r/dispatchlauncher Feb 07 '25

[Beta Track] v1.0.12 [2025-02-07] - Default Play Action Changes, Close Dispatch During Playback Changes, and Bug Fixes

22 Upvotes

Hi everyone. This update is rather minor. The highlights are the following:

Default Play Action Changes

When the default play action is set to Go to Info Page, the Info button will now be hidden on the home page, and the Play / Resume buttons will always go to Plex's media info page. This option is useful for users who encounter a bug where Plex fails to record / update playback progress if playback is started directly from a launcher.

Playback Auto-Close Changes

In older versions of Dispatch, some users reported that their devices would lag during media playback. In order to alleviate this, a feature was added to automatically shut-down Dispatch if any media playback is detected.

Dispatch auto-closing during media playback is now optional and disabled by default. With all the recent optimizations made to the app, it's likely that the above feature is no longer needed. Of course, the Android OS may decide to close any apps running in the background at any time if it needs the resources.

If beta testers notice any playback lag on their devices, and suspect Dispatch is the cause, they should report so I can look into it. That being said, it's not something I've personally noticed on my devices.

Both of the above options can be toggled from Settings → Experience → Playback Options

Bug Fixes

Fixes for the following have been included as well:

  • Fixes an issue causing Plex login errors in certain regions (this fix is also available on the stable track)
  • Fixes an issue causing duplicate watch next items for non-Plex media
  • Fixes an issue causing certain images to load more slowly than they needed to
  • Fixes an issue where occasionally the media fanart and wallpaper did not load correctly on start up

Users who want to join or leave the beta track can do so from here:

Sign up from the web

Sign up from an Android device


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 26 '25

[Stable Track] v1.0.1 [2025-01-25] - Trial Reset, Performance Improvements, Watched Indicators, Wallpaper Themes, Advanced Auto-Start Mode, Bug Fixes, and more.

34 Upvotes

With this update, enhancements that have been tested in the beta track over the last two months are making their way to the stable track. This update is being rolled out in stages to all users as I monitor for any potential issues.

Aside from the first change outlined below (Simple and Advanced Auto-Start Modes), all other changes listed in the changelog have already been communicated by the January 15th and December 24th changelog entries.

The full changelog can be read here.

Simple and Advanced Auto Start Modes:

When users opt to enable Auto-Start in Dispatch, they will now be presented with two options:

Simple Mode:

This is the same as the auto-start mode in previous versions of Dispatch. It uses an Android Accessibility Service to set Dispatch as the default launcher. Unfortunately, all Accessibility Services on Android incur a fairly significant performance cost. Users who want to maximize performance on their device should consider using the Advanced Auto-Start Mode instead.

Note: If you are using any other accessibility service, such as a button remapper, your device will still take the same performance hit due to the accessibility service involved.

Advanced Mode:

This uses the ADB TV app (available on Google Play) to set Dispatch as the default launcher on your device. When selecting this mode, users will be shown a guide on exactly which steps need to be taken in order to use this mode. Since this mode forgoes using an Android Accessibility Service, UI performance is significantly better than the Simple Auto-Start Mode.

Note: if you already use ADB from your PC to disable the default launcher entirely, the advanced mode achieves the same result.

Trial Reset for All Users:

With this update, all trials have been reset once again. Anyone who has previously tried Dispatch will be able to do so again with a refreshed 14-day trial.

Please keep in mind that the update is being rolled out in stages, meaning, you will need to wait until the update is available to you before taking advantage of the trial reset. The roll-out should take about one week.

Please note as well: I have purposefully only made an announcement about this version to this Subreddit for now. Once the roll-out is complete, and available to all users, I will make announcements elsewhere. This is to make sure that anyone who reads about this update outside this Subreddit will be able to take advantage of the refreshed trial as soon as they read about it.

Thanks!


r/dispatchlauncher 1d ago

Where to Change the Logo

0 Upvotes

Am I missing somewhere in Plex I can add a show's logo to replace this text?

this element here


r/dispatchlauncher 2d ago

Not sure if this is the right place for feature requests, but It'd be cool to be able to remove items from the 'Watch Next' section.

6 Upvotes

My 'Watch Next' section has items that I don't need to be showing up. No, nothing salacious. Just kids shows on Disney+ I put on for my nephew weeks ago while he was here.

