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Mark Parker edited this page Jan 18, 2026 · 20 revisions

Welcome to the View Assist Companion App Wiki!

Contents

Specific Help Topics

About View Assist Companion App

This is an Android application and Home Assistant integration to compliment the amazing View Assist project by @dinki. It has been built from the ground up to simplify the setup of devices when using View Assist and provide a lower barrier to entry to get up and running.

How is this different from existing solutions?

Other solutions have historically been a combination of applications for voice and display requiring quite an involved setup. VACA is a 1-stop shop of voice, media and browser display support providing a simplified setup with just a single Android application install. Built specifically for View Assist (but can also work without it) also means that it provides the features and capabilities needed to support this project, without having to piece other solutions together.

So what does it do?

The integration and Android application together have the following features:

  • Supports discovery in HA for easy setup
  • Provides support for voice integration, sound and display to a HA server setup
  • Voice features:
    • On device wake word removing network streaming and the need for open wake word or similar
    • Choose from 6 different wake words (plus add your own)
    • Choose from 4 different wake word detection sounds (or no sound)
  • Display features:
    • Auto loading of HA dashboard without config
    • Control screen brightness and auto brightness
    • Control screen with screen always on, timeout, on/off
    • Turn screen on with motion, proximity, bump
    • Set light/dark mode
  • Provides Media player
  • Provides volume controls for voice and music
  • Provides sensors available on the device (all subject to device support)
    • Battery
    • Battery charging
    • Light level
    • Motion
  • Provides sensors for voice commands and responses
  • Provides in app updates for new versions
  • And much more!

Will it work for me?

VACA should run on most Android devices with Android 8 and above. It is highly recommended to have the device permanently powered as the on device wake word and camera motion detection will drain your battery quite quickly.

It has been tested on the following devices:

  • Lenovo ThinkSmart View
  • Lenovo Smart Display 10"
  • Lenovo Smart Clock 2 (some out of memory issues reported)
  • Samsung S24
  • Samsung Tab6
  • Xiaomi Smart Clock

And known to work on from our community (by no means exhaustive)

  • Amazon Fire 8 (2021)
  • Amazon Fire 10 (2022)
  • Amazon Echo Show 5*
  • Amazon Echo Show 8*
  • Sonoff NSPanel Pro
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
  • Surface Duo 2

* These require LineageOS loading on them. The OS build is still fairly new and could experience stability issues.

If you are using a different device and have issues, please log an issue in the repository and we will do our best to solve it with you.

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