[Solved][Bug] CloudPebble compiler injects SDK 5.86 into manifest.json, breaking sideloading

Watchapp/Face Developers Corner
1

Hi devs,

Please check the build backend configuration. The compiler currently stamps an invalid SDK version into the manifest.json of legacy platforms (like chalk, basalt, aplite):

"sdk_version": {"major": 5, "minor": 86}

  • The Issue: While the emulator doesn’t care, real watches reject the .pbw with a “Not Compatible” error during sideloading because the mobile app flags major version 5 as unsupported.

  • The Fix: Manually patching the json back to {"major": 3, "minor": 0} makes the app install and work flawlessly on older hardware.

  • Important Clue: I suspect this is specifically triggered when using Dictation services/APIs. Another app of mine that only handles text outputs compiles with the correct SDK version and doesn’t show this behavior.

Could you please fix the backend build scripts so legacy platforms are tagged with their correct supported SDK version instead of defaulting to 5.86 when dictation is used?

Thanks!

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2

Hi Axel,
that is really weird! “5.86” is the correct version for basalt, chalk, and diorite, while aplite should be “5.78”
Can you please report a bug in the mobile app right after trying to install one of your applications, thanks in advance!

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Thanks for the explanation, that makes a lot of sense!

I will definitely submit the bug report via the mobile app right after reproducing it. Before I do that, I just need to clean up the project slightly to remove my private AI API key from the codebase/config.

As soon as that’s done, I’ll build the unpatched 5.86 version, trigger the error on my phone, and send the logs over immediately.

Thanks for looking into this!

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4

Well, this is slightly embarrassing, but the classic “tech magic” just struck again! :wink:

I went into the project to strip out my private API credentials before triggering the bug for the logs… and guess what? The original, unpatched 5.86 version suddenly installed flawlessly on my Pebble Time Round!

It seems the mobile app didn’t have an issue with the SDK version after all, but rather got choked up on something within my configuration string or cached credentials.

I humbly withdraw my bug report and apologize for the wild goose chase. Thank you so much for the quick support anyway – at least we cleared up the SDK version mystery!

Best, Axel

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