, but not have passed the test on resistance to rain, to give an example.
III. What are the adverse effects if water gets into the watch?
The least protected parts that prevent water from entering the watch are the microphone hole on the right side, the speaker holes on the left side and above all the barometric sensor hole at the bottom of the watch. It seems that the hole is protected by a felt membrane, which can retain water, but not for a long time and not under a lot of pressure. There is practically no possibility of water entering through the joint that joins the body with the back cover where the sensors are, since it has an adhesive sealant around the circumference.
The case that if water enters very probably the internal components will be affected, probably condensers oxidize and start doing strange things like:
- Flashing battery indicator on the FSTN display even though the watch is fully charged.
- Battery discharging very fast
- Heart rate and oxygen sensors randomly stop working.
- Starts vibrating non-stop.
- It constantly decalibrates, and you have to continually unlock it when the screen turns off.
IV. What possible solutions are there?
I think that if the sensors are failing because water has reached the internal components I think there is practically no solution, other than replacement, however, here are some solutions that have been described and have worked for some users:
- Drain the speaker hole on the right side, to do this press and hold the bottom button, then from the menu select "Speaker Drain", Repeat 2-3 times, you might see some water droplets coming out of the speaker holes.
- Enter Ship Mode, to do this you must enter bootloader mode by simultaneously holding down the 2 buttons until you feel a vibration, about 8 seconds and it will reboot into that mode. Once inside, select "Enter Ship Mode" with the lower button and accept with the upper button. "Ship mode" is a low power state that prolongs battery life and protects the battery when there are extended periods of non-use. It seems to be used by the manufacturer in the stage prior to sale and shipment to the end user. You exit this state by pressing and holding the top button. Eventually it will restart.
- Another possible solution is to drain the battery completely and then recharge it. This may cause the sensors to start working again.
- Most of the time, only the back cover of the watch is affected, as this is where the heart rate sensor and barometric sensor are located. A solution would be to replace the back cover, however, no replacement parts are being sold for Ticwatch (at most the replacement battery), you could look in the second hand market for the same broken model that is sold for replacement parts, however, it is always a risk as it could also be damaged the replacement back cover.
- If you can still take advantage of the warranty period, and you have purchase invoice, you could request replacement to Mobvoi directly. I have read from users who generated a request, if they accept the return, Mobvoi provides you with an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) label, you send it in, and a few days later they will replace the watch. It is important to say when generating the return request that you only swam in a pool, that you did not shower with it.
I expand information with the following video, it disassembles Ticwatch Pro 4G/LTE model, but it is quite similar to TWP3 and you understand better where are the components of the captures of the previous post, from 2'27".
How to port Unity Game is Wear OS.
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CONTINUED IN POST #5
![r/WearOS - [GUIDE] How to change the font style or font size of the Wear OS interface](https://preview.redd.it/onpfbw41euo91.jpg?width=257&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db5e294900df13cc49238de4db02fa2212f7b1eb "r/WearOS - [GUIDE] How to change the font style or font size of the Wear OS interface")
![r/WearOS - [GUIDE] How to change the font style or font size of the Wear OS interface](https://preview.redd.it/0wi0cbz9duo91.png?width=586&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f357f56d48221812ffd4f99b88df35d874eb88a "r/WearOS - [GUIDE] How to change the font style or font size of the Wear OS interface")
