Connecting Socket Mobile scanners in Application Mode for Android 8+
The problem
If you or your customers are experiencing difficulties connecting Socket Mobile scanners in Application Mode on your Android 8 devices, your app may be affected by one of the Android system changes. Starting from Android Oreo (version 8+), Android apps can no longer obtain a device’s Bluetooth address programmatically. Users will not be able to copy/paste the Bluetooth address either.
For most Socket Mobile scanners on the market, obtaining Android device’s Bluetooth address has been a critical step to pair with the devices in Application Mode, done automatically through Socket Mobile SDK. The change in Android 8 forces us to require users take action to get Android device’s Bluetooth address.
Please NOTE:
This issue will only happen if
- You are connecting a device in Application Mode.
The scanners will work as usual if you are using it in HID Mode (the default mode).
- You are installing the apps on Android Oreo or newer Android versions.
There should be NO issue if Socket Mobile Companion have been installed on Android Nougat or older and you are upgrading to Oreo
The solution
We’ve been working on this issue for a long time. Even though our attempt to work with Google for a better solution didn’t yield any result, we’ve had solutions for both new customers and customers with existing devices.
For customers who are planning to purchase new scanners:
Our latest models and future models have or will have built-in Auto Connect capability(ACC) that will not only solve the Application Mode pairing problem for Android 8, but also significantly simplify the process. Here’s the list of the devices we ship that already have the capability:
- SocketScan S700
- SocketScan S730
- SocketScan S740
- DuraScan D760
- SocketScan S840
- SocketScan S860
- SocketScan S800 (revision number P or after)
- SocketScan S850 (revision number D or after)
- DuraScan D750 (revision number D or after)
- DuraScan D730 (revision number J or after)
- DuraScan D700 (revision number G or after)
- DuraScan D740 (revision number C or after)