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The Next Best Thing to Root... or, how to de-screw your stock U.S. Galaxy S7 T-mobile

Presenting.. the Next Best Thing to Root for the U.S. Samsung Galaxy S7 T-mobile edition (model SM-G930T that is)
As of 6/7/16, no root is publicly available. I purchased my S7 on 5/26/16 and decided to keep it despite the lack of root. This is my story.
INTRO
So the ol' Galaxy Note II up and died on me a couple weekends back, and I blew 40 bucks on a new battery before I realized it was gone gone gone. Queue new phone shopping, the hip glasses-toting dudes at T-mobile swayed me to an S7. I didn't want something as big as my last phone and forget using a bumper case with that curved-screen edge (an acquaintance of mine quotes: "The only thing that ****ing screen is good for is when I'm high as hell and want to read the clock without lifting my head". He dropped his and shattered it.), so I went with the plain ol' S7. Well, now I know why the salesguy got real quiet when the first thing I told him I would do was 'root the phone'. Being a programmer, I was pretty bummed and unhappy about owning a device that I am purposely locked out of Administrating.. but the return fee was $50, and I really liked what the S7 brought to the table.
Goes without saying, I was ready to pay for the rootable HTC-10 (my local store didn't even carry it, the salesman said they were 'test-marketing it' at a couple other stores across town) or the LG monstrosity (I haven't liked this company since the spying TV debacle, tho once upon a time they made good and cheap TVs), but I hated how much bigger the devices were and that svelte S7 really impressed me otherwise. Samsung really does make the 'iPhone of Androids'.
So, I decided to stick with the S7, and un-screw it pretty much as best as I could. And, because all I read was mostly a lot of 'is the root out yets', I thought it would be cool to share.
ABOUT THE S7
Not too terribly much has changed in the android linux filesystem since the last time I seriously delved into it. Got a vague idea where most of what is what, but I also recognize that the Path to Rooting is two: Utilizing a bootloader to actually flash the chip, or Piggybacking on some existing Administrative-privileged software in the otherwise 'closed' environment. Samsung shipped the U.S. T-mobile S7's (mine is SM-G930T) with a locked bootloader to make it nigh-impossible to root via flashing. Get to it, ya chip-hackers.
However, it is a universal law of the internet that someone out there will find an operable software workaround, and this is usually some 13-year-old kid from Finland, or at least it was in the case where I found drivers for a Voodoo 3 card during the advent of Windows XP. God bless the internet will provide, and in this case that gentle soul is none other than a man by the appropriate name of OSPolice.
PACKAGE DISABLER PRO - THE 99 CENT APP
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ospolice.packagedisablerpro&hl=en
This little gem of an app I purchased for $0.99 off the play store. This is the key to enjoying the disabling features of Root access and the key to un-screwing the T-mobile Galaxy S7. What this app does is essentially co-opt the Administrative access that Samsung Knox (the 'security' software) uses and allows you to disable any and all packages on the phone. When you first activate it you will have to accept an agreement tied to Samsung Knox (don't worry, this in no way causes anything to 'phone home' as far as I can tell).
I would recommend the very first thing you do is go to the settings and add a password to the app, that way nobody else can get in, because this can seriously **** with your phone's software, if you disable the wrong package the phone will not boot up properly and you will need to reinstall. There is an option to Disable All Bloatware based on automatic picks from the application but this can screw up some phones and you will miss a lot of crap, so DO NOT AUTO-DISABLE.
There is also another important reason you should manually disable these. Clicking on a package from the main app brings up a screen where you have several options (the auto-google feature is quite helpful to researching various processes). There is also an important little button that says 'Clear Data', erasing the temporary package data. Due to info I found on another forum, which I am too lazy to dig up here and now, there is an important process to disabling with Package Disabler Pro:
THE DISABLING PROCESS
1. If the package is not enabled, enable it.
2. While the package IS ENABLED, click Clear Data.
3. DISABLE the package with the Disable button.
4. Click CLEAR DATA a second time.
5. On to the next one...
It appears there may be some data that is not erased when the package is disabled. In any case, this fixed all of the problems I had disabling earlier without using the Clear Data button. This is important to stop certain packages from utilizing an outside process to re-enable themselves.
Below I am listing all of the processes that I disabled. Your list might be different; before I did this I updated the phone's system software from T-mobile's servers (as of 5/25), and I don't plan to auto-update again until I root or have to reload everything.
