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My Gear S2 Classic verdict after 1 month every day use:
Pros:
- Absolutely office compatible, looks great, really nice to wear and not too big for slim-wristed people like me
- Great battery time, runs in between 36h and 48h (I use it for time, notifications from 11 apps and 30 min sport recording every day)
- Excellent display (its AMOLED after all), even in strong daylight
- Probably the very best user interface, the bezel/lunette with the two buttons makes it very intuitive and easy to operate
- Thanks to MRTIMEMAKER endless watch faces (you basically don’t have to buy any…)
- Sturdy build (but also see cons for screen)
- Easy to connect and to administrate via GEAR App on my Samsung S6 edge
- All the apps shipping with it cover all my everyday’s needs
Neutral
- No speaker, I don’t really need it but the alarm clock is a bit lame using vibrations only
- Vibrations are quite weak (had to set it to strong and long duration to surely recognize them)
- HERE maps directions are not always distinct, so I have to look at my phone from time-to-time
- Built-in keyboard is hard to use and not really adapted to a round watch-face
- Currently very few applications in store (but it is getting a bit better everyday)
Cons
- S Voice is inferior to OK Google or Siri but it is needed due to mediocre keyboard
- No integration of Google Maps, Voice Search and only partly support of Google Now notifications (only first notification is displayed)
- Screen is only Gorilla glass, competition uses sapphire glass
- Notifications get overwritten by newer ones if they come from a different app (except for emails and SMS)
- Only the original charger (which is very pricey) works with this smartwatch, even that it seems to use wireless charging standards...
So at a scale from 1 to 10 (10 is best) I would give this watch an 8. With more apps to come it will get a straight 10!
My wishes for apps would be:
- Integration of Google Maps and Voice
- Keyboard alternatives
- Displaying (and editing to some extend) of notes apps like Google Notes, MS Notes etc
- A (working!) sleep tracker
- More information (tags) on currently played music in music app
- A simple(!) stock ticker
Thanks for the review. Min shows up tonight and I am particularly interested in your experience with other chargers. What did you try?
Thanks,
Fred
I totally agree with your review. I bought both S2's. For me, the classic was a little smaller than the 'sport'. The classic should have been larger to justify the $50 extra.
Uses Google Maps.. just a heads up...
Great review and very true. I used the gear s2 (non-classic) for a few weeks before I returned it. I will be getting the 3g version from verizon.
a huge upgrade for me would be the google now notifications all showing. In addition, the sleep tracking option would be great (which apparently will be available at some point based on other discussions online). The no speaker is a bit annoying, and I refuse to walk around with a bluetooth headset just so that I don't have to take my phone out of my pocket. Overall it seems that Samsung did a great job with this watch, and should be able to make it close to a "10" with a few further updates. I did find that the battery life could have been stronger too.
My desires for Samsung would be:
Full view of google now notifications (so basically pulling everything from my google now even if it wasn't a recent notification)
Sleep tracking (with the option of shutting everything on the watch aside from the time and the tracking items)
Customizable "sleep mode" (as opposed to only do not disturb and battery saving mode)
"watch only" mode (it would be nice to have my watch only without any notifications or anything else at times while saving battery-which would turn off all the "ometers", bluetooth, vibration, etc. and just give me the time)
Fast charging (this could hurt battery life, but it would be nice instead of the 2:15 it took to charge from 0-100% even if it's only to get a 25% boost in 10 minutes or whatever on a 250 mah battery... my notes 4 with off 300mah takes an hour to charge)
Overall... GREAT job samsung... really loved the watch. And looking forward to receipt of my 3g version
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
I also find the ui a lot more intuitive. Android wear you just need to memorize which swipe does what, there's nothing to clue you in. On the s2, it is apparent just by looking at it how to do most things.
They have really delivered on this, great first showing for this update to tizen and ui paradigm.
Swap google now for s voice, get Google maps going, offer a larger size, and they have a pretty compelling case to ditch android wear.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Great review, thanks. Any updates since last written? The Gear S2 classic grabbed my attention and since my pebble steel is having issues with it's screen I figure it's time to start shopping. I have a note 5 and don't use S-voice as I find OK google works better, getting the S2 I assume I can't use that. So that brings me over to android wear.
