Google Summer of Code 2013 is coming to the end and we are working hard to have a stable and functional version of KDE Connect before then. To achieve this goal we are taking two actions:
- We are beginning to distribute tarballs of the KDE client sources and we have uploaded the Android app to the Play store, so we can have more testers (links at the end of the post).
- Since receiving bug reports in blog comments does not scale very well, we are moving KDE Connect to KDE’s playground and adding it to the KDE bug tracking system.
We will use the feedback we receive to improve the usability and fix bugs while we finish developing the file transfer feature. Note that we have disabled the battery report in this version because it required to patch kdelibs. Our plans are to just include the battery report in the plasmoid we already have to avoid that patch, but it’s not done yet.
As always, the changelog since the last blogpost follows:
- RSA encryption (more info about this in next posts)
- Symmetric encryption
- New Android interface, that should be compatible with 2.3 devices
You can clone the new git repositories from these nice and short urls:
git clone git://anongit.kde.org/kdeconnect-kde
git clone git://anongit.kde.org/kdeconnect-android
And you can get the current stable version from these links:
KDE Connect 0.1 Technology Preview tarball
KDE Connect Android app on Google Play
Albert Vaca's blog 
KDE Connect Android app on Google Play says it’s incompatible with nexus 7 (not 3G device), but KDE Connect still present many useful features, could you please solve this issue? Thanks in advance!
Damn, that probably occurs because we use the telephony API :S Let me think a way to fix it…
Thanks!
well, you could mark those functionality as not necessary so that the the telephony apis are used only if the telephony is available… i think you could start by something like this: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html
it seems he has already fixed that :)
https://projects.kde.org/projects/playground/base/kdeconnect-android/repository/revisions/b559111258fe106c0e7593a135616e6554bf5f62/diff/KdeConnect/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
This project seems very promising, I will definitely try it soon. Untl that, I have some questions:
-Is this WiFi, 3G or bluetooth based (I guess wifi)?
-How often does it sync? Won’t it decrase significantly the phone’s battery life?
Yes, it uses wifi. Syncing is event-based to have the minimum impact in battery life.
Is there a good manual somewhere on how to set it up?
I can install it (after fixing an include of QtCrypto/QtCrypto which has to be QtCrypto here) and then I get the kcm, but that only shows my own computer.
When I install the apk either from the play store or manually, it simply does nothing after startup on my Samsung Galaxy S4, and after around a minute Android informs me that it doesn’t respond and offers me to close it. Something I miss? Any debug output that could help you? Because the idea sounds great.
How does it communicate with KDE on the PC ?
Do I need to change firewall settings ?
You need to open ports 1714-1764 for both TCP and UDP.
Excelente!! Felicidades nuevamente!! he bajado la apk para android 2.3 de google play sin problemas, he compilado en el ordenador nuevamente el programa, esta vez he necesitado libqca2 y libqca2-devel y se ha instalado sin ningún problema. (opensuse 12.3).
Nota: La apk de android 2.3 deja el siguiente mensaje Plugins failed load (tap for more info) Notification sync, cuando presionamos indica “This feature is not available in your Android version” me imagino que se corregirá en el futuro.
¿se te abre la aplicación? a mí se me queda en negro y se me cierra :|
Works great with 2.3 on HTC Desire, the notification sync doesn’t work, but since the app says its by design, it must be fine ;) I look forward to further improvements. Thank you, sir.
anyone can play the demo video in google play for this app?
i got “the content owner has not made this video available on mobile”.
It seems that Youtube people is so nice that banned my video on mobile devices because the background music I use as example is violating the coypright of Warner Music Group :(
¿Cuándo lo subiréis a F-Droid? :) ¡Muchas gracias por vuestro esfuerzo!
por cierto, sigue sin irme en android 2.3-7 :\
F-Droid is in our plans for the next release :)
Is it crashing on your Android 2.3? Or what’s the problem?
PS: I would appreciate if you write in English for other people to understand your comments, thank you!
Ok, sorry, yes, but I have to say I use miui on android 2.3-7, when I open the app, it leave the screen on black and close itself, I can’t report the problem neither. Excuse my english and thank you for answer me :)
Are you using the version from google play?
Good work so far :)
Please do the bug thing fast because there are some really bad bugs in it. for example it breacks copy/paste in some Apps, like inkscape.
**love this project**
There is a bug tracker here: http://bugs.kde.org However I use Inkscape and I had no problems with it and KDE Connect.
Notifications sync works with Android ICS ?
Nope, but could be ported (patches welcome :))
do i need to set up a full kde build environment? can i build it against 4.8.5?
You don’t need a full kde build environment, only the -dev packages (assuming you are using Debian), but probably won’t build on 4.8.5.
ok, thanks. I guess I’ll try it out in a VM since I’m only upgrading in december.
Hello,
I noticed something strange with the version available on google play & 0.1.
