SWApp Link: The Best Companion App for your SmartWatch

[cyrilp]

I've been playing with this app and I too wonder how exactly the UI is supposed to work. Maybe this needs to be in the FAQ or user manual?

e.g. when I hit the power button on/off (upper right button), it now returns me to the app launcher and not the clockface that I'm used to seeing. This isn't the desired behavior. I don't want to have to launch SWApp Link to see the current time at a glance.

i'll do a manual as soon as i can.

 

[scootle74]

Thanks Cyril.

Also... is there a way to change the background color of the notifications on the watch? The bright white is a bit overwhelming in a dark room...

Thanks for a great app!

 

[cyrilp]

Thanks Cyril.

Also... is there a way to change the background color of the notifications on the watch? The bright white is a bit overwhelming in a dark room...

Thanks for a great app!

not yet but it's on the to do list, will add a night mode and even custom color choice

 

[aeron16]

Hi Cyril, just something to add on to my original suggestion to add support for forwarding of other notifications to the linked device like whatsapp etc.

While it works great now, any possibility it can be further improved by also forwarding part of the actual whatsapp message beyond the current details of just the sender and the conversation title?

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[cyrilp]

Hi Cyril, just something to add on to my original suggestion to add support for forwarding of other notifications to the linked device like whatsapp etc.

While it works great now, any possibility it can be further improved by also forwarding part of the actual whatsapp message beyond the current details of just the sender and the conversation title?

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Hi, unfortunatly i'm only able to deliver the information whatsapp is sharing as notification i have tried to get more, there was an api to access whatsapp information but it doesn't work anymore it's whatsapp that should modify their notification.

 

[aeron16]

Hi, unfortunatly i'm only able to deliver the information whatsapp is sharing as notification i have tried to get more, there was an api to access whatsapp information but it doesn't work anymore it's whatsapp that should modify their notification.

no worries!

I think the only way is an accessibility hack (since Android ICS ) vs the Notification access (since 4.3).

A few of the notifications forwarding app for other platforms does support Whatsapp message content still, not sure what they use to obtain it in the back end though (ie. Augmented Smart watch Pro and Rich Notifications for Pebble).


Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[cyrilp]

no worries!

I think the only way is an accessibility hack (since Android ICS ) vs the Notification access (since 4.3).

A few of the notifications forwarding app for other platforms does support Whatsapp message content still, not sure what they use to obtain it in the back end though (ie. Augmented Smart watch Pro and Rich Notifications for Pebble).


Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

i would love to know how they do ! if anyone has an idea, please share an i'll implement it

 

[aeron16]

@cyril just another suggestion. is it possible to make a button or switch to turn the Swapp link service on or off? ie an enable or disable switch?

right now when I use my TS say on BT and then turn off the TS back home, Swapp still tries to send the notifications and I keep getting the message sensing failed error hehe

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[cyrilp]

@cyril just another suggestion. is it possible to make a button or switch to turn the Swapp link service on or off? ie an enable or disable switch?

right now when I use my TS say on BT and then turn off the TS back home, Swapp still tries to send the notifications and I keep getting the message sensing failed error hehe

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

yes i will add it

 

[jdommer]

One more feature request (this one I don't think is in already...)

Is there any way to put a call progress notification on the remote device? Yesterday, I started a call from my watch because the phone was across the room. After choosing the contact from the watch, there is no feedback from about if the phone is dialing, etc. Also it would be nice to be able to hang up the call remotely if you initiated it that way.

Thanks as always!
jd

 

[cyrilp]

One more feature request (this one I don't think is in already...)

Is there any way to put a call progress notification on the remote device? Yesterday, I started a call from my watch because the phone was across the room. After choosing the contact from the watch, there is no feedback from about if the phone is dialing, etc. Also it would be nice to be able to hang up the call remotely if you initiated it that way.

Thanks as always!
jd

yes this is in to do list too. i will add a notification for outgoing calls too. (when you will make a call with your phone, it will display a notification on the watch and allow you to hang up)

 

[scootle74]

I'm not sure if this is related to the BT issues with MediaTek, but when I lose the BT connection between my phone and TS, it prompts me to re-pair the devices with a new passkey. Do the two devices not retain the paired status when the BT connection is lost? It's getting a little cumbersome to have to re-pair the two devices every time I move my phone or TS into the next room while at home.

