
Samsung Gear 360 Manager ported for use on (almost) all devices
LAST UPDATED: 21st January 2021, Version 1.4.00.4-FW
Requirements:
- A Gear 360 2016 or 2017 (BOTH work with the same app)
- Android 5.0 or above
- A decently powerful phone. The Live View will not work on any phones with the equivalent or lower power than a Galaxy S5, but try it anyway
Latest Version Download:
Download
(-FW indicates this version has the mirrored firmware and options to configure a custom download URL)
NOTE: Version 1.4.00.9 is available for Samsung phones, but cannot be ported. More info.
Firmware updates and Firmware source code
As of January 2021, Samsung have taken down the server that contained the firmware update config files for both models of the camera. Through the use of the Wayback Machine and some reverse engineering of the XML syntax read by the app, I was able to fully reproduce the firmware XMLs on GitHub. There is a new version (1.4.00.4-FW) of the app which can use these XMLs and download the binary files of the update from this forum post and install them on the camera. You need to set the firmware you want to use (or latest) in the settings (after connecting your camera) before the app will be able to download an update.
The Source Code is still available on Samsung's website at the time of writing, but has been mirrored on the same forum post in case they also get removed. More info on what the files contain can be found on the GitHub repository linked above.
Screenshots:
Click a screenshot to enlarge it
Known Issues:
- Live View does not work on slow/older devices. This is unlikely to be fixed, but I am looking at implementing the "no live view" mod (which still works on 2016 cameras) as an option
- App is slow, downloads take ages. Probably down to the proprietary/disabled code from Samsung in the app for checking CPU speed. May be fixed soon
- Live Broadcast doesn't work on 2016 camera or when using Soft AP. Latter cannot be fixed, former may be able to be ported with enough time (not sure)
- WiFi Direct is buggy. Probably down to the app's mode being made for Samsung's modified WiFi direct, unlikely to be fixed
- WiFi doesn't automatically connect/gets disconnected. This is down to Android's smart detection of networks, it connects to a network with a known good internet connection instead. You can disable this with ADB/Root, see here
FAQ:
Q: What's the difference between WiFi direct/non WiFi Direct (Soft AP) mode?
A: WiFi Direct uses an experimental modification for enabling the Samsung WiFi Direct mode for all devices. It's quite buggy right now, but in theory allows you to update the camera's firmware (known to be dangerous, be careful). It also means you don't disconnect from the internet when using the app
Q: It's stuck on "Installing Samsung accessory service"
A: Install it manually
Q: I'm trying to use Live View/Gallery but the app gets stuck on loading
A: (If in Soft AP/WiFi Mode): Open Settings > WiFi and connect to the Gear 360 network. Disable your mobile data and any VPNs you may be using, and disconnect from any Bluetooth headphones or speakers (turn them off). Return to the app
A: (If in WiFi Direct Mode): Open Settings > WiFi > Advanced > WiFi Direct, and remove any old remembered groups. Wait for the Gear 360 to appear and tap it to connect. If it returns to available, tap it, delete it and repeat until connected. Then press back until you return to the app
Q: I have a 2017 camera and don't know the password for its WiFi!
A: Switch your camera to iOS mode (on the camera itself, using the menu). It will display a password, write that down. Switch back to the normal mode and continue as normal, entering the WiFi password you wrote down when prompted
Q: Does Live Broadcast work?
A: On the 2017 camera, when in WiFi direct mode apparently so. I've not tested it, and it doesn't work on any other configuration however
Q: What do the mod settings do?
A: See the "Mod Settings" section below
Q: There's a new version of the app on the Play Store, when will you update?
A: Check the last few pages of the thread. If the original APK has been posted already, the mod will be updated soon™. If it hasn't been, and you have a Samsung device compatible with the original app, please grab the APK and post it (the original APK is hard to get hold of)
Q: I found a crash!
A: Please post it in the thread, WITH A LOGCAT (don't know how to logcat? See here)
Mod Settings:
Since version 1.0.00.18, the mod has built in settings to allow a single unified APK. They can be found in the app's settings, under Mod Settings
WiFi Direct
Enable WiFi direct mode. Disabled by default as it's fairly buggy
Override Camera Recognition
Force your camera to appear to the app as a certain model. This isn't actually that useful, as it just causes crashes because of incompatible settings (default: don't override)
Always Show Live Broadcast
This is NOT aimed at allowing broadcast on 2016 cameras (they can't do it), but at countries where Live Broadcast is hidden. Enable this to always show it (disabled by default)
Automatically Open Settings
Automatically open the WiFi Settings/WiFi Direct settings when connecting to save you time (enabled by default)
Porting Guide:
I don't plan to stop updating the mod any time soon, but if you want to port it yourself I have a rough guide available Here
Old Versions:
You probably shouldn't use these, they have bugs
1.4.00.4 (without the firmware mirror, firmware updates will not work)
1.1.00.5
1.0.00.18
"Test" build 190617
1.0.00-2: WiFi Direct, Soft AP
Even older, pre-2017 camera app:
1.0.18-39
1.0.18-34: 4K, 2K
Thanks to:
- Bin4ry for the original port
Tools used:
- Apktool
- V10 Studio/Notepad++ for smali editing
- JEB for viewing Java code in APK
Disclaimer: You are responsible for your Gear 360 when using this app. Updating the firmware, whilst possible in WiFi Direct mode, may brick your device. It's recommended you find a compatible Samsung device and use that to update
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