These patch notes are all related to Firmware 3
If you are looking for Firmware 4 changes, please verify the category for Firmware 4 in the help center.
If there are links or images broken, it's possible they won't be able to be restored.
Handy Firmware 3.2.0
Handy Firmware 3.2.0
Time synchronization should now be more precise, as it can filter out unreasonable values from its computations.
It is now possible to loop scripts.
Improvements to the stroker control, which should now be more precise during very fast movements.
New LED code for hardware errors: fast RED/WHITE fading.
Fixed a bug that could in rare cases prevent some slide movements.
Time synchronization will now be preserved between disconnections and mode changes.
Handy Firmware 3.1.1
Handy Firmware 3.1.1
Handys upgraded from Firmware 2 now carry over settings to Firmware 3 on initial boot. Previously the Handy had to be restarted to have Firmware 2 setting apply.
Additionally, we fixed a potential Handy crash related to connecting the Handy to a Wi-Fi hotspot using the HandyConnect app.
Handy Firmware 3.1.0
Handy Firmware 3.1.0
The latest release of our firmware fixes a major bug and adds a rainbow LED pattern to indicate that the Handy is processing or loading data.
Handy Firmware 3.0.4
Handy Firmware 3.0.4
Increased stroker reactivity. This should make the stroke feeling closer to legacy Firmware 2.
Handy Firmware 3.0.3
Handy Firmware 3.0.3
Improved obstacle detection logic. Obstacles should now be detected more reliably with less false-positives.
Handy Firmware 3.0.2
Handy Firmware 3.0.2
Fixed a regression on the handyplug BLE protocol that made the Handy move inconsistently on LinearCmd inputs.
Handy Firmware 3.0.1
Handy Firmware 3.0.1
Increased obstacle detection time to 1000 ms (was 500 ms)
Handy Firmware 3.0.0
Handy Firmware 3.0.0
We are happy to announce the release of Firmware 3 for The Handy. It comes after months of work by our engineers to re-write the entirety of the Handy internal code and its associated online infrastructure.
The new Handy firmware comes with many improvements in speed, stability, and connectivity — the details of which you can find below.
We will be progressively rolling our Firmware 3 to our users over the coming weeks, with the first batch of users eligible to receive the update as of May 10, 2021. If you want to skip the line, you can update manually.
New Features
Stroke zone
You can now set the bottom point of the Handy stroke. This means that, together with the existing top point adjustment, you can now define zones within which the Handy stroker will move. For instance, you can now adjust the Handy to focus solely on the tip of the penis.
The bottom point of the stroker can be adjusted by pressing and holding the up or down buttons. The top point, as before, can be adjusted by simply clicking the up or down buttons.
The stroke zone can be adjusted in both offline and online modes.
Last used stroke
The Handy now saves your stroke settings from session to session. However, the speed of the Handy will always be set to minimum at the start of every new session.
Bluetooth connectivity
Handys using Firmware 3 will use Bluetooth connectivity for initial Wi-Fi setup. This will simplify the initial connection setup to the Internet.
A companion app to simplify the initial Wi-Fi setup process for Firmware 2 and Firmware 3 is available on iOS and Android.
Faster sync tracking
The Handy can now instantly follow the action of a synchronized video when skipping to different parts. Previously it would take a few seconds to re-sync when skipping ahead.
New LED status codes
The LED colors and related states have been simplified for better diagnosis. See the meanings of the new LED colors here.
Emergency stop with power button
In any operating mode, pressing the Power Button immediately stops the Handy.
Improved Responsiveness
With our entire codebase rewritten for firmware 3, you will find that the Handy is more responsive to button presses and with online connectivity.
Future-ready
The new firmware will allow us to develop additional features for the Handy in the future.
For Developers
We have improved our backend infrastructure and our hardware interfaces to allow for more and simpler development. You can take a look at our Developer Documentation for all our publicly available tools to help you work with the Handy.
The Handy Bluetooth interface allows for the development of local controls for the Handy without the need for Wi-Fi.
New REST API adds new protocols for controlling the Handy over the Internet.
We have added a proxy that translates Firmware 2 commands to Firmware 3, so existing Handy integrations should not be affected when users upgrade their Handys to Firmware 3.
Upgrading to Firmware 3
First, you will need to connect your Handy to the Internet. You can use the new HandyConnect app for iOS or Android to get connected quickly. Otherwise, you can use the manual upgrade process described here.
Once connected, you can simply visit HandyFeeling, click the Connect to Handy button, then enter your connection key, and the system will prompt you to update.
When you begin the update, the Handy will blink YELLOW and WHITE. After this, the Handy will begin a one-time upgrade procedure to finish Firmware 3 installation. The LED will blink GREEN during this period and will last for up to two minutes. Once this procedure is complete, the Handy will be ready to use.
Upgrading manually
Before upgrading, ensure that the Handy Wi-Fi connection is configured properly and you know your connection key.
After you’ve done so, follow the next steps:
Ensure your Handy is configured to correctly connect to the Wi-Fi network of your choice
While keeping pressed the ON button, unplug and then plug the Handy from its electric socket to restart it. Don’t release the button while restarting.
When the LED starts blinking WHITE and YELLOW, also press the UP button without releasing it.
Now release the ON button, then the UP button. If everything goes well, the LED will start blinking WHITE and BLUE. This means the upgrade is in progress.
At the end of the process, the LED will blink GREEN and YELLOW. You can now press the ON button to restart the Handy with the new firmware.
