Database Info

Things that really bother me about the current SW2 and why:

There really should be a pinned thread for utter disappointed features and/or people.
I am not returning my new SW2. Its too cool to have the lamest, inept and funtion-killing GUI cause me to give up. ** But I bought a Pebble watch the same day because (the SW2n currently):
- can not function as a watch. It does but it goes to sleep VERY fast. WAY too fast. This is completely unacceptable. If I want to drain my f*ing watch and be able to read it all day, I should be able to!!! Put a warning on the settings area.. like: WILL DRAIN BATTERY VERY FAST or something...
- Can not finish reading my incoming sms. Maybe you dont know the girl I am dating but she WRITES A LOT... and this may not be normal amounts ... I really mean a lot. And SONY clearly has NO IDEA about this.
- AND continuing from the above point, it goes back to the f*ing CLOCK in sleep mode. SHOULD dim and remain on my screen until I SAY OTHERWISE. NOW I have to press the power button and NOT make it power off buy accident (another STUPID DESIGN) and make it activate, press the home button and then the stupid function messaging button. NO LOGIC FLOW HERE. I have to read 5 or 6 TXTs by now.
- CAN NOT read the messages in order without going BACK and opening the messaging app again. At least that seems to be what I had to do. I might have missed proper procedure here but if that is true, shame on SONY for lacking a more intuitive operation.
The Poweramp app is cool when it works. It should STAY active. I DONT CARE about anyone else or what slogan SONY wants to claim about battery life. I want FUNCTION my f*ing way. I use Poweramp all the time. But it is not able to stay on my watch, active? Total shame.
The ONLY app I kept on my watch is the custom watch faces. It allwos me to keep the display on until the dumbwatch, overthinking watch disconnects from my RazrMaxx/4.4 Dhacker29 ROM.
So in conclusion, This watch completely fails at being a watch. Fails at running apps because it times out WAY TOO FAST. Fails at every possible area other than fitting well.

Maybe your accelerometer is faulty. It should not timeout when on hand, actually it dims and always shows time.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

jmaciak said:
Maybe your accelerometer is faulty. It should not timeout when on hand, actually it dims and always shows time.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate to be the guy to say it, but is the OP trolling us?
I have the smartwatch 2, just got it yesterday, and what the OP is saying makes no sense.

deitiphobia said:
I hate to be the guy to say it, but is the OP trolling us?
I have the smartwatch 2, just got it yesterday, and what the OP is saying makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it can timeout and go totally blank ... try it, put them on the table and do not move the watch/table and it will dim and then go completely blank after a while, because the accelerometer sees it's not on the hand. So if OP's accelerometer is faulty, it might behave this way ...

jmaciak said:
Well it can timeout and go totally blank ... try it, put them on the table and do not move the watch/table and it will dim and then go completely blank after a while, because the accelerometer sees it's not on the hand. So if OP's accelerometer is faulty, it might behave this way ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not a troll. At least I am not trying to be a troll. I do feel slightly underwhelmed buy my experience so far.
And maybe my accelerometer needs checking? If it is supposed to remain on (the screen) for more than 5 seconds when I am wearing it and trying to read something, then yes, something is wrong. Maybe the watch doesnt know when it is on a troll arm?

deitiphobia said:
I hate to be the guy to say it, but is the OP trolling us?
I have the smartwatch 2, just got it yesterday, and what the OP is saying makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
What he is saying actually makes perfect sense, especially on this forum - we are not the average, marketing-targeted user and we like to use our devices any way we please, without being limited by design hickups. And we are more sensitive to design flaws and marketing bs than the average consumer.
Sony missed and even lied about basic features and is not allowing, at least so far, anyone to tweak with this product's FW.
In my experience the watch proved very useful ONLY IF YOU ARE NOT RELYING SOLELY ON IT for most of your work - i, for one, would not like to read my correspondence on such a tiny screen and prefer to use the phone instead - but it would sure be nice to know that I CAN use the watch if i wanted to.
Fortunately, while driving a motorcycle, for example, getting a hint of the message content usually suffices for me to determine if i need to pullover and get my phone out, provided i get to see the screen before it times-out, which is another awkwardly missing basic function.
I will, however, hold on to the SW2 for now in hopes that Sony will straighten things the way they should.
Sent from my LT25i using Tapatalk

i agree fully with the OP as well
if i didn't know better, i would suggest posting your opinions on talk sonymobile, but as i already did that and got NO reply from Sony, i guess it would be just a waiste of time
that's my biggest problem with Sony right now: no communication
(although i must admit most manufacturers suck at communicating with their customers, try finding out when the Butterfly s is getting 4.3/4.4, not a chance)

I actually agree with the OP, there are some features that could be included in the settings menu like timeout duration or stopping the watch default to the watch screen every time it goes into standbye especially useful if travelling and using features like poweramp - you need 3x button presses to bring the poweramp screen back on and if you have a messaging app open (reading messages) it should prevent the watch from sleeping
and how fecking hard is it to develop a few watch face designs with different colours etc
TBH I think Sony are in the process of designing a totally new Smartwatch for release in early 2014 and have completely dropped the ball with this one

well, there was an update today, so i guess they didn't drop it completely
update looked good at first, but disappointing anyway
-only 1 extra watch face that's usable, i still want the abilty to design/choose my own watch face
-the option to use the light sensor for brightness is nice, but i'm glad it's optional, don't like it
-music app update totally messed it up (used to work for me)
-camera app update didn't do anything for me, still does nothing
-still no selectable timeout, huge issue for me
---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:36 PM ----------
Find It for SmartWatch by AQ i purchased also doesn't work anymore
argh, their own Find Phone Smart Extension ALSO doesn't work anymore!