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
jacobgong said:
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
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To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
sefrcoko said:
To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
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Click to collapse
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
it disgusts me to see a "tourbillon" watch that just has a Google image of a fixed tourbillon, or a white "complication" that doesn't even fit into the slot of where the complication is supposed to go on the watch face.
jacobgong said:
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
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Click to collapse
It works fine with many faces but I agree the lack of customization isn't ideal and doesn't fit well with some designs. If you're looking for something more robust I suggest using Gear Watch Designer.
After 2 months of use, my review of my G2 Classic:
1-Overall a good watch. Looks good, works well enough. I'll keep it.
2-POOR ALARM!! The main reason I use a smart watch is to get notifications and if this is so weak it does not wake me up in the morning or alert me of an email then it is a major fail for the watch.
3-Once I turn off those apps and functions I simply do not need or use (wifi, NFC, etc.) I get 2 days of battery life.
4-Screen is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight - a major requirement for me.
5-The watch is waterproof - a major requirement for me.
6- The watch works with multiple email programs - a major requirement for me.
7-The watch functions are easy to work with in the most part.
8-Weather and Step Count are poor. The weather doesn't update hourly when you select that option. Only updates when I force it. Steps are off by several hundred from my phone. Not show stoppers, but poor. ((UPDATE - I just deleted all my non-stock Note 4 weather programs and used the one that came with the phone. Lo and behold it now updates hourly. So... use the stock weather app. Problem solved.)) ((CHANGE 2 24 Jan - now it doesn't work. Not sure why.))
9-Samsung Customer Service on this watch sucks. I called a couple of times and got people in India who obviously never heard of the watch and had nothing to offer.
What I"d like to see:
1-Get the damn update out! It's been a couple months and nothing in the US. I hear some of my criticisms will be answer by that.
2-Make the Weather and Step functions work as advertised.
3-FIX THE DAMN VIBRATION!! This is a major fail for the watch and the one reason why I do not recommend it to other professionals. It simply does not help me manage my time and, though I like the watch, had I suspected this I probably would have kept my Pebble. It woke me up in the morning.
4-The ability to set reminders by voice with Google Now off the watch. This is a function I use extensively on my phone and it would be better off my watch. Pebble actually has a separate app that does this as well and that would work too.
Some want more watch faces, more apps, etc. But since I'm not launching nuclear missiles from my watch I really don't want that much functionality. I don't need to see my photos on my watch, control my music, navigate, or many of the other things this watch does. I want some simple health functions, trustworthy notifications, and that's about it. I have one or two watch faces I use and I'm happy with that.
I've had my S2 Classic for 3 days now and I have no issues with notifications. What did you mean by the notifications getting over written? I've not yet had this issue. I can have notifications from sms, google+, facebook etc and can easily act upon them like comment on a google+ post. Unless you meant the same app it'll over write the notification or maybe I miss read. The keyboard I guess is mediocre but isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Is annoying that if you use made up words like nicknames for example you have no option but to press and hold the keys to choose individual specific letters but once you do that once you can save a word and I'm pretty impressed with the text prediction on it. Other than that I can type relatively quickly on it just having to get used to wear all the letters are now I'm used to using a qwerty keyboard on my phone lol.
S-voice is a little bit of a let down and would prefer the option to have google now but again it works better than expected seems to recognize what I say most of the time although is a little slow especially compared to google now. The only real massive fault I don't like about it is the lack of apps but this may improve with time and I hope it does because the bezel feature is pretty cool and it has potential just hope Samsung do all they can to get devs to make apps for it. The watch is smaller than I thought after looking at videos and pictures online but content is still readable and I compared it to my dad's wrist watch and the S2 is slightly bigger but is roughly the same size so helps give the look of an ordinary wrist watch which I like. Plus isn't bulky unlike my sony smart watch first gen.