Also, please keep in mind I turned off a few features with this method, you will have to ADJUST YOUR PACKAGES ACCORDINGLY or know what to re-enable from the below list. I turned off all wi-fi calling (don't like 'weird' internet connections), all NFC and payment such as the Samsung pay chip (nothing I want/need enabled right now). I kept Bluetooth connectivity on since I pair the phone with my car for and it's more or less an 'established' form of protocol, neverless if I didn't use it I would deactivate it as well. Security Over All is my philosophy.
THE SINGLE PROBLEM I HAVE HAD is being unable to 'browse' for a background when choosing a new one for the lock screen. I kept the lock screen with a stock dark blue and had already set my live wallpaper (play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dkeesto.holographlw&hl=en if you are curious, Digital Hive by the unsurpassed Cypher Cove). So set your backgrounds before disabling all these, or try and figure out which disabled package screws this up, though I tried re-enabling anything with 'wallpaper' in it to no avail.
I also disabled a lot of the Google services, I check my gmail online, phone apps seem so hideously insecure to my mind, and I don't want to use any drive or cloud backup services AT ALL. Go with an all-encrypted service or backup your data yourself, and I don't trust any non-rooted backup apps. If you use the Gmail app or etc, simply don't disable it.
A LIST OF PACKAGES I DISABLED (remember to Clear Data, then Disable, then Clear Data a second time!):
AASAservice
Access cloud
AllShare FileShare Service
Amazon
ANT + DUT
ANT HAL Service
ANT Radio Service
ANT+ Plugins Service
AutoPreconfig
Basic Daydreams
BBCAgent
BeaconManager
Beaming Service
Briefing (**** you)
Calculator
Calendar
Camera test
Carmode Stub
ChocoEUKor
Color Adjustment
com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
com.android.sharedstoragebackup
com.android.wallpapercropper
com.facebook.appmanager
com.facebook.system
com.samsung.android.app.watchmanagerstub
com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity
com.samsung.dcmservice
com.samsung.enhanceservice
com.samsung.faceservice
com.samsung.hs20provider
com.samsung.ipservice
com.samsung.storyservice
com.sec.android.app.minimode.res
com.sec.android.app.wfdbroker
com.sec.bcservice
com.tmobile.pr.adapt
Context Service
Control TV
CoolEUKor
Device Unlock
DeviceTest
Dictionary
EasyOneHand
EasySetup
Email
Enhanced features
eSE UCS Plugin
Facebook
Favorite Contacts
Filter Installer
Filter Manager
Filter Provider
Foundation
Galaxy Apps
Galaxy Essentials Widget
Gallery (I use an app called QuickPic, don't disable if you use the regular Gallery)
Game Launcher
Game Tools
GamepadService
GameService
Gear VR Service
Gear VR SetupWizardStub
Gear VR Shelf
Gmail (You might not want to disable, but for security's sake you should and use your browser)
Google App
Google Backup Transport
Google Calendar Sync
Google Contacts Sync
Google One Time Init
Google Partner Setup
Google Play Movies & TV
Good Play Music
Hancom Office Editor
Hangouts
Health Service (this auto-health reading stuff is kind of scary)
Help
Highlight video player
IMS Settings
ImsLogger+
IntelligenceService2
Interaction control
Internet (have a secondary browser in place, I initially used Chrome)
IPsec Service
Kies Application BnR
KNOX
KnoxAppsUpdateAgent
Live wallpaper picker
Lookout
Magnifier
Market Feedback Agent
MDMApp
Memo
Message service
Messages (I use an app called Textra, it is pleasant, don't disable if you use this for text messages)
MmsService (I have had no trouble sending/receiving MMS text with this disabled)
Mobile tracker
My Files
My interests
My Places
Nearby Service
Nfc Service
NSDSWebApp
Personal Data Management
Photo Editor
Photo Screensavers
Photos
Print Spooler (might be necessary for phone-to-printer if you're into that)
Private Mode Service
Quick connect
Remote Controls
RoseEUKor
S Finder
S Health
S Voice App
Safety assistance
Safety information
Samsung account
Samsung ApexService
Samsung Billing
Samsung Content Agent
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Gear
Samsung keyboard (HAVE ANOTHER KEYBOARD INSTALLED [I use Hacker's Keyboard] OR DO NOT DISABLE THIS)
Samsung Location DSK
Samsung Milk Music
Samsung MirrorLink 1.1
Samsung Pay Stub
Samsung Payment Framework
Samsung Push Service
Samsung setup wizard
Samsung text-to-speech engine
Samsung+
SamsungDLPService
SapaMonitor
Screen Mirroring
Security policy updates
SecurityLogAgent
Settings Receiver
ShootingModeProvider
Simple Sharing
SLLibrary
Slow and fast-motion video player and editor
Smart Manager
Smart Manager Provider
SmartCallProvider
SmartcardManager
SmartcardService
SmartFaceService
SmartManager Clean DSK
SnsImageCache
Software update
Software Update
Sound detectors
Sound picker
T-Mobile
T-Mobil Name ID
T-Mobile TV
Theme store
Themes
TouchWiz easy home
TouchWiz home
Trim
Universal switch
UrgentFWUpdateNfc
UrgentFWUpdateTSP
Video collage
Video Editor Lite
Video Player (Stock, don't disable if you use, I use an app called VLC that plays damn near anything)
Virtual tour
Visual Voicemail
Visual Voicemail
Voice Assistant
Voice service
Voice wake-up
WallpaperCompression
Weather
Weather
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct share
Wi-Fi Calling Settings
withTV
And that's it! Boy, wasn't that a lot of clicking clear data and all that junk! But it is worth it!
