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How to run Android Amplifi Remote app in Windows or in OS X


cbaten
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For all of those who, like me, are waiting for the native Windows Amplifi Remote App: there is a way to run the Android version on windows and /or OS X systems.  :)

 

Install the latest version of VirtualBox and the matching extension package (Free) and create a virtual machine running the latest version of Android that is available as x86 ISO package.

 

Than use you google account to get the Amplifi app from Google Play and you are all done.

 

There is one glitch: it might be that this is not working with your built in Bluetooth hardware and in that case you have to disable it and use a USB bluetooth dongle.

 

(To get ANdroid running I mainly followed the recipe given in this blog:

http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/02/install-android-4-4-kitkat-windows-using-virtualbox/

Thanks Vonnie!)

 

I currently have it running on a windows 8.1 tablet (EP121) and PC.

 

I was running the app uptil now on my Minix TV Box. Allthough it was rather cool to have the largest guitar tuner in the world on my 40" TV Screen, the none-portability of my TV is less practical. But for you who did not think of it directly (like me): there is a good chance that your TV Box runs Android and you canb simply ionstall the app on it. 

 

I am also testing on a MacBook Air.(Here disabling the internal BlueTooth needs some hard core tweaking as Apple has drifted far away form it's open approach of the legendary Apple i and II for which they even supplied the source code of the bios in the manual).

 

And once more: dear LINE 6 People. Surprise us with a native windows app. You will not only make your windows eco system users very happy! Not only that, but you also will be rewarded soon with a huge possible increase in fanbase as your Windows 10 App will work on Windows Tablets, Windows Desktops, WIndows Phones (from cheapest of $70 to the Apple 6 rivals costing half of what Apple charges), Windows TV Boxes, WIndows Remote Controls, Windows Foot Pedals and  WIndows Washing Machines for all I care, as the windows 10 kernel will be the SAME for all these devices. This also means that Windows Apps can and will not be ignored anymore by the global app makers (including you) as up til now. 

 

So I hope that you are already on it and, in trademark Line 6 style, will surprise us unanounced with a native Windows app next week.

 

And if not: please get moving!

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Ha! I just recieved my Amplifi TT today and I had the exact same idea.  Although I am using VMware instead of VirtualBox.  My success has been more limited though.  I have been able to get the app to work several times, but it's been hit or miss getting the Amplifii TT to connect to the virtual Android machine.  Sometimes the virtual Android x86 machine will just not turn on Bluetooth, sometimes it turns on Bluetooth and sees the Amplifi TT but won't connect, and sometimes even with Bluetooth connected to the Amplifi TT, the app will give dissconnected / reconnecting pop ups.  Still I have gotten it to connect and work well a couple of times.  If I can just get the Bluetooth connection sorted out, it should be fine.

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Great to see more people are on this, so we can find out the optimal choice of hard and software to make this work really smooth soon.

 

Yep, my first experience were similar. The bluetooth connection seems less stable on my machines with the virtual machine approach, when compared to my available Android machine (Minix x8 TV Box and Samsung S3 mini). So far I was hoping that this was a problem of the specific hardware I was using. Bummer to hear that you have similar experience with a different VM tool and probably different hardware rtoo.

 

Anyways I will try more hardware combinations and VM software as well.

It is good to know  that the Bluetooth functionality of the VM software only appeared in their last updates, so these additions are quite young and there is a chance that we get improved versions in their next updates.

 

Current options:

VirtualBox (Free)

VMWare (Paid Pro)

Parallels (OS X only, Paid, Pro)

BlueStacks (Free,simple, smooth, just Android, Android Apps appear as tiles in the windows 8.1  start screen, you hardly notice the virtual machine shell, but NO BT ports forwarding yet)

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On the good news: VMware has a free version that I'm using.

 

On the bad news: VirtualBox worked for me once.  Then Bluetooth stopped working, then the Android virtual machine stopped working, then I deleted and tried reinstalling Androidx86 under VirtualBox and now it won't install.  Same error when it stopped woring and on reinstalling: Smething about Kernal Panic and it would go into a reboot loop.

 

VMware I have gotten to work only intermitantly.  The Bluetooth connection seems to break randomly. Have done all the things suggested in the troubleshooting FAQ.

 

Side issues: even though my Android phone and tablet connect reliably, things are really slow every time I connect.  Takes a long time to connect (says Syncing) and then will take 5+ miniutes to download the presets from the unit.  I figured this would happen just the first time but it seems to happen everytime I turn the unit on.  Things work well once the syncing and downloading is done but the inital wait is terrible.  If this is normal, I'm considering returing the unit. :(

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Hmm, I need to test some more to confirm your VirtiualBox / WMWare observations.

I can confirm that I see the syncing recurring every time, but way faster than 5 minutes (on Android Minix x8 tv box).

 

I have the two units 5 m apart with some obstruction of the line of sight of a couch.

 

The connection is stable most of the time after just powering up both.I noticed bluetooth hickups and connection problems after moving the couch to obstruct more or after putting an electronic device close to the minix. But most of the time it works fine, even though I also use a wireless audio link for the guitar of which the receiver sits on top the Amplifi 150 unit.

 

It is a pity you have these troubles as I am having generally a great deal of fun with the setup. That is also why I did not find enough time to test all these configs yet: I works quite nice with the Minix already.

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  • 3 months later...

I'm trying to run the app on an HTC One Mini.