JarlSX said:
their own Find Phone Smart Extension ALSO doesn't work anymore!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK I suspect that problems might occur pairing the SW2 with a non-Sony smartphone.
But please let's keep the discussion in one place only, so we can better compare these findings:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2554874

i think i know why the watch can't dim while still displaying an app
those apps don't really run on the watch, they're just displaying what's happening on the phone (that's where the app is installed)
so for a watch-app to work, the watch is constantly communicating with the phone
such a connection will probably drain the watch very quickly
only the watch part can run independently, so that's why it always goes back to that screen, to save power
this is of course just what i think

FWIW, the screen on time can be controlled by the app. I use and app called IPBike for cycling which runs on the phone. This app allows you to use the watch as a head unit on the bars. It has an option to keep the watch screen on for the entire ride.

jmaciak said:
Well it can timeout and go totally blank ... try it, put them on the table and do not move the watch/table and it will dim and then go completely blank after a while, because the accelerometer sees it's not on the hand. So if OP's accelerometer is faulty, it might behave this way ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should it really go totally blank/black? Mine is only dimmed out and showing clock face all the time, but really dimmy. And it is on the table...
Oh it does, took some time, longer than i expected...
Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk 4

[Q] Disastrous experience with Gear 2 paired to a non-Samsung phone?

Hi all!
When I bought my Gear 2 Neo to use with my HTC One M8, I knew it was not officially supported, but I read some encouraging posts here on XDA, so I decided to give it a go. So far, my overall experience has been completely dreadful:
Battery Life! When I saw 30% per hour drain on my Gear 2 (with not too much of "display on" time), I thought I've got a defective device. However, things came immediately back to normal when I disconnected the Gear from the phone. Did anyone else have such experience? Solved, issue with the specific custom ROM.
Using in conjunction with Bluetooth earpiece is a complete nonsense. I don't want to receive calls on the Gear when I have the earpiece connected to the phone. But guess what, you can't have them connected at the same time! WTF?
Where are the apps? All pre- and post-release materials suggested Gear 2 comes with plenty of useful apps, but where are they? I'm particularly interested in Runtastic, but, according to their Facebook page, their Gear 2-compatible app hasn't been released yet, and no ETA so far. Runtastic claims Samsung didn't ask if their app was available before putting its name on the press release. WTF?
No alarm functionality on the watch itself without a need in the phone, and non-Samsung phone alarm doesn't get propagated to the Gear.
I'd really appreciate if other Samsung and non-Samsung phone users could share their experiences with regards to the areas above.
Thanks!

mpogr said:
Hi all!
When I bought my Gear 2 Neo to use with my HTC One M8, I knew it was not officially supported, but I read some encouraging posts here on XDA, so I decided to give it a go. So far, my overall experience has been completely dreadful:
Battery Life! When I saw 30% per hour drain on my Gear 2 (with not too much of "display on" time), I thought I've got a defective device. However, things came immediately back to normal when I disconnected the Gear from the phone. Did anyone else have such experience?
Using in conjunction with Bluetooth earpiece is a complete nonsense. I don't want to receive calls on the Gear when I have the earpiece connected to the phone. But guess what, you can't have them connected at the same time! WTF?
Where are the apps? All pre- and post-release materials suggested Gear 2 comes with plenty of useful apps, but where are they? I'm particularly interested in Runtastic, but, according to their Facebook page, their Gear 2-compatible app hasn't been released yet, and no ETA so far. Runtastic claims Samsung didn't ask if their app was available before putting its name on the press release. WTF?
No alarm functionality on the watch itself without a need in the phone, and non-Samsung phone alarm doesn't get propagated to the Gear.
I'd really appreciate if other Samsung and non-Samsung phone users could share their experiences with regards to the areas above.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's a lot. Let's see if I can come up with some answers..
1. I hear that battery drain is a known bug when connected to the HTC one. Not sure why it happens but it's been reported for mostly that device.
2. I'm pretty sure in order to use the Bluetooth earpiece with the Gear you need to connect the gear to your phone, go into Settings on your Gear 2, Go into Bluetooth, and connect it there so instead of having both attached to the phone, you have it Phone>Gear>Bluetooth (IE NOT Bluetooth>Phone<Gear|)
3. Samsung Apps store is not available on NON Samsung devices.
4. This is true and many people are looking for a fix. Nothing can be changed right now.