A FEW OTHER FEATURES I DON'T USE
Fingerprints.. never tested with this. I fail to see the usefulness of a fingerprint compared to a password in your head, and it's a whole lot easier to duplicate the former and scan someone's phone (call it the 'law gets in' password). So some of these might have disabled fingerprint functionality.
Voice-assistance.. again, the possibility of my phone recording me without me knowing is kind of scary. There's a lot of Samsung S-voice crap built in, I had this sort of thing on my last phone and never had the need for it.
Always-On Screen - It displays the time, had it on for a couple days and it worked just fine, but ultimately a battery eater, and the config options are real limited. I ended up turning this off.
The Samsung TouchWiz Launcher - As soon as I got all my packages disabled, I ditched this one. You can use anything you like, but personally I found a new home with NovaLauncher.
The Camera I tried to keep as whole as possible, I set it as the 'double-home-button-click-to-open', which was default behavior, and I really like it this way - double-click and you have a camera, and it works regardless of locked screen. They've really improved the camera software, I can double-click and start recording and that's just the way I like to use a phone. Now if there were only a way to compress, encrypt, and auto-transmit those movies immediately after recording...
DEVELOPER OPTIONS
Settings -> About device -> Click on 'Build Version' a bunch of times. If you're reading these forums you should probably know how to activate this.
Some cool settings, the only one I toggle is USB debugging.. for ease of file transfer on a PC thru USB cable, something which ALL modern phones suck ass at. It almost makes me want to program a simple universal file transfer software suite.
WHAT I WISH I STILL HAD
Encrypted Backup Solutions/State Backups: TitaniumBackup & Nandroid are the ****. Man do I miss having root access.
Customized Pull-down Notification Screen: I hate that first row of settings buttons. I will probably have to pony up the 5 bucks to NovaLauncher to see if they can make those go away.
One-touch Reboot app - Not getting this one until root Administrative access. I'll have to live without until then.
Otherwise, I have been pretty conveniently able to live without Root on this phone, and I hope this guide can make you happy, too!
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - USEFUL
I've peppered the above with some apps I really like, here are some more:
Firefox - My favorite browser. I keep a copy of chrome for emergencies. 'Noscript' and 'Phony' are must-have extensions. Still looking for a good page-to-pdf extractor.
Orbot/Orfox - Best TOR/browser combo.
Rocket Player - FANTASTIC music app that I ponied up the money to unlock (mostly to play FLACs). Near-perfect, and a relief because Winamp **** the bed when it came to Android.
DuckDuckGo - I use this to replace the Google search bar widget. Doesn't work the same (click to open) but works quickly.
ZDBox - I use this exclusively for the 5x2 'control' widget on my home page. One-touch turnon/offs (or some options send you to the settings screen) for the following: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Mobile Network, Airplane Mode, TaskKiller, disable Screen Rotate, Brightness, Applock (you specify) and Flashlight (my default light, big screwy button but I'm used to it now).
ZDCal - From the makers of ZDBox, a free calendar that displays as a strip in the notification bar and also places a date at the top of the screen. Be careful, the first time I set it up I blindly clicked a couple pages and set up a period calendar that promptly notified me when I was beginning ovulation (I am a man).
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - GAMES
Stellar Solitaire - The best Solitaire app ever. Tons of games, demos, beautiful for a phone screen.
Cliffy Run - A rager game my awesome friend made that is totally and amazingly simple and has some great graphics.
Neko Atsume - A stupid japanese cat simulator that I can't stop checking.
Source - A free 'pipes' puzzle game. I'm at 1 hr 2 mins on insane level. Great for killing time in the DMV.
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - PROGRAMMER/NERD
OS Monitor - Process/Connection task-manager
JuiceSSH - My terminal app of choice.
Blowtorch Beta - My MUD app of choice. Told ya I nerd.
AndFTP - My FTP/SSHFTP app of choice.
AndroZip - My compression app, and, surprisingly, file manager of choice.
Fing - 1st of the 2 best wireless discovery apps ever.
Wifi Analyzer - 2nd of the 2 best wireless discovery apps ever.
Usemon - Resource Analyzer. Has a cool option for the notification screen, and measures both frequency and % use graphs when many progs do one or the other.
Cargo Decoder - If you want to read what exactly is in the tanker truck you are driving behind and how badly a spill will **** up your day.
Maverick - For all your GPS/compass/accelerometer needs.
FINALE
Please feel free to add anything to the above! I am pleased that I got my phone to do most of the things I wanted without a root. That being said, as soon as it is possible I will be jumping on that train. If you have any suggestions, please contribute! And thanks for reading!

