Sideload old widget on Fenix 7?

Data 3 months ago

I built a couple of widgets and apps for my Fenix 3, then couldn't get the development environment to work anymore, so I kept using them unchanged on Fenix 5, 6 and 7. The apps still work fine, but the widgets don't show up. I put the .prg files in /APPS as I used to. I guess that the widgets are not supported anymore, but I'd like to verify, is placing .prg's in /APPS still the right way to deploy them?

jim_m_58 3 months ago

If you look in /garmin/apps/logs on the watch the ciq_log file should show an error. "widget" isn't a valid app type for devices with CIQ 4 or greater.

When you build a "widget" for one of these devices, it's actually built as a device-app, and to show in the glance loop (up/down from the watch face) you want to include a glance view.

All you can do is get the development environment working again and build for the specific device you want it to work on

FlowState 3 months ago

Data said:
I built a couple of widgets and apps for my Fenix 3, then couldn't get the development environment to work anymore, so I kept using them unchanged on Fenix 5, 6 and 7. The apps still work fine,

I'm surprised this is working for you on Fenix 7 (sideloading PRGs that were built for a different kind of device.) I used to be able to do this on my 955, but after a recent firmware update, it seems that PRGs built for other devices are no longer accepted. e.g. Watchfaces from an older device that I successfully sideloaded last year can't be sideloaded now.

Is your Fenix 7 firmware up-to-date? (If it isn't maybe you don't want to update it haha)

Data 3 months ago in reply to FlowState

I loaded them when I just received the watch 1 year ago, it had an older FW on it, I can find out what version it was.

The watch is now running 18.11. After a full reset to factory defaults (with version 17.xx) and restoring backup, the old apps were retained, maybe that won't work anymore either.

Good to know that they don't load anymore, I will be careful with resets and updates. One of my apps detects Chirp ANT+ geocache beacons and nobody uses those anymore, no apps for it. I don't use them for their intended purpose of geocaching but more as a private alternative to a bluetooth beacon. And I have no idea how I ever managed to write that app. It was such a struggle.

FlowState 3 months ago in reply to Data

Idk if what I said applies to the backup and restore feature, all I’ve tried is sideloading by copying old PRGs to \GARMIN\APPS. It’s possible you may be able to keep all your old sideloaded apps via backup/restore. But at least for my 955, it appears that I’ll never be able to sideload old apps (built for different device types) ever again.

If you want to verify that what I said for your device, you can try building a very simple app for a different device now, and sideloading it.

Data said:
Good to know that they don't load anymore, I will be careful with resets and updates.

In your case, the worst that can happen is you have to rebuild the apps in the latest dev environment