0.5.2 is a major update targeting legacy devices and browser rendering.
From this release onward, Ava continues to cover Android 5 through Android 16, and introduces a standalone GeckoView browser engine package. If your device's system WebView is too old, browser display glitches out, hiding/showing the browser causes freezes, or legacy hardware simply can't upgrade its browser kernel, you can now install the engine package and offload web rendering to a modern GeckoView.
This release also adds German language support and bundles concentrated fixes for microphone permissions, wake engine stability, stop-word detection, edge lighting, Sendspin device naming, Browser Display, and legacy device permission issues.
Major Update: Standalone GeckoView Browser Engine Package
The biggest pain point on old devices was never Ava itself — it was the ancient system WebView: Home Assistant panels wouldn't load, dark mode fell out of sync, the browser froze after toggling, or OEM restrictions blocked browser component updates.
0.5.2 introduces an independent engine package:
https://github.com/knoop7/Ava/tree/master/gecko-engine
The main APK stays lightweight; GeckoView ships as a separate APK. Switch render engines inside Ava when needed — no flashing, no system WebView replacement required.
Ideal for:
- Echo Show / Facebook Portal / old tablets with outdated system browsers
- Browser Display instability after show/hide cycles
- Home Assistant Dashboard anomalies under system WebView
- Android 5/6/7 devices unable to update WebView through system settings
Path: Settings → Web Browsing → Render Engine → GeckoView (Engine Package)
If the engine package isn't installed, follow the in-app prompt to download and install it. Once installed, return to Ava and select GeckoView.
Support notes:
- Main app continues to support Android 5–16
- GeckoView engine package currently provides arm64 and armv7 builds
- Unsupported architectures will be flagged in settings
- As a standalone app, the engine package may require additional floating-window permission grants on some legacy systems
For Android 8 and below where the system UI fails to grant permissions normally, use ADB:
adb shell appops set com.example.ava.gecko SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW allow
adb shell settings put system kill_background_services_list "com.example.ava,com.example.ava.gecko"New: German Language
Ava now includes a German UI. System language set to German will automatically display German text; all other languages continue to follow the existing Chinese, English, Russian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, etc. logic.
User Feedback Directly Addressed
Thanks to these reports — they shaped the 0.5.2 fix direction:
-
#83 Not starting on echo show 5 1st gen — @treypop
Enhanced legacy-device startup resilience: microphone, wake engine, and browser engine initialization failures no longer crash the main service. -
#82 Hide/remove "Ava" in sendspin device name — @meiser79
Sendspin device names are now customizable. Saving triggers a session restart so Music Assistant refreshes the display name faster. -
#81 "Browser Display" does not follow dark mode in app settings — @meiser79
Browser Display now follows Ava's dark mode and attempts to sync with the Home Assistant Dashboard. Adaptation varies by webpage and WebView version; further polish is planned. -
#80 Follow up mode behavior issues — @itsgreat2misha
Voice session state and stop-word detection logic refactored. Interruption during conversation still works; idle standby reduces unnecessary on-device inference. -
#79 Browser becomes unresponsive after toggling Browser Display — @jancernik
Browser Display show/hide chain stabilized, with GeckoView engine package offered as an alternative for legacy system WebView. -
#78 Cannot grant Device Admin through UI on Facebook Portal devices — @itsgreat2misha
ADB-assisted permission paths added for special legacy devices; in-app guidance will continue to improve.
Wake & Microphone Stability
0.5.2 includes extensive crash-hardening on the voice entry path. The focus isn't new buttons — it's graceful degradation when old hardware, permission anomalies, or model loading failures strike.
Improvements:
- Microphone permission denial no longer crashes; voice service returns an error state
- Reading audio from an unstarted microphone no longer throws exceptions
- Micro Wake Word / TensorFlow Lite initialization failures auto-downgrade
- Android 5/6 unsupported inference libraries no longer loop retry and lock up the service
- Wake engine load failure falls back to a null detector — Ava continues running other features
- Home Assistant voice satellite handles audio errors gracefully instead of killing the process
This matters most for Echo Show, Facebook Portal, old tablets, and custom ROMs.
Stop-Word Detection: Less CPU Burn
Stop-word detection now runs only when actually needed:
- A timer alarm is actively ringing
- A voice session is in progress (Listening, Processing, Responding)
During idle standby with no alarm, the stop model is skipped — cutting CPU load and heat. Two critical scenarios remain unaffected:
- Saying "Stop" while an alarm rings still stops it
- Saying "Stop" during conversation still interrupts
Edge Lighting & Full-Screen Overlay Fix
Fixed wake-word edge lighting failing to fill the bottom navigation bar area.
Previously the ripple appeared full-screen, but edge lighting for Listening / Processing / Responding states left a blank strip at the bottom. 0.5.2 unifies overlay fullscreen and immersive handling so edge lighting truly covers the bottom navigation bar region.
Sendspin / Music Assistant Improvements
Sendspin device names can now be changed naturally to whatever you want, preventing Music Assistant from locking onto unwanted prefixes or stale names.
Path: Settings → Add-ons → Playback → Media Player → Sendspin Device Name
Saving restarts the Sendspin session so Music Assistant picks up the new name quickly. If the old name persists, refresh the player in Music Assistant or fully kill and restart Ava.
Browser-Related Settings Paths
Quick reference:
- Browser display & remote open: Settings → Web Browsing → Remote Browser URL / Show in Home Assistant
- Browser render engine: Settings → Web Browsing → Render Engine
- Dark mode sync: Settings → Web Browsing → Follow Dark Mode
- Ava's own dark mode: Settings → Add-ons → Interface → Dark Mode
- Sendspin / Music Assistant: Settings → Add-ons → Playback → Media Player
Note: Dark mode syncs Ava, Browser Display, and Home Assistant Dashboard as closely as possible, but final rendering depends on the webpage itself, theme cards, and system WebView version. Some devices require fully killing Ava and reopening, or switching to the GeckoView engine package, to test properly.
Known Limitations & Troubleshooting
- GeckoView engine package requires separate installation; manually confirm the system install prompt.
- Android 8 and below or special devices may need ADB-assisted floating-window permission grants.
- Some OEM systems aggressively kill background services — add both Ava and the Gecko engine package to battery optimization / whitelist.
- Dark mode and Home Assistant Dashboard compatibility will continue improving, especially for dashboards heavy on custom cards.
- If browser freezes, service failures, or microphone anomalies persist, please provide ADB logs — further polish is incoming.