I never understood the reasons why people get so hung up on "debloating." There was a time where I was one of those people, rooted and debloated every phone I had, etc. One thing I found out, they all, without fail, performed worse than stock, and battery life took a significant hit. It seems counter-intuitive, but I am not the only person to have experienced this. There was a time when phone hardware was weak and the Samsung or HTC, or whatver UI was bloated, but these days are gone. By all means spend the money and time to "debloat" this phone if it makes you happy that you did something, or stuck it to Samsung/T-Mobile, or whatever. Alternatively, instead of letting your phone run your life, use it as it is out of the box and focus your energy on something that actually matters. If I were able to get root on this phone, all I would do is install an ad blocker. Everything else on this phone is excellent.

Good stuff. Package disabler pro really helps...I plan to check out some of the apps you mentioned.

I tried using it, but found it disabled more than I wanted. A bunch of apps and processes went missing and things didn't work. I know you can do individual apps I think, I only tried the default settings. Didn't like it. It's Not like having root or Titanium backup. I uninstalled it. Things worked again. Just my experience, but everyone else, enjoy!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using XDA-Developers mobile app

Adguard is really good for blocking ads. You have to pay a yearly fee for it to block ads in apps though.
If you want to back up apps and data, Helium can do that.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

We already have a thread in this section for debloating the S7E here:
S7 Edge debloat list
Please search before posting and don't start duplicate threads.
THREAD CLOSED

Question Customization Service on Samsung4: ON or OFF?

While setting up the Samung4 smartwatch, I noticed Customization Service is installed and turned on in the Galaxy Wearable app for the watch. I don't remember if it was installed and turned on in my Note9 phone but since I set up the watch it is. Should I turn off the Customization Service or do I need it enabled for the watch apps to function and display properly?
https://www.samsung.com/us/account/customization-service/

Play with it and see what works best for you.
A lot of documentation may be missing or near impossible to find. It's nearly impossible to crash* a stock Android so... explore.
*3rd party apps excluded. The stock Sammy ones are likely safe though.