Thanks!

 

[zdiamant]

Happening to me too. 1/8 1900

 

[jdommer]

When I get a call and watch is linked to phone over Bluetooth, I get roughly a dozen of the same notification and every roughly 60 seconds thereafter.

Watch is Truesmart running BT Tether ROM 1.1.1 + SWApp 936b
Phone is SGS III running a current CM11 + SWApp 936b

Let me know any more info you could use as it's damned annoying, LOL.

 

[cyrilp]

I'm not sure if this is related to the BT issues with MediaTek, but when I lose the BT connection between my phone and TS, it prompts me to re-pair the devices with a new passkey. Do the two devices not retain the paired status when the BT connection is lost? It's getting a little cumbersome to have to re-pair the two devices every time I move my phone or TS into the next room while at home.

Thanks!

unfortunatly this is a problem with the watch, BT is very unstable on the TS

Rebooting the watch might help.

 

[cyrilp]

When I get a call and watch is linked to phone over Bluetooth, I get roughly a dozen of the same notification and every roughly 60 seconds thereafter.

Watch is Truesmart running BT Tether ROM 1.1.1 + SWApp 936b
Phone is SGS III running a current CM11 + SWApp 936b

Let me know any more info you could use as it's damned annoying, LOL.

i will look at it, thanks for reporting.

 

[lphovercraft]

In order to use your watch face, I need to push the button, unlock the screen, and then trigger the app. Lots of steps to see the time.

Is it possible I am just an idiot and don't get the concept?
(Which wouldn't surprise me in the least)

All valid points. I've been digging around quite a bit with this, and part of the solution (for now) comes from a suggestion made by Lokifish Mars (to use a third-party app), and part of this comes from the functionality on the TrueSmart (fragile as that might be), and of course partly by settings in the TrueSmart.

First of all - as you probably know - you set SWApps Link to show clock face on startup. That's the easy part.

The second thing I did was disable the lock screen on the TrueSmart. For that I went to Settings -> Device - > Display -> Lock Screen Notification and de-selected that check box. (is there anything else that that user has to set? Maybe I already set it and don't know that it's tied to this - can it be that simple?)

The third thing comes from an oblique reference Lokifish Mars made to a free app called "Gravity Screen Free". So far it's provided everything I've been looking for in terms of controlling when the screen turns on/off. This app allows you to 'tune' the screen state based on the device position (and use of other sensors). The TrueSmart does not have a proximity sensor, but it can do most of what you need using the accelerometer/gyroscope.

The really cool thing about this is that the watch is only on when you need it. So this can actually be *more* battery efficient - in that it turns the screen off after 1.5 seconds in the 'off' orientation. This is compared to the 'passive off' mode of using the TrueSmart, where I would manually turn it on at the button - and then put my wrist by my side and allow the timer to turn off the watch 15 seconds after the button press. This is wasteful and definitely shows up in the battery percentage at the end of the day. Now, my watch actually tracks *better* than my phone in terms of battery remaining at the end of the evening when I put them on to charge overnight.

The one minor drawback is that the TrueSmart doesn't have a proximity sensor. That means - if you want to set Gravity Screen to keep the scren on by wrist movement, you're risking false triggering. That's something I'm still planning on turning on, but for now I'm running with that feature turned off for a few days to see how the TrueSmart battery holds up with 'normal' use.

Incidentally - I also use Gravity Screen free on my phone, and it's pretty awesome. Since I'm usually device-facing I don't worry about screen locking too much. That, and SWApps Link is my failsafe, in that if the Bluetooth "Leash" is ever broken, the phone gets locked with a passcode. So when I come back to the phone (if I forget it and leave it behind when I go to a meeting or whatever) I can unlock it and then go to the settings to disable the lock screen again. And on the plus side, the phone has a proximity sensor so it is excellent for just dropping in a pocket and staying off regardless of the orientation (such as when I'm in seated position and the phone is above the angle for switching on... the proximity sensor keeps it off). So again, this actually has the side benefit of extending the phone battery in that the screen isn't on for longer than it has to be.

I've been advocating for the same type of positional sensing features to be put in SWApps link "natively", because I too want to use the app as my main view when looking at the TrueSmart.

