Galaxy Watch Announcement and Owners Thread

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351 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2248426 30-May-2019 12:45

Did One UI update last night but a bit worried about all colour notifications perhaps use more battery but definitely looks better. Only problem had which seen others have too is updating samsung health already done about 6 times and each time when finished have to reconnect watch haven't checked yet whether these are all different updates but last time didn't finish installing.

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jonathan18

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#2248471 30-May-2019 13:37

Can those who have upgraded to One UI report back in a few days as to how they have found the change, and if there are any on-going issues (eg with Health)? I'm thinking particularly regarding battery life, as some claim it's affected it significantly, others a little bit, others not at all. Thanks!

One video I watched recommending doing a full re-set of the phone - did anyone do this? The guy didn't mention if it was ok to restore earlier settings after the upgrade and re-set - I really don't want to go through the full hassle of setting up from scratch, so would be ok about re-setting but keen on doing so using the restore.

I'm wondering if the sleep tracker inaccuracy is linked to the higher number of steps that are needed before being registered; I find that if I get moving soon after waking up it's much more accurate as to my wake-up time, whereas if I hang out in bed (even if I've gone for a pee!) it'll count that time as 'sleep'.

ShinyChrome

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#2259515 17-Jun-2019 15:24

Ahoy, I think I "no" the answer to this, but given that Samsung Pay is not supported in NZ and AFAIK that is the only supported payment facility on the Galaxy Watch, can this be used at all for NFC payment?

I was thinking about giving one a shot since there are a few in the used market now, but if it can't do NFC payment, I'm not actually sure if there is much left that makes it worth it for me.

The pedometer function is a nice-to-have, and I probably wouldn't bother with the sleep or exercise tracker. I like being able to see notifications at a glance, but as with the pedometer, its nothing my Note 9, which goes everywhere with me, can't do already (albeit with the monumental effort of removing it from my pocket and activating the screen). If I could sync my work calendar (Outlook), that would be more interesting, but really... I'm still struggling to see the value.

And I already have a nice Citizen for the time, so we have the time/date/stopwatch function covered.

Owners, from your many... uhh... months of wear, is there anything that I have overlooked that is surprisingly useful?

landcruiserguy

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Ultimate Geek

#2259611 17-Jun-2019 16:05

I like mine. It tells the time, let's me control my music from my wrist and shows me my notifications. I have my phone permently on silent because if it rings i can tell because my watch buzzes.

jonathan18

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#2259617 17-Jun-2019 16:15

I owned an S2 for three years and have had the Galaxy for about a month; I stuck with a Samsung watch despite not having a Samsung phone at all because I still think they make the best smartwatches, both in terms of use and looks.

I don't think the Galaxy is revolutionarily different to the S2 - best advantage is a three-four-day battery life, as I was used to charging my S2 daily. Also nice that it's got a speaker built-in, but seriously I bet few people take many calls on it (I'd feel a real dick doing this in public, and I'm happy to use the car BT).

So I'm not sure if I can sell you on this sheerly on the possible advantages of this particular model, as I think you're more questioning the advantages of a smartwatch overall. On that more general point, personally I'd really regret it if I had to go back to my standard watch - the notifications, the silent alarms that don't wake my wife, the step tracking...

I'd suggest it's still worth checking it out to see if smartwatches are for you - pick up one s/h perhaps and try it for a while - if you don't like it you can sell it for about the same as you paid for it (though think about a screen protector!), rather than take the big hit if you bought new. (And, if you are wanting to give it a go, I think the Galaxy is the one to go for!)

ShinyChrome

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#2260740 19-Jun-2019 10:17

Thanks @landcruiserguy, I like the phone on silent idea and didn't even think about being able to control music without having to find where I put my phone haha.

@jonathan18 you pretty much nailed it and you're right. I guess I was dismissing smartwatch features in general as superfluous, but things like the silent alarms, notifications, reminders etc could actually be pretty helpful for me as I am extremely prone to losing track of time and a phone is a lot easier to ignore than something strapped to your wrist haha. Only one way to know for sure.

And they seem to be going between $150 used to $300 new on TM, so certainly not the most money I have spent on a boondoggle.

johny007g

351 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2260816 19-Jun-2019 11:53

ShinyChrome:

Ahoy, I think I "no" the answer to this, but given that Samsung Pay is not supported in NZ and AFAIK that is the only supported payment facility on the Galaxy Watch, can this be used at all for NFC payment?

I was thinking about giving one a shot since there are a few in the used market now, but if it can't do NFC payment, I'm not actually sure if there is much left that makes it worth it for me.

The pedometer function is a nice-to-have, and I probably wouldn't bother with the sleep or exercise tracker. I like being able to see notifications at a glance, but as with the pedometer, its nothing my Note 9, which goes everywhere with me, can't do already (albeit with the monumental effort of removing it from my pocket and activating the screen). If I could sync my work calendar (Outlook), that would be more interesting, but really... I'm still struggling to see the value.

And I already have a nice Citizen for the time, so we have the time/date/stopwatch function covered.

Owners, from your many... uhh... months of wear, is there anything that I have overlooked that is surprisingly useful?

