Bluetooth won't automatically connect to phone

I've got an InReach mini (firmware is up-to-date) and I have a Galaxy Note 8 phone with Earthmate (also up-to-date). My phone is not automatically syncing with the mini via bluetooth. If I start up the Earthmate app, THEN it will sync and the bluetooth icon will show on the mini. I thought this process was automatic? I have a bluetooth speaker outside my house and when I turn it on, it syncs with my Note 8 automatically. I un-paired and re-paired but it still won't sync until I start Earthmate. The mini does NOT show up in the list of bluetooth devices when I tell the phone to scan, so it appears to be non-discoverable, which may be the reason it doesn't sync automatically, although I'm not sure what Earthmate might be doing when I start it - which causes it to sync just fine. I do not have extended tracking enabled (which turns off bluetooth to save power).

I'm virtually certain this use to sync without starting Earthmate. I have a 3rd party app on my Note 8 (tasker) that I use to automatically start up Earthmate when bluetooth connects to the mini. I know this used to work but its not anymore.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Gerry

0 twolpert over 4 years ago

Earthmate is what performs the sync. You have to be signed into your account in order for the sync to occur. It's Earthmate which remembers the credentials, signs in (on startup) and syncs as needed. AFAIK, it's always been this way.

I can't speak to the third-party app. Are you saying that the third-party app no longer starts Earthmate, or that the sync does not occur even though the app starts?

There is a bug in the iOS version of the app. I don't know if it also applies to the Android version (I use iOS). Earthmate sometimes appears to "forget" your sign-in credentials. It seems to be a timing problem. On iOS, if you start the app, check the credentials and notice that they are blank, you can swipe the app closed (force it to close completely) and re-open it. 99 times out 100, it will now remember the credentials, sign-in, and start syncing. Point is that if the Android app also has the bug and if your third-party app is opening Earthmate (but it is not syncing), this might be the problem. To check, go to the sign-in page in the app (after the third-party app opens it) and check to see if the credentials are present.

0 kb6ooc over 4 years ago in reply to twolpert

When I use the word "sync" I mean "establish a bluetooth connection". My fault for poor wording. I started typing my question using the word "pair" but I realized that would be interpreted as a 1st time connection between the Note 8 phone and the Mini. My phone will sync to other bluetooth devices (such as some outdoor speakers I have) all by itself. I don't need to open the bluetooth settings and I don't need to start any apps - it just syncs when it sees a bluetooth device its has previously be paired with. That is not the case with the Inreach Mini. It won't sync up the bluetooth connection unless I start the Earthmate app.

0 twolpert over 4 years ago in reply to kb6ooc

I'm confused. What would be the purpose of the BT connection without the Earthmate app in the loop?

As a side note, this behavior does not occur on an iOS device. The Mini does show as connected in BT Settings on the phone. On an iPhone, the Mini actually exposes itself via location services - so there is marginal utility in the connection since it can be used with any app that uses locations services, not just Earthmate. I don't believe that's the case with Android, but do not know for sure.

I am not sure under what circumstances the BT icon shows on the Mini. It would not surprise me to find that it's directly related to the use of the Earthmate app.

0 kb6ooc over 4 years ago in reply to twolpert

Using my 3rd party "tasker" app, I can have tasker check for an active bluetooth connection to the mini. If it detects that connection, it auto-starts Earthmate. So if I bury my phone in my backpack for a hike, then power up the mini hanging outside my pack, if the bluetooth connection would establish itself on its own, then tasker will start Earthmate and handle any incoming messages (yeah the mini handles them too but Earthmate handles them better).

Likewise when I power-up my outdoor speakers. Tasker detects the connection (by the device name) and auto-starts my music app and I'm ready to play music.

Its just about automation, but the mini is not working cleanly like the outdoor speakers are. Same could be said about bluetooth connections in a car. If my phone would automatically establish a bluetooth connection to my car, my automation app (tasker) could start up Android Auto for me. That works fine with my car. The outdoor speakers work fine and my music app is ready to go. Not so with the mini. Its not pairing with the phone until I start Earthmate.

Thanks for your help!

0 Garmin-Andrew over 4 years ago in reply to kb6ooc

On iOS, the inReach Mini does stay actively connected to the phone even if Earthmate is not running as twolpert explained. But on Android, due to restrictions with how background services are handled, after the app is in the background for a minute or so, Android stops the background service that is used to communicate with the inReach Mini and isn't resumed until the Earthmate is opened again. For the same reason, the inReach Mini won't be actively connected to the phone until the Earthmate App is opened.