You do not need it for the watch to work. You can turn it off if you have concerns about privacy. It is a personal choice.

Thanks! I read it's a default setting on the watch to collect data. I just wasn't sure if it affected the apps if I disabled it.

CKavanagh said:
Thanks! I read it's a default setting on the watch to collect data. I just wasn't sure if it affected the apps if I disabled it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also use Karma Firewall to block the app after it's installed and running. I do this with Wearables and the Good Lock family of apps on my Samsung. Karma uses almost no battery and is freeware.

Question How to backup Watch4 app data and downloaded watch faces?

Hello community!
The built-in backup feature is extremely limited, and almost useless because it essentially backs-up only the Quick Settings screen and a handful of other Settings.
All downloaded watch faces as well as other apps (and app data) are excluded from the backup.
I have sideloaded this File Manager using EasyFireTools.
File Manager - Apps on Google Play
Fast, easy-to-use and full-featured file manager app with cloud integration.
play.google.com
This file manager allows me backup all apks, as well as connect to my phone and PC wirelessly over the network.
But the main issue is app data. None of the watch faces come with a configuration file that can be exported/ imported, so every watch face has to be setup from scratch each time.
Is there a simpler way to backup watch face configurations as well as other Apps'data?
Thanks.
RELATED POSTS
You'll find more info and related links here:
Wear OS - Facts
Hello community! In this post, I am giving you info on some aspects of Wear OS, which you may or may not know. All the details presented are based on my experience with Samsung Galaxy Watch4 (WiFi model), running on Wear OS 3.x. So they may not...
forum.xda-developers.com

I use thema watch faces (for example I use this Chrono) and it comes with a partner app on your phone to customize more settings and it has a built-in setting saver. While not all watch faces have this, it is amazing and thema has a ton available on the playstore. They're all free with limited options but the settings save options are free and a single iap for unlocking all options.

spart0n said:
I use thema watch faces (for example I use this Chrono) and it comes with a partner app on your phone to customize more settings and it has a built-in setting saver. While not all watch faces have this, it is amazing and thema has a ton available on the playstore. They're all free with limited options but the settings save options are free and a single iap for unlocking all options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have seen some of the watch faces from thema and others like RichFace, whose phone apps look similar.
Most of the features are locked behind a paywall. Does one have to buy each feature separately or buying once unlocks all features?
On the Play Store, they say x dollars per item. So not sure what exactly that means.

It is per watchface for thema unfortunately. But it's not unreasonable to me. Less than $2 and I use Google opinion rewards and I get $2 worth of credits in less than a month for Google play so like I said imo I don't think it's much.

spart0n said:
It is per watchface for thema unfortunately. But it's not unreasonable to me. Less than $2 and I use Google opinion rewards and I get $2 worth of credits in less than a month for Google play so like I said imo I don't think it's much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, the payment for each watch face is separate. That is obvious.
My question is regarding features inside each watch face. For example, weather update, Google Fit integration, Samsung Health integration, AOD customisations, etc. are all locked behind a paywall.
Is the payment for each of these features separate, or just a single payment is required to unlock all premium features inside the watch face?
The 'Buy premium' option is shown separately against each of the premium feature. That is what is confusing. Does the 'Buy premium' unlock all premium features inside the watch face, or just that particular feature?

TheMystic said:
Sure, the payment for each watch face is separate. That is obvious.
My question is regarding features inside each watch face. For example, weather update, Google Fit integration, Samsung Health integration, AOD customisations, etc. are all locked behind a paywall.
Is the payment for each of these features separate, or just a single payment is required to unlock all premium features inside the watch face?
The 'Buy premium' option is shown separately against each of the premium feature. That is what is confusing. Does the 'Buy premium' unlock all premium features inside the watch face, or just that particular feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OH I did not understand your question. Yes it's 1 payment for all features. 1 iap for everything.

spart0n said:
OH I did not understand your question. Yes it's 1 payment for all features. 1 iap for everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They should make that clear on the store description. They say x dollars per item, hence the confusion.
Thanks for clarifying this.

spart0n said:
It is per watchface for thema unfortunately. But it's not unreasonable to me. Less than $2 and I use Google opinion rewards and I get $2 worth of credits in less than a month for Google play so like I said imo I don't think it's much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch faces from RichFace, Thema, and others have pretty much everything locked behind a paywall. There is no way to test and see how the watch face would look after the user configures it the way he likes.
Going through the refund process of in-app purchase is a pain. Plus there are often licence verification issues on devices with multiple Google accounts.
I would rather install a paid app, see how it looks, and opt for refund with a single click if I don't like it.

