64 bit or 32 bit

[Wibbly]

Anyone have AM working on a Pixel 7, given that phone only supports 64 bit apps now? I'm not sure if AM is a 32 bit app?

[Serum_114]

This unanswered question is now the second most depressing post on this forum. Looks like Google only introduced 64 bit support in 2017 but already required it for all Play Store apps by August of 2019. Martin's last Play Store release was in March of 2019. Now I'm worried that the 64 bit requirement was a big factor in his decision to cease development. I really hope someone can answer this and it's the answer I want.

[Wibbly]

Does anyone still on this forum have a Pixel 7 I wonder?

[Serum_114]

I knew over time Automagic would slowly lose functionality and I'd be forced to give it up. Most of my recent changes to flows have been to restore lost functions through creative workarounds or to benefit from new features through control UI - which until development on Automagic stopped, I loathed. I still do hate resorting to Control UI... Anyway, the thought that I could lose so many functions I depend on overnight and wind up with buyers remorse the next time I buy a phone was the final nail in the coffin. I've begun the complex task of figuring out how make all the automation I've enjoyed with Automagic work in Tasker. Thus far, I've achieved a lot success. Without benefiting from the knowledge gained by tinkering with Automagic for years it would be a lot harder. I got nowhere with Tasker years ago but rapidly got the hang of it this time around. Martin was right to call this magic. It was such a joy to use. Everything else feels like homework by comparison.

[Wibbly]

A 101 for how to port Automagic flows to Tasker would help a lot of folk (like me!) if you were up for it . I'm still finding it hard to get my head around Tasker

- Key things to get your head around
- Differences in terminology (triggers, flows, actions, conditions etc)
- How some of the key AM triggers, actions, and conditions are applied in Tasker
- Specific gotcha's you've discovered, etc., when porting and maintaining your AM flows in Tasker's equivalent
- Online resources you found that particularly helped understand Tasker, given we understand AM
- Example of what a few of your AM flows look like implemented in Tasker

AM may not yet be dead in the water if it supports 64 bit. Of course we don't yet know what Android 14 will bring...

[Serum_114]

I don't think a 101 guide could be written. There isn't 1:1 equivalence. Triggers are most like profiles but nowhere near exactly like profiles. Profiles execute tasks which are similar to flows but again, are a different animal. It makes doing things tedious but I'm also seeing how it helped Tasker achieve so much success. In Automagic it's so easy to continuously build out the same flows into giant monsters that depend on various other flows such that they are so personal as to be unsharable. Tasker's way makes complexe tasks tedious if they include too many actions so you wind up making them bite sized then you package them all together in projects - there is no equivalency in Automagic for these projects in Automagic. Those projects allow easy sharing of automation tasks and is where Tasker seems to have the biggest advantage. Creativity is hard with Tasker. In Automatic you have limitless freedom and you find A way to do things even if it isn't the best way. With Tasker, there is often one way. So on the forum if you say, "I want to do X" there is often only one answer because it's the only way. It means you hit a lot more walls as you're learning but your end result is probably more, "correct". You also need to purchase plugins to do all kinds of things that Automagic did out of the box. I can easily look past this and even view it favourably because with a better revenue stream, it's more likely to last. You can even opt into ads if you want to avoid buying things.

I'm really not trying to sell it to anyone but myself. I've invested so many hours over the years... ...it's really hard to walk away.

[Wibbly]

Well, your comments alone above help - so any more you'd like to share?

[Serum_114]

Digital Wellbeing tells me I've now logged over 24 active hours on Tasker. I've learned I was very wrong about there being one right way to do things. I painted myself into some corners - as I've done many times with Automagic - and had to rethink repeatedly. Automagic was like crack and I still haven't finished replicating all my flows but I'm a LOT more proficient than I was. It still feels less polished than Automagic. A little like picking up a 2007 Blackberry AFTER using an iPhone.

The calendar functions - or near complete absence of them - are hurting the most. I haven't found a good solution for replacing flows that involve calendar entries. It's a real impediment. I've only just begun to proficiently navigate notification interactions. Acting on notifications was so simple and core to Automatic - and I still believe it's one of the core wishes of anyone interested in automation - but it's like filing an income tax statent on Tasker.

[Wibbly]

Oh dear