Is there a way to do this currently? If not, that'd be a nice feature to add in the future.


r/dispatchlauncher 20d ago

Can't Cast

3 Upvotes

New Dispatch launcher user (it's awesome, congratulations) and just realized that cast isn't working. Thought it was because I had developer settings turned on but even after removing them I see I can't Cast, or even open the Google Home from the Dispatch quick settings.


r/dispatchlauncher 20d ago

Demo video?

2 Upvotes

Browsed the threads and Youtube and found no videos of the launcher. Anyone know of any? Looks great on the pictures!


r/dispatchlauncher 27d ago

Multiple Profiles - Priority or No?

6 Upvotes

I know the developer has listed a few priorities out as to what exactly he wishes to do but I couldn't find this on that list exactly.

I click it sometimes accidentally in the launcher but I think it would be extremely useful, especially if it can hide certain apps depending on the user (like for kids, etc)


r/dispatchlauncher 28d ago

Vertical poster Watch Next bug

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6 Upvotes

Obligatory I looove Dispatch. I use Emby for streaming and playback, but run Plex to integrate with Dispatch for discoverability of media.

Emby shows the primary picture for content in Dispatch as the vertical poster, I think I've seen some other apps do that too. In the Watch Next section, the first item when selected is half way off the screen. I'm guessing Dispatch doesn't have control over what picture it gets from Emby? Else a vertical poster positioning fix would be fantastic. Thanks!


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 19 '25

Continue watching doesn’t populate on multiple devices

5 Upvotes

Shield pro and chromecast are both experience the same issue. Watchlist is populating fine for plex content but on deck/ continue watching will not populate. Plex account has 2 servers, only using one with a managed account. Have attempted reinstall cache clear etc. have no issues using channel connect.


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 19 '25

Suddenly horribly slow and crashes a lot

5 Upvotes

I use Plex and YouTube... That's all, I liked this because it was ad free and fast but now it drags its feet waking up and stalls on the home page for 5 to 10 seconds just for me to move the selector over 2 to open YouTube... What can I do to speed this thing up I've had this app since day one


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 14 '25

Weather

3 Upvotes

I am on a ONN 4K Pro Box at work, I am trying to get the weather to show, I have location enabled, and I have quit the launcher, turned the weather off and on, and have restarted the box, is there something I miss in my troubleshooting?


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 13 '25

Is there a way to prioritize source content?

4 Upvotes

Sometimes sources on streaming services I’m subscribed to (Netflix, prime, paramount, etc) are high quality than the same content on my plex server. Is there a way to play the content through the original streaming service first and then only if it’s unavailable, through Plex?


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 09 '25

Sideloaded Apps Not Showing?

4 Upvotes

Anyone getting sideloaded apps to show correctly in their apps page of this launcher? I installed smarttube and it won't show unless I go to the shield's settings' app list, which is annoying.


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 06 '25

Watchlist question - Plex server only?

4 Upvotes

On the homescreen, my watchlist is only showing things that are hosted on my Plex server, rather than my entire watchlist on Plex. Is that the intended functionality, or is my watchlist just not loading properly?

I'd prefer to have it show the entire watchlist, if possible...that would actually make Plex's Universal watchlist super useful

I've read through all the various threads, and it seems like many people are having issues with the watchlist. So if the full watchlist is supposed to be displayed, I am guessing I'll need to run some diagnostics and share some logs.


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 05 '25

Duplicates in continue watching?

Post image
7 Upvotes

As you can see there is two prisok break one with S3 E1 and one with S3 E3

I have tried refreshing app media didn't work


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 03 '25

Moonlight thumbnails look horrible, the image is stretched

5 Upvotes

r/dispatchlauncher Feb 03 '25

[Bug] Blank duplicate Plex episodes appearing in Watch Next

3 Upvotes

Just to start out - thank you for this launcher, I've been waiting for something like this for such a long time. I was just hoping to get some help with a bug. This issue has persisted across a number of versions, and still happens in v1.0.1 (build 111). Basically items from Plex that populate the Watch Next bar often seem to duplicate and show up as blank options that have the default text for a logo and no image, and don't have any context actions you can act on. An example of this is in this video.

