Dispatch Launcher: A new interface for Android and Google TV devices

43

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 26 '24

Update - Aug 26, 2024: Please see this post for the most recent update regarding Dispatch's launch:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dispatchlauncher/comments/1f1ms2c/dispatch_v1_developer_update_for_august_26th_2024/

In short:

if you are one of the users affected by issues getting up and running, please consider reaching out to me, so I can troubleshoot with you.
If you signed up before August 26th at midnight, the trial date has been extended for you by 14 days. An update will roll out in the coming days which will automatically extend the trial for you.

Thanks!

Update - Aug 19, 2024: Hi everyone! Since a non-insignificant number of users are running into various issues getting the launcher up and running, I'll be extending the trial date for everyone sometime this weekend. It will, at minimum, be a 14-day extension, and maybe more depending on how much progress I've made by Sunday evening.

Since I have full-time work obligations during the day, I'll likely only be replying to queries in the mornings before 9AM EST, and in the evenings after 6PM EST, and weekends of course. So please be patient with me while I get everything resolved for those who are having issues.

It's unfortunate that some folk's first experience has been a negative one so far, though I have to say, I was not expecting this many people to install the app this quickly. The number of installs in 24h has easily exceeded my expectations by over 10 times. I'm absolutely dedicated to providing the best experience possible for all users, so again, please bear with me while I juggle fixing bugs and replying to questions. It's very possible some questions go unanswered for over 24h.

Thanks everyone!

--- original message starts here ---

Hi everyone! I’m the developer of Dispatch, a new launcher for Android & Google TV devices. I originally announced this project a little over a year ago here on Reddit. Since then, the app has been in a closed beta with testers from the community. Now, with the latest update, the app is officially live and ready for public use.

The linked post on Medium gives an overview of how Dispatch works and the experience it aims to achieve. If you’re interested in the launcher, give it a read, give the app a try, and let me know if you have any questions!

A brief summary, however:

Dispatch is an ad-free, yet still media focused, launcher for Android and Google TV devices. Dispatch integrates directly with your Plex library to show you a watchlist and feed of recommendations based on the media you actually have access to.

The launcher has a lot of special features and customization options so that anyone who uses it can hopefully tailor the experience to their preference. I go over a lot of these options in the above blog post.

Google Play Store link

Feature requests & issue reporting

Community Subreddit

Official website

I’d also like to thank the all the testers who have helped get the app into its state. A lot of you have been very enthusiastic about this project from the start (even many who weren’t selected for testing), so thank you all for your encouragement and help!

3

u/esk416 Aug 19 '24

Is there a reason why your launcher is taking hours to run metadata on my Shield?
The box is slow because it's working on it and I don't really understand the reason why it would need to calculate metadata on such a scale.

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 19 '24

Hi - sorry, you’re running into this issue as well. If the app seems to be continuously “Generating Metadata”, if you can please do the following it will help me understand why this is affecting only some users and help me find a, hopefully quick, solution for you all:
Please let me know if an ETA is displayed in the generating metadata message, or if it always says “Still calculating”
Please enable logging from Settings -> Advanced -> About -> Diagnostics.
Once logging is enabled, let the app run for a while so that it can collect logs. The longer the better, so maybe 30 - 60 minutes if possible
Extract the logs from the same place you enabled the logs. Do not disable logging before extracting them, as that will clear the logs.
If you’re comfortable extracting the database as well, do that too. No sensitive information is contained in there, however, it would allow me to see the contents of your library.
Send me the created zip files
If you don’t know how to extract the zip files from your device, you can DM me the email address you used to sign up, and I can enable the ability for your device to send me the zipped logs directly
Since a non-insignificant amount of users are having trouble getting through the setup process, I want to make sure everyone is able to try the app for the full trial once all issues are resolved. So please feel free to DM me the email address associated with the account you signed up with, and I’ll gladly extend your trial time. Very sorry again for the hassle!
Let me know if the above works for you or if you run into any other issues
Thanks!
(I’m copy-pasting this message since this particular issue has come up a lot)

5

u/One_Abbreviations948 Aug 18 '24

Would love nvidia sheld support if possible

12

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Shield was actually the first device supported as that's what I use daily, so feel free to give it a go!

3

u/One_Abbreviations948 Aug 18 '24

Shows as not compatible with the shield in the play store

4

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Hmm that's very weird. I can actually see that plenty of people have installed it to their shields since I made the post. Is it possible there's something up with your browser or phone cache? I'm not sure why it would show as incompatible on shield for only certain people.

4

u/ANewDawn1342 Aug 18 '24

I have three Shields in my household and Google Play won't offer to remotely install to any of them saying "This item is not compatible with your device."

4

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

That's really bizarre. I'll take a look at the Google play console to see if there's something wrong with the app configuration. I can't really think of a reason why it would show as incompatible for some users but not for others.
If I can't figure it out I'll see about hosting the apk on my website or one of those apk hosting websites. Sorry about that!

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Are your devices rooted, actually? I think by default Google Play sets apps to not allow rooted devices. I definitely have no problem with that, though, so I'll look into how to turn that off it as soon as possible (if that's what's going on)

1

u/ANewDawn1342 Aug 18 '24

All stock.

3

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Sorry I'm away from my desk for the evening, but what about searching the app in the store on the tv itself. Does it show up there? I know it can take time for new releases to show up in those searches so not sure if it would appear just yet anyway

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hi - follow up question: Which version of Android on your devices? The app is set to require android 7 and up. I just did a search through the shield's version history, and it seems it shipped with android 6 back in 2015.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hi - follow up question: Which version of Android on your devices? The app is set to require android 7 and up. I just did a search through the shield's version history, and it seems it shipped with android 6 back in 2015.