CarbonWyre said:
Wow that's a lot. Let's see if I can come up with some answers..
1. I hear that battery drain is a known bug when connected to the HTC one. Not sure why it happens but it's been reported for mostly that device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange indeed. Could be related to the Sense flavour of BT stack. I have a spare Google device (Galaxy Nexus), will try the Gear with it to see if the battery drain issue is cured.
CarbonWyre said:
2. I'm pretty sure in order to use the Bluetooth earpiece with the Gear you need to connect the gear to your phone, go into Settings on your Gear 2, Go into Bluetooth, and connect it there so instead of having both attached to the phone, you have it Phone>Gear>Bluetooth (IE NOT Bluetooth>Phone<Gear|)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the process described here, the audio device needs to be paired with the phone and not the Gear, while the Gear is somehow able to make the phone switch between the phone audio coming through it to the earpiece. There is also this video describing how it works from the user perspective.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work this way with my HTC One M8. It looks like it uses ONLY the "Phone Audio" profile while connected to the Gear, which effectively disables any other device relying on the same profile (e.g. the earpiece) to connect to the phone. If, nevertheless, you force the phone to connect to the earpiece, the Gear gets disconnected. I suspect, on Samsung devices, a different BT protocol (probably BLE) is used for communicating to the Gear, so it can stay connected to the phone while the "Phone Audio" is taken by another device. This could also explain the power drain above, as BLE is supposed to be much more energy efficient. The question is, of course, how to make HTC One to use it (BLE is obviously supported by the device).
It is possible to connect my earpiece to the Gear, but only as media device (my earpiece supports this profile as well). In that case it can be used for listening to music played on the Gear. But it doesn't help in the phone call scenario. In any case, the "transfer to earpiece" operation described in both tutorials (you can see the corresponding icon on the right side of the Gear screen in the video above) is not available, no matter if the earpiece is paired to the phone or paired/connected to the Gear directly (the icon is greyed out).
Again, I'll try to put a custom BLE-enabled ROM on my Galaxy Nexus (standard ROMs don't enable BLE on that device, despite the fact the hardware is present) to see if it behaves any differently.
CarbonWyre said:
3. Samsung Apps store is not available on NON Samsung devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true, but there are good people around who can make them available for outsiders like us... The problem is Runtastic app for Gear 2 or Fit (not to be confused with Gear 1) is not available yet, according to Runtastic themselves, and no ETA so far. This is despite Samsung press releases. Had I known this before buying my Gear, I would have given it second thought...
CarbonWyre said:
4. This is true and many people are looking for a fix. Nothing can be changed right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is particularly annoying. What I really don't understand is why any other app notifications do get to the Gear, but alarms (even from 3rd party apps) don't. I'm completely baffled by that!

I have my gear connected to my HTC m7 and I got three days of battery out of a single charge
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

thesparky007 said:
I have my gear connected to my HTC m7 and I got three days of battery out of a single charge
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that w/the GEAR2/NEO or,w/the original GALAXY GEAR?

KOLIOXDA said:
Is that w/the GEAR2/NEO or,w/the original GALAXY GEAR?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gear 2 neo

thesparky007 said:
gear 2 neo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THX,that's encouraging to hear. :good:
One thing I've noticed w/my M8 & GEAR FIT:
If I'm not using the FIT (leave @ home etc...., out of range), the battery life takes a little bit of a hit. Otherwise, yesterday for example, battery life was stellar, still @ 50% after 18 hrs of total phone on-time.
Apparently, the FIT MANAGER app cannot be force closed, only disabled, so, I'll just do that when not using the FIT.
As for the GEAR MANAGER (for GEAR/GEAR2/NEO) it can be force closed.
So,I'm remaining optimistic regarding battery life once my GEAR2 arrives, especially since such is a YMMV, not only w/this discussion, but battery life in general.

KOLIOXDA said:
THX,that's encouraging to hear. :good:
One thing I've noticed w/my M8 & GEAR FIT:
If I'm not using the FIT (leave @ home etc...., out of range), the battery life takes a little bit of a hit. Otherwise, yesterday for example, battery life was stellar, still @ 50% after 18 hrs of total phone on-time.
Apparently, the FIT MANAGER app cannot be force closed, only disabled, so, I'll just do that when not using the FIT.
As for the GEAR MANAGER (for GEAR/GEAR2/NEO) it can be force closed.
So,I'm remaining optimistic regarding battery life once my GEAR2 arrives, especially since such is a YMMV, not only w/this discussion, but battery life in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was quite surprised and satisfied with it as well!
I downloaded the sdk and was able to view the log of the gear and I can see there are a lot of errors for s health and other samsung services so if official support comes through from samsung, id imagine battery life will get better.

OK, reading all the replies, it is apparent nobody else has the same kind of dreadful battery life. So it must be the custom M8 ROM I'm using (Insert Coin). I'm going to reflash a different one (will try Android Revolution HD, as this one is supposed to be as close as possible to stock) and see how it behaves.
I did try flashing a BLE-supporting ROM to my old Galaxy Nexus, but it couldn't connect to the Gear. The Gear Manager was stuck forever while attempting to connect.

OK, with Android Revolution HD 5.0 for HTC One M8 the battery life is MUCH better, I think it'll stretch to 2-3 days the way it's going now. So one annoyance is solved.
However, the others are still pending resolution. The one I'm particularly annoyed by is the issue with Bluetooth earpiece. I just can't use the Gear if I have to answer the phone on it or on the phone, as I've been using Bluetooth earpieces for the last 12 years (since they appeared on the market more or less) and don't see myself changing it just because of this Gear stupidity. I'm investigating possible solutions (e.g. using Tasker or similar apps). Will post results here.

Another update, just found what seems to be a perfect way around the Bluetooth earpiece problem. A combination of Tasker and Secure Settings allows me to switch from Gear to my earpiece on incoming or outgoing call and then back to Gear when the call is finished. Seems to be working very smoothly! At least now I can wear the Gear throughout my workday and handle phone calls normally.
Looking for resolving other outstanding issues, the next most pressing one is alarm notifications.
Hoping to get working Runtastic when the company releases the app.
Last, having all these health functions (sleep tracker/pedometer/HR) and not being able to use them on the phone is pretty annoying. Hoping to get S Health eventually working on non-Samsung phones...