I have 42 mm galaxy watch and battery life perhaps 3 days use. It does have NFC in watch(don't know if any other apps able to use NFC so just turn this off to save battery) but don't know about payments as no Samsung pay and can't use google pay as not compatible. I like being able to get notifications for emails and messages can glance and read if want to check and if urgent can get phone out and reply. Previous to this i had Samsung 2 Neo watch for about 2 years and always worked and after updating to galaxy watch so much better and more apps and glad i did the update.I sync my google calendar with Samsung calendar and get appointments show on watch but don't know about outlook syncing with Samsung calendar and watch.

johny007g

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gehenna

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#2260839 19-Jun-2019 12:35

I've had the 46mm Galaxy Watch for a few weeks now and I must say I like it a lot. I still have my 42mm Apple Watch which is cool, but it's nice to have a change. I'm using it with a Note 9. The battery life is definitely superior than the Apple Watch. I am using the Peaks watch face which is nice and clean, and has a lot of minimalist contextual info on it if you look closely enough. I like the way you can have widgets as well as apps, and I like the fact that it has some internal storage for using music/podcasts without the phone (not that i've tried this yet). The bezel navigation is great too, seems a bit easier to control than the digital crown on the Apple Watch.

It's a very nice device indeed!

networkn

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#2306515 26-Aug-2019 23:15

Lazy Q. I moved to a new Note and the phone set up the watch again! Now I am getting notified of every email I get, how do I turn that off?

johny007g

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Ultimate Geek

#2306632 27-Aug-2019 10:28

networkn:

Lazy Q. I moved to a new Note and the phone set up the watch again! Now I am getting notified of every email I get, how do I turn that off?

If you go in galaxy wearable app then notifications then manage notifications you can turn what app notifications you want on or off .

johny007g

networkn

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#2306634 27-Aug-2019 10:31

Yup figured it out thanks

ShinyChrome

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#2389441 10-Jan-2020 08:51

Don't know how many of these are still surviving, but I received a minor version bump, but bigger feature dump OTA update around New Years for my 42mm Galaxy Watch. Release notes here.

I must admit, while the new graphics and animations are bit of a novelty, little quality of life tweaks like moving a background app notification onto the main watch face are pretty neat. A few apps got a decent update at the same time as well, such as Timer (which BTW is a perfect companion to my Weber Family Q). The activity reminder app has also gotten a bit more friendly as well, varying its recommendations of activities to include squats, stretches, possibly more?

Another interesting thing is I have actually noticed a decent bump in battery life as well. I charged my watch last night at 49% and realised I had actually been 48hrs at that point without a charge, whereas I used to get from 100%->50% in about 24-36 hrs. It still thought it could do another 24 hrs at that point and I am inclined to believe it and more. Will be interesting to see if the trend continues or it was just a one-off-alignment-of-the-planets.

In general, I must admit I am quite happy with my purchase, it has given me a trouble-free life so far, integrates well with my Note 9 (as you would expect from two Samsung products), and has proven to be pretty robust. In more general smartwatch terms, I don't think I could go back now. Having silent notifications, alarms, reminders, being able to fire off a quick "got it" message, the list goes on...

jonathan18

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#2389612 10-Jan-2020 12:08

Interesting you've got a bump in battery life; unfortunately, I've found the opposite on my 46mm watch since the update, to the point I need to charge every three days, rather than four. That's still better than the one day (if that) that I was getting out of my S2 watch!

What are the changes to the timer? It looks the same to me, and the release notes just state 'Timer and Stop Watch app is now more convenient' which is really helpful... Edit: ah, my apps hadn't updated; I see it now has presets, which is useful.

Of course, the Bixby improvements are worthwhile...

To add: one of the more useful things on the watch is getting location-based reminders from Google Notes - I can easily ignore my phone when it pings, but it's so easy to check the watch I tend to not miss them.

Yeah, I think I'd find it hard to go back to a normal watch, too - I kinda feel bad about the watch my wife bought me as an engagement present not far off 20 years ago, given it just sits in the drawer, but equally I couldn't not have my smartwatch on, as otherwise how would I know if I've done my 10,000 for the day?! The other option of wearing two watches is even more tragic.

johny007g

351 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2389613 10-Jan-2020 12:13

Yes i had update few weeks ago to UI 1.5 on galaxy watch and big improvement in battery life since.Was thinking prior to this my battery was starting to die as from 2.5 to 3 days battery was getting regularly down to 1.5 days and less but i did notice after updating my note 10+ to android 10 and UI 2 that contacts was using 60 to 80% battery so did a few restarts and this corrected itself but could have possibly been google assistant on watch.

Still haven't been able to find my style watchface yet, and also seen flashlight on somebody's post in reddit forum that was in new settings can't locate yet,i also installed samsung camera controller on watch looks interesting but not sure if this good as haven't had time to use yet.The new inactivity alert do not like cartoon animation on it but at least now option to turn off daily or always and can change exercise from torso twist,to squats or others.

https://imgur.com/a/JM6jD4P

johny007g

ShinyChrome

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#2389633 10-Jan-2020 13:06

@jonathan18 I was pleasantly surprised since after having PTSD from owning a few Nexus phones and big updates tanking battery life.

Timer actually broke after the firmware update; I could see it working, but no numbers. Then, as you say, got the most recent apps update and it had changed to include presets. At this stage, ANY improvements to Bixby are welcome. On the few occasions I have tried to use it, it was faster for me to do the thing, then try and get Bixby to do it for me.

Ha, I have the same problem. Not only is an anniversary gift of a Fossil watch sitting in a drawer now because of it (well that and $40 every 18-24 months in batteries), but I also bought a nice Citizen Eco-drive Red Arrows watch on a cruise last year and that is also sitting in a box now. I told myself that I would wear them for more formal occasions, but honestly that is when it is actually kinda handy to have non-intrusive notifications haha.

@johny007g I had a play around with it, but I couldn't make My Style work either. I suspect you are right, I could select it as an option, but it didn't give me an option to upload a pic or whatever. Hadn't heard about the flashlight or the camera controller though, might have to do a little bit of digging when I have time.

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