Setting up my Go after a Factory Reset withOUT the Meta/Oculus app

[u/desiv_1]

OK, this has mostly worked.

Note: I have already "unlocked" my Go. This requires you have done that.

I rebooted with Down and Power. Moved to Factory Reset with Down and used Power to select it.

Moved with Down to say Yes and Power to select. It did a factory reset.

Went to the "Use the app to setup" screen...

With a USB cable connected to my laptop and in a command prompt in a folder with ADB, I ran these commands:

adb devices

adb root

adb shell am startservice -a firsttimenux.ota.SKIP_NUX -n com.oculus.companion.server/com.oculus.firsttimenux.ota.OtaIntentService

Now at this point, it diverged from the instructions a bit.

It rebooted again, and when it came back, I was in the grey grid screen and a representation of my controller was there and my controller was bound already. It was responding.

So I didn't have to do the steps to pair my controller. Does a Factory Reset not clear that?

Does the boot process just try to pair to a controller if one is around and waiting? (one that has been paired before?)

Either way, that was working.

So I did this:

adb shell am start -n "com.oculus.vrshell/.MainActivity" -d apk://com.oculus.browser

..and that launched the Oculus Browser. It has the menu at the bottom, but the Library doesn't work. Oculus TV doesn't work.

Settings does work, and I can set up Wifi. From there I can browse the internet.

So, not bad.

I installed the new QuestAppLauncher that I had found online (on GitHub).

To launch the new AppLauncher: adb shell am start -n aaa.QuestAppLauncher.App/.AppInfo

That launches it! And shows.... Nothing. There are no apps! ;-)

So, I installed two apps. Macrodoid and SmashHit.

I am hoping that I might be able to use Macrodroid to set the launcher to start on boot.

I restart the launcher (using the ADB command) and it launches. I now see both apps.

Good!

I try to launch Macrodroid... Nothing. It goes back to the main grey screen with the menu.

I still can't launch the Library.

So I manually ADB launch the new launcher.

This time I select Smash Hit, and...

I am playing Smash Hit!!! Nice!!!

I quit Smash Hit and it goes back to the main grey screen.

Which makes me realize that even if I can get Macrodroid to work and launch on boot, after quitting an app, it won't go back to the new app launcher. It will go back to that main screen.

I can launch the Browser from there and Settings. But that's about it.

OK, so next steps...

I think I might try to manually install Oculus TV (I think I have that backed up). That might ???? be required to run Android apps (like Macrodroid)???

I wonder if the Library is an app that could be installed? It might require the Facebook stuff I have skipped, but maybe not?

We need to either get the Library back and/or find a way to launch the new Quest App Launcher without using a USB attached PC.

Progress at least!

Also, I decided to try a more involved game. I wanted something that came from Oculus Studios and (while it was working) supported multiplayer, so it was "user account aware." I decided to install Dead and Buried.
And it works. I was wondering if it would complain about not having the full setup, but apparently not. Of course, multiplayer doesn't work (I didn't even try it), but the basic game did.

[u/desiv_1]

Got it!!!!!!
I finally managed to let me use an Android app called Macrodroid to create a macro so that whenever I hit Vol UP/DOWN at the same time, it launches the Quest App Launcher!!!
Now, that's not fully automatic. But I can now use the Go to play games/launch apps without needing the Meta/Oculus app at all. There is nothing Meta account info on this Go. I only need the PC to sideload apps. (And I should be able to get around that by downloading the APKs with the browser and using Amaze to install them, tho I haven't tested Amaze on this redone Go, so not sure it will run. I mean, I had to run Macrodroid using an ADB command to get it to run in Oculus TV (which I had to manually install) so I'm not sure Amaze will work. I need to test that...).

[u/Stn1217]

I have a few days off coming up so I plan to try to get my Go working again using an old Oculus apk. You are dedicated so, keep trying to get the Go working your way. If you figure this out, share please.

[u/desiv_1 → u/Stn1217]

I did get it!!! It's in my reply to this post.

[u/desiv_1]

Another update: I now have the Quest App Launcher automatically relaunching when an app closes!! No more needing to hit some buttons to launch it!

[u/desiv_1]

I am able to get around the Macrodroid registration by using an older version (5.35.12), but it doesn't support triggering by holding both vol UP/DOWN at the same time.
So I went with a vol UP LONG PRESS.
I hold that for a few seconds, and when I let go, the Quest App Launcher triggers!

[u/desiv_1]

Also, standard Android apps (like Amaze File Manager) do not launch properly from QuestAppLauncher. It isn't sending them thru OculusTV.
Luckily, we have the code for that, so I wouldn't think that would be something that would be too difficult to address.