have anyone try the gear 2 with xpeira z1 or z2
iread in some website that the z ultra is work
but ineed the z1 or z2
can someone try it

bluetooth switching
mpogr said:
Another update, just found what seems to be a perfect way around the Bluetooth earpiece problem. A combination of Tasker and Secure Settings allows me to switch from Gear to my earpiece on incoming or outgoing call and then back to Gear when the call is finished. Seems to be working very smoothly! At least now I can wear the Gear throughout my workday and handle phone calls normally.
Looking for resolving other outstanding issues, the next most pressing one is alarm notifications.
Hoping to get working Runtastic when the company releases the app.
Last, having all these health functions (sleep tracker/pedometer/HR) and not being able to use them on the phone is pretty annoying. Hoping to get S Health eventually working on non-Samsung phones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi may i know which tasker application did u use to resolve this?
thanks
---------- Post added at 03:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 AM ----------
dericion said:
hi may i know which tasker application did u use to resolve this?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btw i m using xperia z ultra

mpogr said:
Another update, just found what seems to be a perfect way around the Bluetooth earpiece problem. A combination of Tasker and Secure Settings allows me to switch from Gear to my earpiece on incoming or outgoing call and then back to Gear when the call is finished. Seems to be working very smoothly! At least now I can wear the Gear throughout my workday and handle phone calls normally.
Looking for resolving other outstanding issues, the next most pressing one is alarm notifications.
Hoping to get working Runtastic when the company releases the app.
Last, having all these health functions (sleep tracker/pedometer/HR) and not being able to use them on the phone is pretty annoying. Hoping to get S Health eventually working on non-Samsung phones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please do a step-by-step guide on this mate? Just like me, there are many of us non Sammy users who are facing the same dilemma. Cheers.
HTC M8 & Gear2

HTC ONE M8 and Gear2 neo
flyguye said:
Could you please do a step-by-step guide on this mate? Just like me, there are many of us non Sammy users who are facing the same dilemma. Cheers.
HTC M8 & Gear2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does anyone have a doc'd process and prerequisites on how to make these two devices even work. I have seen countless youtube videos with people walking through what the thing does and even paired to a htc one m8. I have done all the side loading of the APK's etc. Staging stuff where they suggested and so on. Still coming up with it not working. There is some magic that I am missing some where.
so far I have done:
Installed the Stubpak.apk one by one. Then installed Gear Manager, The phone see's that gear2 then pops up a Parsing Error and goes into the gear manager app pairing screen for ever. Nothing happens after that.
If anyone can shed some light that would be great.
Thanks in Advance.

how do you do it?
mpogr said:
Another update, just found what seems to be a perfect way around the Bluetooth earpiece problem. A combination of Tasker and Secure Settings allows me to switch from Gear to my earpiece on incoming or outgoing call and then back to Gear when the call is finished. Seems to be working very smoothly! At least now I can wear the Gear throughout my workday and handle phone calls normally.
Looking for resolving other outstanding issues, the next most pressing one is alarm notifications.
Hoping to get working Runtastic when the company releases the app.
Last, having all these health functions (sleep tracker/pedometer/HR) and not being able to use them on the phone is pretty annoying. Hoping to get S Health eventually working on non-Samsung phones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I'm new to tasker just wondered what the steps were to make it do this phase thanks so much

I tested on HTC One X running CM 11. Battery drain is like 40-50% in 6 hours.

fibs said:
I tested on HTC One X running CM 11. Battery drain is like 40-50% in 6 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a look at this thread.

matthot69 said:
Hi I'm new to tasker just wondered what the steps were to make it do this phase thanks so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a look at this thread.

mpogr said:
Have a look at this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm I thought your "solution" was a different custom ROM? Even if I sync an account with few (10) contacts it's the same issue for me...
dlog_system only shows Power Manager messages all day e.g.
06-04 13:05:36.359 303 303 I POWER_MANAGER: core.c: default_trans(1381) > S_LCDOFF -> S_SLEEP : check fail

Do you suggest to buy the S2 to anyone...? (survey)

NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy

1) never happened to me
2)even if it did, it wouldn't be loud enough, so I don't care
3)it's a gimmick just like the heart rate sensor, so I don't care either
4)I'm surprised it even has wifi, not that I'll ever use it.
5)no it doesn't

So this isn't really a survey, just a pointless new thread to moan about things you don't like personally with the watch.
Like Jacongong says above:
1) never happened to me
2) you should have known this before you bought it. Use your phone for an audible alarm
3)it's a gimmick which nobody uses. I'm sure someone will make an app soon though.
4) Never noticed the issue. I'm sure there'll be a fix soon enough for you.
5)no it doesn't

Yes, this could be a suervey...
Say simple if you suggest to buy the Gear S2 to a your friend...
If you don't suggest say why...
Since now there are
1 no
2 yes
I said why no...
About faulty alarm:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s2/help/gear-s2-alarm-troubles-t3265029
Thanks for the answers
GS
ITALY

My opinion is, that the Gear S2 is really recommendable!
1.) The alarm is working fine and if you like to be woken up gently (and want to wear the watch also at night) its a very nice gimmick.
2.) I also don't need a speaker, the watch in my eyes is not a phone replacement but more an extension to make short and common processes more comfortable like quick answering an SMS while holding or getting out your phone would be difficult in some way.
3.) Maybe theres nosleep tracking with S Health but as far as I know theres some companion app for Sleep As Android already out in the wild.
4.) I connected already to several WiFi access points and never had any problems, if there are real important situations, you can always get a connection through the phone or use the phone itself ^.^
5.) Never had this issue. Switching the watch into blocking mode when I go to sleep.
There's only one point, maybe a charger in another form factor (flat, so you can push it under the watch when wearing) would be interesting. But there are always moments like when you are in the shower to give the watch a quick charge .
So in summary its a very interesting concept and I like the way Samsung designed the S2. It's a new step in the right direction but nevertheless it will ever be up to you.