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
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Click to collapse
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
rogerperk said:
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
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Click to collapse
Ah that makes sense... I never owned a pebble but I can see how going from one device with much stronger vibrations to another one with weaker vibrations might be a problem. I don't use my Classic's alarm for sleep either (although I am a light sleeper anyhow so I imagine it would be ok for me there too lol). Ok, thanks for clearing it up for me. Hopefully samsung pushes out a future update that allows for greater vibration intensity (if the hardware supports it, that is). Personally I wish every smartwatch had a speaker too, so we wouldn't be forced to rely on vibrations all the time
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
After one month...
CONS
- I want SLEEP TRACKING!!!
- The bug of the alarm HAS TO BE FIXED asap
- There is no sound alarm (very bad)
PRO
- I don't use notification, so my watch is rarely connected, so my battery life is 4 days long (UAU!!!)
- Great screen
- Great usability
- Very elegant (I have the classic)
- Great designer for the watchfaces (attached my own face...)
- For my needs the APPs are sufficent
Final vote: 8 (it will become 9 with the Sleep Tracking)
Harmon Rabb said:
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
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Click to collapse
I have a Huawei Android Wear, and my opinion is the same as yours.
I went back and forth between the two for several weeks, and eventually just accepted the few limitations of the S2 3G vs. AW, and haven't had the Huawei on my wrist now for 3 weeks or so.
I'm a weather buff, so the one thing in addition to OK Google that I missed was the InstaWeather watch faces. They are absolutely awesome, with a really good animated radar face, and several others that are great.
I simply had to wean myself from glancing at my watch to see what's going on weatherwise (animated radar!), what was coming in terms of forecast, etc. It was painful, but not too much, and I found what I feel is among the best weather apps for Android out there, MyWeather. That helped a lot -- incredible graphical information, forecasts, etc.
If you like weather, download this app now, and have fun watching what's going on on the west coast right now as I type this
As for the rest, I really value the ability to make/receive calls, so the speaker is a big plus. The standalone 3G was a great bonus, but now that I've had it a while I'm find it far more valuable as a feature than I initially thought.
So, at this point the only thing I really have as a significant complaint is the poor performance of S-Voice. I've learned (and am still learning) the quirks of the program so that I can make it as successful for me as possible, but it falls far short of Google's voice recognition servers.
Hey everyone. I do more than just walk, run, hike etcetera and want to know if anyone has figured out a way to add other Fitness tracking options on your gear S2 classic? It's really annoying that you can only track walks and runs. There should be an option where you can track other cardio type workouts like hiit workouts or even weightlifting. If anyone has figured out a fix or has any other information about this please let me know. I appreciate it very much
Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
I was actually hoping for this in the next update since the Android version of S-Health just added that kind of stuff... Short answer, no, it does not track movements or anything beyond walking/running/cycling.
The S Health update lets you track just about every conceivable exercise (or I just figured out how to access the list) but on the Gear, you are stuck with just the six or seven preinstalled options. When you initiate a workout from S health, the GS2 doesnt seem to recognize that you are working out. There must be a way to get the GS2 to mirror the list in S health, no?
Bought gear s2 same problem
8 sports on the gear and 90 on my phone, theres gotta be a way to sync the sports from the phone to the watch..
I don't think it matters. When I look at the exercises on SHealth all they do is time it. Not count reps or sets.
Hello,
Actually, I use my Samsung S7 with Endomondo installed to monitor my running sessions. Things I need when I run are : pace by kms, sound notification for each km with pace, total distance and also music which is always motivating when you run.
I think about buying a Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 or Gear S3 to monitor my running sessions and leave my Samsung S7 at home. Do you think using just a Gear S2 or Gear S3 could be possible given my needs ?
Thanks for your answers and your help.
Sylvain
I don't think you will be able to use just the watch. Unfortunately none of the big name fitness tracking apps like Runtastic, Strava, Endomondo have or have any intention of creating apps for the Tizen OS that runs on the Gear S2. So that means you are stuck using Samsung's S-Health app to track your runs. You will only get a map of your run IF you start the run from the phone. If you start it from the watch, it only tracks speed, heartrate and splits. I ran 2 races this past weekend. A 5k and a Half Marathon. For the 5k, I started the app on my phone but never had any info on the watch (maybe I need to start it in both places) and did get a map of my run. For the Half I started my run on the watch and was able to see my HR, Speed, Pace, Distance etc on my watch at a glance but didn't get a map of the run when done.