Downgrade back to Firmware 2
You can manually downgrade back to Firmware 2 if you experience any issues with Firmware 3.
This is done by putting the Handy into Safe Mode and using a hotspot with a special name to download the old firmware. When downgrading, the Handy will automatically look for this hotspot and connect without additional configuration.
Steps
Set up a Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone with the following credentials1.1 SSID: safemode1.2 Password: recovery
With your phone nearby, plug your Handy to an electric socket while keeping the Wi-Fi button pressed
When the LED pulses YELLOW, you are in Safe Mode and you can release the WI-FI button
Press and hold the DOWN button until the LED begins to fade in a rainbow fashion. This means the downgrade to FW2 is in progress. The Handy will automatically restart when the upgrade is successfully completed.
Handy Firmware 3.0.0 Beta 1
Handy Firmware 3.0.0 Beta 1
Hello everyone! It is with great excitement that we announce the release of the first beta release of the new Handy firmware 3 :)
Firmware 3 is still in development and is meant only for advanced users who would like to give us feedback and help with spotting bugs. It is NOT meant for general usage yet.
Once upgraded, it is always possible to switch back to firmware 2, but doing so requires setting up a WiFi hotspot from your phone. Ensure you can do it before upgrading.
Changes since FW2
Compared to FW2, FW3 introduces a significant set of new features:
Completely new codebase, which will allow us to progressively add new features in the coming years
Companion smartphone app for Android and iOS (coming soon)
Possibility to set the bottom stroke position by long-pressing the up/down buttons
For developers: experimental support for buttplug.io-like protocol via BLE (developer guide will come in the next days)
Hundreds of small improvements here and there
What to test
We finally enabled online functionality, which means that you can connect a Handy with FW3 to the online services on handyfeeling.com! This is exactly what we want to test, thus any feedback about it is very welcome.
To use the online services with a FW3 Handy, you need to append “fw3” before your connection key on handyfeeling.com. For example, if your key is “abcdef” you will have to insert “fw3abcdef” on handyfeeling.com after upgrading.
How to upgrade to FW3
Before upgrading, ensure that the Handy WiFi connection is configured properly and note down your connection key. In FW3 these can be configured through the companion app, which unfortunately is not available yet. Until then, it’s better to ensure the configuration is correct before upgrading.
After you’ve done so, follow the next steps:
Ensure your handy is configured to correctly connect to the WiFi network of your choice.
While keeping pressed the ON button, unplug and then plug the Handy from its electric socket to restart it. Don’t release the button while restarting.
When the LED starts blinking WHITE and YELLOW, also press the UP button without releasing it.
Now release the ON button, then the UP button. If everything goes well, the LED will start blinking WHITE and BLUE. This means the upgrade is in progress.
At the end of the process, the LED will blink GREEN and YELLOW. You can now press the ON button to restart the handy with the new firmware.
How to downgrade back to FW2
If you want to go back to FW2, you can follow this procedure:
Set up a WiFi hotspot on your phone with the following credentials
SSID: safemode
Password: recovery
With your phone nearby, plug your handy to an electric socket while keeping pressed the WIFI button.
When the LED pulses YELLOW, you are in safe mode and you can release the WIFI button.
Keep pressed the DOWN button until the LED begins to fade in a rainbow fashion. This means the downgrade to FW2 is in progress. The handy will automatically restart when the upgrade is successfully completed.
How to upgrade from FW3 to a newer FW3 release
If you have FW3 already installed and you wish to upgrade to the latest release, the procedure is very similar to the downgrade to FW2 explained above. The only difference is that you have to keep pressed the UP button rather than the DOWN button in the last step.
Troubleshooting and Q&A
Q: Why a completely new firmware?
A: The current firmware 2.x is approaching its technological limits and adding new features is harder and harder. This new firmware 3.x is a complete rewrite which will allow us to add new features and maintain them more reliably in the coming years.
Q: When are new firmware 3.x updates released?
A: We try to release a new updates regularly (usually weekly), so keep an eye on this thread.
Q: I found a bug/problem, what do I do?
A: Keep calm, and first check if the problem is already addressed in this Q&A. If not, simply get in touch with us by replying to this thread or via our discord channel.
Q: Shortly after I start the upgrade from firmware 2, the LED blinks RED and BLUE. What is happening?
A: The handy cannot connect to the internet to perform the upgrade. Restart your handy and ensure that you have correctly configured a working WiFi connection.
Q: Shortly after I start the downgrade from firmware 3, the LED quickly blinks RED several times, then turns back to YELLOW. What is happening
A: The handy cannot connect to the internet to perform the downgrade. Ensure that you have correctly configured the WiFi hotspot on your phone. If the problem persists, try to use another phone or a router.
Q: The upgrade/downgrade seems to take forever. Did it get stuck?
A: The upgrade/downgrade should not take more than 2 minutes on a 4g phone network as the download size is less than 2MB. If it takes longer, it is possible that your internet connection is not working properly. Feel free to shut it down to abort the upgrade/downgrade, then retry again with a better internet connection.
Q: I upgraded to firmware 3, I now want do downgrade to firmware 2 but I just realized I cannot setup a hotspot on my phone. What do I do?
A: The firmware 3 simply looks for a WiFi network with the following credentials when downgrading:
SSID: “safemode”
Password: “recovery”
Any WiFi network with these credentials will do. It can be you laptop, your home router, a friend’s phone. Here are some instructions for the most common devices:
Instructions for iOS. It is also necessary to change the smartphone’s name to “recovery”.