1) Like everyone else, alarm works fine for me
2) Why not just use your phone for a sound alarm? The speaker would be much louder anyway
3) As @Silberpfeil3110 said, Sleep for Android
4) My wifi works fine. And wifi's not the main method of connection on this watch, it only takes over if a bluetooth connection isn't available.
5) I turn my watch off at night (saves quite a bit of battery). If the watch lights up randomly then it's probably because it's probably thought it's picked up movement.
tl;dr yes I would recommend this watch, especially the Classic

- The alarm is faulty, as tested from other people. And thanks to HiroboFreak (http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s2/help/gear-s2-alarm-troubles-t3265029/page2) the cause seems to be in a wrong management of the deep sleep condition... (please Samsung patch it!!!)
- I repeat that is needed a more robust night locking system: this morning my watch was on watchface settings mode!!! (please Samsung patch it!!!) The bezel should be locked on demand...
By the way, I want to punctualize that I LOVE THIS SMARTWATCH, and for this reason I cannot accept this faulty behaviours on base functionality...
Please, Samsung, you are really near to the target: make a last effort...
GS
Italy

OK, my POV is that this watch is best to date money can buy. Only thing doesn`t work for me is weather app auto update

I do love these threads about how crappy these watches are when no one else is having these issues.

jhonjey66 said:
NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, please seek professional help. You are pathologically excitable over utter trivialities.
Yes, there are some bugs. Does that surprise you, wearing a computing system complete with scads of sensors, network connection, etc., far more powerful and complex than anything that sat on your desk 20 years ago, has bugs?
A few months into release this is not surprising, or cataclysmic at all. And, in the bigger picture of all the functions and capabilities of this watch, these bugs you're complaining about are small things. Sure, if you had bought a nightstand alarm clock and it wasn't working, I'd be backing you.
However, you're screaming (in ALL CAPS) that the vibrating alarm on a smartwatch has a bug so you can't use it to wake you up. As others have pointed out, with you phone right there, capable of yelling at you with SOUND.
If you bought this watch to wake you up in the morning, the problem is not with the buggy alarm on the watch.
All the critical "smartwatch" function work, and work well. Messaging is a delight on this device. It even handles MMS messages smoothly. I have the 3G version, and all the calling features, remote connection, etc. works flawlessly. I just added the new HUE lighting control app from Philippe, and my new Christmas present of HUE lighting is actually really usable.
There's so much awesome about this watch to scream at the top of your lungs because of the relatively small matters you are is unhinged. All these things will be fixed in the coming months. Relax, work around these small problems, and enjoy the device as a smartwatch.

Do I suggest this watch to someone? Quite a matter of taste. Main pros are design, build quality and battery life, but lack of functionality leaves much to desire.
Bugs are almost gone after latest update. There is one annoying bug with weather auto update.

I suggest it because , between android wear watches and this , this is the only that seems really a classic watch . And the controller it s the best ... About apps and price , probably i could say to buy an other watch full android like the k8 or the no.1 d5 .. Really cheaper than a moto 360 and they have all apps of a smartphone . I don t see the quality buying 350 euros of a moto 360 or lg urbane (1 ) respect to no.1 or something like that ...

100% not suggest to buy it, I bought it as a gift for my wife in Hong Kong, but when she back to canada she cannot install anything from the samsung app store anymore, also the S2's clock/weather/location always say that she is in Vitenam instead of canada. Last time after firmware update it also have a serious battery drain, need to do a factory reset to solve it when. The S2 firmware/software is too buggy, even the gear manager app on phone is not so good.
Tested on Nexus 5 and Note 5, S6 edge.
p.s. about the cannot install app/blank app store issue, there are lot of complain on internet.

S2 Classic here.
I bought it for myself as a birthday gift. I've had mine for less than a week now, but love it. I've had a ton of fun with all of the watch faces, and am even trying to create a few of my own.
Would it be cool if it had an actual sound alarm? Maybe, but it's not a deal breaker. I would only use the alarm to remind me of things, and the vibration is strong enough that I notice it when it's going off. I have never relied on a watch to wake me up, and never will. Once I get sleeping, it takes something louder to get me going.
I don't really care about more apps. So far, I haven't used much app related on it. It's just a nice, customizable watch that alerts me of things.
My only real wish for it would be a longer lasting battery. Whenever I turn it on, I have myself thinking about the battery and how what I'm going to do will affect it. In that way, it sort of reminds me of my old Sprint Evo. I could watch the battery drop on that thing, and I can on this as well.
That said, I'm probably going to return this one and wait for the platinum one to come out. If I'd known about it, I'd have just waited and bought one of those. It looks really nice. One of my biggest concerns about this one is that the finish on the watch might not last I'm not sure exactly how it's applied, but I can definitely see it chipping, scratching, or just rubbing off over time.

usmaak said:
S2 Classic here.
I bought it for myself as a birthday gift. I've had mine for less than a week now, but love it. I've had a ton of fun with all of the watch faces, and am even trying to create a few of my own.
Would it be cool if it had an actual sound alarm? Maybe, but it's not a deal breaker. I would only use the alarm to remind me of things, and the vibration is strong enough that I notice it when it's going off. I have never relied on a watch to wake me up, and never will. Once I get sleeping, it takes something louder to get me going.
I don't really care about more apps. So far, I haven't used much app related on it. It's just a nice, customizable watch that alerts me of things.
My only real wish for it would be a longer lasting battery. Whenever I turn it on, I have myself thinking about the battery and how what I'm going to do will affect it. In that way, it sort of reminds me of my old Sprint Evo. I could watch the battery drop on that thing, and I can on this as well.
That said, I'm probably going to return this one and wait for the platinum one to come out. If I'd known about it, I'd have just waited and bought one of those. It looks really nice. One of my biggest concerns about this one is that the finish on the watch might not last I'm not sure exactly how it's applied, but I can definitely see it chipping, scratching, or just rubbing off over time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you think would the platinum version enhance your user experience?
Gesendet von meinem SM-N910F mit Tapatalk

