Sending custom notification or starting app from received message

Hi!

- Is there a way to send a custom notifications to the watch from the Android SDK (it does not seems so)
- Is there a way to start a watchapp when message comes from a companion app? (it does not seems so)

The background service can be used even if a watchapp is not running, but I cannot find an event which fires when a message is received from a companion app for the watchapp.
Also it seems that requestApplicationWake asks the user first to start the watchapp or not.

What I want to achieve is a more granular way of setting/sending notifications from the phone to the watch. I would like to have the ability to only send notification between specific time frames.
(like Monday-Friday 09:00-18:00 I dont want to receive mail notifications on the watch but outside of this timeframe I do).
So I thought I could write a companion app which handles the customisability and a watchapp that shows the notification. (something like Notification Center for Pebble does)
Unfortunately it seems that this is not possible.

Do I understand this correctly?

Alexis_Lecanu over 7 years ago

Did you manage to do it?

DEXTER over 7 years ago

Nope, I'm still waiting on some authoritive answers from Garmin developers (developers making the firmware/ciq/etc.)

Former Member over 7 years ago

Right now I don't think you can't really get around the "Start App" prompt for things that are not watchfaces. Assuming you are wanting this in a widget or watch app, you could call requestApplicationWake() from the background process if you can trigger on a phoneAppMessage, a message entering the mailbox on the watch from the partner/companion app. Whether or not that is a sufficient improvement beyond making the openApp request from the companion app is for you to decide.

DEXTER over 7 years ago

Can I ask you where did you find info on openApp request?
On this page: https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/developer-tools/android-sdk-guide/ there's nothing about openApp request.
Using google for: "connect iq openapp" the first hit is this page: https://developer.garmin.com/index.php/blog/post/connect-iq-ble-direct-messaging-updates
Where it talks about openApplication api, and not openApp.
Also the API docs here: https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/api-docs/ are about connect iq, and not Android. So where can the Android sdk api docs be found?

Back to the topic, it seems that openApplication api would be sufficient for my needs, if it works like (talking about a watchapp here):

sending the openApplication message from Android to the watch
The watchapp immediately opens on the watch without a prompt
sending a message from Android intended for the app to display a notification
There's no visible delay between the app opening and displaying the notification on the watch

But confirmation prompt must be avoided since that would be too much hassle to always confirm to launch the app any time a notification comes in.

Is there a way to contact Connect IQ developers to tell them about this feature request (opening without prompt)?

Former Member over 7 years ago

By openApp I was referring to the openApplication API, which does require a prompt to launch the watch app. Which is also why I said it might not be a sufficient improvement over the other method I described.

As noted in the general sticky of this forum, a few developers frequent this forum and their usernames are suffixed with *.ConnectIQ. I would bet that this feature request has been made before and in that case this thread will serve as a representation of the demand for the feature.

Former Member over 7 years ago

I am having the exact same Issue. The prompt really is the deal-breaker for this feature. IMO there should be a permission for autolaunch, which should allow an application to launch without showing the prompt

DEXTER over 7 years ago

Great idea, hoping Garmin developers are reading this thread.

jim_m_58 over 7 years ago

There's no question that the Garmin CIQ folks read these threads and are active here :) You can ID them as their forum names all end with .ConnectIQ.

My own take is "autolaunch" would be unlikely in the near term at least. What if you are recording a run or another activity - you wouldn't want a CIQ app to stop that activity recording on it's own automatically. That's why there's a prompt. It's the same if a background app whats to run the main app - the user is asked.

DEXTER over 7 years ago

That is why I'm saying that the permission is a great idea. If you install a watchapp which asks for an autolaunch permission you simply won't allow it/won't install it, if you don't want that during an activity something just starts without a prompt.
On the other hand, if you want the feature the watchapp provides you have to accept that permission, it is that simple.
If Garmin wants their watches to be more smartwatch like, then they'll need something like this.
In my case I'd definitely install an app that provides me more options on how/which/when a notification comes to my watch and I don't care if an activity stops because of that. :)

jim_m_58 over 7 years ago

Have you ever used a Garmin watch to record a run or any activity? I'm not sure you understand the environment. Or how CIQ fits in that environment.

If you haven't done so, maybe check out the manual for one of the watches, the UX guide in the SDK, and the CIQ Ebook