I have written to all the fitness tracker apps asking if they plan to support the Samsung Gear Sx line of smartwatches and they all respond with a very long winded well worded answer of NO. It is unfortunate as I have both an android wear watch and the Gear S2 and much prefer the Gear.
Good luck with your decision.
J...
killarneygetaway said:
I don't think you will be able to use just the watch. Unfortunately none of the big name fitness tracking apps like Runtastic, Strava, Endomondo have or have any intention of creating apps for the Tizen OS that runs on the Gear S2. So that means you are stuck using Samsung's S-Health app to track your runs. You will only get a map of your run IF you start the run from the phone. If you start it from the watch, it only tracks speed, heartrate and splits. I ran 2 races this past weekend. A 5k and a Half Marathon. For the 5k, I started the app on my phone but never had any info on the watch (maybe I need to start it in both places) and did get a map of my run. For the Half I started my run on the watch and was able to see my HR, Speed, Pace, Distance etc on my watch at a glance but didn't get a map of the run when done.
I have written to all the fitness tracker apps asking if they plan to support the Samsung Gear Sx line of smartwatches and they all respond with a very long winded well worded answer of NO. It is unfortunate as I have both an android wear watch and the Gear S2 and much prefer the Gear.
Good luck with your decision.
J...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
Finally, I bought the Samsung Gear Fit 2. Yesterday, I tried it during a running session and it works very well. GPS is reliable, so distances runned are good. There is also vocal notifications for pace by km which is a great point for me. The music player works well also.
When I finished my running session, I went back to home and I synced the Gear Fit 2 with my Samsung S7 having the S Health application installed. The last problem is that in S Health my running session has been imported correctly but it seems impossible to have the pace by km for each km runned displayed. May be it's a limitation on the S Health application.
It seems also the GPS export from S Health doesn't work.
sylsau said:
Thanks for your answer.
Finally, I bought the Samsung Gear Fit 2. Yesterday, I tried it during a running session and it works very well. GPS is reliable, so distances runned are good. There is also vocal notifications for pace by km which is a great point for me. The music player works well also.
When I finished my running session, I went back to home and I synced the Gear Fit 2 with my Samsung S7 having the S Health application installed. The last problem is that in S Health my running session has been imported correctly but it seems impossible to have the pace by km for each km runned displayed. May be it's a limitation on the S Health application.
It seems also the GPS export from S Health doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mind sharing some additional feedback because I'm also planning to get rid of my phone while running and from a hardware perspective the Gear Fit 2 ticks all the boxes.
I'm especially interested if the heartrate monitor is useful during a workout (e.g. readable and accurate). And what do you think about the software? Most of the critics have been about the software which could have gotten better since the release.
Thanks!
ts-apps said:
Do you mind sharing some additional feedback because I'm also planning to get rid of my phone while running and from a hardware perspective the Gear Fit 2 ticks all the boxes.
I'm especially interested if the heartrate monitor is useful during a workout (e.g. readable and accurate). And what do you think about the software? Most of the critics have been about the software which could have gotten better since the release.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made several running sessions since I bought the Gear Fit 2 and I also used the Gear Fit 2 daily. It's really a great product. Steps counter is accurate, GPS is reliable too. All the data are easily readable when you run for example. The screen is really reactive.
For the heart rate monitor, it is easily readable when you run for example. However, it can be not really accurate when you run if you sweat for example because your wrist is wet. I noticed some errors at this moment. When you are resting, hear rate monitor works perfectly.
killarneygetaway said:
You will only get a map of your run IF you start the run from the phone. If you start it from the watch, it only tracks speed, heartrate and splits.
J...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI if you have the 3G version of the Gear S2 you can enable location services and get a map of your run afterward. In my experience it has been very accurate (in a suburban setting). The drawback is that it kills battery life (like 1% per minute of running).
hausman said:
FYI if you have the 3G version of the Gear S2 you can enable location services and get a map of your run afterward. In my experience it has been very accurate (in a suburban setting). The drawback is that it kills battery life (like 1% per minute of running).