Silberpfeil3110 said:
How do you think would the platinum version enhance your user experience?
Gesendet von meinem SM-N910F mit Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen the pictures and think that it looks nicer. I like more metallic looking watches. The S2 was never an option for me, because I did not want to deal with the rubber watch bands. That's why I chose the classic. If they had all three of them lined up, I'd have chosen the platinum one.
Of course if it's a lot more expensive, I'll probably just stick with the one I've got now.

jhonjey66 said:
NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a stupid rant. You call that a survey?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
What a stupid rant. You call that a survey?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... and it is very simple: do you suggest to buy this smartwacth to a friend of yours?
If NO please justify...
Thanks
GS
ITALY

YES id recommend it totally love this watch and playing with the gear designer

I would actually, it feels, looks, responds, basically everything's better that my old Gear 2. Battery is also great, Had mine running 5 days straight at minimal usage.

Hands On Reports?

I'd love to hear some hands on reports from those that have received their S3. What are your initial impressions? Anyone using it with a non Galaxy companion phone? How well does Samsung Pay MST work? How's the battery life?

Top quality build and feels really great on the wrist. I have let the default face time out, just to see how long the battery will last. It came 87% battery charge and I charged it to 100% before I switched it on. It runs fast with only a little lag on Navigation Here, maybe it was setting things up in the background? If you can afford a top quality watch go for it.
With Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.3 and all notifications passed to the gear S3.

My impressions, from another thread.
First thoughts:
ReformedAppleFan said:
Key impressions:
Solid, quality build. Reassuring weight. Precise finish.
Perhaps the screen resolution could be slightly improved but then I guess I'm spoiled by the s7 edge (and the note 7 before it, RIP).
Very pleased.
When I bought the Gear S a couple of years ago, it felt like the money had gone on the technology required to miniaturise. The build was relatively cheap.
But this time I feel I've paid for a quality watch that happens also to be hi-tech.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Responding to a question on the strap:
ReformedAppleFan said:
Black or maybe very, very dark grey.
It feels good too. Rubberised but very strong. Premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the free headphones:
ReformedAppleFan said:
Nothing to do with the watch but one thing I'm not impressed with is the Level Active bluetooth headphones. Tinny and quiet.
And I'm pretty easy to please - certainly no audio connoisseur.
Maybe I set them up wrong. I'll be switching back to the wired headphones that came with my phone unless I work out a way to improve the sound on these drastically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life:
ReformedAppleFan said:
Very early impression on the battery life:. It SUCKS!
Fully charged for the first time, when I woke at 0530. Now down to 68%, a little more than 4 hours later.
It's Bluetooth connected to my phone.
Brightness is just over half way.
Screen timeout 15 seconds.
Always on display enabled.
Use has been fairly limited because I've been working since 7am.
Bedding in period required, maybe...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 AM ----------
Having owned the Frontier for 24 hours, I love it.
The battery is the only concern but I'm pretty sure either (1) it'll improve after the first few charges or (2) it's faulty and I'll get a replacement. Not too worried about it at the moment.

Battery life on mine seems OK so far. After 12 hours off charge I'm down to 94%. Thought it at includes 7 hours in do not disturb mode (only dropped 3%).
Not using always on display but have the wake motion active.

Just used the Navigation Here app and looks like I will have to throw away my old sat nav. A vibration and a glance down.
---------- Post added at 11:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 AM ----------
Been 24 hours and 42% battery with screen set to switch off after 15 secs, low brightness to low.

Down to 55% after 7.5 hrs, with only 13% of the drain in the past 3.5 hrs.
So it's getting a lot better.

Gear s3
jb.traveller said:
Just used the Navigation Here app and looks like I will have to throw away my old sat nav. A vibration and a glance down.
---------- Post added at 11:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 AM ----------
Been 24 hours and 42% battery with screen set to switch off after 15 secs, low brightness to low.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi how do u use gps without phone cant seem to use mine keeps asking for wifi or location on phone?

Not sure did have the phone in my pocket in standby. Didn't look at it. Just typed in my home address on my gear and it just worked, wasn't thinking about the phone at all. The gear does have GPS built in so I assumed it was that, maybe it was?

Ok got mine up and running (Frontier).
OVERALL
Somewhat undecided, dare i say i always thought the S2 was too small, i find the S3 too big. UI not much difference vs S2, to test more but battery is way better (usage & standby drain)i do find it very nice to wear, hardly notice it is now, but then not premium enough for £349.
Be interesting on hearing from anyone with the classic (I opted for Frontier for the rubber strap, as on my S2 Classic I found to get the HR sensor to work I had to wear it snug, result was the strap was smelly and disgusting)
I have upgraded from each preceding Samsung watch to the S3 (last one was the S2 Classic).
POSITIVE
- Speaker and calling function, really missed this.
- Lightweight feel
- Watch sits perfect on my wrist, the S2 always felt like it was perching on my wrist
- Like that some though has gone into the bezel, now use it to dismiss notifications
- Like the app info/setting, give allot more control
- My S2 battery I could get 3-4 days, this after allot of setup play around lost only 7%, I reckon I will get a week : )
NEGATIVE
- Feels cheap
- Lost some minor function, like adjust font size
- Watch faces are poor, in particular the chrono version
- Dislike the recessed display, make finger swiping trickier
- SPOTIFY, again robbed as the S2, advertised globally, but not for the UK !!!
- SAMSUNG PAY, beyond a joke, a year on promised on the S2, the S3, nothing again.