I've updated the firmware to 2.0 and 2.1 but the app still tells me its not the latest version, and so cannot send tones.

I haven't updated with the 1.01 assuming all these updates are in the latest versions..

Mega frustration.

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  • 6 months later...

It seems to be working great on the new Remix OS 2.0 according to this thread. Remix OS will probably run on any random laptop/pc you have lying around, and it can boot from a flash drive, so you can possibly use it with any laptop/PC anytime you want. :)

 

Don't wait around for Line 6 to make a Windows Amplifi app, they don't seem even slightly interested, despite such a huge amount of demand for it (both here and on their "suggestions" website). If they eventually make one, great, but for now, if you want to use the remote through your laptop/pc, use RemixOS or Androidx86.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Does that mean that you bought an Amplifi and you don't have any android or ios device ? 

 

What would be the added value to have the remote app runinng under windows ?

 

Many of us would prefer our larger screen Windows PCs/Laptops to create and edit tones, rather than using the relatively smaller screened and limited functionality and low battery-riddled Android/iOS phones and tablets. Anyone who has tried to sit and create the perfect tones for hours and had their eyes hurt, fingers cramped and batteries run out would know what I'm talking about. Professional/Semi-Pro musicians using Amplifi and Firehawk NEED a Windows app. The more casual, "bedroom" musicians will also benefit, I'm sure.

 

I finally managed to use it on my Laptop through Remix OS 2.0 and it's so much more fun and easy making tones now.

 

sk0Qrvy.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Many of us would prefer our larger screen Windows PCs/Laptops to create and edit tones, rather than using the relatively smaller screened and limited functionality and low battery-riddled Android/iOS phones and tablets. Anyone who has tried to sit and create the perfect tones for hours and had their eyes hurt, fingers cramped and batteries run out would know what I'm talking about. Professional/Semi-Pro musicians using Amplifi and Firehawk NEED a Windows app. The more casual, "bedroom" musicians will also benefit, I'm sure.

 

I finally managed to use it on my Laptop through Remix OS 2.0 and it's so much more fun and easy making tones now.

 

 

Agree on this. I'm not a professional musician, just a "bedroom" musician, and occasionally play on live stage in church services.

​I just bought an Amplifi 75 and love to use it with my Android phone.

However I really hope I can run the Amplifi Remote on Windows laptop/PC as well.

 

Some usage scenarios that I find it's not convenient to do it on a small phone/tablet screens:

 

- I like to learn new skill/ideas from Youtube videos tutorial, and I want it on a bigger screen, i.e. on PC/laptop screen, as it is better to see the tutorial more clearly. It is not convenient if I have to switch between Laptop (to navigate through Youtube) and my Android phone (to set the tone, etc.), and I want to have the sound from Youtube to be casted to Amplifi as well (which not possible because it is connected to my phone, while the Youtube is on my PC).

 

- I like as well to learn new skill from e-book/blog/music sheets/resources I found in the internet, and same as above, it is more practical to see those on a larger laptop screens compare to small phone/tablet screens. And I don't  want to switch between phone and PC cause it is not efficient. Some music learning website even provide audio directly within their tutorial, and I want to play it on my Amplifi75 as well to play along rather to have separate sound souces (from my PC speaker and Amplifi).

 

I'm still trying to setup the Remix OS on VirtualBox configuration for now, but still no luck because my Remix OS cannot boot (stuck in Remix OS logo)... :(

 

 

Dear Line6 team, please highly consider to develop the Amplifi Remote for Windows environment.

I suggest to just target to develop into Windows 10 UWP platform, rather than classic windows x86 executable. You will have the benefit of developing once with easy modification to target all Windows 10 screen sizes (PC/laptop/2in1/tablet/phones/XBOX (why not!!) and even in the near future, Augmented Reality in HoloLens!!).

So I believe investing to develop in Universal Windows Platform is reasonable.

 

I'm not a Windows freak, I use Android as my primary phone and have an Android tablet. But as my example above, I believe there are lots of other possible use case scenarios that more people will benefit by doing it on a Windows PC. This means more potential customers for Line6 as well.

 

 

Cheers.

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For all those who have problems with the Android-App in the Android-Clone of the PC.

Here is how I succeded with the Blutooth-Connection:

Take an USB-Extension-Cord for your USB-Blutooth-Stick an put the Blutooth-USB-Stick in that way about 50 cm (20 inch) away from the blutooth-light of the amplifi.

In this distance I succeeded after some attempts to have a stable Blutooth-Connection with a PC started with a Remix OS 2.0 Stick and the Amplifi-Remote-App installed.

 

Nevertheless our ceterum censeo to the Line6-Team is: Please create a Windows app to controll the Amplifi, if possible not over Blutooth but with the USB-Connection. And please make it possible to store at least the lokal presets of the Amplifi on the harddisk of the PC!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bonjour

Pour ma part, je suis prêt à acheter un amplifi mais à la seule condition d'être certain que l'application fonctionnera sous Windows. Avez vous l'intention de développer cette application sous Windows sans passer par android et dans quel délais ?

Merci

Polo

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  • 3 months later...
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  • 1 year later...

Somebody to tell me, please, how or where can I download remote app for Android phone in order to connect with my Firehawk FX!!! Please!!! If you answer me to my e-mail it will be just GREAT!!! Here it is: artman2@abv.bg Thank you in advance and wish you all the best!!! Peter

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  • 2 months later...

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