When i try to request pairing from my SIII, i noticed in the log something like :
« Unserialize : …..
device “Samsung Galaxy S III” not trusted, ignoring package “kdeconnect.pair”
»
& there is a timeout on my SIII
When i selected trusted in the kdeconnect module option on kde, the request pairing is not “ignored” but since it’s already trusted…
However in the android applet, my computer is still listed as not paired devices.
kdeconnect is currently built against kde 4.11.1
Regards,
Your system settings module is from the past, please update it.
You mean to update kdeconnect ? to the last git version ?
Or do you mean to update kde ? (but here i’m already running kde 4.11.1)
The pairing button is not there anymore in the current version of KDE Connect (the one in the tarball or in git master), build and install the latest version and it should work :)
Well the pairing button i’m talking about is the one available on the android app, not the linux one :/
It’s not working for me. Nexus 4 found Nexus 7 etc. but no one find desktop, and desktop can’t find other devices.
1st I’ve install it from source but didn’t work so I’ve just uninstalled it. Then from repo and its not working too. So what’s wrong?
Devices are running Android 4.2.2 and desk openSUSE 12.3.
Can anyone help me, please?
There should not be (or I hope there is not) a version “from repos”, because this is in development and lots of things change in the protocol from one version to another. You should use the version from git and if it’s still not working, make sure the devices are on the same wifi and the firewall is not blocking the range 1714-1764 (both tcp and upd).
Hola! Enhorabuena por la aplicación, funciona realmente bien en KDE SC 4.11 con el Nexus 4. Quería hacer una entrada para explicar como instalarlo en Chakra y solo necesitaba confirmar los puertos que utilizas para establecer la comunicación porque con el cortafuegos activado deja de funcionar.
Un saludo!
Hello, it uses the port range from 1714-1764 in both TCP and UDP.
Thank you! Will we see KDE Connect in the next KDE SC?
@albertvaka
Works in Pisi Linux KDE 4.11.1 and Samsung Galaxy S2 Android 4.1.2 :)
Thank you very much.
Great idea and thank you for your work!
On my KDE 4.11.1 and Android 4.0.4, “ping”, “media control” (maybe more options would be nice, like playlist control (next/prev), and to skip to specific frames) and “clipboard sync” work fine.
Maybe in the future it would be cool (if possible) to access the plasma widgets :>
Keep it up!
Hello.
I’d tried KDE Connect (server part build from GIT sources and phone part installed from Play Market) and found that notifications from Jasmine IM is ignored and don’t appear in KDE Connect plasmoid (but Ping from PC, Play Market update notifications and email notify from AquaMail appears in plasmoid). Can it be fixed?
And can be added remote control features in future? I’m interested both in controlling PC from Android and Android from PC.
Thank You!
Hi,
Where can users go to discuss kdeconnect troubleshooting and/or development? IRC/mailing list/forums? I’m trying to install from the git sources with an unusual CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX (my home dir), but the plasmoid says it can’t load the org.kde.kdeconnect module and libkdeconnect.so.1 library, even when they exist at their respective specified paths. I’ve tried running the letsgo.sh packaged in the 0.1 release, but it was a no-go. :( I would rather not install to /usr if I can help it.
TIA!
If you install it to a “custom” directory, the library will not be found unless you set LD_LIBRARY_PATH and maybe other environment variables used by KDE to look for things…
Yep, LD_LIBRARY_PATH did the trick! No other vars like KDEDIRS were needed on further testing.
A little finicky at times, but it has lots of potential. :)
KDEConnect is awesome! At work I spend most of the day listening to music with headphones, and often miss phone calls. Now, not only do I get a desktop notification, but Amarok pauses.
The only bummer is that getting notifications from my phone to my desktop depends on Android 4.3. As a Verizon customer I may never see that upgrade.
Very good, keep up the fantastic work.
I’m on Kubuntu 13.04 with KDE 4.10.5 and I can’t seem to figure out how to install this. I really want to use KDE Connect. Can someone tell me how or give me a good guide on how to install this?
In a nutshell
git://anongit.kde.org/kdeconnect-kde
cd kdeconnect-kde
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=”/usr” -DSYSCONFDIR=/etc ..
make
sudo make install
qdbus org.kde.kded /kded loadModule kdeconnect
kcmshell4 kdeconnect
kbuildsycoca4
And if you want to uninstall
sudo make uninstall
You may need some extra libraries, can’t remember, but I expect some guru here will step in correct me if something is wrong in what I just wrote ;)
I have this running on Kubuntu 13.04 and when I receive an SMS message I get the SMS pop-up, but it is empty.
Hi,
Could you please help:
I got this to run –
qdbus org.kde.kded /kded loadModule kdeconnect
– and returned true.
last bit –
kbuildsycoca4 -noincremental
also went ok without any error.
Problem is – I cant pair my phone (galaxy 4) with my pc running 13.10
Please help.
Hi Albert,
We’re getting support requests in both #kde and #kubuntu about KDEConnect. I know that there is bugs.kde.org, but how about those who simply want to troubleshoot? It seems that a #kdeconnect channel, a KDE list, or perhaps a KDEConnect sub-forum would be a useful place for people to go and help one another out using your cool new application.
Works like a charm with my Nexus 4 and the current 14.04 Kubuntu. Good job!