Hi recently I started working on beacons. I am using estimote beacons for my purpose. But I got a doubt whether we can turn our device into beacons. If not why.
Thank you.
EDIT: This is now possible in Android 5.0 and to a limited extent in Android 4.4.3+. See here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/25035954/1461050
Unfortunately, this is not possible as of the latest Android 4.4.2, because Android does not support BLE peripheral mode needed to advertise as an iBeacon. See here for details.
The good news is that peripheral mode support has been added to the Android open source project, so this may be possible in a future release, perhaps Android 5.0. While Google has made no announcements, look for a release in June 2014 during the Google I/O conference.
Related
I want to create android application for smartwatch with a cellular internet connection that send HTTP post to a server.
What android version support should i have?
I saw that android 5.1 support cellular network but in Wikipedia it written that only android 7.1.1 support cellular data.
Watches and Phones have thier own OS. Perhaps you found something built to look like a watch that is actually using the phone OS. i wouldnt doubt it as the wear playform is not given the same attention...
But at least in part the actual watch versioning is confusing.
it started out as Android Wear 1.x 2.x then reset to Wear OS 1.x which is now up to version 2.6, all while the latest version for Pie was again renamed to letter version, which is version H... Go figure.
Also if starting now at i wouldnt worry about the older Android Wear hardware, and not even sure if you could buy a new 'Android Wear' watch at this point, so any watch that advertises 'Wear OS by Google' will support Wear OS.
Also I might concider getting a watch with the physical USB connector so you can debugging on the device itself... otherwise you have to manage debugging over bluetooth which at least for me is not always stable on one pc, and have never gotten to work on another...
But such advise is rather particular to me...
Update: it strikes me that you might have been speaking about the target version of Android, which yes admitingly is yet another version to get familiar with developing with wearable android...
Usually it is seen as the target or compile versoin, and from what Im aware the SDK is compatible from version 7.x to the latest 9.0... but perhaps there are eirlier versions that work with the older Android Wear down to what you mention 5.x Im unsure.
Currently i target 8.0 but moving to 8.1 to get at updated libraries im interested in.
And then there are the API Levels to get familiar with...
Ya honestly it's really confusing...
In Android 4.3, i understood as an Android devices can't act as a Beacons because of not supporting for BLE Peripheral mode. But, Android L comes with supporting for BLE Peripheral Mode. So, Is it possible to the Android Devices now act as a Beacons? If yes, Please let me know
Yes, it is now possible. We have an app available in Google Play and sample code in the Android Beacon Library.
See here for more info:
http://developer.radiusnetworks.com/2014/11/18/beacon-transmission-with-android-5.html
I recently received an invite to use Inbox and it is using the new material design feature from 5.0. So this got me wondering if I can develop an app with the new SDK to enable BLE peripheral, but for a Jellybean or KitKat device. Does anyone know if this is possible?
Here is the list of updates: http://android-developers.blogspot.ca/2014/10/whats-new-in-android-50-lollipop.html
No.
There are support libraries released to help backport apps running on older versions of Android. Here's a list of all of the support libraries and what they allow you to do.
Perihiperal profile has only just been introduced, but hasn't made it's way in to the support libraries. My guess would be because it's rooted much further down in the OS and isn't something that an app can bring in. This suggests that it won't ever be possible (unless perhaps the user is running a custom ROM).
4.3+ already supports lots of Bluetooth LE features, it just doesn't support peripheral profiles. I have personally been waiting for this for a project of mine, so very excited that it's now available in Lollipop.
Hope that helps.
Problem definition:
I've been trying to use BLE proximity profile for Bluetooth LE on Android. Some of the devices like new generation Google Nexus tablet with 4.3 Android support BLE and can act as a central device.
I read the Android official documentation of the Bluetooth LE but their doesn't seems any support for that. Is their any workaround to implement our own proximity profile?
