Problem with Opensong on Amazon Fire HD

[Graham and Beverley Wilson]

I have been using Opensong on Amazon Fire HD successfully for a couple of years. Because of the Covid-19 situation I have not used it since March 2020.

 

I started it up earlier today and found that it had been updated to version 5.2.4. Now when it launches it loads the song database then goes straight to background mode.

 

I have uninstalled the App deleted the folders and attempted to reload. The first time after installation it asks to set the location of the song database. Having set that it builds the database then shows the ‘Success’ message, then disappears.

 

When you click the button to show open apps it will appear. If you choose it, it disappears to the background again

 

Is this a bug in the new release?

 

Thank You

 

Graham Wilson

[Gareth Evans]

Hi Graham,

I wasn't aware of that!  I'll have a look and see if I can see anything.  I have a fire hd7, so I'll dig that out. 

Gareth

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[George Zollo]

Hello Gareth - having the same problem here although I've been using the app for over a year pretty regularly and no issues until this past week. 

Appreciate any help you can provide. 

Thanks,

George

[Gareth Evans]

Hi both,

Graham, thanks for sending that video.  The closing into the background does look like a crash since clicking on it again looks like it restarts with the splash screen.

The video looks like your storage location is showing as a bit strange and very long!  Can you let me know what it shows in the text there just so I can eliminate that as the issue.  It should be something like primary/OpenSong.

Can you try installing the app from my downloads page please.  The newest version is there along with the older ones.  To do this you will need to download the APK file and on your device's settings page, choose the security (+privacy) option, and click on the button to allow installing from unknown sources (otherwise it won't let you install the apk file).  This will let me know if it is an issue with the Amazon file. 

I'm assuming you don't have the Google play store installed on your device (there are online guides as to how to do this on Amazon fire devices)?  That way all crashes are logged with an explanation of what is happening and I can see the crash logs.

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[Gareth Evans]

Hi all,

I've finally managed to track down this bug (thanks to Ian via GitHub).
The issue was caused by the Google cast feature not being available on Amazon fire devices. Previously, the issue didn't cause a crash, but a recent update assumed this feature was working and when trying to run it, the app force closed into the background.
Additionally, Amazon fire devices do not have access to the Google Fonts used in the app, so trying to change the font would cause errors (not crashes) to appear on screen. Also, the connect feature does not work, but this world just silently fail (you wouldn't be good there was a problem, bit it wouldn't work).

I tried to replicate these issues, but couldn't see any issues when using my Amazon fire 7. It turns out the reason for my device working was because I'd already installed the Google play store on my device and this allows these features to work (it downloads the necessary features). I factory reset my device and then managed to replicate, test and fix the issues.

So on to the fix:
I've stopped the crashes, hidden the font chooser and blocked the connect feature for Amazon devices. You'll see polite warnings when the app detected an issue, but everything else will work fine (as it would have done before).

For those who want to have those extra features:
It's actually a very easy fix. If you see the warning, it will give an option to show you how to fix it. Clicking on the link will direct you to my website and this will take you through the steps to install the required files to get the play store working. It's very easy and involves downloading 4 files (Android APK app files) and signing in to the Google play store. An additional bonus is that you'll also have access to loads of other apps.

I'm hoping to release the update later today (I'm working on a few other feature requests), but if you can't wait, file the instructions here:
https://www.opensongapp.com/user-guide/devices-without-google-play
(In the user guide)

Thanks to Ian (via GitHub) and you guys for alerting me to it

Gareth

[Graham Wilson]

Hello Gareth

As I emailed you earlier. My Amazon Fire has automatically downloaded the  latest update, and I am very happy. The app is a brilliant piece of software.

Thank you

Graham 

[GAZ...@sbcglobal.net]

Thanks for the info on this, I was able to install from the GooglePlay store successfully. Just have to go find my song database now.

George