How to automate wifi hotspot on Samsung S8

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Scott Harris

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Mar 8, 2018, 3:10:16 PM3/8/18
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So I have been using tasker for a long time.  Recently I upgraded to a S8 and recreated my trusty task that would enable wifi hotspot everytime I got in my car.  The profile is triggered fine but the task to turn on the Wifi Hotspot results in a error 

Wifi Tether enabled failed
Action Wifi Tether failed
result stop task (error)
Error 1
Action finished exeD 1 action no 0 code 113 status Err next 0

Is this all due to new security restrictions in Android 7 or is this a provider screwing with Android?  Is there a fix?  Will it work if I root my S8?

joaomgcd

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Mar 9, 2018, 9:14:44 AM3/9/18
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Hi there. Did it use to work previously without root?

hollywoodfrodo

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Mar 9, 2018, 12:33:22 PM3/9/18
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Hello - Android stopped allowing 3rd party access to WiFi Hotspot a few OS's ago which really pissed me off because like you I used Tasker to turn on Wifi hotspot everytime my phone connected to my car's bluetooth.

The only way to do it (without root) on newer versions of Android is to use the AutoInput plugin to emulate turning on  your phone and pressing the right buttons to turn it on.  This is not 100% successful as it can depend on many factors such as if your phone is in your pocket when it turns on, the screen may possibly detect other touches than the autoinput ones.  And even when docked, for whatever reason, sometimes the AutoInput action doesn't work, but overall I've gotten about 80% success rate.

There's a thread somewhere on here that explains how to check if the hotspot is on so I added a task to test if it's on after the autoinput action and if it's not on, I then try again.

It's a pain and not nearly as good as just being able to have Tasker turn it on, but that's Android's fault for locking it down. Nothing Tasker can so about that...

On a side note, as much as I get annoyed by Bixby, the one thing Bixby is good at is changing settings by voice so when I say "Hi Bixby, Turn on Mobile Hotspot" Bixby is able to do it with no problem.

joaomgcd

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Mar 9, 2018, 1:32:17 PM3/9/18
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Thank you very much for the clarification! :) I was not aware of this change, but now I know!

Klaus

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Mar 12, 2018, 3:59:02 AM3/12/18
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I am also encountering this issue since my S8 updated to Android 8. This is really disappointing, since toggling the WiFi Hotsport in my car was the one and only reason to purchase Tasker.
Wi-Fi Tethering: setWifiEnabled()
warning: Wi-Fi Tethering: enable failed
warning: Action Wi-Fi Tethering failed.
result: stop task (error)

Sami R.

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Mar 14, 2018, 3:12:01 AM3/14/18
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Try this:
Works perfectly on my unrooted Nokia 6 running Android 8 but YMMV.

Sami R. 

hollywoodfrodo

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Mar 14, 2018, 2:15:18 PM3/14/18
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On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 12:12:01 AM UTC-7, Sami R. wrote:
Try this:
Works perfectly on my unrooted Nokia 6 running Android 8 but YMMV.

Google Play won't even let me install that app - says it's not support by my device (S8+).  Oh well...  The AutoInput work around isn't too bad and works most of the time. 

Klaus

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Mar 14, 2018, 2:22:21 PM3/14/18
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Thank you. Works perfectly for me.

joaomgcd

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Apr 23, 2018, 11:20:31 AM4/23/18
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Good news everyone, I was able to fix this at least on my devices! Will be available on the next beta :)

Melissa Brambs

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Apr 27, 2018, 2:28:13 PM4/27/18
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This worked for me on S8

dotme...@gmail.com

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Jun 29, 2018, 1:17:14 PM6/29/18
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Do you have Exynos or Snapdragon S9+? I have a T-Mobile S9+ where tasker does not turn on WiFi Tether!

dotme...@gmail.com

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Jun 29, 2018, 1:18:42 PM6/29/18
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On Friday, June 29, 2018 at 1:17:14 PM UTC-4, dotme...@gmail.com wrote:
Do you have Exynos or Snapdragon S9+? I have a T-Mobile S9+ where tasker does not turn on WiFi Tether! Also are you rooted?

amateur...@gmail.com

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Mar 31, 2019, 4:51:43 AM3/31/19
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As this is broken with 'tasker' app without rooting the device, one can achieve this using bixby routines.

Its not straightforward to toggle mobile hotspot using bixby routines. PFB the steps.
1. In 'if' condition add 'Good Morning'
2. Select 'mobile hotspot' in 'Then'
3. Go back to previous page again and change 'good morning' to something what you want.
4. Finally save.
I have made a simple video if the steps are not clear.

On Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 12:10:16 PM UTC-8, Scott Harris wrote:
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