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[Q] Caller ID/SMS Announce & Auto Answer

So since switching to my lovely N5, I've missed a few things I found baked into older versions of Android on my old Razr I.. I know that if I fiddle with the Accessibility/TalkBack settings in Kit Kat, I'll get some of the features I need, but I was hoping not to have to go with the full talkback functionality if possible, so I was wondering if any of the good folks here had recommendations of good/stable apps to do the following?
An app that uses TTS to do caller ID and SMS announcements - e.g. for when I'm driving..
A reliable and configurable app for auto answering calls..
Ideally the ability for these apps to activate or shut down when paired/not paired to a specific bluetooth device (e.g. like Car Home Ultra) would be awesome.. I could get tasker involved at a pinch, but native support for this would be easier
I appreciate that if I look at the play store, there are a LOT of free and paid apps that cover the basic requirements - but XDA has always been my go-to source for reliable recommendations, and if I'm honest the reviews for most of the ones I can find are all over the place
tia

You may like utter!.

PhilipTD said:
You may like utter!.
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Click to collapse
I shall certainly give that a go on my drive home!
Thanks for the heads up

Unfortunately, Utter was a little too unpredictable for me - when used in conjunction with my bluetooth car unit anyway...
I'm trying Free Car Mode
..which seems to be a single app that does both auto answer and SMS announce - in fact it may be the only app on the play store that does both.. (irritatingly it has an annoying quirk of always going back to it's main screen whenever an SMS is read out, kinda defeating the "hands free" requirement if I'm already in a navigation app.. but hey ho, its free so I can't complain too much - I've mentioned it in my Google Play review, so you never know.. the developer may implement it

jms_uk said:
Unfortunately, Utter was a little too unpredictable for me - when used in conjunction with my bluetooth car unit anyway...
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Click to collapse
Ah, bummer. There's also AVX.

Yeah, I saw that.. no worries, a "personal assistant" app may have been overkill anyway. Free Car Mode seems to be doing the job - it's a pain to manually launch before each drive, but I've added it as a button to Car Home Ultra and just have to manually enable/disable before each drive

Apps wish list

What apps do you want developers to make for the Gear 2? mine so far are
1 Screen brightness changes by time of day (dim at night bright during the day)
2 Being able to fine tune the wake up gesture
3 Wake up gesture programable so it can be on say during the day and off at night (time based)
4 Notification item on main home screen for counting your notifications
5
6
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8
9
10
11
12
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17
18
19
20

1. basic navigation integration with phone for walking, biking
2. controlling home automation scenes/devices- micasaverde integration
3. payment processor such as paypal, square via a onscreen barcode
4. boarding pass integration - boarding pass codes are displayed
5. google now integration
6. evernote integration to a specific notebook that has small snippets of text. i.e. passworded files containing important information
7. a speed reader that flashed up letters quickly so you can read short emails etc.
8. basic xbmc remote (play/stop/volume, next, back etc)
9. tasker integration - initiate tasker tasks to perform another action.
10. lastpass integartion - ability to display passwords or logins after entering a pin.

1. Google Maps app
2. Tasker integration
3. Philips Hue application

I would like an ip camera viewer app to loggin and see my vivotek ip camers
currently I use ip camera viewer lite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rcreations.ipcamviewer
just need ip and loggin and password to connect and view my security camera when not at home.

1. Alarm
2. Note/Task/Reminder
3. Keypad
4. Photo Gallery Viewer
5. iTunes Remote
6. Contact Creator
7. Camera Shutter Control (Which is on the way!!! )
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

This one will never happen but I've been surprised before. Have my slingplayer show on my watch. ... That would be legendary.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I527

Foursquare
Phone camera remote
Root - android
Themes to change icon colors
Keyboard
I'm sure there is more.
Sent from Tapatalk on Samsung Galaxy S5.

I've been looking for a way to skip tracks on my music player and possibly see the album art work while song is playing.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

It would be nice if there was an app which sends the heart-rate to compatible apps like runtastic

Intergration
All I really want is better integration:
- Spotify: Media controls, but also control over the playlists.
- Maps: Navigation
- Timley app: Stopwatch, alarm, etc
- Better fitness: Link the Gear to Runkeeper or an other great fitness app. Maybe just a BETTER fitness for Gear app?
- Whatsapp, Hamgouts: Reply to more than just the Samsung messaging app.
These are the things I really miss for now. But Google Now would be nice also.

Sparc29 said:
I've been looking for a way to skip tracks on my music player and possibly see the album art work while song is playing.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The media controller under Apps should skip songs. I use it with Google Music all the time. Any player that can take controls from Bluetooth, like the ones on Bluetooth headphones should work.