TheMystic said:
Hello community!
The built-in backup feature is extremely limited, and almost useless because it essentially backs-up only the Quick Settings screen and a handful of other Settings.
All downloaded watch faces as well as other apps (and app data) are excluded from the backup.
I have sideloaded this File Manager using EasyFireTools.
File Manager - Apps on Google Play
Fast, easy-to-use and full-featured file manager app with cloud integration.
play.google.com
This file manager allows me backup all apks, as well as connect to my phone and PC wirelessly over the network.
But the main issue is app data. None of the watch faces come with a configuration file that can be exported/ imported, so every watch face has to be setup from scratch each time.
Is there a simpler way to backup watch face configurations as well as other Apps'data?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will never be able to backup app data without root. Just to put that to bed.

73sydney said:
You will never be able to backup app data without root. Just to put that to bed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pathetic despite Android now being over 12 years old in commercial business. This is one area where Apple products are clear winners. They allow you to backup ALL app data, even if not the app themselves.
With Wear OS, the backup doesn't even include the downloaded watch faces themselves. One can't even unpair the watch without factory resetting it. When there are such limitations, the backup should be more elaborate and include the app data, including for downloaded apps and watch faces.

TheMystic said:
That's pathetic despite Android now being over 12 years old in commercial business. This is one area where Apple products are clear winners. They allow you to backup ALL app data, even if not the app themselves.
With Wear OS, the backup doesn't even include the downloaded watch faces themselves. One can't even unpair the watch without factory resetting it. When there are such limitations, the backup should be more elaborate and include the app data, including for downloaded apps and watch faces.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been trying to find any useful information on trying to backup my Facer and WatchMaker face files to a microSd card because faces on the app I've download seem to dissappear. If I've paid for a membership I'd think I'd have the right to back them up but I haven't been able to find anything. Searching through my file manager trying to even find anything resembling watch faces or the apps themselves is like looking for a UFO at Walmart. What the heck. There has to be a way to back them up. Anyone?

According to some info people gleemed in the files in a recent Google play services update, Google is working on a more thorough backup feature for wear os but I wouldn't count on it to backup everything

I am also now trying to find this, because I had purchased watch faces that for some reason unknown have now been removed from the playstore after being there for years, I wasn't expecting to loose a number of my watch faces, wouldn't have cared so much if they were free the face was from watchfacestudio com.watchfacestudio.tagcarrera. I have now purchased another however I am worried that this will get pulled as well, and no backup.
Does anyone know any ADB or ROOT methods to backup securely these faces?
Do they work like an apk following these methods?
Watch4 ADB Commands - Disable/Enable/Uninstall/Restore system app, Install/pull Apps
Hello Everyone, I hope you all are good, So I see some on you wondering about how to uninstall, reinstall, install, pull, enable and disable apps for the watch, so I decided to make this thread to address these different scenarios, this is based...
forum.xda-developers.com

danw_oz said:
I am also now trying to find this, because I had purchased watch faces that for some reason unknown have now been removed from the playstore after being there for years, I wasn't expecting to loose a number of my watch faces, wouldn't have cared so much if they were free the face was from watchfacestudio com.watchfacestudio.tagcarrera. I have now purchased another however I am worried that this will get pulled as well, and no backup.
Does anyone know any ADB or ROOT methods to backup securely these faces?
Do they work like an apk following these methods?
Watch4 ADB Commands - Disable/Enable/Uninstall/Restore system app, Install/pull Apps
Hello Everyone, I hope you all are good, So I see some on you wondering about how to uninstall, reinstall, install, pull, enable and disable apps for the watch, so I decided to make this thread to address these different scenarios, this is based...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned in the OP, you can install the file manager linked there and backup the watch faces you want, just as would backup any app on the phone. If the watch faces get booted from the Play Store or you don't find them from their original source, you can simply reinstall the apk from your backup above and it will work just fine.
No need for root to backup (and reinstall) just the watchface apk.