Jaybo72 said:
Hi how do u use gps without phone cant seem to use mine keeps asking for wifi or location on phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't. The maps aren't downloadable on the watch which would be required to use only GPS to navigate. On the 3/4G watches past and present carrier wireless is what provides the data feed for the watch in stand-alone mode. For Wi-Fi only devices no wireless connection (stand-alone or via a connected phone) means no stand-alone navigation.

Only reason i got watch was gps silly me

Jaybo72 said:
Only reason i got watch was gps silly me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really i thought it was the hi tech / build, for me it was GPS plus and the other things.

Jaybo72 said:
Only reason i got watch was gps silly me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More standalone navigation is supposed to be coming soon. Here need to launch their new app: http://360.here.com/2016/09/01/introducing-here-wego-for-samsung-gear-s3/

What version u got? I presumed this watch would use its own gps thats why its got the gps chip in it for jogging without phone didnt realise u couldnt use that feature without phone so why did they put gps chip in gear if u cant use it as standalone device

I'm waiting for my Frontier (no LTE) version to come but not until december.
Has anyone used Gear S3 with Oneplus 3 and if does it work with all notifications and everything?
Would Frontier work with separate 4g/LTE wlan hotspot (not through phone) so u could go for a run and listen to Spotify?
Is there any apps for Whatsapp? Just that it would be smaller device to carry with than phone.
No LTE version...GPS...should it work when running without phone?

There is an option on the watch to turn on internal gps. I believe as standard it will use the phones gps for location services.

Battery, 32 hours and 16%, used as above. Says 7 hours left but will charge it overnight.
---------- Post added at 07:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaybo72
Only reason i got watch was gps silly me
More standalone navigation is supposed to be coming soon. Here need to launch their new app: http://360.here.com/2016/09/01/intro...msung-gear-s3/
I think that is the version I am running and have downloaded UK maps onto my Galaxy S3 and ticked stand alone.

obsydian said:
- Feels cheap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the S3 feels cheap, you must have hated the Gear S!
I suppose it's subjective - I think for 300 odd quid, the S3 feels really well made. I was pleasantly surprised by that.
Apart from the Gear S though, I've never worn a watch so have little to compare it with. You may be used to expensive, traditional watches and therefore have higher standards than me.
obsydian said:
- Lost some minor function, like adjust font size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can change the font type and size in settings/style. There are only three font sizes to choose from though - is that different from the S2?

ReformedAppleFan said:
If the S3 feels cheap, you must have hated the Gear S!
I suppose it's subjective - I think for 300 odd quid, the S3 feels really well made. I was pleasantly surprised by that.
Apart from the Gear S though, I've never worn a watch so have little to compare it with. You may be used to expensive, traditional watches and therefore have higher standards than me.
You can change the font type and size in settings/style. There are only three font sizes to choose from though - is that different from the S2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheap compared to my prior Gear S2 Classic.
Thanks for the font help, used to help under display.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app

So are the only apps available the ones in the galaxy app store? Pretty poor really, just lots of different watch faces. I was hoping for more apps to control my phone and the apps on it.

Simply awful software. Just me?

Hi,
Coming from a Moto Z and before that a 6P.
Ok... I didn't intend to hate this phone but... Why are notifications broken? Why dont PocketCasts playback controls work?
I know this is "1 aspect" but to me notifications are vital and i simply don't understand this phone.
- i receive a notification and screen lights up (i set that per app)
- but then I unlock phone
- notifications still in notification shade. I lock device.
- they are no longer on lock screen
Why?
That's not how any other device i have owned worked?
And lock screen music playback is... A disaster?
I consider this phone basically unusable... Yet reviews never mentioned this. Am I alone?

I agree with you, mostly. I'm coming from a Nexus 6P (and many Nexi before that since the One), so I'm used to the plain Vanilla and love it. I was able to rectify some of the notification issues by enabling banner and lockscreen notifications from the Settings >> Notification & Status Bar >> Notification Management area. It doesn't fix everything, and at times (especially the beginning) it was very frustrating. I have it for 5 days now and am at a point where I think it's usable and am waiting for LineageOS to come out with a vanilla-ish version.
http://lineagerom.com/huawei-mate-9-lineage-nougat-update/
The battery is what drew me to the phone and it doesn't disappoint. I can get about 24 hours and that impresses me.

Thanks, have that set for important apps. Feels like a massive part of Android (notifications) are basically missing. Rest is good/ok/great but.... Just feels like madness that this is acceptable in 2017.

yup, hw software sux. end of. waiting for stock-ed customs

Just you
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

Yea, that's what ended up being the deal breaker for me. I absolutely loved everything else with the phone, but notifications are the baseline of what a phone should be (at least to me), and this phone failed at that miserably. Not being able to reply to a text without unlocking the phone is a no go for 2017. I also kept hearing how battery life was amazing...I never really saw that either considering the size of the battery and a 1080p screen. I've got a Moto Z Play and I can tell you that this is truly amazing battery life. I'm now sitting at 53% with 4:39 sot and been off charger since 9:45a...It's now 1a the following morning. Not putting down Mate 9, as I really did like the rest of the phone...So much so that I'm on here looking to see if they have come out with an update for the glaring problem you guys are discussing. It looks as they Huawei doesn't even acknowledge the issue, so not counting on a fix. Oh well
Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

I'm really surprised Huawei get a free pass on this. I read about 10 reviews, saw lots of YouTube videos and I had no idea how this phone handles notifications. I simply don't believe that someone coming from "normal" Android versions wouldn't find this different enough to warrant a huge rant?
Very frustrating. I like so many aspects of this device but the basic things are terrible. Madness.

for lock screen music playback -
settings> then uptop type in notifications> notifications panal> notification managment. then find the app you want to allow on the lockscreen. hope that helps.