Berthaconners524 said:
Could there be something like a pedometer? My mom has one of those dinosaurs that you clip onto your pants and it tracks how far you walk. Could this do something similar? So, it could track how far/fast/long you walk, and also track your heart rate, so you know if your stamina is getting better, or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a n 'exercise' app that measures heart rate (and calories, in theory). There is also a pedometer. I am not sure if both can be run at the same time.

Tapatalk. .lol

Berthaconners524 said:
Oh neat! Thanks, I might look more into purchasing. I'm not quite sold yet...
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Note that a lot of people are complaining about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. I found mine to be fairly accurate by my reckoning, although it lagged. This was probably due to the infrequent automatic sample intervals.
For solely these features, the Gear Fit may be more appropriate, and is much cheaper.

Something like Multi-Watch or WatchStyler that also shows the weather and shortcuts
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

i'd like to see voxer ported over to the gear.

Berthaconners524 said:
Interesting. Thank you. I have a fast heart rate (stress) and would like to have a device tell me when to calm down etc. Sometimes technology can help me with stuff like that
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Click to collapse
Have you considered beta-blockers? I was interested because I was prescribed these for migraines that had been plaguing me for decades. They fixed them almost completely (still get some slight pain, but I can ignore it). My heart rate is now ridiculously low, at about 60 normally. On a hospital test I had to reach 120, and it took a really huge amount of effort! I was interested to see if the Gear got that right and it did, at about 85 walking up a steep (1 in 4) hill.

jeromepearce said:
there is a n 'exercise' app that measures heart rate (and calories, in theory). There is also a pedometer. I am not sure if both can be run at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are far better off using Endomondo and your phone, I also hear Endomondo will be linked to the watch in the future

Pandora radio
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app

Berthaconners524 said:
That's a neat idea. This is a stupid question, but are there speakers and microphones on the gear?
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Click to collapse
yes there is. speaker isnt too bad. havnet tried the microphone yet.

What would you like to see on the Gear 2?

Not sure if theres already a thread (dont think there is but I havent searched far)
Things I would like to see are:
Official Social Media Apps - Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter integration etc.
S Voice Improvement - Feel like it lacks a whopping amount, I literally feel like the only thing I can ask it to do is Call / Message someone or Open an app or request the weather (Which is on my homescreen anyway). Things that surprised me is that it can't play a song on the device on request, or open an application on the phone on request etc. I feel like it should run its responses through the official S Voice app on the phone if the request isn't a direct Gear command.
Lock security on wrist - Phone lock security on the wrist, I understand there is already the "Autolock" but some nice security features would possibly be a pin unlock that shows up on watch (or on phone if not connected) or a pattern unlock, gives more security options. Or even when clicking the option in notifications to "Open on phone" that it bypasses the lockscreen.
Remote Phone Viewer - Somewhat like teamviewer but where you can actually view your phones screen, scroll around and interact from your wrist, might be slow and tedious but would be a fun feature and extend its capabilities into the phone itself.
Unified Remote application for PC control - I always find Unified remote a good application for remote access to PC's it would be nice to see them develop an application for the wrist!
Android Wear Application integration, allowing tizen to run android wear apps, I feel if Samsung don't allow this, or don't speed up the process of passing applications their smart watches will be outran by watches such as the Moto 360.
Think thats all my ideas so far, would love to hear yours!

I would like to see an application like Shazam.

LiamS said:
Not sure if theres already a thread (dont think there is but I havent searched far)
Things I would like to see are:
Official Social Media Apps - Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter integration etc.
S Voice Improvement - Feel like it lacks a whopping amount, I literally feel like the only thing I can ask it to do is Call / Message someone or Open an app or request the weather (Which is on my homescreen anyway). Things that surprised me is that it can't play a song on the device on request, or open an application on the phone on request etc. I feel like it should run its responses through the official S Voice app on the phone if the request isn't a direct Gear command.
Lock security on wrist - Phone lock security on the wrist, I understand there is already the "Autolock" but some nice security features would possibly be a pin unlock that shows up on watch (or on phone if not connected) or a pattern unlock, gives more security options. Or even when clicking the option in notifications to "Open on phone" that it bypasses the lockscreen.
Remote Phone Viewer - Somewhat like teamviewer but where you can actually view your phones screen, scroll around and interact from your wrist, might be slow and tedious but would be a fun feature and extend its capabilities into the phone itself.
Unified Remote application for PC control - I always find Unified remote a good application for remote access to PC's it would be nice to see them develop an application for the wrist!
Android Wear Application integration, allowing tizen to run android wear apps, I feel if Samsung don't allow this, or don't speed up the process of passing applications their smart watches will be outran by watches such as the Moto 360.
Think thats all my ideas so far, would love to hear yours!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want Google now and a MUCH better texting program. I want to be able to receive the test and reply to it in one step.