General What can your smartwatch do?

Hello community!
This is an idea gathering exercise.
For a while since I purchased it, I never bothered with my Galaxy Watch4 (my first smartwatch). But as I'm now tinkering with it, I find it quite interesting. Here is a list of what my watch can do:
01. Show me a whole lot of information. I have 3 favorite watch faces, each configured to give me a different set of information. All I have to do is simply change the watch face and they tell me much of what i want to know. Actually, this one watch face tells me pretty much everything I need to know.
02. Navigation on the wrist.
03. Notifications from my phone.
04. Managing phone calls.
05. Wirelessly transfer files among all my devices like watch, phone, laptop and NAS. I use the following two apps for this purpose:
1. File Manager
2. WiFi Pro FTP server
06. Listen to music using Samsung Music app. I haven't had the need to install another music app.
07. Watch videos using the watch companion of this app: Sun Player. You don't need this app on your phone.
08. Stream YouTube videos using NewPipe.
09. Manage my emails. I have installed Microsoft Outlook, Samsung Email, FairEmail and K-9 email apps. But I haven't configured any yet, except for Microsoft Outlook.
10. Browse the internet using Samsung Internet browser.
11. Read PDF using built-in PDF reader of X-Plore File Manager.
12. Read e-books using AIReader.
13. Control the basic functions of my Samsung TV using SmartThings app.
I know I have left out the single biggest thing that most people use a smartwatch for: Health Tracking. I don't use it because much of that is gimmicky stuff and one must not rely on the number game when it comes to health matters. Things like an app reminding one to drink water is one of the most absurd things that people would use.
Some of the apps are Android apps meant for the phone. But they are quite usable on the watch too. I sideload them using one of the following apps:
1. Easy Fire Tools
2. Bugjaeger
The following tutorials illustrate how to sideload apps on watch running Wear OS:
How to Sideload Apps on Samsung Galaxy Watch Wear OS - DroidWin
How to Sideload Apps on Samsung Galaxy Watch Wear OS
In this comprehensive tutorial, we will show you detailed steps to sideload any app on your Samsung Galaxy Watch running Wear OS.
www.droidwin.com
3 Ways to Install Apps or APK on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 - wearablestouse.com
3 Ways to Install Apps or APK on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & 5 - wearablestouse.com
Want to download or sideload apps on your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch? Here's how to install apps and APK on Galaxy Watch 4.
wearablestouse.com
What are the things you use your watch for?
RELATED POSTS
You'll find more info and related links here:
Wear OS - Facts
Hello community! In this post, I am giving you info on some aspects of Wear OS, which you may or may not know. All the details presented are based on my experience with Samsung Galaxy Watch4 (WiFi model), running on Wear OS 3.x. So they may not...
forum.xda-developers.com

Telling time... after all, it is a watch.

see the date, time and weather

Start my car, open the garage door and control all alexa enabled devices plus all of the usual stuff...

It does so many things. But my life is also just fine without it.

TacoDeMuerte said:
Telling time... after all, it is a watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have edited the title of the post to now read 'smartwatch'.
AwaKeN said:
see the date, time and weather
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have edited the title of the post to now read 'smartwatch'.
larryk said:
Start my car, open the garage door and control all alexa enabled devices plus all of the usual stuff...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess: you have setup Alexa or Google Assistant on your phone and use voice commands on your watch. These things are quite impressive, but personally I'm not comfortable in allowing apps to constantly keep listening to my conversations.
Virgo_Guy said:
It does so many things. But my life is also just fine without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely. They are just too far from being a necessity. On the contrary, they are more of a distraction and contribute to loss of application of human faculties.

I shut off the listening part in both Alexa and Google Assistant, and just use the buttons to start the app...

General Some observations about watch faces....