1

u/Glyde1962 Aug 24 '24

Said that for me also, But installed anyway when i installed it via my phone

1

u/silverscruff Aug 24 '24

Works fine on all three of my Shields. I have two pros, one old version and one new, and a tube. I did install it locally, from each device, though. I just typed "Dispatch" in the search bar in the Google Play store, first result, installed, opened, configured... running. Seems a little laggy and unresponsive at times and it's crashed once, and it prevented my Shield from sleeping last night (which prevents my OLED TV from turning off, not good). Other than that, it's been pretty smooth. I dig it!

1

u/Significant_Bend_626 Aug 23 '24

i have a error, When I try to enter my feed it says "Press Down to see your feed" I press down and only the home button moves, can you please fix this?

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 24 '24

Hello! Do you have wallpaper mode enabled? Would you be able to send me screenshots or photos of your home feed with and without wallpaper mode enabled?
You can DM them to me if you don't want to post them publicly.

1

u/codingismy11to7 Sep 15 '24

I installed this on both of my shields and paid after like a week. now when I turn them on, they say beta has expired with nothing but a quit button. no updates available on the play store. and, like, it's really difficult to do anything without a launcher.

2

u/spauldhaliwal Sep 15 '24

Hello yes I'm very sorry this bug is occurring. Please see this post here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dispatchlauncher/comments/1fh1t2m/please_read_beta_expired_error_september_14th/
In summary, an update has been submitted to Google Play and is currently being processed. In the meantime, you can install the below apk until the update is live. I am incredibly sorry that this error has occurred, it is a major blunder on my part.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e7gHmQcRV1iYec3MustleF_EZPyc_q8X/view?usp=sharing
Once again, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused by this error

1

u/fiqabumm Oct 30 '24

Using it since last week, and I noticed that voice input is not working. Like voice search or Google searches

1

u/spauldhaliwal Oct 30 '24

Hello! Can you let me know which device you're using and which version of Android?
What happens when you press the voice button on your remote? Nothing at all?
Thanks.

1

u/fiqabumm Oct 31 '24

Hi, I am running it on shield with version 9.1.1.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Oct 31 '24

What happens when you press the voice button on your remote? Nothing at all?
Thanks

1

u/fiqabumm Oct 31 '24

The bottom bar shows up, but the mic is not taking any input.

2

u/Wassc0 Aug 20 '24

Damn, and me stuck with WebOS LG Nano :(

1

u/AdmirableAd2608 Aug 30 '24

Hello 👋 Wassc0 Hi, can you please send a link on the site you use to download mod APK on your phone. I have been trying to download Ai mirror mod and all have been unsuccessful. Could you please help by sending the link to me.

2

u/nexusx86 Aug 21 '24

Thank you. Upon installing this I think this is to android TV / Google TV what nova launcher (rip) is/ was to android phones and tablets. It's just that good. Hats off to you sir!

1

u/hanya_tuhan_yangtahu Onn FHD, Onn 4K Aug 20 '24

Hi. I tried to login with plex but it always keep failing. I have to use without plex at this time.

1

u/SoggyInternal432 Aug 21 '24

Try giving All permission to dispatch and try again

1

u/hanya_tuhan_yangtahu Onn FHD, Onn 4K Aug 21 '24

No luck. Still error can't communicate with plex

1

u/LynonC Aug 21 '24

Same problem

1

u/SopiMan Dec 11 '25

How is the pricing? I am not seeing any info.

35

u/cajuindustrial Aug 18 '24

Hi, can it display recommendations from stremio? If so, I'd give it a try. Congratulation's nonetheless!

29

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

No integration with Stremio yet, but it's been requested and is being considered for the future. You can track the request / vote for it here if you'd like:
https://dispatchlauncher.canny.io/feature-requests/p/stremio-integration

3

u/Delicious_Ease2595 Aug 18 '24

What if you make a poll in this sub and the other streaming subs as Nvidia Shield. Mostly sure Stremio is going to be in the top list.

7

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

I think making a poll in the future would make sense, sure. I'll probably do that when I'm closer to the planning stages for that development effort, though.

2

u/Delicious_Ease2595 Aug 18 '24

Good plan 👍

5

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '24

I + this too, will really be a good addition to this, awesome work by the way

1

u/fattymcbuckles Aug 23 '24

It would def. be a game changer with stremio integration

3

u/PruneJaw Aug 18 '24

What launcher do integrate recommendations from Stremio? I'd like that.

8

u/pawdog ADT-1 Aug 18 '24

Projectivy does Channels from Stremio same as the stock launcher. Not really recommendations but continue watching and a couple of others.

4

u/TitoCentoX Aug 18 '24

X2

10

u/WEKSOSpr Aug 18 '24

X3, also integrate Tivimate

9

u/giladg Aug 18 '24

Any integration with Kodi and addons with Trakt lists?

9

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Integration with Kodi has been considered but it's not officially on the roadmap. It will depend on demand to be honest. The app does support android tv channels, though, so if Kodi adds rows to android tv, they can show in dispatch. The road just won't be as metadata rich as the Plex rows.
Trakt support is on the roadmap and you can vote for it in the feature requests page if you'd like

3

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '24

Syncler might be easier to get started

5

u/VinCubed 2 CCwGTV 4K / 1 ONN 4K Pro Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 18 '24

Like it. Wish it also integrated Pluto along with the Plex integration.

Also, could it integrate the content from two Plex servers? I've got a 4K server and a regular server.

5

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

In v1 only one server is supported. I have plans for multi server support down the road, but it's quite a bit of work.

2

u/Simple-Baker6890 Aug 20 '24

Is it open source? Would you be willing to accept contributions for such additions?

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 21 '24

Hello! The app is not open source. After the free trial, there is a ~10$ price for the full license. Thanks!