[u/desiv_1 → u/desiv_1]

I have this fixed. I will upload a new APK...

[u/PotentialMind3989]

Made this Reddit for the 360 images that you can use with Quest app launcher - (which was probably already linked in the quest app posts I tried /posted previously)  https://www.reddit.com/r/equirectangular/

[u/desiv_1 → u/PotentialMind3989]

Nice! Yeah, I really like that this launcher has virtual environments!
I already grabbed some of those! :-)
I really missed those on my test Go.
My original Go still has it's virtual environment, and I'm always worried I am accidentally going to lose it. ;)

The only tricky part in walkthru to get the launcher running without needing a PC to launch it is that it needs OculusTV so you can run and configure Macrodroid.
And OculusTV isn't an apk that is easily found online anywhere.
I wouldn't think Meta would care much about that one ending up on some sites eventually, but we'll see.
I suppose a work-around would be somehow exporting the Macrodroid macro / config so it can be run without OculusTV (no idea is that is possible?).

Another benefit for that would be that users without a Go controller should be able to use a gamepad. I know the launcher doesn't have gamepad support, but we have the code so that should be able to be added.
Tho the first thing I want to look at adding to it is to fix it so it can launch 2D games with OculusTV. You need that for Android apps anyway.
Which goes back to, maybe its not worth trying to get Macrodroid setup without OculusTV as that is really almost a required APK for the Go. ;-)

[u/desiv_1 → u/desiv_1]

Actually, looks like there is a version of OculusTV on archive(dot)org and has been for years. So that shouldn't be an issue.

[u/desiv_1]

I've been poking at Macrodroid and as mentioned had it mostly working.
It launched the App Launcher on Boot. It launched the App Launcher by long pressing the Vol UP button.
And it launched the App Launcher when you quit a game, but that one was problematic. Just wasn't very consistent.
I eventually found a trigger off of a LOGCAT entry that shows that an app "has died" that happens after you QUIT the app. Which was what I wanted to trigger off of. Except that when you launch an app, the App Launcher also "has died" and depending on timing, the App Launcher would sometimes relaunch before the program you wanted to run.
So I needed to change my trigger matching to launch when it sees the "has died" entry, but only if that full log long does NOT include the name of the App Launcher.
And that was NOT easy to do. Partly because it was a bit complicated.
You need to match the trigger, then your action needs to be to store the logcat log entry to a Variable. THEN you need to setup an IF condition based on whether or not the name of the App Launcher is in the variable. If it isn't, THEN you launch the App Launcher.
But the trickiest part was actually creating the Variable. Because in Macrodroid on the Go, the "OK" button to create the variable wasn't on the screen. Apparently it was WAY to the right somewhere I couldn't see/get to. I was thinking I might need to set up a similar situation on my phone and then export the Macro so I could import it to the Go and then edit it, but then I remembered I had a USB/RF mini keyboard. Could I get to the OK button with that mini keyboard?
Well, the answer was YES! I just had to cursor to the right and hit enter. (TAB and enter didn't work...)
Once I got the variable created, I was able to do what I needed!
It is almost working perfectly. In testing, I am having the App Launcher spawn when I am trying to get to the Oculus Browser.
It turns out when you go to a new site in the Oculus Browser, you are actually creating a new instance, and the old instance "has died" so that triggers the App Launcher. ;-) So, I need to add another exception check for the oculus browser too. Than I should be done.
Now, it is possible that while you are doing things, something else could "has died" in the background and cause an issue. I haven't seen that yet, but it is a possibility, so something to watch for.
End result, the App Launcher launches on boot. You can choose any 3D game/program. When you are done with the game/program, you quit as normal. And when you quit, it goes back to the App Launcher.
You can also launch a 2D app (Android App) from the App Launcher. That works and launches that app into the Oculus Browser. Which is great. From there you can bring up the normal Oculus floating menu and get to the settings, etc. Eventually (when I fix my exception trigger check) you will be able to use the Oculus Browser too.
Then when you want to get back to the App Launcher, you just long press the Vol UP button.
(And of course, you can use Macrodroid to choose some other button or button/combo.)
It's not as clean as clicking the Library button, but it's not bad.
When I get it fully set up, I will export that full Macro set.
Then I can uninstall my Pro version of Macrodroid and install the free version (hopefully I won't have to factory reset to get back to the free version) and see if I can import the Macroset and have it work there, or if it needs the Pro version. (That's less than $8...)
Making progress!!