⚠ Important:
- This is intended for technically savvy users or people with a tech savvy friend who can help.
- We offer this more as a support mechanism to help subscribers who already paid for Premium but have lost access to get access again (i.e. may have accidentally deleted the Facer app on their watch during a watch reset to fix another issue).
- You take on some risks of damaging your watch when doing this.
- We may (though unlikely) provide an update at some point and you would need to manually install that update (Google Play will not distribute it even to existing installs).
- You proceed at your own risk.
Step 1: Enable Developer Mode on Your Watch
- Open Settings
- Go to System → About
- Tap Build number 7 times until Developer Mode is enabled
- Go back to Settings
- Open Developer options
- Enable:
- ADB debugging
- Debug over Wi-Fi
Note the IP address shown on the watch.
Step 2: Install Android Studio on Your Computer
- Download Android Studio:
https://developer.android.com/studio - Install it on your Mac or Windows PC.
- Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows).
Android Studio includes ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which you’ll use to install the app.
Step 3: Download the Legacy Facer Watch APK
Download the legacy Facer watch APK from our support page and save it to your computer.
It is available here.
Step 4: Connect to Your Watch
Ensure:
- Your computer and watch are on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Debugging is enabled.
For smartwatches running Wear OS 2.x and 3.x
In Terminal or Command Prompt, run:
adb connect [WATCH_IP_ADDRESS]Example:
adb connect 192.168.1.15Approve the debugging prompt on your watch if it appears.
For smartwatches running Wear OS 4.x and 5.x
Wear OS4 has removed the “Debug over Wi-Fi” option, from the Developer tools section, on the watch. A new method to connect must be employed on devices running Wear OS 4.
To pair the watch:
- Open developer settings, scroll to, and tap on “Wireless debugging”
- Switch the “Wireless debugging” toggle to ON
- Tap on “Pair new device”
- Open the terminal window on your computer and run:
adb pair [WATCH_IP_ADDRESS]:[PORT] The [WATCH_IP_ADDRESS] and [PORT] values are replaced by the values shown in the “IP address & port” section of the “Pair new device” screen. Approve the debugging prompt on your watch if it appears.
-
When prompted in the terminal, enter the “Wi-Fi pairing code” shown on the related section of the “Pair new device” screen.
- For Linux or Microsoft Windows only - After successfully pairing the devices, run:
adb connect [WATCH_IP_ADDRESS]:[PORT]Use the IP address and port under Wireless debugging.
- Done! Your device should now be connected. To confirm, run:
adb devicesin the terminal. This will display the device ID→ look for the entry that starts with “adb..”
Troubleshooting if the device doesn’t appear as connected after step 5
- Run:
adb kill-server in the terminal (to kill the adb process) and restart from step 1
- Restart the watch device and restart from step 1
Step 5: Install the APK
Navigate to the folder containing the APK, then run:
adb install facer_legacy_watch.apkIf successful, you will see:
SuccessFacer should now appear in your watch’s app list.