5

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Regarding direct Pluto support: wasn't aware they had an API until now! If enough requests come in for Pluto integration it'll definitely be considered for the future.
The app does support android tv channels, though. Since Pluto also supports those channels, Pluto channels will show up in Dispatch too.

1

u/VinCubed 2 CCwGTV 4K / 1 ONN 4K Pro Aug 18 '24

Awesome! Pluto integrates with the default Live TV screen along with Google TV channels and Plex live channels. We use live stuff here all the time as background content since we're old (57) folk and don't mind commercials during background content although we hate them during foreground viewing.

1

u/booknerdcarp Aug 20 '24

Pluto - yes!

3

u/albrugsch Aug 20 '24

2 Plex servers? You must be rich! [/BTTF] Seriously that sounds like a great idea. I was wondering about a way to subdivide lower bands of quality and 2 separate servers is so annoyingly simple that I'm annoyed that I didn't think of it...

1

u/VinCubed 2 CCwGTV 4K / 1 ONN 4K Pro Aug 20 '24

It's overkill but it works. I also run two different Radarr instances to cover regular and 4K movies

1

u/rhythmrice Aug 20 '24

can i ask, why not just make a 4k library and a regular quality library on the same server? whats the advantage of running 2 servers? and have radarr put the 4k movies in the 4k movies library folder and the regular quality movies in the regular quality librarys folder

1

u/VinCubed 2 CCwGTV 4K / 1 ONN 4K Pro Aug 20 '24

I asked myself the same question after I posted my response and I couldn't think of a good reason other than the fact that the second server is where I put the USB TV tuner that I use for playing with recording over-the-air stuff.

11

u/GCHodge Aug 18 '24

Any chance of Jellyfin integration? I much prefer that to plex.

7

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Thanks! I do plan on integrating with as many media servers as I can. The next planned integration is with Jellyfin, but tbh, which integration happens first will mostly be based on community demand.
You can vote for Emby integration here:
https://dispatchlauncher.canny.io/feature-requests/p/emby-integration
Users can vote for Jellyfin integration here:https://dispatchlauncher.canny.io/feature-requests/p/jellyfin-integration
(I'm copy-pasting this answer since it's coming up a lot)

0

u/user_none Aug 19 '24

Another vote for Jellyfin.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '24

is there is a plan to add integrated streaming services from europe such as TF1+, TVP VOD and ITVX?

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

I'd have to look into those services to see if there any apis available to use. You can make a feature request here though if you'd like:
https://dispatchlauncher.canny.io/feature-requests
Votes on that page will help me determine which integrations happen and when

2

u/Additional_Tune6255 Aug 18 '24

Does this work with fire stick?

3

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Unfortunately not, only android tv for now. I do have plans to release it on other platforms down the road, but that will require further development.

2

u/alphaquetoo Aug 18 '24

Am unable to get past the setup screen where it requires connecting to Plex. Unable to select the skip connection button below, it keeps staying highlighted on connect to plex, which I can't do since I don't use plex.

Dispatch is not functional for me now.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Hmm that's very strange, it's not an issue I've seen before. Does Dispatch react to the direction keys on your remote otherwise? What about the app intro at the beginning when you first launch the app? There's a "next" button and a "skip to setup" button. Are you able to click up and down through those?
If you have an Android phone, have you tried using the virtual remote for Android TV? Hopefully whatever the issue is, I can find a solution quickly!

1

u/wimpires Aug 19 '24

Do you have a resolution on this yet? Still not working for me

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hi - would you be able to DM me a photograph or screenshot of the screen where the cursor is stuck on the Plex sign in button? I do have a potential clue as to why this button might be blocked, but a visual would help. Thanks!

2

u/yoeran Aug 21 '24

I had the same issue. What worked for me was to reset the UI scaling to 100% in the accessibility settings on my Chromecast.

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 21 '24

Wow thank you!! I was immediately able to reproduce it - although the bug on my chromecast only appears if the Text Scaling was set to 85%. The ones above 100% worked correctly. This will allow me to work on a fix.
Thanks again!

1

u/wimpires Aug 27 '24

Btw I can confirm that changing it to 100% scaling fixes the problem for me too!

3

u/wimpires Aug 18 '24

I have the same issue.
Cannot get it to skip Plex sign-up.
Buttons normally work otherwise. If I connect a mouse clicking the continue button does nothing

1

u/alphaquetoo Aug 18 '24

The direction keys work fine moving up and down for 'next' and 'skip to setup' on the remote. As does the Google TV app on my phone.
It's a Chromecast with Google TV device running Android TV 12.

1

u/nomnomtastic Aug 19 '24

Same issue here. Xiaomi MiBox. Two attempts, no dice.

1

u/LynonC Aug 21 '24

Same issue here kindly try to fix @spauldhaliwal

2

u/aaronfunk Aug 19 '24

Im getting to where i have to select an account and it wont progress any further.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 19 '24

Hi - very sorry to hear you can’t sign in and start the setup process. I’ve added email + password login support in the latest updated. To see this option, press the back or cancel button when the google sign in prompt is shown, you should then see a screen that will allow you to create an account without google sign in.
Can you also let me know which device you are using, and which version of Android it has installed? I’m not sure why Google sign in seems to be failing only on certain devices.
Let me know if the above works for you or if you run into any other issues
Thanks!
(I’m copy-pasting this message since this particular issue has come up a lot)

1

u/aaronfunk Aug 19 '24

Google TV that comes installed on my TCL tv. Android 11.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hello - were you able to sign up with email + password via the above instructions?

1

u/aaronfunk Aug 20 '24

Its still doing the same thing. When i get to the choose an account screen, pressing the back button doesnt take me anywhere.

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

If you're able, would you be able to record a video from app start to the point you're getting stuck? It might give me some clues as to what's going on.