TelloMan said:
I want Google now and a MUCH better texting program. I want to be able to receive the test and reply to it in one step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flesky Messengers lets you do the 2nd bit?

LiamS said:
Flesky Messengers lets you do the 2nd bit?
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Click to collapse
Yes, but you need to exit whichever notification you are in and go into Flesky. IMO, Flesky is slow, even with the latest update. Takes a few seconds to open and doesn't automatically refresh your feed. Very annoying that something better hasn't come out from Tizen yet. :crying:

twoesse said:
I would like to see an application like Shazam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres an app called Gearam Music ID which works like shazam ive tested it and its pretty good!
TelloMan said:
Yes, but you need to exit whichever notification you are in and go into Flesky. IMO, Flesky is slow, even with the latest update. Takes a few seconds to open and doesn't automatically refresh your feed. Very annoying that something better hasn't come out from Tizen yet. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I definitely agree with that, what annoys me about default notification app is that it takes up a huge bit of scroll space repeatedly telling you that the button below opens on the phone even though the button itself says that. Should use that space to have an "Open in watch messenger" to reply!

General keyboard
More and more apps let you type in stuff. But every app has his own made keyboard.
So a keyboard implementation general for all apps!!
Then developers can make the perfect keyboard which you can choose.

LiamS said:
Theres an app called Gearam Music ID which works like shazam ive tested it and its pretty good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank's. I will try it.
Sorry for my bad english, i'm french.

gdanonym said:
General keyboard
More and more apps let you type in stuff. But every app has his own made keyboard.
So a keyboard implementation general for all apps!!
Then developers can make the perfect keyboard which you can choose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely agree, I don't mind typing on my watch it is manageable!
and we all know we're going to be doing it discreetly (while at work) so I could just carry a thin stylus if I ever needed to, might take something finding one, I was quite disappointed that non of the s pens worked.

"Unified Remote application for PC control "
I actually asked the developers of Unified Remote about making a Tizen port of their app - or at least something that could work in conjunction with the phone app. They said they'd look into it, but I'm not holding my breath.
We'll have more luck if the Color Tiger developers who make Smart IR lite come through with their new device that is being crowdfunded as we speak - as they said that device will be able to get commands from the watch somehow.

rEVOLVE said:
"Unified Remote application for PC control "
I actually asked the developers of Unified Remote about making a Tizen port of their app - or at least something that could work in conjunction with the phone app. They said they'd look into it, but I'm not holding my breath.
We'll have more luck if the Color Tiger developers who make Smart IR lite come through with their new device that is being crowdfunded as we speak - as they said that device will be able to get commands from the watch somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully they do develop a watch app it would be great and promote their app much more. I would even pay for it!
At the moment im using Wearable Widgets with a 4x4 simple unified remote widget but as I don't like wearable widgets limited options on clock faces and lack of time updates I have to flick between clock faces which is impractical!

Just thought of a new one, develop sleep application to toggle your phone into a sleepmode turn sync off etc location dim screen. Then once you wake up and toggle sleep off it turns them all on!

Missing features / wishlist

I like my S2 classic much mostly for it`s design and battery life, but there are features that I miss much.
Lets write down wishlist for future updates. Maybe someone makes this come true!
I will update OP periodically
Sleep tracking
Camera remote shutter
Analog tachymeter app
Shazam app to recognize music

It sucks that the S2 lacks quite a few apps I hope in the future it gains more dev support especially with iphone compatibility if Samsung make the S2 work 100% with the iphone's that is. However most of those features you can get on the S2.
For sleep tracking there is GNight costs £1.99 and for the Camera there is Camera controller which is free. This is UK market though so might be different in other countries I don't know.

I would add Samsung Pay for the UK market.

Wishlist
What I need most of all is a modified Nike+ app that shows my heart rate constantly while I'm running in big numerals. It sounds so simple. I love the Nike+ app but it just doesn't have the ability to make this simple adjustment to the settings. Not everybody is interested mainly in how FAR they run/jog.
I am far more interested in what manner I run/jog.