Anyway - I hope this helps you get past the geek tech aspect of setting this kind of behavior for the TS. If you're into this kind of hands-free mode, it'll be difficult to consider using the TS any other way.

 

[cyrilp]

All valid points. I've been digging around quite a bit with this, and part of the solution (for now) comes from a suggestion made by Lokifish Mars (to use a third-party app), and part of this comes from the functionality on the TrueSmart (fragile as that might be), and of course partly by settings in the TrueSmart.

First of all - as you probably know - you set SWApps Link to show clock face on startup. That's the easy part.

The second thing I did was disable the lock screen on the TrueSmart. For that I went to Settings -> Device - > Display -> Lock Screen Notification and de-selected that check box. (is there anything else that that user has to set? Maybe I already set it and don't know that it's tied to this - can it be that simple?)

The third thing comes from an oblique reference Lokifish Mars made to a free app called "Gravity Screen Free". So far it's provided everything I've been looking for in terms of controlling when the screen turns on/off. This app allows you to 'tune' the screen state based on the device position (and use of other sensors). The TrueSmart does not have a proximity sensor, but it can do most of what you need using the accelerometer/gyroscope.

The really cool thing about this is that the watch is only on when you need it. So this can actually be *more* battery efficient - in that it turns the screen off after 1.5 seconds in the 'off' orientation. This is compared to the 'passive off' mode of using the TrueSmart, where I would manually turn it on at the button - and then put my wrist by my side and allow the timer to turn off the watch 15 seconds after the button press. This is wasteful and definitely shows up in the battery percentage at the end of the day. Now, my watch actually tracks *better* than my phone in terms of battery remaining at the end of the evening when I put them on to charge overnight.

The one minor drawback is that the TrueSmart doesn't have a proximity sensor. That means - if you want to set Gravity Screen to keep the scren on by wrist movement, you're risking false triggering. That's something I'm still planning on turning on, but for now I'm running with that feature turned off for a few days to see how the TrueSmart battery holds up with 'normal' use.

Incidentally - I also use Gravity Screen free on my phone, and it's pretty awesome. Since I'm usually device-facing I don't worry about screen locking too much. That, and SWApps Link is my failsafe, in that if the Bluetooth "Leash" is ever broken, the phone gets locked with a passcode. So when I come back to the phone (if I forget it and leave it behind when I go to a meeting or whatever) I can unlock it and then go to the settings to disable the lock screen again. And on the plus side, the phone has a proximity sensor so it is excellent for just dropping in a pocket and staying off regardless of the orientation (such as when I'm in seated position and the phone is above the angle for switching on... the proximity sensor keeps it off). So again, this actually has the side benefit of extending the phone battery in that the screen isn't on for longer than it has to be.

I've been advocating for the same type of positional sensing features to be put in SWApps link "natively", because I too want to use the app as my main view when looking at the TrueSmart.

Anyway - I hope this helps you get past the geek tech aspect of setting this kind of behavior for the TS. If you're into this kind of hands-free mode, it'll be difficult to consider using the TS any other way.

this very interesting. Did you test Gravity Screen on the TS ? i tought the sensors didn't work while the screen is off. If it's not the case i'll try those kind of features in my app. (when i receive my new watch, the one i have has dead sensors )

regarding the bluetooth leash, i will add an auto unlock option when BT connection is restored

Thanks for the explanations, that's exactly how i use my watch

 

[lphovercraft]

this very interesting. Did you test Gravity Screen on the TS ? i tought the sensors didn't work while the screen is off. If it's not the case i'll try those kind of features in my app. (when i receive my new watch, the one i have has dead sensors )

regarding the bluetooth leash, i will add an auto unlock option when BT connection is restored

Thanks for the explanations, that's exactly how i use my watch

Well because I didn't know that the TS sensors weren't supposed to work when the screen was off, I didn't think it would be an issue. Works perfectly for me.

Maybe the devices are off when the device is in some other mode (is there a power-saving mode in the TS that triggers after a certain amount of inactivity?)

I suppose ignorance is bliss.

 

[cyrilp]

Well because I didn't know that the TS sensors weren't supposed to work when the screen was off, I didn't think it would be an issue. Works perfectly for me.

Maybe the devices are off when the device is in some other mode (is there a power-saving mode in the TS that triggers after a certain amount of inactivity?)

I suppose ignorance is bliss.

that's great news, will definitely work on that !