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F7 won't connect to Mac Finder

Alan.raceQs
over 3 years ago

I have just received my new F7. (an unwelcome $1k expense, necessity to test my app since the Sim is broken!)

I have gone through the full setup including upgrade to 7.20

When I connect it via USB, it does not appear in Finder, so I can't select it as a target for my Build .

The watch is showing the BT connection logo.

Express recognises it, and happily reports Sync OK.

I explored Settings System and find an obscure  setting "USB Mode" with options "Garmin" and "MTP". Tried both with no success.

I have rebooted the Mac and done multiple reconnects to the USB. And used a number of USB cables.

I have disabled/enabled WiFi on the watch.

Finder won't recognise the file system on the device.

It's been happily recognising my F5 and VA-HR for years.

Any suggestions?

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    It's because the f7 has music.  It's file system is MTP, which macs don't recognize.  You need to use something like AFT to access it:

    https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

    You need to make sure Garmin Express is shut down when you use AFT as the two conflict.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

    OK, So I've installed Android AFT, connected the F7 (with Communication MFT selected) and started AFT.

    AFT now opens its own window showing the files on my F7.

    The F7 file system is still not displayed in Finder, so VSC is still unable to build to the device.

    Is there a setting in VSC to point it to AFT?

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Alan.raceQs

    Even on windows, what I do with "build for device" is build to my hard drive and then copy it to music devices.  This all first came out when the fr645m was released a few years back

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

    Yes, that's what I thought, thanks for your help.

    So, now , not only do I have to install a Microsoft product (VSC) on my Mac to develop an app on a Garmin watch, but now I have to install an Android app (AFT) to develop for a Garmin F7/Epix2.  

    All without a single scrap of documentation from Garmin.

    Ho Hum.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Alan.raceQs

    There has been a great deal of info from Garmin about VS Code, and it was first introduced at the GDVC in 2020, and it came out of beta at the GDVC in 2021.

    The need for ATP is ALL on Apples shoulders as they fail to work with any music device but their own.  You can't blame Garmin for Apple being foolish!

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58
    jim_m_58 said:
    You can't blame Garmin for Apple being foolish!

    Oh boy! You are a brave man to accuse Apple of foolishness!

    All along, Garmin has supported developers on Windows and Mac, providing advice and guidance tailored to the developer's choice of platform.

    The fact that they (Garmin) have failed to brief us on the peculiarities of their (music enabled) watches interacting with an Apple platform is an egregious oversight by Garmin, not Apples's foolishness.

    Garmin has adopted an Android protocol for these watches without alerting their developers of the implications vis-a-vis Mac development.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Alan.raceQs

    There have been posts about MTP devices and Apple macines for 3 years.  In CIQ as well as the product forums.

    It's well known.   Heck Apple doesn't even support a run of the mill MP3 player.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Alan.raceQs

    Garmin has adopted an Android protocol for these watches without alerting their developers of the implications vis-a-vis  Mac development.

    MTP is a standard USB device type since 2008. It has nothing to do with Android. Mac not supporting standards IS Apple's fault.

  • +1 over 3 years ago

    Once I installed Android File Transfer (AFT), I was able to build for the device fine ....most of the time.

    I kept getting this warning 

    Now that I have fully decoded it, I thought I would explain it for the benefit of future Mac users.

    It's all to do with Garmin Express (GE), which connects to the watch over USB in its own private protocol.

    AFT can't connect while GE is running. If you have had it running, you have to explicitly Quit GE,  not just close from the dialog, but Quit the app. Then when you disconnect and reconnect your watch, AFT will automatically connect.

    But even if you do that, later on the "Could not connect" message will prevent you connecting.

    This is due to Garmin Express continuing to run a background service that syncs with your watch on its own schedule. It's displayed as the grey (almost invisible!) triangle (circled) in the top menu bar:

    While GE is syncing with your watch, this symbol will flash and AFT will not connect. You have to wait for GE to report "sync complete" before reconnecting your watch to get AFT to connect.

    It's obvious ... now, but it has cost me much hair-pulling (and I have little enough left!)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to ovor

    My 2 cents (not that it's worth much)

    1) MTP is actually a Microsoft standard, although Android adopted it because it solves some problems that come with giving the user full access to the real file system via USB Mass Storage: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3ff1rm/why_does_everything_use_mtp_these_days_mtp_sucks/

    For example, there's no need to eject / safely remove an MTP device before unplugging it.

    (One downside is that it's relatively slow)

    2) Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc. all love to push their own proprietary/licensed standards, incompatible services, and walled gardens so that you never want to leave. See: Chrome, Lightning, AirPlay, Office, exFAT, etc.

    I think Apple gets a lot of hate because:

    - their stuff is overpriced

    - they're massively successful at marketing and being a fashion company

    - Apple users often really, really like Apple, almost to the point where it's like a cult

    - Apple will often say stuff like "Nobody wants or needs X", then 2 years later they'll add X to their products and act like they invented it (again with the marketing)

    I used to hate Apple too (especially on the Mac side), but after using a Mac for a few years for work, I've changed my mind. They do care about UX, but the problem is that their stuff works best when *all* your stuff is made by Apple. For some people, that's not a problem. I've always liked their phones and tablets (for the UX), despite the obvious limitations (ironically enough, Android seems to adopt more and more Apple-like limitations over time, like removing full access to external storage in the name of security.)

    I will say that they've often driven *adoption* of various new tech, even if they didn't actually invent it (like hi-res screens with reasonable UI scaling and wireless earbuds.)

    3) I do think Garmin should call out the MTP issue in the developer docs (I couldn't find any mention of it), for both Apple users and any Linux who may not have MTP support out of the box. Unless of course they believe the numbers are so small it's not warranted.

    Overall I wish the dev experience was a bit smoother.