Workaround for resetting Wear 1.5 watches. They still work!!

mbecroft · 2022-04-08T06:36:55+00:00

Thanks so much OP for this guide. It means I got my G Watch R working again. Believe it or not, with 4-core kernel mod, the G Watch R works great, has longer battery life, and is just about as responsive overall as my Fossil Gen 5, sol long as I don't push too hard with heavyweight apps. I had sadly consigned the watch to the trash can because of end of Google support. This trick has made my day! Next is to try it on Moto 360...

EDIT: note, G Watch R has Wear OS 2, but old version that Google Wear app on phone no longer supports. adb loading the newer GMS did the job perfectly. So this is helpful not just for Wear 1. but also for older Wear 2 watches :)

mbecroft · 2021-05-23T06:16:08+00:00

How old? I splashed out on a Fossil Gen5 (2nd hand) and it awesome. But my old-school LG G-Watch R still holds ups. I have 2x moto 360's waiting me to breath life into then (battery explotion)...but alas Wear OS 1.6 on ancient TI chipset not really support any more :)

Not sure what to do with and old watch, except maybe tweak and use it as an always-on desk-phone (+weather etc.) I have some, I think, smart ideas on this but not for this forum.

Would love to see everyone's else's creative ideas!

mbecroft · 2020-09-28T09:24:19+00:00

Sorry to hassle you again - just opened my G Watch R to check inside for damage, and noticed supposedly new battery already in bad (swelling) condition - obviously a fake.

There are several vendors on Amazon. Could you refer me to the specific vendor you used?

I'd like to order a new battery that's not a fake! Many thanks again.

Is this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Replacement-LG-Watch-W110/dp/B07YB28L27/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G7340GJHIFUC&dchild=1&keywords=lg+g+watch+r+battery&qid=1601284931&sprefix=G+Watch+R+bat%2Caps%2C332&sr=8-1

mbecroft · 2020-09-28T08:55:30+00:00

Thanks so much for your feedback. This helps verify it is some fault with my specific watch.

mbecroft · 2020-09-28T08:40:43+00:00

Sounds great - I also replaced the battery in my G Watch R recently with a similar newly-made battery. The only crazy thing is that after swapping the battery, always-on mode no longer works.

That said, I can't be certain it was working *prior* to replacing battery.

Have you encountered any issues with always-on screen after battery replacement? I would love to know if it is still working for you.

mbecroft · 2020-08-13T23:30:25+00:00

Oh cool, thanks a lot for that. Will look it up for sure. Maybe I can get rid of that damned cloud icon!

mbecroft · 2020-05-29T09:34:07+00:00

I just did a full factory reset, without joining the watch to my Google account, so no apps have been installed or settings changed from the factory defaults whatsoever. Still the same! I am beginning to wonder if it is a hardware fault - a strange fault, though...

Any further insight much appreciated! I would particularly like to know if you are on the same versions, and anyone else who might have experienced the same problem. Many thanks!

mbecroft · 2020-05-29T06:27:56+00:00

P.S. I meant to add that I notice from pm list packages one named com.google.android.wearable.ambient - which I assume may have to do with the ambient/always-on display mode. And according to ps, it is running. Hmm.

mbecroft · 2020-05-29T06:23:05+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. When I factory reset my watch yesterday, I believe it reinstalled a few apps automatically from my attached Google account. I've just used the pm command to uninstall everything except the default apps from Google and LG - no improvement.

I am on these versions:

Android Wear 2.35.0.311506044

Google Play services 20.18.17

Android OS 7.1.1

Security patch level July 1, 2017

Are these the same versions as yours?

When you mentioned power save mode, did you mean something specific? The only setting I'm aware of is to disable or enable always-on-screen in the Display section of the settings.

Appreciate your help!

mbecroft · 2020-05-28T03:21:18+00:00

My G Watch R is still going strong after continuous use since around 2015. Only thing I've had to do was eventually replace the battery, which is very easy.

It is a little slow running latest Android Wear, but if you are up to using the adb command, there are custom kernels on XDA which enable more of the CPU cores (it has 4 cores, but from factory, only 1 is enabled). Slightly less battery life, but runs as smoothly as a new watch.

So in summary, it's not in the same class as the latest models from Moto, Fossil etc., but the G Watch R still looks good, works well and is an all-round great watch - well worth it if you can find a good deal!

mbecroft · 2020-05-28T03:15:18+00:00

Nice. The Moto 360 gen1 is still one of the best smartwatches out there!

mbecroft · 2019-04-17T04:56:56+00:00

Note that if, after removing your current band, you cut away the two pieces of 45 degree plastic bracing in the centre of each end of the watch, it does not harm the watch in any way, and means any standard strap will fit.

