You can make standalone Garmin Wifi Apps for free (you only have to pay if you want to charge).
Do note that it's very janky. By default web requests proxy via the phone - if you want to try wifi you have to switch into a "modal wifi mode" - do a batch of web requests and logic - then switch back into "normal" mode and then do something with the saved data.
You cannot push notifications from wifi but you could do:
1. request to open the app using a background service
2. toggle wifi mode
3. fetch the data and close the app
4. create watch notifications from the background service.
You may need to acknowledge the request to open the app with a button press - but I've also see examples of it just opening (not sure of conditions though).
I'm a solo dev working on a suite of Garmin apps in order to make the sportswatch into a fully flung smartwatch, with the intent of enabling you to reduce screentime (mobile) but still maintain "essential functionality" and live in the modern world. The ecosystem is offline and privacy first - no cloud/servers.
The watches are chronically underpowered (great for battery life) and need a phone for internet anyway (inbuilt Sat/LTE is not available to devs) - so I've offloaded most of the heavy work to an Android (for now) companion app.
The key features:
- Use the phone mic (headphones or built-in) to dictate to the watch (on-board transcription) - the built-in keyboards are tough to use
- Reply to android notifications with voice (ie. WhatsApp/SMS)
- No extra costs for AI - you have a flagship mobile - all AI inference is on-device
- No internet access for watch or phone app - privacy first, local.
I’m working a Garmin watch app to query all the rich data on the watch (health, physical, environmental, location sensors) from the watch + general AI assistant. Privacy focused using your own keys and Gemini. API calls direct from watch - no backend. https://untether.watch
Have a look at the Internet Printing Protocol. I built a NodeJS app that pretended to be a printer and could receive real time transactional data from a legacy POS/software. No drivers required… supports HTTP auth… all OS’s have great support for it.
I recently did the same thing. Hit 30; reflected on last decade. I had moderate success consulting but didn’t get a single product off the ground. Considering the lost potential earnings, the need to reset savings and the lack of a pension I thought it prudent to get a full-time job. I’ve now been employed for 8 months or so and it’s a huge relief. Formerly every waking hour was working on the product. Now it’s 9-5 working for the man and then have the rest of the time to relax. It’s been truely impactful. I’ve started reading again and am much happier! Being an employee isn’t for me but I will stay with new status quo for a couple of years, get a healthy financial buffer and start something else again. I’m working for a medium sized company and am an engineer with limited responsibilities.
I think that this is fair advise and undoubtedly appropriate for some. Especially those that have cast their net badly and now believe that their time spent as an entrepreneur wasn't worth it. For others however, going back to work in that sort of capacity and being happy about it will read like celebrating a lobotomy.
I think that it's a bad world out there in many ways. When your back is up against the wall, it's a good time to think whether you want to use that opportunity to learn to emotionally deal with risk, anxiety and maybe even crisis. Because how you deal with a situation in which the shit properly hits the fan will decide a lot about what comes after it for you.
Do note that it's very janky. By default web requests proxy via the phone - if you want to try wifi you have to switch into a "modal wifi mode" - do a batch of web requests and logic - then switch back into "normal" mode and then do something with the saved data.
You cannot push notifications from wifi but you could do:
1. request to open the app using a background service
2. toggle wifi mode
3. fetch the data and close the app
4. create watch notifications from the background service.
You may need to acknowledge the request to open the app with a button press - but I've also see examples of it just opening (not sure of conditions though).
If your Garmin is already paired with a wifi AP turn off your phone and give https://apps.garmin.com/apps/78a3fa7c-6f78-4d0e-94cd-b9bd874... a go to see the UX (needs Gemini API key).
reply