I am planning a new application that I would like to put on the smartwatch. I would like to have it usable also when there is no phone nearby. The app needs no Internet connection to work, could synchronize data to the phone later and I do not need anything from the phone while the app is running. However I could use the phone no problem to install the app.
I have googled, there are some foggy talks on a web that this is not possible, Android watch must always be connected to the phone for apps to run. How much is it true?
With Android Wear 2.0 it is possible to now develop standalone applications and thus eliminates the need for a mobile 'companion' completely.
Please follow this link for more information: https://developer.android.com/wear/preview/index.html
As I am aware, the current Android Wear version always requires a companion app for installation purposes etc. But with 2.0 this is no longer necessary. It would probably make sense for you to start developing with 2.0 now. That being said, it is still in a development preview and can officially run on only two smart watches (Huawei Watch and LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition)
Wearable apps are run directly on wearables and don't require presence of a phone except for installation or phone-provided features (voice recognition, SMS, internet connection etc.)
Note that some features are wearable-provided or phone-provided depending on the hardware configuration of the watch/wearable (eg. GPS).
Yes, it is most definitely possible. As long as the wearable app doesn't require any functionality from the phone then it can operate as a standalone device. It will require a companion app on the phone to install the app on the wear device.
There are several wear apps that work without the need to be tethered to the phone, including Google Play music. There is the possibility of designing wear apps for hardware on only a few wear devices - I know that Ghostracer has standalone functionality using GPS, but it requires the wear device to have a GPS chip (it is designed for the Sony SmartWatch 3).
Related
My goal is to write an application for Android (>= 9.0) which basically offers a device-owner-style control like Google's "Android Device Policy".
The following criteria have to be met:
Zero dependency on Google servers or any other 3rd party infrastructure like existing EMM solutions (MobileIron et cetera)
The user should not be able to remove or disable the app
Provisioning methods: QR-Code, NFC, URL, ADB, actually any "local" way ...
Has to work with stock androids on regular consumer devices
In short: I'd like to write an unremovable device manager (including a web-based management UI), put it on a device I own, give that device to someone else, and being able to fully control the device remotely.
Is such a project even possible with the current situation of Android?
No.
Has to work with stock androids on regular consumer devices
Mostly, this is your biggest hurdle to overcome.
What you are asking for is the description of a very powerful MalWare. An app that ca run on any version of Android, that can't be uninstalled, but can do what it wants to "fully control the device".
If you move away from the idea of "stock android on regular consumer device", towards a suite of devices you have some say in distributing:
Here is a list of Google Partners who offer an EMM solution: https://androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com/emm/
Here is Samsungs effort at device control:
https://www.samsungknox.com/en
Here is Googles device management:
https://developers.google.com/android/management
You could write your own ROM of Android and be able to control the things you want, but that would require .. building a ROM aka a whole phone OS forked from AOSP.
The user should not be able to remove or disable the app
This is only possible if you have a system app.
Or something extreme (which with any extreme, is always possible to have problems), like having two apps, and they monitor each other for uninstall, and programatically reinstall (vs 1 app that can't do much when it is being uninstalled).
I like to have single android app in our managed devices, we want only that app to be used on the device with necessary restriction, such that,
Single use - Device will have only one app, user can't use other apps, like browsing, youtube or anything,
the initial setting like notification sound, GPS always on, notification and ring sound maximum level can't be modified.
user can not power off the device.
this setting can only be changed by our servers.
i think i have 2 option,
1) Using samsung knox sdk on samsung devices,
Here's MDM proving feature of Samsung Knox Standard!
2) General Android way, Set up Single-Purpose Devices, COSU solution
Android Developer's site.
Wanted to know your's view on this, may be if you guys have done any of the two or any other ways, i could use some of the guidelines or a path.
Thanks for reading, and please comment if i was unable to articulate the subject or it needs editing.
You can use Google's new Android Management API, it seems to suit your needs.
It is a new cloud API that allows to manage Android devices from a server, without having to build an on-device agent (a device policy controller).
I have broad experience of using Samsung Kiosk Mode from Knox Standard SDK which is free and Pro-Kiosk mode from Knox Customization SDK (which has more functions but is not free).
