session-lifecycle

Session state, stream state, pause and resume behavior, and device availability monitoring

npx skills add https://github.com/facebook/meta-wearables-dat-android --skill session-lifecycle

Session Lifecycle (Android)

Manage session and stream state in DAT SDK integrations.

Create a DeviceSession with Wearables.createSession(...), start it, then attach capabilities such as camera streaming once the session is STARTED. Session lifecycle and capability lifecycle are related but distinct.

Session states

StateMeaningApp action
IDLESession created, not started yetCall session.start()
STARTINGConnecting to the deviceShow loading UI
STARTEDSession active and ready for capabilitiesAdd or use capabilities
PAUSEDSession temporarily suspendedKeep state, wait for resume or stop
STOPPINGSession is shutting downStop user work and wait
STOPPEDTerminal; session endedRelease resources and create a new session if needed

STOPPED is terminal: a stopped session cannot be restarted, so call Wearables.createSession(...) again for the next connection.

Observe session state

start() and stop() are both sync fire-and-forget and return Unit. Subscribe to state and errors before calling start() so no transition is missed, and treat session.errors as the failure channel for start().

Wearables.createSession(AutoDeviceSelector()).fold(
    onSuccess = { session ->
        lifecycleScope.launch {
            session.state.collect { state ->
                when (state) {
                    DeviceSessionState.STARTED -> onStarted(session)
                    DeviceSessionState.PAUSED -> onPaused()
                    DeviceSessionState.STOPPED -> onStopped()
                    else -> Unit
                }
            }
        }
        lifecycleScope.launch {
            session.errors.collect { error -> showError(error.description) }
        }
        session.start()
    },
    onFailure = { error, _ -> showError(error.description) },
)

Add capabilities from onStarted(session). Calling session.addCamera(...) while the session is still IDLE fails with DeviceSessionError.SESSION_IDLE, and calling it after STOPPED fails with DeviceSessionError.SESSION_ALREADY_STOPPED.

Stream state

Camera streaming has its own state flow after you add a camera:

STOPPED -> STARTING -> STARTED -> STREAMING -> STOPPING -> STOPPED

CLOSED is the terminal stream state, and PAUSED is reported when the device pauses streaming (for example a single cap-touch tap) and can resume on its own.

lifecycleScope.launch {
    camera.stream.state.collect { state ->
        // React to stream state changes
    }
}

Common transitions

The SDK may pause or stop a session when:

  • Another experience takes over the device
  • The user removes or folds the glasses
  • Bluetooth connectivity drops
  • The user unregisters the app or revokes needed access

Pause and resume

When a session is paused:

  • The device connection may remain active
  • Attached capabilities stop doing useful work
  • Your app should wait for the next observed session state instead of trying to force a restart

Device availability

lifecycleScope.launch {
    Wearables.devices.collect { devices ->
        // Update the list of available devices
    }
}

Use Wearables.devices and device metadata to decide when it is sensible to create a new session after a stop.

Checklist

  • Handle all DeviceSessionState values you care about
  • Observe stream state separately from session state
  • Release resources only after stop or close
  • Recreate sessions after terminal stops instead of reusing dead ones
  • Surface typed DeviceSessionError and StreamError failures

Links

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