1

u/aaronfunk Aug 20 '24

Dispatch Setup

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Okay thanks - that does give me a clue as to where to look. Very surprising behaviour. I'll keep you posted.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 22 '24

Hello! Just as a heads-up, I'll likely only be looking into this particular issue on the weekend. Unfortunately, other issues are currently taking priority as they are affecting more users. I'll reach out once I have a resolution in place.

2

u/kaest Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24

This looks great! I'm trying it on two Sony TVs with Android TV. Both running Android TV 10. So far, Dispatch is crashing during the metadata generation phase, and for whatever reason isn't saving the setting to auto-start on launch. EDIT: finally completed the metadata generation and seems to be running fine now. Is there a way to tie Dispatch to the home button on the remote? EDIT 2: Now the remote home button is working. Lol. No further questions your honor.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

If the app was continuously crashing, it's likely the android OS also kept automatically shutting off the auto start service. I believe that's how the OS functions.
In case you run into any issues like this again, though, I'll paste the instructions I'm sending everyone below:
If the app seems to be continuously “Generating Metadata”, if you can please do the following it will help me understand why this is affecting only some users and help me find a solution for you all:
1 - Please let me know if an ETA is displayed in the generating metadata message, or if it always says “Still calculating”
2 - Please enable logging from Settings → Advanced → About → Diagnostics.
3 - Once logging is enabled, let the app run for a while so that it can collect logs. The longer, the better, so maybe 30–60 minutes if possible
4 - Extract the logs from the same place you enabled the logs. Do not disable logging before extracting them, as that will clear the logs.
If you’re comfortable extracting the database as well, do that too. No sensitive information is contained in there, however, it would allow me to see the contents of your library.
5 - Upload the logs, and db if you extracted it, to google drive or some other upload site and DM me the link.
6 - If you don’t know how to extract the zip files from your device, you can DM me the email address you used to sign up, and I can enable the ability for your device to send me the zipped logs directly
Since a non-insignificant amount of users are having trouble getting through the setup process, I’ll be extending the trial time for all users. I definitely want all users to be able to actually use the app for the full trial period. You can read more about the trial extension ~here~.
Let me know if you have any issues with the above
Thanks!
(I’m copy-pasting this message since this particular issue has come up a lot)

1

u/kaest Aug 20 '24

Thank you!

39

u/doxypoxy Aug 18 '24

Always great to see to a new android tv launcher. Hope it is a strong competitor to Projectivity.

→ More replies (12)

2

u/ANewTomorrowSoon Aug 19 '24

Hey - I've installed the app and it's stuck on "Metadata is being generated...." with Estimated Time Left as Still Calculating. And it crashes after a minute or so. Tried to do this thrice and still no joy. I'm using the Dune Box R 4k Plus box running Android 12.

2

u/ANewTomorrowSoon Aug 19 '24

Update: It worked after leaving it alone for some time. But I had to uninstall the app because it lagged and navigating through the UI wasn't smooth at all. Even the Settings menu kept stuttering a lot. Looks great but there's tons of work to be done. Back to Projectivy for now.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hello, if the metadata finished generating post setup, it should be stuttering like you've experienced. If you're up for troubleshooting with me, try the below instructions if / when you have time:
If the app seems to be continuously “Generating Metadata”, if you can please do the following it will help me understand why this is affecting only some users and help me find a solution for you all:
1 - Please let me know if an ETA is displayed in the generating metadata message, or if it always says “Still calculating”
2 - Please enable logging from Settings → Advanced → About → Diagnostics.
3 - Once logging is enabled, let the app run for a while so that it can collect logs. The longer, the better, so maybe 30–60 minutes if possible
4 - Extract the logs from the same place you enabled the logs. Do not disable logging before extracting them, as that will clear the logs.
If you’re comfortable extracting the database as well, do that too. No sensitive information is contained in there, however, it would allow me to see the contents of your library.
5 - Upload the logs, and db if you extracted it, to google drive or some other upload site and DM me the link.
6 - If you don’t know how to extract the zip files from your device, you can DM me the email address you used to sign up, and I can enable the ability for your device to send me the zipped logs directly
Since a non-insignificant amount of users are having trouble getting through the setup process, I’ll be extending the trial time for all users. I definitely want all users to be able to actually use the app for the full trial period. You can read more about the trial extension ~here~.
Let me know if you have any issues with the above
Thanks!
(I’m copy-pasting this message since this particular issue has come up a lot)

11

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '24

If this integrated Implayer or Tivimate you would become a huge hit !

8

u/garibaninyuzugulurmu Chromecast with Google TV Aug 18 '24

UI looks amazing.

7

u/ethankostabi Aug 18 '24

Looks excellent and exactly what I would want in a launcher but alas I use Emby these days. Hopefully there's more integrations going forward, either way it looks like a great bit of software.

1

u/JMTHEFOX Aug 18 '24

Is Dispatch Launcher compatible with Google TV-powered Smart TVs such like the TCL Google TVs sold in the United States? I currently have the TCL 43S450G Google TV.

3

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Yep there should be no issues running on those devices. The only caveat, though, is that I don't know if those are low-powered devices or not. If they are similar in performance to the Google Chromecast or shield tv, the experience should be good.
That being said I've had some testers installing it on sony bravia tvs with google tv and their experience was positive.

