Making the Viper Smartstart Phone App Even Cooler!

I have a viper smartstart Bluetooth module in my car. From my phone I can lock, unlock, start and stop the engine. This is the Instructable I published for that project.
https://www.instructables.com/id/StartStop-LockUnlo...

It's very useful however the latest version of the free smartstart app 4.x offers some challenges. There were significant improvements made but now viper wants me to login everytime to Bluetooth control my car. I don't want to use mobile data just to unlock my car etc.

Here is how I made a simple fix to bypass the annoying login with the smartstart app.

Step 1: Install the Free App and Create a Login Account.

This part is straightforward. Install from Google play and create a free account. The password is tricky but the format must have a CAPITAL, common, number and special characters. The password length needs to be 8 to 12 characters long. Here is an example of the password I used

Abcd123+

After you get your free account, now it's time for real work.

Step 2: Editing the Manifest.xml

You can do this manually on a pc or use apk editor pro like me.

After selecting the installed app, in this example the smartstart app, select full edit. The entire app will load in a few seconds into apk editor pro.

Step 3: Finding the Startup Code in the Manifest Xml.

When fully loaded, tap onto the manifest button.

The manifest xml file has a section of code to decide what screen is the startup.

The screenshot shows the section in the manifest xml that needs to be modified. There will be only one intent filter with MAIN and LAUNCHER. The line immediately above the start of intent is what needs modifying.

I highlighted two lines that will need to be modified in the next step.

Step 4: Adding the New Startup Section Code.

In this case I wanted the smartstart dashboard to be the default screen when the app opens.

The line highlighted is what the new value needs to be. In the original startup code there was an additional line to which I pasted in:

.activity.DashboardActivity

When I tapped the save button and opened back the same code, I found the additional line gone but the first line change in effect.

Now since the code change is complete, tapping the save button will cause apk editor pro to compile the app into a new apk file. Once complete, I tapped the install button and the revised app was installed.

Doing all of this I eliminated the splash, welcome and login screens (3 screens in total!).

Step 5: Enjoying the Revised Smartstart App!

This is now my startup screen. It's fast and no more annoying login. I removed extra buttons and icons that I don't want cluttering the dashboard screen.

I'm happy with my revised smartstart app!

For your pleasure, I have attached the apk file!