Acknowledged
1 month ago

Given that a newer SDK is required to build for CIQ 5.x devices, what does this mean for existing apps on devices that were upgraded from CIQ 4 to CIQ 5 (e.g. FR955, Fenix 7, etc)? Do these apps just break?

Background:

- it has always by my understanding that if you build an app for a device with a given SDK, then that app should continue to work regardless of future firmware updates (in general). This ofc excludes situations where:

  - the new firmware update has a bug or breaking change

  - the existing app has a dormant bug which is exposed by a legit change in new firmware. e.g. newer firmware has a change where Weather.CurrentConditions.observationLocationName is null, and this caused several existing watchfaces to crash because they assume that field will never be null. But that's an application error, since that field has always been typed to be possibly null

- CIQ 5.* devices require various 7.X (or 8.X) SDKs to run properly

- Compilers have a check to ensure you don't try to build a a too-new device with a too-old device

- Due to a bug in this check, where older compilers (pre 7.2.0) seem to incorrectly believe that SDK version X can build any device with CIQ version X (or lower), it's possible for an SDK 6.X compiler to build an app for CIQ 5 devices. However, it's very possible that such an app will crash when it's run in the simulator or the device (we've already seen "bug reports" about this

- The existing crop of devices that came out with CIQ 4 (e.g. fr955, fr965, fenix7) have all been updated to CIQ 5. As far as I know, this is the first time that existing devices have received a major CIQ update since the move from CIQ 1 to CIQ 2.

- Someone in the CIQ team already clarified that CIQ 5 devices require apps to be built with newer SDKs.

So here's what I don't understand.

The two following statements seem to be mutually exclusive:

- If an app is built for a device with an existing SDK (e.g. SDK 6.4.0) it will continue (in general) to work on the device for all future firmware updates

- Devices with CIQ 5.* require a 7.X or 8.X SDK

The problem is that it was entirely possible to build an app for an fr955 (for example) with SDK 6.4.0 in the past, when fr955 was only on CIQ 4. If I installed such an app on my fr955 when it had CIQ 4, it would expect it to continue to work now that my device is on CIQ 5.

So how can it be possible that going forward, a 7.X or 8.X SDK is required to build for my fr955?

What am I missing? Has something also changed with the device files that's relevant here?

FlowState
  • 1 month ago

    "If a device gets a system update, it should still be able to run any existing PRGs that are on the device. This is our intent, if this isn't the case then there's a bug."

    "You don't have to release a new app version every time a new device configuration is updated. What is on the store is expected to continue to work on device."

    Thank you for confirming that.

    As I mentioned, the prevailing (non-dev) forum "wisdom" is that the opposite is the case: devs have to be constantly updating their apps to keep up with device firmware updates. I've seen at least one comment to that effect from a Garmin support employee (with Garmin in username). (I don't have a link atm though)

    That's not to throw shade at anyone (or get anyone in trouble), just to point out that different divisions of Garmin may not have be speaking with a unified voice.

  • 1 month ago in reply to FlowState

    After talking to development these are the answers I was given.

    • I'm more worried about whether devs actually do need to be constantly updating their apps to keep up with device firmware / CIQ API updates.
      • If a device gets a system update, it should still be able to run any existing PRGs that are on the device. This is our intent, if this isn't the case then there's a bug.
      • You don't have to release a new app version every time a new device configuration is updated. What is on the store is expected to continue to work on device.
    • I'm wondering if it's now the case with the big jump from CIQ 4 to CIQ 5 for a ton of existing devices
      • Apps built for 4.x API that are already on a device should continue to run on CIQ 5.0 API devices. Same goes for the 5.0 to 5.1 update.
    • In the past I wanted to do this to avoid any possible memory usage increases for old devices
      • Newer SDKs shouldn't be increasing memory usage for older devices except in rare cases, such as a bug fix. Newer SDKs could possibly reduce memory on older devices by using new compiler optimizations. If memory is increasing and causing app crashes on older devices it's an issue. We'd want to know if it's in the sim or on an actual device.
  • 1 month ago

    Then ofc there's the concerns of devs like psx, who actually do wish to use older SDKs.

    (In the past I wanted to do this to avoid any possible memory usage increases for old devices, which would not even benefit from any changes in the SDK, but I kinda gave up on that.)

  • 1 month ago

    To be clear I'm not too worried about having to keep device definitions up to date and to use the latest SDK.

    I'm more worried about whether devs actually do need to be constantly updating their apps to keep up with device firmware / CIQ API updates. That hasn't been my experience in the past, so I'm wondering if it's now the case with the big jump from CIQ 4 to CIQ 5 for a ton of existing devices (almost anything currently supported, other than the absolute latest generation that was released with CIQ 5 - e.g. Fenix 8 series)

  • 1 month ago

    Richard.ConnectIQ, thanks again for the response.

    I still don't understand why an app built today with SDK 6.4.0 (which supports CIQ 4.x but not CIQ 5.x) could possibly crash if run on a CIQ 5.x device (whether real or simulated). (Again I am assuming this has actually happened, based on various bug reports. At the very least, we devs have been told to use the latest SDK to build for CIQ 5 devices - i.e. not SDK 6.4.0, but various 7.X SDKs, based on the specific CIQ 5.x version)

    Unless ofc something has changed in the device definition folder, which somehow interacts with the compiler to produce a PRG that can only work on CIQ 5 devices. (I am thinking of something beyond the connectIqVersion field in the partNumbers array, which is obviously easy for devs to change, although we're not obviously not supposed to do that.)

    If that's the case, if someone theoretically had a backup copy of the old device folder (when it was configured for CIQ 4), could they then build with an older SDK for devices such as fr955 which used to have CIQ 4, but now have CIQ 5?

    > On the rare occasion there are backwards compatibility breaking changes so it is best to avoid this potential complication. 

    Agreed. But I guess I'm just curious about the general case.

    Again, many ppl in the forums (including Garmin support employees) have said that CIQ devs must continously update their apps in order to keep up with device firmware updates. My understanding (and perhaps that of many other devs) has always been the opposite: that *in general*, apps don't need to be updated just to keep up device firmware updates (including CIQ API updates).

    I'm still trying to reconcile these opposing viewpoints. Yeah, I get that there may be nuance and grey area, such as the rare backwards incompatible change. But the version check that's (supposed to) prevent older compilers from building for devices with newer CIQ APIs, the reports of crashes due to building with SDK 6.4.0 for devices with CIQ 5, and your statement that devs should use a newer SDK to build for CIQ 5 devices seem to point to more of an absolute rule: that backwards compatibility does not exist (in general).