Top Tips for using the BlueJay U Watch
- Turning on the watch - Long press the long button on the right hand side of the watch to turn it on
- Charging - Connect the charger cable to a USB charger, and place the watch on the white disk, with the charger cable on the left hand side of the watch. The charger makes contact with the four pins with magnets. When charging look for the charging indicator. Pop the watch off and back on to the charger to see the progress displayed on the screen
- Battery life - The battery can run down fast with continuous use. Charge the watch nightly. Avoid over use to get a day's life from the charge
- Fitting the strap/band - Two straps are included. Line up the wide end of the strap snug up into the slot on the watch. Slide the ends into the slots on the sides. Ensure that the silver pin is pointing outward. If it doesn't look right, it might be on back to front or upside down. Tuck the spare strap end into the slot. For smaller wrists you can trim the strap to avoid wrapping around.
- Other button functions - There are two buttons: The Long Button and the Winder. Press either button to wake the screen. Use the long button to turn the screen off. Press the winder to go back. Rotating the winder will scroll through selections. Long press the long button to turn off or reboot, then slide the option you want to the right
- When the watch screen is on, you can swipe and tap to move around the functions of the watch
- Swipe down to see the quick menu, and swipe down again to see more options
- From the main watch face, you can tap the drip icon to open xDrip+
- Swipe left to get to the list of apps on the watch. Keep on swiping left for three pages of apps
- To make text entry easier, there is a remote keyboard function on the watch
- Find the WiFi Keys app on page two of the app list. Running WiFi keys displays a QR code
- Scan the QR code on your phone using a regular barcode reader app, click the link and the keyboard pops up in a web page
- Also you can copy the link to other devices on the same WiFi, like a PC
- The keyboard will time out when idle
- To get G6 readings on the watch the primary task is to set TXID in xdrip. With xdrip/settings/hardware data source/G5,6,7 selected, then the TXID entry is revealed on the line below.
- The G6 will only give direct readings to two devices. To get readings on
more devices, some relay of the data is needed, see xDrip Link.
- Each of the two devices connects over one of two "slots" on the sensor,
the Phone Slot, and the Non Phone Slot. The BlueJay defaults to the
non-phone slot. This slot may already be in use by a pump or other
device.
- If you already have a pump getting readings, then avoid setting up the
watch on the default slot, as it is already in use. This can jam up the
link with the pump. Swap the slot on the watch first. You can change the
slot on the BlueJay to the phone slot, provided there is no app already
using it. To do this, scan this QR code in xdrip/settings/auto configure
- Beware that the sensor can get confused with repeated swapping of
devices on a slot and jam up. The slot setting is a "fixed
configuration" not a "hot swap".
- Set the 4 digit pairing code on the watch using the same method as for the G6.
- With a new sensor set the pairing code on the watch first. When it gets readings, set the pairing code on the phone app.
- With a sensor that is already running, with a phone app connected,
disable phone app first, either by turning the phone off, or turning the
bluetooth off, or going out of range. Then connect watch, once you get
readings on the watch, re-enable the phone app.
- In this configuration, a pump or other non phone device can also be connected to the sensor.
- The xDrip+ app, on an Android phone, can be set up as a remote follower, getting readings from the watch over the internet using WiFi and/or 4G SIM.
- To set up xDrip sync from the watch, the watch is the master, and the
phone is the follower. You can see the setup method on this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcgjfbYcWkE
- There are many use cases for xDrip Sync. One master can relay readings to multiple followers. Watches can be masters, or followers. You can have watch-to-watch sync, and phone-to-watch sync too.
- Using xDrip link, the watch and phone running xDrip+ connect to each other using bluetooth, when in range. xDrip+ works on Android phones, but not on iPhones. Click this link on the phone to install xDrip+
https://xdrip-plus-updates.appspot.com/stable/xdrip-plus-latest.apk
- Find the xDrip Link app on page two of the apps on the watch, turn it on with the slider. It will show a QR code, scan the QR code using the phone with xdrip/settings/autoconfigure.
- If the watch and the phone are both getting readings, they can keep each
other updated with any missed readings when coming back into range.
- If the watch is set to get readings, but the phone is not, then the phone will get them from the watch.
- The BlueJay settings on the phone will be copied to the watch. See
xdrip/settings/smartwatch/bluejay. It's easier to enter these details on
the phone.
- Set up the watch to get readings as detailed in other sections.
- Once the watch is getting readings, also set the TXID on the phone, even
if the phone is not getting readings, as the TXID value on the phone
will be copied to the watch.
- If the phone is not intended to get readings, set "Run Phone Collector
Off" on the phone with xdrip/settings/smartwatch/bluejay/advanced
settings
- From the swipe down menu, top left, tap the padlock button to lock the screen. When locked the watch will show the watch face, and you can tap the drip for xDrip+, but it will not swipe left for the other apps. This helps to avoid "pocket dialling" unwanted functions on the watch in daily use
- For tighter controls use the Parental Assistant function in the Settings/More Settings menu. Using Parental Assistant you can see a list of apps and disable them by swiping the slider. You can set a password for access to the parental controls. There is no password recovery, so you can get stuck on the parental controls if you lose the password.
- Most 3rd party "49mm" straps/bands will fit.