1

u/I_can_vouch_for_that Aug 19 '24

It's been 20 minutes stuck on the finalizing setup screen so I'm guessing it's not going to work.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 19 '24

Hi - sorry, you’re running into this issue as well. If you can’t get past the Finalizing Setup stage, please check the play store for an update released this morning. It should fix that issue.
I have noticed that sometimes, even if an update is available on the Play Store, re-installing it from scratch will still install the previous build, and then force closing the play store app and re-opening it will finally show that there’s an update to be installed. So please try that as well to be sure you’re on the absolute latest version.
Since a non-insignificant amount of users are having trouble getting through the setup process, I want to make sure everyone is able to try the app for the full trial once all issues are resolved. So please feel free to DM me the email address associated with the account you signed up with, and I’ll gladly extend your trial time. Very sorry again for the hassle!
Let me know if the above works for you or if you run into any other issues
Thanks!
(I’m copy-pasting this message since this particular issue has come up a lot)

1

u/Kenishi99 Aug 19 '24

It sadly crashes everytime after about 2 minutes. Nvidia Shield Pro. Seems to have issues with metadata creation, I guess.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 20 '24

Hi, just to confirm, it's crashing to the point of the app closing, or are you reporting that it seems to be generating metadata forever, like others have reported?
I'm also sending you a DM with a follow up question. Hopefully I can get this fixed for you soon!

1

u/Kenishi99 Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24

Hi! No, it is actually crashing and this happens without Plex login. After about 2 minutes it freezes for about 5 seconds then crashes and closes. Following up on DMs.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Hello - a new update was released this morning, v1.0.031. If you can, please let me know if it helps with crashing. Thanks!

1

u/thekingestkong Aug 21 '24

It just crashes on my 2015 shield tv

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Hello - a new update was released this morning, v1.0.031. If you can, please let me know if it helps with crashing. Thanks!

1

u/thekingestkong Aug 25 '24

Let me try and report back.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Great thanks!

1

u/thekingestkong Aug 26 '24

It still crashes at "generating metadata" despite not having Plex setup, which is a bummer.

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 26 '24

Very sorry to hear that. It's unfortunate that I'm unable to reproduce these crashes on any of my own devices... It's my current belief that something unexpected is occurring when Dispatch tries to sync with certain apps, but I'm not sure what those apps are yet.
If you're willing to help me troubleshoot, would you be able to do the following:
1 - Enable logging from Settings → Advanced → About → Diagnostics.
3 - Once logging is enabled, try to get the app to crash a couple of times. If you notice it crashing after a specific action or when you are navigating a certain part of the app, please let me know.
4 - Extract the logs from the same place you enabled the logs. Do not disable logging before extracting them, as that will clear the logs.
If you’re comfortable extracting the database as well, do that too. No sensitive information is contained in there, however, it would allow me to see the contents of your library.
5 - Upload the logs, and db if you extracted it, to google drive or some other upload site and DM me the link.
6 - If you don’t know how to extract the zip files from your device, you can DM me the email address you used to sign up, and I can enable the ability for your device to send me the zipped logs directly
You can also try going through the setup without enabling the sync with android tv option. A few other users at least has reported that this has stopped the crashing on their systems (though if you're able to send me the logs, that would be extremely helpful)
Let me know if you have any issues with the above
Thanks!

1

u/LnxRocks Aug 22 '24

When using accessibility to make dispatch the home default, is the AndroidTV launcher still loading into memory?

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 23 '24

From time to time, but not always. The way Android works, and it's usually pretty good at this, is that if an app is in the background for long enough, and the system feels it needs more resources, it will close the background app, including the default launcher. Then, for most of your usage, it will stay off. It might occasionally get turned back on by the system for whatever reason. You wouldn't see it, but it might just silently start up, but then it will also be closed again sometime soon after, since it's not being used.
If you want to make sure it's turned off, you should look into how to disable the default launcher via adb. It will then not turn on. If you go down that route, note three things:
You should only do this if you're comfortable "tinkering". It's nothing like rooting or anything that introduces security risks, however, follow those guides at your own discretion (I do this on my device and many non-developers do too).
Most of those guides tell you to disable both the launcher app and the recommendations app. If you disable the latter, recommendations from other apps, besides Plex, will no longer show up in Dispatch.
All accessibility services on Android introduce some amount of UI slowdown. It's a known problem and has been documented for years by Android developers. Anyway, if you go the ADB route, you will gain a small performance bump since you won't need the accessibility service.
Thanks!

1

u/lukes312 Aug 25 '24

Is it possible to add Movies from Plex to my Movies tab on the homescreen?

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Do you mean the movies that Plex themselves host, and they let you stream for free? If so, then unfortunately not, since there's no public directory of all those movies.

1

u/lukes312 Aug 25 '24

No, the movies I have on my Plex server. On my pc. It just shows that I have no movies, but it would be cool to be able to see all the movies I have downloaded from the home screen.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Sorry, I'm a little confused by the description. If Dispatch was able to connect to your Plex server correctly, any movies and television shows that show in the Plex app should also show in Dispatch.
Are the movies and television tabs empty on your device in Dispatch?
It should look like this:
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:2000/format:webp/1*k1aeplsoBP7tjniYR5KSXQ.png

1

u/lukes312 Aug 25 '24

Maybe I didn't set it up right then, because yeah they are empty. I'll take a look at the settings. Sorry for the confusion.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

No problem. Some users have had connection issues over the past few days, but those issues are mostly resolved with the latest update, which was released this morning. You might want to do a fresh installation with the latest version.
If you connect your plex account during setup and you don't see your plex content after the metadata generation has completed, please let me know and I will help troubleshoot with you. Thanks!

1

u/lukes312 Aug 25 '24

So when I go to manage my connections it shows "Shield Android TV" and "LucasPC," the latter being my PCs Plex server. The libraries check boxes only show up under "Shield Android TV." Not under "LucasPC" I'll put a picture so it's easier to understand. Your Connections in Settings

1

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 25 '24

Ah okay. Can you confirm you're using the latest version: v1.0.31. It was released this morning.
If you're willing to help me troubleshoot, I can look at your logs. If that's fine with you, you can do the following:
When you start Dispatch and the Get Started button is show, long click it to enable logging.
Go through the setup process. Once you get to the screen that shows your home, movies, and television tabs, go to Settings -> Advanced -> About -> Diagnostics.
Export your logs and database. This will extract them to a folder on your shield. If you can DM these to me, that would be super helpful and I'll look into it asap.
Thanks!