I'd love to see improved GPS performance. Also, would be great if Samsung allowed apps to communicate with phone apps not via Bluetooth, so that the watch can fully work when connected to the phone remotely (kinda takes the point out of the 3g version if most apps only work if the phone is around.
.

like to have more kindes of Sports, like gym, Ski for the Trainings app.
regads

mikesaa309 said:
For sleep tracking there is GNight costs £1.99 and for the Camera there is Camera controller which is free. This is UK market though so might be different in other countries I don't know.
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Click to collapse
I can buy Gnight for $1.99, but I need sleep tracking app with full Shealth integration.

The only thing I want is android wear with the current ui. Because the UI is literally the only good thing about tizen on a smart watch.

I would love to see Wunderlist (ToDo List App) coming to the S2. It's the only thing that I really miss.
Gesendet von meinem SM-G900F mit Tapatalk

please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
PIA when using an app, like music player for example, then after a timeout the wake up gesture will show the watchface instead of the music player.

mr neutron said:
please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is in watch parameter. It is like this in Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S

mr neutron said:
please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
PIA when using an app, like music player for example, then after a timeout the wake up gesture will show the watchface instead of the music player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be nice to have the option indeed when needed.
Re. your example there are currently three workarounds; music widget next to WF, setting to double click, and dragging down from top of screen then clicking. Granted not as easy as raising your arm but not too bad.
I'd simply like to be able to reorder my WF's. How hard can that be!!?:silly:

dersie said:
I think this is in watch parameter. It is like this in Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope. it was available on Gear2 neo, but then i "upgraded" to Gear S2 and it it definitely missing.
---------- Post added at 06:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 AM ----------
Cryps said:
It would be nice to have the option indeed when needed.
Re. your example there are currently three workarounds; music widget next to WF, setting to double click, and dragging down from top of screen then clicking. Granted not as easy as raising your arm but not too bad.
I'd simply like to be able to reorder my WF's. How hard can that be!!?:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am using these workarounds, but last viewed wake up gesture is preferred.

mr neutron said:
i am using these workarounds, but last viewed wake up gesture is preferred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
Perhaps the attached is worth looking at (hit the store today). Just a thought.

Schnuddelbuddel44 said:
like to have more kindes of Sports, like gym, Ski for the Trainings app.
regads
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strength Training app just released in the U.S. Gear store by Samsung India. Also Skimble-linked Workout trainer app, Pear Gear app, and Rossignol's Ski Pursuit are available. I don't know if they're any good, but they do exist.

I would love to have tunein. Power amp extension. hotspot and better always on watch faces

1. Enable mic for calls - I often have the phone in my pocket with headphones on.. would be nice not to have to pull out the phone just to answer a call.
2. Guitar Tuner app - I'm working on writing my own, actually. Seems an ideal use case.
3. Improved SDK and documentation for writing apps - the current SDK is rather easy to "break" and hard to install and get working and although there's some decent documentation online it's fragmented and hard to find exactly what you need.
4. Google Now app or extension.

more blue tooth setting like naming each connection and being able to use mono audio like in android to listen to tunein radio when available if ever

Oobly said:
1. Enable mic for calls - I often have the phone in my pocket with headphones on.. would be nice not to have to pull out the phone just to answer a call.
2. Guitar Tuner app - I'm working on writing my own, actually. Seems an ideal use case.
3. Improved SDK and documentation for writing apps - the current SDK is rather easy to "break" and hard to install and get working and although there's some decent documentation online it's fragmented and hard to find exactly what you need.
4. Google Now app or extension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2's more niche, but as a guitar teacher it'd be a godsend.
Sent from my SM-N910U using Tapatalk

Avatiach said:
I'd love to see improved GPS performance. Also, would be great if Samsung allowed apps to communicate with phone apps not via Bluetooth, so that the watch can fully work when connected to the phone remotely (kinda takes the point out of the 3g version if most apps only work if the phone is around.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the watch does not have gps? it only gets the data it needs to put it in maps app from your phone (connected through bluetooth/wifi)

Music ID like Shazam?

I love this watch, but the app selection is terrible to say the least.
Is there a app where I can identify music? I use this on my phone constantly because I'm in my car 8 hours a day. Now that I find myself going solo w/ out my phone, I can't use this and it's driving me nuts.
Is Tizen hard to work with? I'm curious why it seems all developers steer clear.

Tizen is just another flavor of Linux, much like Android. The reason development is slow is because there aren't many Tizen devices. Developers go for the big market share devices to maximize profits.

