Impossible bluetooth connecting to android app and Raspberry with latest patchbox os

Hi @Giedrius, I also can’t connect .

Fresh install patchbox os bulleyes - updated + modep module 1.13. Raspberry Pi 3B+ with pisound version 1.0. Turning bluetooth to discoverable with the button, the two leds are flashing.

Android 13 on the phone with fresh app install.

After that I can see patchbox as a headset + mic in the phone bluetooth available devices but I can’t connect with the app

Did you permit location access to the Pisound App? It is required for Bluetooth Discovery on Android apps to work.

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Hi ad thanks for the help.
No luck. I permit location access but it is not better.
All the permissions are granted. But I can’t connect the App to the Pi. :slight_smile:

What is the output of systemctl status pisound-ctl after you make a connection attempt from within the Pisound App?

This evening, I tried again and managed to connect the application.
One additional thing I’ve enabled is proximity sharing on my android phone.
I don’t know if this is what enabled the connection but I didn’t change anything else.
Here’s the feedback:

● pisound-ctl.service - Bluetooth service for Pisound companion app.
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/pisound-ctl.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Wed 2023-11-08 23:03:25 GMT; 7min ago
Main PID: 482 (pisound-ctl)
Tasks: 14 (limit: 1600)
CPU: 5.055s
CGroup: /system.slice/pisound-ctl.service
├─482 /usr/bin/pisound-ctl
├─866 /bin/sh /usr/bin/mec /etc/mec-blokas.json
├─873 mec-app /etc/mec-blokas.json
└─874 osc2midi pisound-ctl 127.0.0.1 35675
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: mec api initialise
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: mecapi_proc start
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: MecApi::MecApi
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: MecApi_Impl::init
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: KontrolDevice initialise
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: mec_app running
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: KontrolDevice::init
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: kontrol device : listening on 6050
Nov 08 23:03:35 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: KontrolDevice::init - complete
Nov 08 23:03:37 patchbox pisound-ctl[873]: KontrolDevice::new client 127.0.0.1 : 46450 KA = 5
~

I will try to disable the proximity sharing (it’s “partage de proximité” in french).

Thanks a lot for your help anyway !

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It could be related.

Personally I’m not a fan of how Bluetooth discovery is handled by Android, with all the proximity / location permission requirements, which immediately make users raise questions why such things could be necessary for an app like Pisound App.

The reason for such requirement by the OS seems to be that this is seen as some sort of a user’s security vulnerability, as (only during the BT device discovery process) the user’s phone would become ‘visible’ to all of the nearby Bluetooth devices, and such other devices might predict your phone’s approximate location, based on the Mac address of the BT on your phone. If I remember it right, I think Apple phones use a randomized Mac address each time which probably makes such location approximation nearly useless. Android seems to have an option to enable / disable Mac address randomization.

So anyway, this obscure way of approximating someone’s position with nearby devices manifested itself with requiring permissions for Android apps that don’t make sense for the kind of app requesting them. :slight_smile: Kind of like GDPR ruined the internet with all those annoying cookie notices.

Hey there
I just set up my fresh purchased pisound with the latest patchbox os + modep on a raspberry pi 4 and am also struggling to connect via the pisound app on android. I tried all the suggestions in the forum like proximity share and restarting the phone or reinstalling the app. I tried two different android phones but nothing shows up at the devices tab while scanning. patchbox is in pairing mode and recognized by the phones bluetooth settings…
here is my output of: systemctl status pisound-ctl

● pisound-ctl.service - Bluetooth service for Pisound companion app.
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/pisound-ctl.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Tue 2024-02-06 21:26:44 GMT; 18h ago
Main PID: 497 (pisound-ctl)
Tasks: 14 (limit: 4915)
CPU: 22.721s
CGroup: /system.slice/pisound-ctl.service
├─ 497 /usr/bin/pisound-ctl
├─1208 /bin/sh /usr/bin/mec /etc/mec-blokas.json
├─1213 osc2midi pisound-ctl 127.0.0.1 46411
└─1214 mec-app /etc/mec-blokas.json

Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: mec api initialise
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: mecapi_proc start
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: MecApi::MecApi
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: MecApi_Impl::init
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: KontrolDevice initialise
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: KontrolDevice::init
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: mec_app running
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: kontrol device : listening on 6050
Feb 06 21:26:54 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: KontrolDevice::init - complete
Feb 07 15:11:50 patchbox pisound-ctl[1214]: KontrolDevice::new client 127.0.0.1 : 52711 KA = 5

any help appreciated. thanks in advance!
georg

As i can’t reply to my post on this topic : [solved] Cant connect via Bluetooth - #24 by jubal, i continue here

There is nobody to help me with the pisound app ?
I have some time for the moment to struggle with this problem, so let’s find the solution !

@Giedrius did you see my previous message ? I’m really out of idea to make it work, and it seems you are the guy that can find what’s wrong.

thanks for reading,

jubal

I moved your replies to a fresh topic: Pisound App fails to connect via Bluetooth