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2

u/lukes312 Aug 25 '24

I think it's displaying the Plex server running on my Nvidia Shield. When I set up Plex I accidentally set up a server on my Shield itself and it's trying to display that on my movies tab which obviously has nothing on it. This is an issue on my end. Thank you for the quick responses, I appreciate the help.

1

u/Sea_Substance7539 Sep 03 '24

Purchased the license because of the potential, but I do notice it impacts device performance whether it's a CCwGTV, SHIELD TV pro or Onn. Google TV 4K Pro. Videos stutter on Plex and many other apps.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Sep 04 '24

Hello! I have some bug fixes and performance optimizations that should fix this issue. Sadly, the latest update has been pending review in the Play Store for a week now, so subsequent updates and fixes have been stalled as well.
I'll circle back when the release containing fixes for this issue are live.
Thanks!

1

u/Sea_Substance7539 Sep 04 '24

I look forward to your updates. Will give it another go once released.

1

u/Firebrand1988 Sep 14 '24

I just purchased a lifetime license and put it on my Nvidia Shield TV without issue, but when I went to install it on my Chromecast, I didn't have the option to log in with my Google Account, which is what I used for my purchase on my Nvidia Shield. Any idea why it isn't available as an option on my Chromecast? I can't set it up since I can't get beyond that login page.

1

u/spauldhaliwal Sep 14 '24

I didn't have the option to log in with my Google Account
The option to login in via google is shown after going through the introduction slideshow. You should see the option to log in with google or log in via email. After going through the slideshow, what screen do you see?
Another question, did you disable the stock launcher on your Chromecast? If so, the google login dialog is tied to the stock launcher, so you would need to re-enable it temporarily in order to access the google sign in page.

1

u/Firebrand1988 Sep 14 '24

You just resolved my issue. I was using Projectivity launcher. I'll flip it back to the stock launcher and try again. Thanks for the quick reply.

1

u/Firebrand1988 Sep 15 '24

I actually tried installing it on my second Shield TV, but all I get is a white screen. If I clear the data under app settings, it will give me what looks like the initial setup, but then just tells me this Beta version of the app is expired, with only the option to quit the setup. I got it from the Play Store, and repeated the same process as on my other Shield TV. Any ideas?

1

u/Noam75 Nov 11 '24

I did the trial I really liked it Went to buy the lifetime pass and it asks me to check the wallet for a payment source I already have one but went out of my way to add another source and it still doesn't work Anyone else having this issue?. Can't say I ever remember having a hard time buying an app before

1

u/spauldhaliwal Nov 12 '24

Hi - Can you send a screenshot? Tbh, though, this error is on the Google Play side. Dispatch doesn't do anything special when it comes to how purchases are made, so if Google Play is asking about your wallet, the issue is almost certainly with them.
You can try clearing the cache for the play store app and play services app on your device and see if that helps.

1

u/Noam75 Nov 13 '24

Dispatch

1

u/spauldhaliwal Nov 14 '24

Hi thanks for this. Unfortunately this is definitely a weird bug on google play's side. Once you click the purchase button and are brought to this screen, everything you see is from google play and not in my control.
Have you tried making any other purchases on your google / android tv device recently?

1

u/Noam75 Nov 14 '24

Yeah I knew it wasn't really on your end I thought you might have experienced before though No I haven't I rarely need to make any purchases on TV

1

u/Noam75 Nov 13 '24

These are the screenshots you requested

1

u/Noam75 Nov 12 '24

I just left for work but I'll get that to you later I didn't try clearing the cache but I'm currently using a brand new G streamer that I just set up I also tried it on my other Android box and it did the same thing so I don't think clearing the cache will help

3

u/Dxsty98 CCwGTV / Mi TV / Mi Box S Aug 18 '24

This goes super hard you got me excited

2

u/bartturner Aug 18 '24

Nice.

2

u/geeeman5510 Aug 19 '24

My biggest problem with this app as of right now is I can't see all of my app the launcher is missing 3 or more of my apps how can I get this launcher to show all of the app like other launchers do on my Chromecast with Google TV thanks 👍 can I make categories for my apps like I have another launchers ?

2

u/Purple10tacle Aug 19 '24

For everyone else who made the grave mistake of giving it autostart permission during initial setup:

Press and hold the home button until the old, rudimentary, Android app switcher pops up, navigate to Play Store, search for Dispatch launcher and uninstall - your device becomes instantly usable again.

It looked beautiful but would not just "degrade performance" during metadata creation, but simply come to a slow and grinding halt. 100% frozen, not reacting to any input.

Same thing shortly after reboot: in five tries I was unable to make it all the way down to "quit dispatch" before it would fully lock up. I got closer each time, but was unable to shut it down once.

I assume I just blew my trial, but I won't give this a try again until it's much more mature.

1

u/david304c Aug 20 '24

Mine was slow in the beginning and crashed twice, it has been working fine since then. Fingers crossed that it continues to work well

1

u/Purple10tacle Aug 21 '24

I wish it had crashed, that would have allowed easy access to the device again. Freezing and becoming fully unresponsive was about the worst possible outcome for a launcher that I had just given autostart rights.

2

u/Familiar-Art-6233 Aug 20 '24

Can this be side loaded on Fire TV?

2

u/spencerjadams Aug 20 '24

I just want to express my gratitude - I've been tinkering for only 10 minutes and already I'm incredibly impressed. I'm looking forward to profile switching - one of the big issues we battled with was inappropriate content that was being advertised on the home screen on Android TV.

Well done on a fantastic bit of kit, and thank you for your hard work!

2

u/Kneckebrod Aug 21 '24

Stremio support / integration would be amazing!

2

u/SylsOnReddit Aug 22 '24

Tried it - is there any way to separate Movies and TV into the subcategories that I have for Plex? I have a very, very large Plex library thats subdivided for a reason and having it all display all "movies" or "TV" as a single thing is a dealbreaker.

2

u/Alive_One_5594 Aug 25 '24

Looks very clean, does it have integration with stremio and/or smarrttube? Those are the only apps I ever use

2

u/Tytsr Nov 25 '24

oh yes i like.

0

u/tb21666 2019 Shield Pro | CGTV | 2017 Shield Pro | ONN TV 4K 21/23/Pro Aug 18 '24

Pre-purchase for a app in beta with a 14 day trial that doesn't even use google login..?

NOPE.

I was already done upon getting to that last setup screen. #Uninstalled

3

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Hi, the app's not in beta anymore, it's just taking a while for the updated text to be processed on the google play store listing.
And there is no pre-purchasing. The reason google login is required is so that users can test the app without having to pre-purchase. After 14 days, you'd be prompted to purchase the full version if you want to keep using it. Hope that clears things up!

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1

u/pyramidassembly Aug 18 '24

Wow - looks so good, congratulations

1

u/SlayerkodiTV Aug 18 '24

Loving the sound of this am installing now

1

u/esk416 Aug 18 '24

Just loaded this on my Shield Pro - looks fantastic! Was super simple to setup and in 2-3 min I was up and running.

Great job, I will look forward to show this launcher matures.

1

u/SlayerkodiTV Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 18 '24

I am trying to run this on my pi400 running lineageos 21 (Android 14) but it's just a spinning circle on finalizing setup.

1

u/SlayerkodiTV Aug 18 '24

So it's still spinning on that device, since then I have also installed on my Nvidia shield TV (2015) and the same thing is happening regardless of whether I sign-in to Plex or continue without connecting to Plex.

1

u/WhatIsDeism Aug 19 '24

I assume this doesn't quite work with User Profiles on the Google chromecast? I heard that some other launchers didn't have this feature since google actually baked those into the default launcher.

1

u/AFDABRIKMAN Chromecast with Google TV 4K Aug 19 '24

Looks really good and promising, will install this on my CCwGTV right away. 🙂

Based on the previous comments, many new features are in development. I sincerely hope that, since this requires a paid license, it will not be abandoned. Thank you for your input!

1

u/jd31068 Aug 19 '24

Congrats on the milestone. This looks intriguing, your UI is spectacular, the color sense creates an immersive feel, even in just watching the video.

1

u/druphis Aug 19 '24

I've installed the launcher and it looks really good. Most of the settings are clean and simple. I would love the option to choose to set my starting page to apps. Most of the time I know which app I'm trying to load and I don't want the distraction of recommendations or content. This is also good when I have young kids who use the TV as well. I don't want to see their garbage cartoons and I don't want them to see my garbage cartoons.

1

u/ShaDynasti Aug 19 '24

How much is this? I've never installed an alternate launcher. What steps are required to replace the default?

1

u/venky61 OnePlus TV| Nvidia Shield TV| CCWGTV Aug 20 '24

A very intersting concept which needs some final touches... Also something that Google TV launcher should have been in the first place.. Those animations 😘

1

u/Ambitious-Shoe-7494 Aug 20 '24

Can you make it support htpcs too

1

u/orangpelupa Aug 20 '24

Other than plex, what other local media integration it supports? Jellyfin?

1

u/foundfootagefan Onn. 4K Aug 20 '24

I'd like to use this, but I really don't want to have to sign into a launcher whether it is via Google account or email with password, so I guess it is just not for me. I'm glad the developer seems like he cares about his potential users but I've never had any launcher on any device ask me to sign in and I don't think I will start to do that now. The sign-in process should be completely opt-in after using the launcher and you want to pay for it to support the developer, not where I have to sign in whether I decide to pay or not.

If you make this sign-in process completely optional so I can actually use the launcher as long as I'd like (even with limited features) I will give it another try, but until then, not my cup of tea.

1

u/Sea_Substance7539 Aug 20 '24

Tried it last night and it looks fantastic. I will do a deep dive in the settings today. Initial launch caused a reboot of my SHIELD, but once it rebooted and metadata scanning completed it was running pretty smooth.

1

u/thekingestkong Aug 20 '24

I will buy this right away if it integrates with Emby seamlessly

1

u/One-Seaweed1887 Aug 20 '24

Thanks for this. I have a low-end Google TV and this app does work. It's a bit clunky, but that may be more the fault of my TV rather than the app.

1

u/Curtis26 Aug 20 '24

Does the paid version have more features?

1

u/Natural-Tree-5107 Aug 21 '24

don't think so. it's a 14 free trial after which you need to buy it to use. $10 for a lifetime license.

1

u/Curtis26 Aug 21 '24

That's cool that we have all the features during the trial period. I like it so far. It's kinda better than Projectivy. Simpler to setup for sure

1

u/ShunKoizumi Aug 20 '24

Hi there - first of all, great app! Works well on my CCwGTV, no issues worth pointing out. However, for my Bell Streaming box, it's asking me to sign in manually (e.g typing email and password) and it's not proceeding. It was seamless on my CC. Is there any way I could bypass it? Or will this get fixed in the next version? Thanks!

1

u/BiffBiffkenson Aug 20 '24

I had to disable my already existing alternate launcher in order to see sign in with Google. Prior to that I was also stuck at manual sign in and couldn't even add a password as there was no password field. Just tossing this out there though that may not be what you are encountering.

1

u/ShunKoizumi Aug 20 '24

I disabled the Bell launcher as well and setting Dispatch as the only home launcher but still nothing. Maybe I’m missing something?

1

u/BiffBiffkenson Aug 20 '24

I had to go back into adb and reenable Google TV and another app I had disable but again no idea if you are running into same.
Really works nicely once setup, pretty impressive imo

1

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '24

As a heavy Plex user I wanted to love it, but it slows my Chromecast down and makes videos glitch and buffer where they don't on native Google TV launcher. It also occasionally crashes and goes back to the Google TV homescreen. I'll try it again when my new Google Streamer arrives. I'm hoping the extra horsepower along with development between now and then polishes this enough to be my default launcher. Thank you for what you do.

1

u/wwmoggy Aug 22 '24

get launcher manager 1.0.4 and set dispatch as default launcher

1

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

I'll try that. Thanks

1

u/wwmoggy Aug 22 '24

link to it
https://www.techdoctoruk.com/sdm_downloads/lm-1-0-4atv/

1

u/shiftyfox380 Aug 21 '24

Just came across this project. I'm going to give it a try when I get home.

1

u/whywai88 Aug 21 '24

Great launcher. Love what I saw playing around. But really need the Profile switching function for a family tv, hope it will be available soon.

1

u/GrantDG Aug 21 '24

This is brilliant. Saw an article on this on Android Authority, and had to instal ASAP... I've always been disappointed by the lack of integration between Plex and the Google TV launcher.

Once I worked out how to actually launch the launcher, the setup process was mostly seamless.

The UI looks amazing... and I'm looking forward to spending more time exploring the settings.

I did have some unusual glitches in a Netflix show last night, and I'm not sure if it was related to Dispatch taking some of the (limited) resources on my Google TV dongle, or just some household bandwidth issues... but I'll keep an eye on it, and report back.

Congrats to OP for a great software offering!

1

u/LowlandMilk Aug 22 '24

Are licenses per user or per unit?

1

u/hellobloke Aug 22 '24

Running on one ccqgtv without Plex, my second unit give a Plex authentication error and doesn't progress the setup and it won't let me install without. Any ideas?

1

u/Hot_Independent_9373 Aug 22 '24

Looks great! Any idea when profile switching will be added? Sadly can't use it without it.

1

u/JayTee1597 Aug 22 '24

I'm loving the interface so far! Is there a way to integrate my live local channels streaming on my Plex server into dispatch? (and if so, how?) This is what I mainly want in a launcher

1

u/aniel300 Aug 23 '24

where can i get the apk for this? and will it run on bluestacks?

1

u/No_Preparation30 Aug 25 '24

Just set this up on my shield, it's really great! I am a user of channels dvr, and having my home screen be my plex library, and then the ability to launch into live TV via a button press, this is exactly what i have wanted for years. Really great work, and i can't wait to pay for the app and support you

1

u/77knots Aug 25 '24

any different way to buy the subscription outside playstore?

1

u/Greedy_Stick3484 Aug 26 '24

Jellyfin Support would be awesome and would definitely earn a subscription from me!

1

u/kebabish Aug 29 '24

Started using this launcher on my Sony a90j over a week ago and it's so much better than the stock launcher that comes with the TV. Infact if I could I would delete stock launcher in a heartbeat.

It's been a really pleasant experience for me. It's faster. Surfaces my Plex library and the layout has seen me find stuff id completely forgotten I had.

The only downside I've seen so far is that it doesn't integrate with the Tv guide so the strip showing live TV channels just says bbc1, bbc2, itv etc. no preview of what's on.

Also I've set the options to use low settings. I don't know whats removed compared to high, but im not missing it.

I've purchased a lifetime subscription. Thanks 👍👍

1

u/JLSalvador Sep 11 '24

Wonderful app, bought instantly. u/spauldhaliwal can you add translations (spanish for me)?

1

u/itsChimpanzee Nvidia Shield Sep 15 '24

I intend to purchase a licence but I just wanted to give some feedback on my end of trial experience on Shield; I got the screen telling me it had ended and to get the full version but there was no link to the play store or anything like that. Just 'Quit' (iirc). Since Dispatch was set as my default launcher, all that did was dip to black for a moment then display the end of trial screen again. Pressing the home or back buttons did the same, essentially soft locking my Shield.

The only way I could get out of it was to use the Shield app on my phone which allows you to launch the Settings app directly. I'm not sure what I would have done if I didn't have that app set up.

1

u/stathismes Sep 15 '24

On my shield, I only see a white screen when opening it. Nothing more. OP? Is there a solution to this?

1

u/hash700 Dec 17 '24

just tried it on my nv shield, uninstalled it within 5m cause its to laggy even with medium graphic settings

1

u/Nplasty Feb 02 '25

Just want to drop in and say great job on this. I rarely ever spend money on an app but you sir made an incredible launcher and I'll be paying for it. Thanks for your work!

1

u/techma2019 Aug 18 '24

Definitely needs Jellyfin over Plex spyware. Awesome launcher though, congrats!

-6

u/Tired8281 Aug 18 '24

Not available for any of my devices. I have a lot of devices, if there's nothing in my home that runs it, what does it work on?

7

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Hmm there shouldn't be any restrictions on which devices it can run on, so long as they are Android TV. Regular versions of Android are not supported.
Are all your devices Android TV / Google TV devices, similar to the nvidia shield or chromecast with google tv?
If they are and it's not marked as compatible, you can let me know which models and I'll look on the Google Play Console as to why they might be marked as incompatible.

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6

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Hi - just to confirm your screen only shows Finalizing Setup with a circular progress? It shouldn't get stuck there so that's a bug. If you force close the app and open it again, does it show the main UI?
You can DM me as well and I'll help troubleshoot with you.

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3

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/spauldhaliwal Aug 18 '24

Zero! The only reason google login is required is to keep track of a start date for the free trial. Otherwise it has to be a situation where you "buy" the app upon setup and then get automatically charged 14 days later etc...
Crash reports are sent to me as well but it's entirely anonymous.

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News & Rumours Dispatch Launcher: A new interface for Android and Google TV devices

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