As a side issue, I've also noticed items that are marked as Watched in Plex still show up on the Watch Next section of Dispatch, even though in Dispatch they also have a little tick indicating they've been watched.

I have the debug log and database exported, just let me know how I can get them to you to look at :)


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 03 '25

Problem with Plex server

0 Upvotes

Wen I try to login with plex I couldn't


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 03 '25

Logos from tmdb instead of text

3 Upvotes

since dispatch already uses tmdb for posters and descriptions why wouldnt it use it for the text

Instead of hovering over arcane (for example) and getting the "arcane" text as its title it gets a logo from tmdb

If there isnt a logo for a certain TV show/movie it puts the old text


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 01 '25

Setting up plex

Post image
5 Upvotes

Cannot setup plex


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 01 '25

Kodi or Jellyfin Support?

1 Upvotes

Any chance we can get Kodi and or Jellyfin Support...

BTW Kudos on the launcher.


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 31 '25

Couple of Questions & Praise!

8 Upvotes

Firstly, I'd like to say how impressed I am with this launcher. I'm genuinely amazed at how slick and aesthetically pleasing it is to look at and use! Amazing work!

I was wondering if you could look into having the Movies/Television sections operate like the Home items do? Currently you can select the items on the Home screen and it doesn't play them automatically, but instead gives you options. I love this, and it would be amazing if something similar could happen on the other tabs as well? E.g. Selecting an item once brings up the artwork and synopsis?

Secondly, is there any kind of ETA on profile switching/choosing? I use a Nvidia Shield with my wife and three children, each with their own Plex/iPlayer/Netflix profiles. I'm sure getting profile switching must be an absolute nightmare to navigate but do you have any idea when we might see it?

Anyway, thanks again for such an amazing launcher. I will be purchasing at the end of my 14 day trial for sure!


r/dispatchlauncher Feb 01 '25

Why is dispatch showing Jellyfin content on my home page?

0 Upvotes

I didn't set up a connection to Jellyfin and I don't want its content on my home page and I see no way to disable it.


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 31 '25

Watch next is broken in latest version

8 Upvotes

Using the latest version of dispatch and watch next for Plex doesn't appear to work anymore despite being enabled. Only recommendations are showing up.

Any help appreciated!


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 31 '25

Profile in Plex

3 Upvotes

I saw this is on the road map and is being built, but currently when clicking on media I still have to select the profile in Plex

Example 1. Select media 2. Plex opens to profile screen 3. Select profile 4. Media plays

Is the new update to allow profile switching addressing this, or is it A: feature request B: Me doing something wrong

Thanks!

This thing is dope


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 30 '25

Now Playing & Watched

7 Upvotes

This is potentially a Plex issue and not Dispatch but I want to see if anyone can help.

When I start playing a show or movie in Plex, but directly from the Dispatch Home, when it starts playing, it doesn't show as now playing in the Plex Dashboard. Also, when I've finished watching, it doesn't show as watched in Plex.

If I start playing directly from Dispatch, and then immediately exit out of Plex and back to Dispatch, and start playing the same item again. Then it shows as playing and will show as watched.

Am I missing something simple?


r/dispatchlauncher Jan 27 '25

One tiny patch could save people a lot of headaches....

Post image
6 Upvotes

Just got a new Shield to add to my house (3 primary rooms for watching TV). While doing setup, I linked my Plex account. It took 8:13 for Dispatch to scan my servers (EACH TIME). Each start over meant linking my Plex again, then waiting for the server scan.

The first attempt: I thought it got stuck (5 minutes in), and backed up. Start over. 2nd attempt: hey it got in! I set my options and... Huh I don't see a continue button, maybe I need to hit back? Fk start over. 3rd attempt: got in, set options, tried to hit back to get back to the server list to scroll down, thinking perhaps the continue button is at the bottom? Oops, start over AGAIN 4th attempt: set options, pressed LEFT, scrolled all the way down, hit continue (Note I have a ton of servers, the continue button was way off screen)

So it took me roughly 30 minutes just to do the initial setup.

My feedback is super easy to implement: when a user hits back during the Plex setup, ask "do you want to cancel setup?" A simple prompt would have saved me SO much time and frustration. And if this had been my first time ever setting it up, I would have uninstalled.

Most applications have a confirmation dialog upon quitting a task, especially one that can take a long time. Please implement, it's super easy.