Questions which talk about proximity profile on Android but are of no help
Reading Bluetooth RSSI for BLE proximity profile in Android.
How to use the profile of PROXIMITY PROFILE,IMMEDIATE ALERT SERVICE and Find Me Profile in android 4.3 BLE?
BTLE (Bluetooth Low energy) development kit - must have proximity profile
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
June 2014:
Thanks everyone for the answers. Just to update, as of June 2014, BLE Peripheral mode is offered in the Android L Developer preview. So now Android devices can act both in peripheral and central role. Hope to see it in the Android L official release. Quoting from their blog New in Android: L Developer Preview and Google Play Services 5.0:
The L Developer Preview, lets you explore many of the new features and capabilities of the next version of Android, and offers everything you need to get started developing and testing on the new platform. Here are a few of the highlights for developers:
BLE Peripheral Mode — Android devices can now function in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) peripheral mode. Apps can use this capability to broadcast their presence to nearby devices — for example, you can now build apps that let a device to function as a pedometer or health monitor and transmit data to another BLE device.
Update 16th October 2014:
Its out now! Checkout Android 5.0 wireless changes page.
Update 8th December 2014:
The bad new is that BLE Peripheral mode will only work on the newer Android devices (as per the date), viz Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. It won't work on Nexus 4/ Nexus 5/nexus 7/ nexus 10 even if you update it to Android 5.0. You can read the comment by one of the Android Project manager on BLE advertise mode not working ticket. He says:
We introduced BLE peripheral mode in Android 5.0 Lollipop. Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are the first two production Nexus devices that support BLE peripheral mode. Due to hardware chipset dependency, older Nexus devices (4/5/7) will not have access to the feature on Lollipop.
Thanks to Rob Anderson for informing.
To elaborate on shubhams's answer:
Unfortunately there is no way for Android devices to act as a peripheral. He can creates GATT servers, services and charachteristics but there is no way to make the advertising.
(https://stackoverflow.com/a/18020153/3061383)
Since Android does not (yet) support advertising no other BLE device is able to initiate a connection to an Android device. As of now the Android device must initiate the connection.
Unfortunately, the android can only act as central not peripheral. So custom profiling is not possible at this point of time. Rather you can use the profile which are being provided by gatt.
For example: Temperature Monitor profile. Instead you can make the custom service and characteristics on iPhone and make it work as beacon.
Also if you are using hardware device of Estimote and other companies, you can reply back the data from android device i.e Services and characteristics have the properties such as Read, Write and Notify. But when you are making iPhone as Beacon, then you won't be able to receive the value from android device.
Quick question. I can't seem to find this in the Android docs, so I don't think it is possible, but is it possible to have an Android 4.3 device (in my case, a Nexus 4) behave as a Bluetooth peripheral? I know iOS supports both peripheral and central, but it seems like Android only supports central.
I'd like to connect an Android device to a Mac using Bluetooth LE, but since OS X doesn't support peripheral mode and it looks like Android doesn't either, I might have to go with Bluetooth 2 or another communication method.
Unfortunately there is no way for Android devices to act as a peripheral. He can creates GATT servers, services and charachteristics but there is no way to make the advertising.
Doc: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le.html
The phone supports the central role;
I'm waiting for this feature too, but it seems we have to wait for next Android releases.
Yeah, Android 4.3 does not support peripheral mode. I started a feature request on the Android Open Source Project website. If you also want to see this feature, add a comment or star the post. I think they will get around to it eventually, but it is good to let them know that this is a feature that developers are looking for.
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?can=2&q=59693&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars&id=59693
issue: 59693
In API level 4, 4.1,4.2,4.3 its not possible.
Android lollipop API version 5.0.X sdk supports peripheral mode in BLE however this feature is chipset dependent (Phones).
android phones with Broadcom Bluetooth solution already supports it
If you have a Nexus 5 you can install Android L there and try it, I just did it few months ago, Android L has support to act as a peripheral.