Spot on! I'm 700 USD in on this phone. Only thing going for it on my side is the battery (so far) and dual sim as I travel a lot.
The rest is just unacceptable... At the very best. Likely the first and the last Huawei I'll own.

It's not just software that is bad for notifications. The hardware is poor too. The LED is tiny and almost invisible. The vibration is very weak so you can't feel it in your pocket.
This is a great phone underneath, but the little things really spoil it.
Huawei had a great opportunity to take business off Samsung, but they have blown it.
This has put me off Huawei. I'll be trading in the Mate for a Note 8. Or perhaps I won't wait for that. The S8+ is looking good.

Coming from a Nexus 6, the software has it's issues, but overall I like my Mate 9 so much more. Thought I would be missing the stock Android in a daily basis, but I seem to be very happy with my new phone.

-ErrorFile- said:
Coming from a Nexus 6, the software has it's issues, but overall I like my Mate 9 so much more. Thought I would be missing the stock Android in a daily basis, but I seem to be very happy with my new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from the disastrous year of Samsungs (s7 Active, s7 Edge, Note 7) Im loving the mate 9. Getting 10 hours of screen on time, notifications havent been an issue at all (Ive had to unlock the phone to reply to a text on every single phone Ive used including iPhone). I prefer the lockscreen stay clean and the led flash when I have something unread. Out of all the phones Ive used this past year, this is the only one Ive kept. Ive got a Moto Z Force sitting on my table thats for sale and once its gone all Ill have left is my iPhone 6s plus and the Mate 9.

wingzfan said:
Coming from the disastrous year of Samsungs (s7 Active, s7 Edge, Note 7) Im loving the mate 9. Getting 10 hours fo screen on time, notifications havent been an issue at all (Ive had to unlock the phone to reply to a text on very single phone Ive used including iPhone). I prefer the lockscreen stay clean and the led flash when I have something unread. Out of all the phones Ive used this past year, this is the only one Ive kept. Ive got a Moto Z Force sitting on my table thats for sale and once its gone all Ill have left is my iPhone 6s plus and the Mate 9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you find the LED bright enough and the vibration strong enough? If so I have a different phone to yours

RR-99 said:
Do you find the LED bright enough and the vibration strong enough? If so I have a different phone to yours
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no issues with the brightness of the led at all, in fact I prefer it to the absurd brightness of the s7 series. My phone is primarily on a desk or table and I havent missied any notifications at all. Also my volume is always on so I hear my phone go off and never really pay attention to the vibration of it but I would say its right on par with my iPhone. Another thing is I use Textra and always have so Ive got the vibration set to "multiple short" and if the phone is for some reason on silent I still hear the vibration when a notification comes in. Honestly I have no complaints about anything with this phone especially now that Ive been able to change out the emojis without root (hate android emojis).

coming from a pixel
i really like the mate 9, the software could do with abit more though.
if it was pure vanilla, this phone would be the end all.

RR-99 said:
Do you find the LED bright enough and the vibration strong enough? If so I have a different phone to yours
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use an app called Flash notificationn 2. basically on any missed notifications it keeps flashing the camera and lights up the screen( set every min or so). it works very well. coming from a note 4 i was also tossed. I do love this phone and at 599.00 seems a steal. does it have shortcomings , ya it does. but so does every phone. price to price with the s8+ or note 8 rumored at close to a grand makes this phone a steal. especially considering the list of shortcomings the galaxys 8 will have.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manzy.flashnotification2&hl=en

admorris said:
Not being able to reply to a text without unlocking the phone is a no go for 2017.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems like an odd issue to me. All it takes to unlock the phone is touching a sensor. Unless the complaint is about doing it while sitting flat on a surface, then I agree the sensor placement isn't optimal. But if replying to a text without unlocking the phone is important, that's easily solved with a 3rd party text app, like Textra.
I also haven't noticed the issues with notifications in my usage that others have had. But I do agree the notification LED could be brighter, and the vibration stronger.

tommy281 said:
for lock screen music playback -
settings> then uptop type in notifications> notifications panal> notification managment. then find the app you want to allow on the lockscreen. hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This just doesn't work reliably. Spotify works 60% of the time maybe but PocketCasts about 5%. Totally rubbish.

Really mixed bag of opinions here.
I'm almost wondering if there are multiple software versions showing different behaviour?
The 2 notifications issues i have are :
1. Music playback controls. Dreadful. Seems like some apps whitelisted but even those don't work 100% of the time. PocketCasts (even latest version from 2 days ago) works basically never, meaning i need to unlock phone to pause. A total joke.
2. Notifications. Lock screen shows them once and once only. As soon as i unlock, all notifications are not shown again on lock screen, unlike normal Android.
For those that "don't have issue with the notifications"... Do you see what i see?

tommy281 said:
for lock screen music playback -
settings> then uptop type in notifications> notifications panal> notification managment. then find the app you want to allow on the lockscreen. hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't fix the issue...It's a known problem.
Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 05:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------
RealEvil said:
Really mixed bag of opinions here.
I'm almost wondering if there are multiple software versions showing different behaviour?
The 2 notifications issues i have are :
1. Music playback controls. Dreadful. Seems like some apps whitelisted but even those don't work 100% of the time. PocketCasts (even latest version from 2 days ago) works basically never, meaning i need to unlock phone to pause. A total joke.
2. Notifications. Lock screen shows them once and once only. As soon as i unlock, all notifications are not shown again on lock screen, unlike normal Android.
For those that "don't have issue with the notifications"... Do you see what i see?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think what you have are two types of people on here...Not two software versions. You have people that have given up on the phone and people who are justifying their purchase...lol
Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk