[MOD][PORT] Samsung Gear 360 Manager for all devices (by Kieron Quinn) 1.5.00.1-3

xdaforums.com/t/mod-port-samsung-gear-360-manager-for-all-devices-updated-30-jul-23-v1-5-00-1-3.3400383/

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Samsung Gear 360 Manager ported for use on (almost) all devices

LAST UPDATED: 30th July 2023, Version 1.5.00.1-3

Requirements:
- A Gear 360 2016 or 2017 (BOTH work with the same app)
- Android 5.0 or above
- A phone newer than like 2014. The Live View will not work on any phones with the equivalent or lower power than a Galaxy S5, but try it anyway

Important:
After installing, grant the app permission to access location in the background, in App Info > Permissions > Location > Allow all the time. This allows it to access the current WiFi network name while the app is not open, such as when you are actually connecting to the camera's WiFi.

If updating from an older version:
Please uninstall the old version first, since 1.5.00-1 needs a clean state for the phone gallery fix to work.

Firmware updates and Firmware source code
As of January 2021, Samsung have taken down the server that contained the firmware update config files for both models of the camera. Through the use of the Wayback Machine and some reverse engineering of the XML syntax read by the app, I was able to fully reproduce the firmware XMLs on GitHub. There is a new version (1.4.00.4-FW or above) of the app which can use these XMLs and download the binary files of the update from this forum post and install them on the camera. You need to set the firmware you want to use (or latest) in the settings (after connecting your camera) before the app will be able to download an update.

The Source Code is no longer available on Samsung's website, so has been mirrored on the same forum post. More info on what the files contain can be found on the GitHub repository linked above.

Connecting to the camera
A longstanding "issue" with this app is its tendency to get stuck on a "Loading" screen when Gallery or Camera is selected. This can usually be resolved as follows:

1. Disable WiFi direct in the mod settings, since it is buggy. Restart the app. Verify you have granted the app background location (see above).
2. Open the app and verify the camera is connected with Bluetooth (if the Connect button appears on the main screen, tap it)
3. Disable mobile data, any VPNs and disconnect from the camera's WiFi if it is already connected
4. Open Camera or Gallery. The loading screen will show, and the WiFi settings will open (if you have that option disabled, open them now)
5. Wait for the camera's WiFi to appear. Connect to it. Return to the app.
6. The loading screen should disappear after a few seconds. If it doesn't, repeat from step 1 (it sometimes takes two attempts)

If the camera's WiFi automatically disconnects due to lack of internet, then read on...

Fixing WiFi automatically disconnecting
On some devices the camera's WiFi network will automatically be disconnected by the phone as it doesn't have internet. This can be resolved in one of three ways:

1. If a notification appears asking you if you want to stay connected, tap it and say yes. This decision will be remembered and it will no longer disconnect.
2. If you are running Android 8.0 or above, run

adb shell settings put global captive_portal_mode 0

3. If you are running Android 7.x or below, run

adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

Please note that options 2 and 3 will disable Captive Portal detection, if you wish to re-enable this then run the same command but with 1 in place of 0.

Known Issues:
- Live Broadcast doesn't work on 2016 camera or when using Soft AP. Cannot be fixed.

- WiFi Direct is buggy. Probably down to the app's mode being made for Samsung's modified WiFi direct, unlikely to be fixed

FAQ:

Q: What's the difference between WiFi direct/non WiFi Direct (Soft AP) mode?
A: WiFi Direct uses an experimental modification for enabling the Samsung WiFi Direct mode for all devices. It's quite buggy right now, but in theory allows you to update the camera's firmware (known to be dangerous, be careful). It also means you don't disconnect from the internet when using the app

Q: It's stuck on "Installing Samsung accessory service"
A: Install it manually

Q: I'm trying to use Live View/Gallery but the app gets stuck on loading
A: See the Connecting to the camera section above

Q: I have a 2017 camera and don't know the password for its WiFi!
A: Switch your camera to iOS mode (on the camera itself, using the menu). It will display a password, write that down. Switch back to the normal mode and continue as normal, entering the WiFi password you wrote down when prompted

Q: Does Live Broadcast work?
A: On the 2017 camera, when in WiFi direct mode apparently so. I've not tested it, and it doesn't work on any other configuration however

Q: What do the mod settings do?
A: See the "Mod Settings" section below

Q: There's a new version of the app on the Play Store, when will you update?
A: Check the last few pages of the thread. If the original APK has been posted already, the mod will be updated soon™. If it hasn't been, and you have a Samsung device compatible with the original app, please grab the APK and post it (the original APK is hard to get hold of)

