From 3855cc478105eeaf9eefd49b8a48a365c4ace3fb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Seb3thehacker Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:12:57 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] readme: wireless, voice, the Bluetooth or USB audio choice, and updates --- README.md | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------ 1 file changed, 26 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index b496660..8b6f2cd 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -14,11 +14,11 @@ Gearslip's certificate, and Gearslip can't run in those cars. ## What Gearslip is Gearslip is an Android Auto client for the phone. It speaks the Android Auto protocol -directly to a car head unit over USB, with no Google software in the path. Gearslip acts -as a Car App Library host: an app that ships a car interface hands Gearslip a template, -and Gearslip renders that template natively on the car screen. Nothing is mirrored from -the phone. For apps without a car interface, Gearslip offers a separate screen-sharing -mode. +directly to a car head unit, over USB or wirelessly, with no Google software in the path. +Gearslip acts as a Car App Library host: an app that ships a car interface hands Gearslip +a template, and Gearslip renders that template natively on the car screen. Nothing is +mirrored from the phone. For apps without a car interface, Gearslip offers a separate +screen-sharing mode. | | | |---|---| @@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ mode. ## Features - **Phone calls.** Dial from a keypad, or search your contacts, then confirm before the - call goes out. + call goes out. When a call comes in, answer or decline it on the car screen. - **Navigation.** Gearslip hosts real Car App Library map apps on the car screen. Organic Maps, OsmAnd, and Flitsmeister work today. Vela runs, with rough edges. @@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ mode. doesn't ship a car interface of its own. - **Weather and the day ahead.** A dashboard screen shows the week's calendar next to the current and coming weather. +- **Voice.** Tap the mic, or press the talk button on the wheel, and say "navigate to the + nearest gas station", "play Daft Punk", or "call Mom". Say "help" for the full list. + Speech turns into text on the phone, and nothing you say leaves it. - **Messages.** New messages appear as a small card on the car screen. Gearslip reads each one aloud, and you reply by voice or with a quick reply. Music pauses while Gearslip speaks or listens. Speech runs on the phone, so it needs no Google account. @@ -55,8 +58,9 @@ mode. ## Status -- **The connection is wired only, for now.** Plug the phone into the head unit's USB port; - Gearslip does not yet offer a wireless option. +- **Wired or wireless.** Plug the phone into the car's USB port, or, in a car with wireless + Android Auto, tap Connect wirelessly and pick the car. Pair the phone with the car over + Bluetooth first. - **Setup walks you through it.** First launch asks for the Android Auto certificate, then one permission at a time, each with a plain reason and an Allow or Skip. A help screen inside the car answers anything setup didn't cover. @@ -70,14 +74,19 @@ mode. Gearslip's own player. - **Calls use the car's Bluetooth,** as they do in Android Auto. Pair the phone with the car to hear calls through its speakers. -- **Audio reaches the car by capturing playback, not by mirroring the screen.** Android - shows a screen-share consent dialog for this, even though Gearslip never reads the - screen; it is the only way an ordinary app can capture another app's audio. The dialog - appears once per drive. +- **Music reaches the car over Bluetooth or USB.** Setup asks which. Bluetooth is the + default: Android never asks for permission, and your map app's voice reaches the car + too. USB sounds a little clearer, with no delay, but Android shows a screen-share + consent dialog once per drive. Gearslip never reads the screen; capturing playback is + the only way an ordinary app can pass another app's audio along. - **Gearslip needs no adb, root, or Shizuku.** Every feature relies on an ordinary - Android permission or an on-device consent dialog. The setup guide offers two optional - adb commands: one removes the audio dialog for good, and the other keeps notifications - visible while audio plays. + Android permission or an on-device consent dialog. For USB audio, setup offers two + optional adb commands: one removes the audio dialog for good, and the other keeps + notifications visible while audio plays. +- **Updates come from GitHub.** Once a day, Gearslip checks this repository's latest + release. When a new version is out, it downloads the APK, checks it against GitHub's + SHA-256, and installs it through Android's own installer. Turn off automatic checks in + Settings. ## Usage notes @@ -94,9 +103,8 @@ turn them on, in setup or in Settings. anything you type or play. - **How phones are counted.** A random number counts each phone once. The server keeps only a salted hash of it. -- **Where they go.** To a Cloudflare Worker, whose code is in - [stats-worker/](stats-worker/). Cloudflare sees your IP address in delivering a note, - as it would for any website; the Worker doesn't store it. +- **Where they go.** To a Cloudflare Worker. Cloudflare sees your IP address in + delivering a note, as it would for any website; the Worker doesn't store it. Turn the notes off, and they stop at once.