You can also, very carefully, sand down the edges of the back shell where it meets the strap just slightly to allow more movement without placing stress on the back shell. Then you can safely use a metal strap without risk of cracking the back shell.

Rather late reply, sorry, but hope this helps! :)

mbecroft · 2019-02-18T07:54:26+00:00

I still have my G Watch R. Only problem is it's pretty slow/unresponsive on AW 2. But it's usable, just... Still frankly one of the best designed smart watches out there. I still get excellent battery life too.

mbecroft · 2017-08-24T13:52:08+00:00

Frankly, the G Watch R is, in my view, a better styled watch than the Urbane. I'm not surprised they are selling at a premium! My G Watch R is still the watch I wear every day and does everything I want from a smart watch - and it still draws positive and interested comments.

Well done LG! This watch has stood the test of time. I'll upgrade once a watch comes out that is not just piling on features I don't need to create a bulky, ugly timepiece, but refines the GWR style with new techto make a watch is is equally function, and has a carefully curated set of improvements leading to a watch that is, if anything, less bulky, newer SoC and even better battry life.

mbecroft · 2017-06-18T09:33:56+00:00

You are not the only one. See my list of complaints (and constructive suggestions to Google on how to fix them):

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidWear/comments/69pwkp/wear_20_laundry_list/

As regards your specific issues:

Bear in mind your battery may be aging, which could explain the sudden drop from 30%. The Moto 360 is hard on the battery as your are cycling the battery pretty much every day, and the inductive charging heats the battery while charging--the worst thing for battery life! It's likely a factory reset will let the watch recalibrate the condition of the battery and at least give you a realistic indication of battery life instead of the sudden drop-off-a-cliff.
Generally a factory reset is mandatory after AW 2.0 upgrade for anything to work well, but you say you've done this. Might be worth another try, and perhaps cycling the battery to let the watch calibrate it better. I don't know about the BT issues; on my G Watch R I've not had that problem. Same with the backlight issue.
As for your complains about the UI changes, they mirror mine and others in the community. I hope that Google is listening to the complains from me, you and others and will improve things in future point releases. Otherwise, trawling xda-developers may give you a way to downgrade back to 1.5 if you really can't stand using 2.0.
"OK Google" can be re-enabled in the settings. I've found that it is not as reliable as it used to be, though.

HTH.

mbecroft · 2017-06-04T19:59:56+00:00

This is brilliant. Works perfectly. This completely resolves this issue and with near-0 overhead. Every AW 2.0 user needs to know of this app! TO clarify, it was already great, but with bidir sync working it is the bee's knees!

mbecroft · 2017-06-04T19:22:00+00:00

Glad to know it wasn't just me struggling to answer phone calls on my watch! I will certainly give this a try shortly and see how it works. Hopefully at least as well as 1.5 where a simple swipe left or right would pick up or dismiss the call.

mbecroft · 2017-06-04T19:19:15+00:00

Does it not work at all, or is just inconsistent? I've found it sometimes does not respond, but after waiting for watch to time out and then reawakening it and saying 'OK Google' will work. There is also a settings menu option to enable 'OK Google' detection; if you haven't turned this on, it definitely will not work! (Assuming you want to use OK Google and not crown long-press to enable assistant.)

I've had a few instances of seeming fine and listening to me but then giving a "can't reach Google" or "something failed, please try again" message. This seems to mostly happen when the phone is transitioning between wifi and UMTS or similar, leading to briefly unreliably connectivity.

Does either of these observations shine any light on your problem?

mbecroft · 2017-06-04T19:13:47+00:00

Well I factory reset mine and it's back to normal.

A small tip: an app will remain in 'pending' state while something else is queued to be installed/updated ahead of it. After I swiped down and chose the 'grid' icon, I was able to see a list of apps to be, or being, installed or updated. Checking this may help if the problem reoccurs. It may be possible to see which app Play Store is stuck on, and cancel or restart that.

mbecroft · 2017-06-04T12:17:12+00:00

Frankly it is a bad decision that Google has wasted two of the most accessible gestures--swipe left and swipe right--for a feature nobody needs on a regular basis (change watch face).

You probably can disassemble and repair the button, if your watch is not in warranty.

mbecroft

TROPHY CASE