- Ideally choose one with the smallest amount of metal in it (especially where it attaches to the watch body). This can help improve radio reception
- Avoid using an all metal strap as this is also risky when using the charging clip because it is magnetic
- Do not apply excessive force when attaching the strap. If the connectors are too tight try a different strap or use a little wax or similar to lubricate
- The watch face displays the primary BG functions
- There are multiple faces and you can scroll between them by turning the crown
- Using the "More Faces" app you can find other options for watch faces
- Long press on the face to get a list of faces. Tap the top left pink edit button and you can select a background image for the face
- The watch comes with a pre-installed plastic film screen cover. If you want to add a new screen cover, a 49mm one will fit. Take care during application
- Connecting the watch to WiFi is helpful for many operations. Find "WiFi QR" on the list of apps. This will read a wifi QR code, and will automatically set up the link. Also you can configure the wifi manually through Settings/Network/Wifi. With the small screen this can be fiddly
- The easiest way to connect to WiFi is by scanning a QR code. Phones often have the ability to show these QR codes for networks you are already connected to. There are also websites which will create a QR code for you like: https://qifi.org/
- There is small plastic tool supplied to make opening the SIM tray easier. (The SIM tray is on the left side of the watch and is orange in colour)
- Gently lever the sim tray open from the bottom using the tip of this tool. Carefully slide the sim tray out.
- Lay your nano sized sim card in the tray noting the notch aligns with the top left of the tray and the 6 metal contacts are facing upwards in the tray and there is no obvious dirt, grease or water present. Make sure the sim is laying flat in the tray.
- Align the sim tray exactly with the slot and gently slide it back in. You should not need to use much force and if you feel it jam up then remove it and try again as likely the alignment wasn't quite right. Do not force it in. When the seal part contacts it is slightly stiffer but there should not be much resistance when closing it.
- After inserting (or removing) a sim card, you must reboot the watch by long pressing the lower power button and sliding Reboot to the right.
- It may take some minutes for a new sim card to be provisioned by the mobile carrier. It is a good idea to make sure you have successfully used the sim card in a phone before trying it in the watch. It is also recommended not to have a sim card pin code enabled.
- Beware that when connected to WiFi, the default setting will turn the cellular connection off for power saving. You can wake it up by trying to make a call or by turning WiFi off temporarily. This feature is also configurable in the Network settings.
- When advised you can upgrade the software on the watch using the "software upgrade" function on the settings menu. It needs a WiFi connection, with the charger connected and battery over 25% to progress. The app will report if the watch is already on the latest version
- To snooze an xDrip alarm, long press on the Winder button until you feel a vibrate
When the Watch power gets below 15% you will get periodic vibrations to let you know power is running very low. These will get more intense the lower the battery level gets.
Long press on the lower (power) button to get the Shutdown/Reboot/SOS menu. Slide SOS to customize. You can make the SOS feature call a phone number and/or activate xDrip's Emergency Messages feature which will send text messages. Once enabled, sliding SOS will trigger the feature
You can set up a Google Account on the watch. Using an existing account will share contacts, calendar and more. Also it will allow you to install apps from the Play Store
Running Google Play, or the Google option on Settings, will launch the login on first use
Entering text on the watch can be fiddly on the tiny keyboard. If this is too hard, or too boring, consider getting a BlueTooth keyboard and configure in Settings/BlueTooth
The 4G SIM Mobile Data connection uses up battery charge when the SIM is online. To preserve battery charge, the default setting is to turn off the 4G when the watch is online using WiFi. In this case, if the phone on the watch is used to make a call the 4G connection is turned on, there can be a short delay. In the case that the 4G is off, the watch will not accept incoming calls. This "4G off when on WiFi" function can be turned off and on in the Settings/Network/Cellular auto off menu. The default setting is on. Setting it off will allow incoming calls, at the expense of some battery life.
- The watch supports many other functions, beyond its primary function as a BG research tool. The more you use the watch, the shorter the battery life. Some of these functions are described below
- Phone Calls - with an active SIM card you can make and receive calls. Use the green phone app
- Display Options - from the Settings/Display menu you can set "Raise to Wake", Brightness, "Palm Press to Sleep" and more
- SMS Messages - use the yellow messenger app
- Step counter - Use the Walk app
- Camera - The camera is mounted on the underside of the watch, so you need to take the watch off to use it. Use the Camera app and find the photos on the watch using the albums app, or copy them over to a PC with the USB charger cable.
- Internet Access - With an internet connection you can browse the web using the browser app on the second page of apps. With the small screen and tiny keyboard, this is not so useful, but might be helpful in specific situations
- GPS - The watch has a GPS and can run Google Maps to work as a SatNav. Expect to get a better GPS signal outdoors. Using the watch as a SatNav will consume more battery, and might not be very useful
- Google Play - you can use the Google Play app to install other Android apps. First you need to be signed in to Google.
- Location services - location services can be turned off on the quick menu, beware that when location services is off, bluetooth pairing does not work. Best not to turn location services off.
- Screenshots - these can be useful for troubleshooting. Long press both buttons at the same time. This will take a screenshot located in "Pictures/Screenshots". Copy to PC over USB cable
- Copy files to PC - connect the charger to the PC USB. If this does not immediately give a connection, run the Settings/Software Upgrade/Check for Updates function that will wake up the file link
- Music - You can load music files into the watch over USB from a PC and play on the Music app.
- Task Manager - Double tap on the long button to get the list of running apps, scroll through them, close them or select them.