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Upgrade To Self Hosted XBoat App

Upgrade To Self Hosted XBoat App

For Users Prior to April, 2025

Last updated on April 23, 2025

💡

This manual is for users who received displays prior to March 24th, 2025 and went through this process to set device owner.

ℹ️

This update marks the final manual update process. Moving forward, you can check for updates directly within the XBoat display by navigating to Config and tapping "Check For Updates".

Instructions

If you have a previous version of XBoat installed from the Google Play Store, you must uninstall it before proceeding. Please note that uninstalling will reset all your settings and XPod pairing data, so you'll need to reconfigure these afterward. We are working on a mechanism to sync device settings soon.

Uninstall Existing App

  1. In XBoat App Settings tap App Version 7 times to enable Developer Mode
  1. Scroll to the bottom, tap Developer Settings > Revoke Device Owner Status > REVOKE
  1. Swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to go to the Android home screen
    1. Find the XBoat app
    2. Hold down the icon and press Uninstall

Install Latest Version

  1. Swipe down on your Android device to access Quick Settings. Find the QR code scanner widget (it may be on the second page—swipe right if needed). Tap the widget to open it.
  1. Scan the QR code below to download the latest XBoat version, 0.3.9.3 (499).
    1. Once downloaded, tap the file to install the update.
    2. If you see a warning that the file could be harmful, select "Download Anyway" to proceed.
    3. If your phone displays a message about installing unknown apps, follow the prompts to enable this setting.
    4. Tap Update when prompted.
  1. Once updated, do not open the app yet.
 
Notion image
 

Set Device Owner

  1. Remove the existing Google Account
    1. In Settings > Passwords & Accounts tap your account under Accounts for Owner
    2. Tap Remove account & confirm Remove account in the popup
  1. Enable Android Developer Settings
    1. In Settings > About > Version > Build number tap the build number 7 times. You’re now a developer.
    2. In Settings > System > Developer Options turn on USB Debugging
  1. Install Android Debug Bridge (adb) If Not Already Installed
    1. This is standard Android software that allows your computer to set the XBoat App as the device owner. This enables XBoat to control the settings on your device, which is required for the most seamless outdoor operation.
    2. Open the Terminal Application (Mac)
    3. Copy the following commands and paste them into the terminal window.
        4. # 1. Install Homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# 2. Install the Android Platform Tools (which include ADB):
brew install --cask android-platform-tools
  1. Plug Android Device Into Computer
    1. A popup should appear on the Android device to allow USB debugging. Press Allow
    2. If there is no pop-up, unplug the android, repeat step 3 and 4, and re-plug the android device into the computer.
        3. 💡

        Contact XBoat if the popup does not appear for troubleshooting assistance

  1. Set the XBoat App as Android Device Owner
    1. Open the Terminal Application (Mac)
    2. Copy the following command and paste it into the terminal window.
        3. adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.xboat.app/.AdminReceiver
    3. Press enter to run the command
  1. Open XBoat App
  1. Test Automatic App Pinning
    1. Tap the X Icon in the menu bar to go home
    2. Tap Row . If a pop-up does not appear, the process was successful! If a pop-up does appear, please contact XBoat.
 
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