Slideshow

Why is the 'Run in Background' permission needed?

It probably isn't. However, the image transfer process is fairly finicky (see below), and one reason for possible failures is that the app that handles the settings on the phone/tablet/computer can be closed by the operating system when it's actually still needed. The exact behaviour varies greatly between devices. The 'Run in Background' permission should reduce the likelihood that the settings app will be closed prematurely.

Note that this permission only affects the behaviour of the app on your phone/tablet/computer; the part of the app that goes on your watch will not run in the background.

How do I get the settings screen to appear?

You should be able to display the settings screen by pressing the cogwheel icon for Slideshow within the Fitbit app on your phone/tablet/computer.

Unfortunately, sometimes a blank page appears instead. Here's some things you can try:

• Make sure the Slideshow app is running on your watch before going to the settings screen. If you haven't sent any images to the watch yet, it should say 'No Images'.
• Make sure that your watch and phone/tablet/computer are communicating properly (eg, Bluetooth is enabled and within range). The easiest way to check this is to sync your watch. Wait until the sync finishes before trying Slideshow again, so that it doesn't interfere with Slideshow.
• Make sure the Fitbit app on your phone/tablet/computer is updated to the latest version.
• Unfortunately, the Windows 10 version of the Fitbit app is especially unreliable with complicated settings screens. Try using an Android or iOS device instead.

How come my image won't transfer to my watch?

Unfortunately, Fitbit's file transfer code is unreliable and slow. It can take several minutes for a slide to be transmitted, so you do need to be patient.

The process seems to be more reliable if the app is running on the watch before trying to send images. If the watch app hasn't received any images yet, it should say 'No Images' when it's ready to receive them.

File transfers can be problematic if your watch is currently syncing with your phone/tablet/computer. Wait until the sync has completed before trying to send images using Slideshow.

If a file transfer is interruped part way through, there's a chance that the Slideshow app will be left in an invalid state. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app fixes this (sorry!).

Worse, sometimes the Fitbit app itself gets clogged with file transfers, requiring it to be force-stopped and restarted and/or having its storage data deleted.

Fitbit is continually striving to improve the reliability of communications to and from the watch. Make sure you're using the latest versions of the Fitbit app and watch firmware.

Why am I getting 'Watch rejected image'?

If you're using Slideshow Plus, the watch and phone/tablet both maintain a list of your slides. This is necessary to allow you to make changes from your phone/tablet after you’ve sent slides to the watch. For this to work, the lists on both devices have to be the same. Unfortunately, communications errors can result in differences between the two lists. When this happens, subsequent operations, such as adding new slides, will fail.

More specifically, the 'watch rejected image' message will be displayed on your phone/tablet if the watch thinks you're trying to replace the image for a slide it never received, or if it detects that the number of slides it knows about differs from the number that your phone/tablet knows about.

Regardless of the reason, the solution is to get the two lists (watch and phone/tablet) to be the same. Options include:

• Either of the 'Repair' options in the Settings should work, and will allow you to retain slides that were successfully sent previously.
• Ensure you’re using the latest version of the Fitbit app. File transfers are more reliable in the current version of the app.
• Restart your watch and phone/tablet/computer. This causes the bluetooth connection to be re-established, which is occasionally necessary.
• Install a different clockface, and then reinstall Slideshow Plus. This will guarantee that you’ll be starting from a clean slate. You won’t have to pay for Slideshow Plus again; just select ‘Tap here to unlock for free’ when you go to the payment web page.
• Force-close the Fitbit app on your phone/tablet, and delete its data. This can help because the Fitbit app sometimes gets clogged and fails to send files.

To minimise the risk of problems like this:

• Sync your watch, and wait for the process to finish, before using the Settings page.
• Wait for the watch and phone/tablet to acknowledge every step before proceeding (see this video and the tips listed below it).
• Ensure that you don't disrupt watch-to-phone/tablet communications.
• Try to prevent the watch screen from going off while files are being transferred.

How do I get around "Can't save image (code 4)"?

Code 4 means that the watch has more images than the phone thinks it does. For example, the watch might have 11 images, but the phone thinks the watch only has 10 images. Then, when the phone tries to send an 11th image, the watch rejects it because it's already got 11 images.

This problem should obviously not happen, but it can happen if there's a communication (Bluetooth) failure. The phone only updates its records when the watch tells it that it received a new image successfully; if that message doesn't get through, the phone assumes that the watch didn't get the image and it will think that the watch has less images than it actually does. Then, when you try to send another image, you'll get that error code.

What you really want to know is how to recover from this problem. There are two options in the 'Repair' sub-menu that should work: "Copy from here to watch" or "Copy from watch to here". "Copy from here to watch" would probably be best.

If that doesn't work, there are more serious communication problems afoot. There are some suggestions for how to deal with those elsewhere on this page.

What's the 'Slide Default Preview' Picture?

When you select 'Slide Defaults' from the Settings menu on your phone/tablet, your watch will display the 'Slide Default Preview' picture (a bird). This picture is built into Slideshow+. Changes that you make to the 'Slide Defaults' settings ('time colour', etc) will be shown on top of the preview image on you watch.

Because the 'Slide Defaults' settings apply to all of your slides (unless overridden), it is hopefully less confusing to preview those settings on a 'neutral' image, rather than one of your own images. When you adjust settings that are specific to one of your slides (eg, by using 'Add a Slide' or 'Edit a Slide'), those settings will be previewed on an image of that slide.

The 'Slide Default Preview' image will not be displayed when the slideshow is playing. Only images that you send to the watch will be displayed.

How Do I Get Rid of the 'Slide Default Preview'?

The 'Slide Default Preview' should only be displayed while you're using the 'Slide Defaults' section of the Settings. When you touch 'Return to menu', the preview should disappear and your own slides should be displayed.

The 'Slide Default Preview' may be left on the screen if 'Return to menu' wasn't touched before closing the settings, or if there's a communication problem. To fix this, check the Bluetooth connection with the watch (eg, by syncing), restart the Slideshow+ settings, select 'Slide Defaults' (if they aren't already displayed), and then select 'Return to menu'.

Will it drain the battery quickly?

If the 'auto-off' setting is deselected so that the screen stays on all the time, your watch's battery will be drained about four times faster. It may only last about a day between charges.

This battery consumption is not caused by the Slideshow program, but by the screen hardware. Even a trivially simple app that prevents the screen from turning off will drain the battery at about the same rate. If you want to test this, try the free 'On Time' app.

If you don't want to recharge the battery more often than necessary, make sure the 'auto-off' setting is ticked, except when you really need the screen to stay on (eg, when showing your slides to friends). To get to this setting, long-touch the watch's screen while the slideshow is playing, or press the upper right side button (if your watch has one).

When the screen is off, Slideshow doesn't do anything and will not have any impact on battery life.

What do I do with the five-digit payment code?

Slideshow isn't free (but it is cheap!). If Slideshow is displaying a five-digit payment code, it's time to buy it.

To continue using Slideshow, use a web browser and browse to https://k-pay.io/code/. That's where you type in the code that appears on the watch. After clicking 'Continue', you'll be given options for paying for Slideshow. A minute or so after payment has been received, you'll be able to use Slideshow.

Where can I find more info about payment for this app?

Payment is handled by K-pay. They have a FAQ here.

What is Slideshow Pro?

Slideshow Pro is being superseded by the app version of Slideshow Plus. Details here.

What is Slideshow Clock?

Slideshow Clock is being superseded by the clockface version of Slideshow Plus. Details here.