Q: I found a crash!
A: Please post it in the thread, WITH A LOGCAT (don't know how to logcat? See here)

Mod Settings:
Since version 1.0.00.18, the mod has built in settings to allow a single unified APK. They can be found in the app's settings, under Mod Settings

WiFi Direct
Enable WiFi direct mode. Disabled by default as it's fairly buggy

Override Camera Recognition
Force your camera to appear to the app as a certain model. This isn't actually that useful, as it just causes crashes because of incompatible settings (default: don't override)

Always Show Live Broadcast
This is NOT aimed at allowing broadcast on 2016 cameras (they can't do it), but at countries where Live Broadcast is hidden. Enable this to always show it (disabled by default)

Automatically Open Settings
Automatically open the WiFi Settings/WiFi Direct settings when connecting to save you time (enabled by default)

Enable 4K
Enables 4K stitching and streaming from the camera, which may crash on very slow devices (enabled by default)

Porting Guide:
I don't plan to stop updating the mod any time soon, but if you want to port it yourself I have a rough guide available Here

Thanks to:
- Bin4ry for the original port

Tools used:
- Apktool
- V10 Studio/Notepad++ for smali editing
- JEB for viewing Java code in APK

Disclaimer: You are responsible for your Gear 360 when using this app. Updating the firmware, whilst possible in WiFi Direct mode, may brick your device. It's recommended you find a compatible Samsung device and use that to update

Notice
From August 1, 2020, app updates and compatibility support on new phones will be discontinued. Even after the update discontinuation date, you can continue to use the existing app. However, it may be difficult to provide support with regard to new bugs or third-party service interworking changes and new features and services through app update, and it may be difficult to provide compatibility for devices other than those listed in "Compatible OS version", "Compatible models" below.
• Compatible OS version: Android 6.0 to Android 10.0
• Compatible models: Galaxy Fold, Galaxy S20 / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 series, Galaxy Note10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 series, Galaxy A9 Pro / A8 (2018 / 2016) / A7 (2018)
※ Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S20 Lite are not supported
Please note that some features of the app are available in Gear 360 related PC programs (Gear 360 ActionDirector, Mac program name: Gear 360).
PC programs related to Gear 360 can be downloaded until February 28, 2024, and you can continue to use PC programs that have already been downloaded after the above date, but please note that update support (bug fixes or third-party service interworking changes, provision of new features and services) will be discontinued.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact us via Samsung Members.

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With the Samsung Gear 360 (New) app, you can create, view, and share 360 content on your smartphone, and enjoy various features by connecting Gear 360.
※ This app is compatible with Gear 360 (2017) and Gear 360.

Main Features:
- Connect to and disconnect from Gear 360.
- Remotely shoot video and preview your recording
- View 360 content and save files to your smartphone
- Share your created content on social media services
- Share your best moment using Live Broadcast (only Gear 360 (2017))
- Check Gear 360 status and settings.
- Sync Date and Time, as well as GPS data.
- Highly compatible with Gear VR

Gear 360 lets you easily create, view, and share high quality 360 videos and photos of your memorable experiences.
With 360 Live Broadcast, share your best moment in real time and get live interactions (Only Gear 360 (2017))
Create your own virtual reality content to enjoy through Gear VR.

List of Supported Devices:
Galaxy S8, S8+, S7, S7 edge, Note5, S6 edge+, S6, S6 edge, A5 (2017), A7 (2017)

- Some features provided by the Samsung Gear 360 (New) application are only available when Samsung Gear 360 is connected to your mobile device.

- Supported devices vary depending on your region, operator, and device brand. Please check the compatible smartphone list on the official homepage.

- The Live broadcast feature requires the Nougat OS or later version update.

- Samsung Gear 360 (New) app doesn't support the NFC feature for Gear 360 (SM-C200). If you would like to use NFC feature, download the previous app (Samsung Gear 360 Manager) from the link below.

apps.samsung.com/appquery/appDetail.as?appId=com.samsung.android.samsunggear360manager

The following permissions are required for the app service. For optional permissions, the default functionality of the service is turned on, but not allowed.

[Required permissions]
- Location : Used for saving location information in recorded content by Gear360.
- Storage : Used for saving or editing recorded content by Gear360.

[Optional permission]
- Contact : Used to share live url during using live broadcast with Gear360.

If your system software version is lower than Android 6.0, please update the software to configure App permissions.
Previously allowed permissions can be reset on Apps menu in device settings after software update.