During this week, I was playing around with my Watch4, and this post is about some of my observations, and conclusions about the same. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong with any of them.
There are essentially two categories of 3rd party watch faces:
1. CATEGORY 1: One that uses resources within the watch itself to display information.
The Android phone app for this category of watch faces merely send the store link to the watch face so you can simply install the app from the watch itself. The Android app here has no further role and can be uninstalled from the phone. But I would recommend that they remain installed in the phone because of a specific benefit: you can quickly install these watch faces from the watch because all these appear under 'Apps in Phone' section of Google Play Store app in the watch. So instead of uninstalling, it is better to put them in deep sleep (optimised state) on the phone.
Some of the watch faces in this category are:
​01. amoledwatchfaces​02. HMKwatch (or HMKwatch)​03. Matteo Dini MD​04. Ballozi​05. Bosenko East (or Bosenko)​06. fatih sendur​07. WFProduction by A.Kovalev​08. PERSONA Watch Face​09. WINwatchface​10. Tancha Watch Faces​11. Yosash​12. Chester​13. Ntv Watchfaces​14. Active Design Watch Faces​15. Lihtnes​16. SMZ JeonDaeHyun​17. MDS​18. Digital Wings [DW]​19. SHIFR​20. EK​21. IV Watch Faces​22. Timeflik (ex Mr. Time)​23. MyWF Cartel​24. Inspire Watch​25. Prado Design​26. MW Design​27. Re: Brand​28. Amser Watch Faces​29. MW Design​30. MatveyAn​31. MDS Watch Faces​32. styles4you​33. Inspire​​and others.​
All the above watch faces are either paid or have in-app purchases. They don't come with an accompanying Android phone app for their working, with very few exceptions that need the Android app just for phone battery feature.
2. CATEGORY 2: One where the watch face connects to its companion app on the phone over bluetooth/ wifi/ nearby devices to exchange information. In this case, the companion apps on the phone must keep running in the background in order to update certain information on the watch. e.g. phone battery level, etc.
The Android phone apps for this category of watch faces usually come with ads. although there are exceptions. For these apps, I have seen that almost every feature/ customization for these apps are locked behind a paywall. Personally, I find most of them very annoying, although there are exceptions. The following are some of the developers who engage in such a practice:
No ads; only in-app purchase
1. SOOON​2. GS Watchfaces​
Ad supported; in-app purchases to unlock most features and customizations
1. RichFace​2. thema​3. Smart Art Studios​4. DeNitE Appz​​and others.​​The problem that I have noted with this Category 2 type of watch faces is that they may interfere with the connection between the phone and the watch. This is only an observation and I may be wrong. So the community can confirm or reject this observation.
In my case, the Galaxy Wear app as well as Smart Things app were having too much problems in displaying the battery level of the watch when I had this 2nd category of watch faces installed. Once I uninstalled all these, the problem seems to have been sorted. I must mention here that I had put all these companion apps in deep sleep mode on my Samsung phone. My guess as to why this created problems is because the watch faces were trying to contact their companion apps, which were not responding as they were optimized. This probably led to the connection being overwhelmed by these watch faces that resulted in the problem noted above.
UPDATE: My suspicion is probably correct. Apps and watch faces that REQUIRE a companion app on the phone are indeed the most likely culprit for this problem. The solution is to disable battery optimisation for these apps on the phone, or uninstall such apps from both the phone and the watch.​
ADDITIONAL COMPLICATIONS SUPPORT
The following apps will add support for corresponding complications for all your watch faces that support WearOS/ 3rd party complications (i.e. those that are not designed to get complications only from their own companion apps on the phone, e.g Manager by SOOON):
1. Phone Battery Complication
2. Complications Suite - Wear OS
3. Heart Rate Complication
4. Health Services Complications
5. SimpleWeather
6. SimpleWear
If you have any of the above apps installed, you'll be able to add the corresponding complication to all of your watch faces. For example, if you add the 2nd item above, you'll be able to add UTC Time, day number, week number, etc. to all your watch faces, even if they don't come with it. Same holds true of BP, and other health related complications.
RELATED POSTS
You'll find more info and related links here:
Wear OS - Facts
Hello community! In this post, I am giving you info on some aspects of Wear OS, which you may or may not know. All the details presented are based on my experience with Samsung Galaxy Watch4 (WiFi model), running on Wear OS 3.x. So they may not...
forum.xda-developers.com