Actually the app side of tizen right now is not bad. I expected less apps than my moto 360. Oddly enough, I find that there are more apps! Even better, gear s3 apps aren't stuck behind a paywall pretty much all the android wear apps are.
Compared to a smartphone, yes the app selection is horrific. Which is why smart watches are having so much trouble taking off.

nascar48 said:
Actually the app side of tizen right now is not bad. I expected less apps than my moto 360. Oddly enough, I find that there are more apps! Even better, gear s3 apps aren't stuck behind a paywall pretty much all the android wear apps are.
Compared to a smartphone, yes the app selection is horrific. Which is why smart watches are having so much trouble taking off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But people have to take smart watches in to prospective. We expect them to act like our phones with all sorts of apps. Truth is that smart watch primary function is getting notifications. You can't expect an app to robust on such a tiny screen. Yes Android wear has plenty of apps or companion apps to Android apps but I have found most of them useless. My S3 does exactly what I need and better executed than Android Wear and the Apple watch. I actually own a LG urbane which I never use anymore and I sold my Apple watch when I switched to Android and I don't miss it one bit.
Truth is you are still going to have to take your phone out for certain things. The smart watch was not made to replace the phone, just as the tablet doesn't replace a computer. I use my phone and tablet for 95% of my needs but there are certain things that I still need a computer for. Maybe one day the tablet will replace the computer or the smart watch will replace the phone but it's just not there yet.
Right now the S3 with LTE is hands down the best on the market, hands down!

I see where everyone is coming from, but keep in mind, they built this watch so you can leave your phone behind if need be, so something like Shazam, where it can pick up the song and then add it to my list that I can see on my smartphone too, is great.

tnt2sniper said:
I see where everyone is coming from, but keep in mind, they built this watch so you can leave your phone behind if need be, so something like Shazam, where it can pick up the song and then add it to my list that I can see on my smartphone too, is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well then petition Shazam to make a tizen app.

a good internet radio app would be cool to have on the s3 , a youtube app where you could sign in would also be nice for catching up on subs on youtube , got filmon to work in the browser , video was good but no sound sadly.

Sirdragonx said:
But people have to take smart watches in to prospective. We expect them to act like our phones with all sorts of apps. Truth is that smart watch primary function is getting notifications. You can't expect an app to robust on such a tiny screen. Yes Android wear has plenty of apps or companion apps to Android apps but I have found most of them useless. My S3 does exactly what I need and better executed than Android Wear and the Apple watch. I actually own a LG urbane which I never use anymore and I sold my Apple watch when I switched to Android and I don't miss it one bit.
Truth is you are still going to have to take your phone out for certain things. The smart watch was not made to replace the phone, just as the tablet doesn't replace a computer. I use my phone and tablet for 95% of my needs but there are certain things that I still need a computer for. Maybe one day the tablet will replace the computer or the smart watch will replace the phone but it's just not there yet.
Right now the S3 with LTE is hands down the best on the market, hands down!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on with this comment mate!
I have spent some time over the past 2-3yrs trying to get people to understand that you can't expect too much from a 1.3" screen! Apps are for the most part gimmicky. A smartwatch's prime use is time, date, notification relaying, fitness, news/weather, navigation, call taking/making and music control. These are all covered. What apps do people REALLY want and would honestly use?
.

To be honest i really miss the original Galaxy Gear (SM-V700) which had the built-in camera which i used daily, which ran android, and i could literally send over any apk via bluetooth may that be gmail, a launcher, messenger, youtube, shazam, angry birds or whatever and it would run the app pretty well. Yeah. I miss that. I think everybody should have the freedom to use their smartwatch for whatever they wish. I understand that with tizen, samsung can become independent, they could triple/quadruple the battery life, but they essentially killed all the functionality that the watch had had. Bring back stock android or at least android wear.

theonlymac001 said:
To be honest i really miss the original Galaxy Gear (SM-V700) which had the built-in camera which i used daily, which ran android, and i could literally send over any apk via bluetooth may that be gmail, a launcher, messenger, youtube, shazam, angry birds or whatever and it would run the app pretty well. Yeah. I miss that. I think everybody should have the freedom to use their smartwatch for whatever they wish. I understand that with tizen, samsung can become independent, they could triple/quadruple the battery life, but they essentially killed all the functionality that the watch had had. Bring back stock android or at least android wear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I expected to have a few more options for compatible software but think more are on the way. I can pretty much do everything I need to BUT feel like I'm really missing a camera for sharing quick photos via MMS and video chat via Skype, etc.
Google Voice, which I have used for a few years, just released a new version and it allows user to send MMS. Haven't changed setting to make it my primary messaging app again, I went to stock messaging app when I got the S3 because I couldn't receive MMS or reply to messages on Google Voice.