Announcing SDK 4.0 with support for Versa 2

[JonFitbit]

We're proud to announce the latest version of the software development kit for Fitbit OS. SDK 4.0 adds support for the new Fitbit Versa 2, a comprehensive update to the Cryptography API, multi-view SVG support, and much more.

https://dev.fitbit.com/blog/2019-10-29-announcing-fitbit-os-sdk-4.0/

[Scorseze]

In addition to the API changes, there has also been a complete rewrite of the communication stack on device and mobile. This new stack provides improved reliability & performance, true multiplexing, and Quality of Service (QoS).

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Nice. I suppose it's all out of the box and automatic. I couldn't find any changes in the reference doc for the Messaging API.

[JonFitbit]

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@Scorseze wrote
Nice. I suppose it's all out of the box and automatic. I couldn't find any changes in the reference doc for the Messaging API

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Correct. It's automatically selected when you use Fitbit OS 4.0.x, and no API changes.

[Streeter80]

This is fantastic! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! 😁

[morningReign]

Hello @JonFitbit 

I like the new SDK, but the changes in listDirSync and brightnessOverride broke part of my watchface, including the part that makes it a watch.

I have a fix that addresses these issues in for Fitbit review, but that takes several days and I'm losing users now.

Is there any way to expedite the process?

Watchface is ILuvChrono

https://gallery.fitbit.com/details/bda6f514-3946-49ba-a4ed-75e8470ab034

[LiamFitbit]

I'm curious to know how these changes you mentioned broke your clock. Not aware of any issues with listDirSync outside of the simulator (the bug isn't present on real watches). The changes to brightnessOverride should be backwards compatible. What issues are you seeing exactly?

[morningReign]

Hello @LiamFitbit,

Thanks for the fast reply,

First thing. This SDK is awesome, really big fan. I can do in hours what took days on the pebble. And I don't know what you did to the communications, but the interactions between the watch and the phone are just a whole lot snappier, much appreciated.

***

After I saw the 4.0 announcement, my first simulator test looked like the attached picture. Listdirsync was part of my initialization routine and when it threw an error accessing "." error the init function failed.

The brightnessOverride setting did not react well to being set to 10, which used to be the brightest setting. This also threw a fault causing the function to fail.

The picture is actually from my wife's Versa, which stopped working yesterday morning.

Apologies; you are right though. Evidently, not all users are having problems, as my inbox is not filling up. But one did, and I was worried the issue was update related and more prevalent. In my experience, most people don't complain, they move on.

The fixes were easy enough, and I completed a corrected revision rather quickly, but I imagine there are now more than the normal amount of updates in the app manager review queue.

Regards,
Reign

[LiamFitbit]

So the listdir issue is just in the simulator, we'll fix that in the next update, hopefully quite soon. It won't affect real users.

The brightness setting issue it sounds like you might be seeing after updating your app to SDK 4.0, but existing users in the field using a version built against SDK 3.0 or 3.1 won't see that. It's only when you specifically build against the new version that these breaking changes apply to you.

We have a summary of the breaking changes to beware of when upgrading SDKs here: https://dev.fitbit.com/build/guides/migration/

[morningReign]

Hello Liam,

I just got this email from one of my customers:

Today my clock has lost the hour hands and some other screen data. I have attached a photo. Switching clock faces, restartng my Fitbit, and even restarting my phone have not fixed the issue.

S. J.
Sent from my phone

I have also attached the image he sent.

I think the listdir problem may be affecting more than the simulator. Granted, the timing may be coincidental, but the symptoms are the same as with the simulator.

If you can expedite the review of the ILuvChrono update, I would really appreciate it.

Regards,

Reign

 

[gaperton]

Got the same thing with mine. It appears that all gradient rectangles are not being shown.

[morningReign]

Hello @gaperton , @LiamFitbit ,

I have my Beta test Versa and Ionic working now. While I don't know the underlying problem (I no longer think it was the listDirSync), the watchface looks as it would look if the iniitialization did not complete. 

When I used a beta version UUID for the ILuvChrono watchface, The Fitbit app would not let me load ILuvChronoBT  and was prompting for a companion and device update.

After I updated the Fitbit app from Google play, the device profile showed the red update needed ribbon/button. After I completed the device update the watchface started as it should, with a complete initialization, and a fully functional watchface. When I restarted the companion app everything started communicating cleanly and all is well now.

After the updates I was able to install the beta version, but to be clear, the watch was already working at that point and had been since the updates completed.

*****

Also,... My Beta test Ionic has been functional since the update and I don't know what you did to the comms et al, but it burns far less power than it did before the update, and it was a power sipper to start with. Excellent job! I really do appreciate the result.

Thank you and Regards,

Reign

[rc26]

I'd like to chime in on that and say that I've also noticed my clockfaces compiled with SDK4 seems to drain the battery about 1%/hr. Previously it was around 2.5%/hr.  So that's nice.

[Scorseze]

Is there some detailed changelog for the Fitbit App?

All I can find for every update is "Bug fixes and performance improvements", which might be true obviously, but not very useful for watch app developers.

[Olbia]

Fitbit studio is still showing 4.0 as the latest version for me - is this correct, or should there be a minor update?

I thought I read somewhere that there was a minor update to correct problems on Versa Lite. I am currently updating all me watch-faces to 4.0, and some have already been accepted. Will they be OK for Versa Lite users? (I don't have a versa Lite to test, other than the simulator).

[LiamFitbit]

Studio only shows the major and minor components of the version, since being hosted-service it always uses the latest patch version for you. Currently at time of writing Studio uses SDK version 4.0.1 when you target the 4.0 SDK, so as long as you built your 4.0 clocks within the last month or so, they'll have the fix.

The fixes we made in 4.0.1 only affected usage of the activity history API on Versa Lite though, so if you weren't using that, any issue you were seeing is something separate not addressed by that patch.

[Olbia]

Great - thanks!

[Angelac119]

I have the note 9 and I can not read my text messages on my phone. How can that be fixed? 

[Angelac119]

Sorry I ment on the fitbit