So I can tell you for sure that all 4 points that you have mentioned can be achieved by using Knox Standard SDK.
Singe Purpose: https://seap.samsung.com/api-references/android-standard/reference/android/app/enterprise/kioskmode/KioskMode.html
LocationPolicy (you can turn on GPS and restrict changing): https://seap.samsung.com/api-references/android-standard/reference/android/app/enterprise/LocationPolicy.html
Yes. It is possible but I forgot the exact implementation.
Yes, as well.
Only downside of using this SDK is:
You are tied to Samsung (which I personally okay with, since Samsung has such market penetration and you could get service almost anywhere in the world and in enterprise world it is critical)
About Android native functionality: never tried it
Update March 7, 2019: Now I am playing around Device Owner, we use it for Kiosk mode, works well and works on android Device with Nougat and earlier.
I am looking to install stock Android (Lollipop/Marshmallow etc.) on my LG Watch Urbane. I cannot find any help on this since everywhere I search, I only get information about Android Wear.
I do not want Android Wear but a full, regular version of Android running on the watch. My main reason for doing this is to be able to eventually write my own personal custom Android ROM for the watch, but in order to start I want to see how regular Android will run on the watch.
I found that a CyanogenMod could be run on Samsung Galaxy Gear as demonstrated by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb0R_JeI6gg
Is there is strict specific hardware requirement to port Android (or even CM, misc. ROMs) on a smart watch? By this I mean, can I take any off the shelf smart watch and port Android to it? What steps do I need to take (like rooting, unlocking a bootloader etc.?)
I've developed a couple of Enterprise iOS apps for our users in the field. Some have expressed a preference for Android devices over Apple, and I fully understand. I do not have an Android phone, nor do I want to get one and have a second account to maintain. I'm wondering if I can use an inexpensive Android tablet to reliably test an application that will ultimately be running on an Android phone? The app will need to communicate via internet to a server via cell connection or wifi.
Also, any advice for an Android newbie developer would be appreciated.
Yes you could test on a Android tablet but it would be hard to see how it render on a phone.
You could also use the Android Emulator to test different size and android configuration.
Yes. I developed my first major Android app using only a couple of cheap tablet devices. It's fine; the only thing you can't really test is "what happens to my app when a phone call comes in." Plus if you can get the emulator working under HAXM, or some other similar setup where it doesn't work like a tortoise trapped in amber, you can test on a variety of simulated devices perfectly well.
Other things to consider:
You'll probably want to test your app on a variety of different hardware and Android versions, in particular I'd recommend testing on older devices. This means that you friends' old Android phones are a great source of cheap test devices. I regularly gather phones from friends that would otherwise just end up lingering in the back of a drawer as a "spare" that will never actually get used. Bear in mind that you can use all the features of a phone apart from the actual phone bit without a SIM, including a WiFi-based data connection.
You may find that you can find good, contract-free "pay as you go" phone SIMs. I use a provider whose "credits" don't expire, so I have a phone connection for my test devices where there's no ongoing cost, apart from the actual calls I make when testing.
Is it true that ANY Android phone can be used for App development and testing?
I'm trying to find some inexpensive off-contract hardware for development and testing of our Apps. I've found some devices I can buy New with No Contract for $150 to $300 (like the HTC Aria or the Huawei Ascend). Is there anything that would prevent me from using these devices for USB debugging and app testing? I guess I'm concerned because I've read how the HTC Aria has been locked down by AT&T to limit applications. I suspect this won't affect me loading apps using ADB, but I'd like to be sure.
Yes, you can use any phone for testing applications via the Android development tools. This includes the HTC Aria of what I've read.
You can read more here: http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html
And it is not true what Sam Dufel wrote. A developer phone have messaging and phone features. It's just as any other ordinary unlocked phone. The only difference between the dev-phones is that they have unlocked bootloaders so you can install and customize your own Android-system and install it. It is rooted by default.
Google actually sells development phones - after you create a developer account, they give you an option to buy one of a couple different models. You don't get any messaging / phone features though, obviously.