Connect to mobile phone via BLE

Hi all

Is it possible to create an device app or widget to communicate with the mobile phone (on which also Garmin Connect runs) via BLE? I want to send input characters to an app which is open on the phone and is waiting for characters. At the moment i control it with a bluetooth remote which is paired to the phone, but i want to replace the remote by a garmin watch.

Second thing... I already own a vivoactive 3, which unfortunately do not support BLE. Thats why I'm planning to buy a new watch (i.e. vicoactive 3 music or vivoactive 4), but I first want to make sure before purchasing that my challenge can be solved...

Thank you very much for your answers and inputs!!

Marcel

Top Replies

jim_m_58 1 month ago in reply to 9775633 +1

Nothing has changed, and I think it gets back to the device and phone already being connected with BLE, so a second connect isn't allowed.

Also if you try my blescan app, you may not see any nearby…

All Replies

0 jim_m_58 over 4 years ago

Others have tired to get CIQ BLE to talk to a phone, but I don't think anyone has gotten it to work.

I think their may be an issue where the watch and phone are already connected (due to GCM), and one end other the other doesn't like a second BLE connection involving the same two devices.

0 sabeard over 4 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

You may not be able to use BLE on the watch, but you may be able to look at using the mobile SDK and incorporate that into the mobile app on the phone. Then you could write a CIQ app to interface to the phone app. Then you would have the option to utilize almost any CIQ device or the BLE remote. It might be an option. See the FAQ article for some hints on how to get started.

https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/connect-iq-faq/how-do-i-use-the-connect-iq-mobile-sdk/

0 jim_m_58 over 4 years ago in reply to sabeard

Companion apps don't work with handhelds, like the edge, Oregon and rino (since CIQ 2.2.2), so that's something to consider.

0 sabeard over 4 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Very true about the handhelds, but It does work with the Vivoactive3 which Marcel already owns.

0 cello_81 over 4 years ago in reply to sabeard

Thank you for the hint. Altough I'm not sure whether it works in my environment. The app which waits for input from the "remote" (hopefully soon my watch) has to be opened on the phone and the phone cannot be locked.

Or can the companion app be running in the background, and send commands (or characters) to the active app which is opened on the phone in the front?

0 cello_81 over 4 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

would it make a difference if I disconnect the bluetooth connection (which is used by GCM)? I could eventually manage it to have only one connection at the time (I do not need GCM functionality on the watch, while I want to use it as a remote)

0 jim_m_58 over 4 years ago in reply to cello_81

I don't know. Like I said, I've not seen anyone that's been able to use CIQ BLE and talk to a phone.

0 9775633 1 month ago in reply to cello_81

This thread is a few years old. I wonder if someone could manage to make it work or at least found the root cause (maybe due to multiple connections to the same device as jim_m_58suggested)?

0 jim_m_58 1 month ago in reply to 9775633

Nothing has changed, and I think it gets back to the device and phone already being connected with BLE, so a second connect isn't allowed.

Also if you try my blescan app, you may not see any nearby phone from a garmin so something else may be involved.

https://apps.garmin.com/apps/9bcc8b66-8385-4afb-b93e-f69e01422284

0 9938694 1 month ago in reply to jim_m_58

Is the source code for this app available?