Enable SDK for Karoo (3)

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231 comments

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    Fernando

    Hi people! One of the greatest features of Karoo is this subject. It enables other developers to improve the karoo. Moreover, the improvements made apart of HH, give ideas to improve the core software of karoo in future updates.

    Please HH, consider opening [a better] SDK.

    Best regards.

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    Martin

    After 10 days of this thread being up, not getting a response from Hammerhead is very disappointing. There are rumors about an Edge 1050 which could be released in mid-June. It could be interesting if it actually gets a new display. Hammerhead doesn't have much time left if that happens. Then my decision will fall on the Garmin.

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    vurenzicht.roggen_0l

    Please enable SDK

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    schmadde

    I am in the same boat as Thierry Douet - Type 1 Diabetic and I need my Blood Glucose values on the head unit. This is more important for us than heart rate, power or any other metric. This was possible with an extension that utilized the SDK.

     

    I must say that I am very disappointed that Hammerhead treats the SDK so neglectfully. This has been the case forever - I supported the Karoo since the crowdfunding phase when it was all still vaporware because an SDK was promised that was supposed to be more powerful than Garmins Connect IQ - yet it took years until something was available and it was never officially announced, just something put secretly on github - and I learned it from this forum here. No official announcement and the functionality was very limited. 

     

    It is about time Hammerhead delivers on its promises and creates something powerful - and not remove the fig leaf that is available for the "old" units. Staying silent about the SDK seems to be the policy at Hammerhead since day one - I asked about it when there was only one Karoo and never got an answer (BTW: does anyone else find it strange that there are now two units called Karoo with no number? The original Karoo was renamed Karoo 1 I think by the users mostly. Why do they not call it Karoo 3? This will create interesting confusions with web searches). 

     

    I feel like they need a new customer service team or policy if they do not answer any questions about a core feature like this. 

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    Nguyen Vo

    Is the CGM plugin/app INFLITE TYPE ONE? I would love to use this when CGMs become available without a prescription in the USA.

    Only if Hammerheard would tell us when they plan on enabling SDK support for the K3…

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    Dennis Schützsack

    +1

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    Marco Meneghel

    +1

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    Antonio Tijeras Alonso

    They should think that we are going to throw our bikes with di2 to buy a K3 with SRAM Red Groupset.

    What will happen is that we will go almost all to 1050.

    I loved using these 4 years my karoo2, But this play is very dirty

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    Harm-Andre Verhoef

    +1

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    Darrell McCombs

    It would be nice if Hammerhead at least let us know an ETA for the SDK, or just tell us that they won't release an SDK because they're to afraid of shimano, or whatever their reason is for disallowing 3rd party access.  No update is just poor business practice that puts of current and potential customers.

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    Antonio Tijeras Alonso

    The new Karoo is focused on SRAM customers, thank you

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    Thierry Douet

    This is NOT JUST to load Shimano control software. I need a 3rd party application to be installed, WITH the SDK, to allow displaying my blood glucose levels on the heads up display. It is life of death at times. Thank you.

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    Damienjoseph100

    Why would they be afraid of Shimano, SDK is already available for Karoo 1&2. By making the Sdk available it allows for other apps to be sideloaded most notably the medical apps, one of the reasons some people purchased the Karoo. The lack of response from Hammerhead is disgusting and really poor customer service, all we want to know is will SDK be available and when, not bloody rocket science

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    Thierry Douet

    I power the Karoo everyday in case there is a NEW update that includes the SDK. Nothing. I will be returning the new Karoo and stay on the Karoo 2. And I will have to explain the vendor why. Not good.

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    Thierry Douet

    * added a feature request on support - https://support.hammerhead.io/hc/en-us/requests/146922 *
    For the Diabetics like me, you can install and configure, through the sideloading option, the Xdrip+ application. It works. But, since we don't have the SDK (you do not have the option to add any of the data fields to your profile pages), you have to, while you ride, go back to the main profile screen, click on the left settings icon and load the Xdrip+ application manually to see your glucose levels in a graph form.

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    Andi Djee.

    Dear SRAM/Hammerhead,

    can you please at least provide us with any thoughts on SDK?
    Is it planned to ever be released?
    Still in 2024?

    I thought customer satisfaction is key to you?
    So how can you act like this and not even respond at all to this topic?
    It’s open since over 2 weeks now…

    Hope for the best,
    Andi

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    David FlavourCyclist

    I wrote to them one last time via the Submit a request form (https://support.hammerhead.io/hc/en-us/requests/new) before deciding whether to return the device, referencing all the points mentioned in the Hammerhead Support Forum thread. This was the response:

    Hi,

     

    We understand that an SDK is required for developers to create 3rd party apps and plugins to integrate with the Karoo OS. 

     

    Our Software and Product teams are reviewing this project to determine the best way forward. We do not have any timelines as of yet, but we hope to have more information to share on this topic soon.

     

    If you would like to keep the device, that's great. However, if you choose to return your Karoo, we completely understand, please let me know your Karoo order number!

     

    Thank you!

     

    Best,

    Shruti

    They don't seem to want to respond to this here in the forum, which I think is a shame. Maybe more people need to open a request via the form but I don't know… and apparently it is not foreseeable when the SDK will come. Therefore, I will also be returning my device. and wait for the Garmin Edge 1050. What a shame.

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    MarkusK79

    okay, I wrote them again! I hope they understand that people need this SDK ASAP!!!!

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    Arin Davidian

    I've already started the return process for my K3 before the return window closes. May repurchase if they add SDK before I'm forced to switch to Garmin. This seems like the continuation of anti-competitive behavior enacted by Sram after dropping native di2 support. 

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    Adrian

    I'd like to get the device but also - I found this thread here - it's a blocker for me. 
    I checked also SDK at GitHub (not updated for a very long time - few years). 

    Karoo advantage over other devices is Android-based device (which is open OS, quite easy to develop apps, huge community, modern langauges like Kotlin). Not using this advantage it's strange.

    At least official announcement would be great from company.

    If you are working on new SDK - please, let us now. If you are not planning to do it - also, please let us know. 

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    diegotruant

    Good morning I was a happy owner of Karoo1. Then karoo 2. A key feature of the product was the ability to install applications such as spotify, xert and others. At the launch of the karoo 3 the consumer was not informed that this was no longer possible. In my opinion, this is not Hammerhead's correct behavior.

    Installing apps was and is one of the features that makes Karoo stand out from the sea of products that are already on the market. Without this feature, it becomes a bike computer like any other. What do I do with all these gigabytes of memory if I can't install third-party apps?

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    Marc

    The official response makes me think that the SDK is an afterthought to HH and SRAM, it's a shame. I can't imagine any professional Product Manager not already being aware of the challenges and roadmap for a key part of this teams only product.

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    Anthony Ralphs

    100% agree, this feels like an attempt to reset the expectations of consumers and the offering - especially just asking it to be called the Karoo feels like a reboot and the soul of the original devices is lost - which reading this thread I am not alone in to this being a key decision making criteria for buying a device originally. 

    I also do not buy the companion app can only support the Karoo 3 - this is really bad way of trying to force and upgrade. This debacle along with the shimano issue are really pushing me elsewhere - a real shame as the Karoo for me was the best product on the market and could have been made significantly better if the original approach had been maintained. 

    Typical approach of buying some good IP and squandering it!

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    John McElroy

    Well I have only a week left in my return period so I will be starting the return process for my New Karoo today.

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    Andi Djee.

    Same here @ Marc…
    I am really sad to see that it is exactly the 1:1 same wording like it is send to all the SDK-requests via contact form :-/
    Seems like the SDK issue was totally overlooked and not any part of the agenda and near future, otherwise it would be ok to post a rough timeline.
    Is HH/SRAM not aware anymore that this bike-computer has a community-DNA?

    Prices for the units already drop… 420€ is the lowest as per google right now.
    Sad. :-/

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    Jesse Starr

    What’s crazy is that the SDK is the only way they can partially compensate for the fact that they don’t have Garmin’s massive Garmin Connect library of apps and plugins. It’s one of the main pluses of Garmin and you’d think Hammerhead would at least prioritize ALLOWING developers to make plugins…

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    Florian Buijs

    +1
    After starting with the K1 and then upgrading to the K2, I am now holding of on buying the K3 as there's no SDK, and thus no options for sideloading any apps (Ki2/Spotify etc).

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    Marc

    @Florian - to be fair, I -think- you can still side load apps, but they can't be integrated in to the Karoo apps and screens. It is true that Switching apps is a big pain, so simple side loaded apps are way less useful and in many ways impractical.

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    Niels Dijkstra

    Glad to finally see an official response in this thread, but disappointed that there's still uncertainty about adding SDK support. As an early adopter, it's sad to have to return the new Karoo, but I did so anyway. Trial is running out of time. I'll wait to see if the new Karoo will add SDK support and hope to buy it again. However, I will switch to Garmin (Edge 1050?) if SDK support isn’t confirmed soon.

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    Andreas S.

    Karoo 3 Sideload Apps
    Scheinbar hat jemand eine Möglichkeit gefunden, dass es auch auf dem Karoo 3 funktioniert.

    https://youtu.be/q-1tF11vh2c?si=yZPOA1IOlJ16Pgu1

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