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Click to collapse
So, impossible to run a Marathon with the Gear S2
sylsau said:
So, impossible to run a Marathon with the Gear S2
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Click to collapse
Depends how fast you are. 42,195m in 100mins...
Seriously, though, it would probably last longer with location and 3G turned off. I'll get back to you as soon as I decide to start running marathons...
edit: mistakenly wrote 21.097m which is only a half, oops.
hausman said:
Depends how fast you are. 42,195m in 100mins...
Seriously, though, it would probably last longer with location and 3G turned off. I'll get back to you as soon as I decide to start running marathons...
edit: mistakenly wrote 21.097m which is only a half, oops.
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Click to collapse
If you run an half marathon in just one hour, you will be very close of the World Record man
sylsau said:
Thanks for your answer.
Finally, I bought the Samsung Gear Fit 2. Yesterday, I tried it during a running session and it works very well. GPS is reliable, so distances runned are good. There is also vocal notifications for pace by km which is a great point for me. The music player works well also.
When I finished my running session, I went back to home and I synced the Gear Fit 2 with my Samsung S7 having the S Health application installed. The last problem is that in S Health my running session has been imported correctly but it seems impossible to have the pace by km for each km runned displayed. May be it's a limitation on the S Health application.
It seems also the GPS export from S Health doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope I'm not upsetting you when I say this but if you can send it back, I recommend you do so. I would fully recommend you go out and get a Garmin Vivoactive HR instead.
killarneygetaway said:
I don't think you will be able to use just the watch. Unfortunately none of the big name fitness tracking apps like Runtastic, Strava, Endomondo have or have any intention of creating apps for the Tizen OS that runs on the Gear S2. So that means you are stuck using Samsung's S-Health app to track your runs.
J...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can sync S-health to Strava if that is the direction you want to go. Strava doesn't have the resources to support all OS's as they are a small company. Mainstream OS's only at this time.
Sword Fish said:
You can sync S-health to Strava if that is the direction you want to go. Strava doesn't have the resources to support all OS's as they are a small company. Mainstream OS's only at this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, we need to install Strava app on Android device and then it's possible to sync S-Health with Strava directly ?
Have this setup yet it still doesn't sync to Strava.
Gear s3 LTE works great for runs without the phone in my experience. I'm a former marathon runner who is focusing on half marathon distances now due to family life and purchased the gear s3 LTE specifically for running. In my experience, in standalone mode with Bluetooth headphones firing while streaming spotify and tracking the run via gps with no phone, I can get through a half marathon distance. If you want more than that, youll have to bring your phone and use the watch connected via bluetoot and can probably easily get a marathon distance. I use s health and actually like it. Has auto pause feature and total distance tracking is usually right on. The instant pace metric seems a bit erratic at times and there have been very very few random times when it has short changed my long runs (happened 1-2 times since I've had the watch). The pace, distance, total time, hr on the voice feedback seems right on.
Hi everyone,
Im a long time android user, currently without a samsung phone.
Im looking for a smart watch, using it as a regular watch (have always been wearing one) in the day-day life and as an activity tracker when doing sport (mountain biking and sometimes running)
I struggle to decide if to go with the samsung or one of the garmin fenix watches.
The altimeter-gps-hrm are the key features that I want to have statistics during my activity, and I've read conflicting opinions about bad readings.
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
I would like to hear as much information from the watch owners, because its hard to decide, on one hand having a watch that costs ~300$ and has a bright screen, smarter, or spending ~600$ for a watch that is allegedly better at activity tracking, but has a poor screen and functionality otherwise, and is much more expensive
eranyanay said:
Hi everyone,
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi there, I was in your very same position and I ended up getting and, for the moment, keeping the S3 frontier. I had an old Epson ps100 which is very good for tracking HR all day long and spotting any activity, but very bad in all the rest (step counts bad, no floor counts, horrible app with no integration with withings or myfitnesspal). Then I bought the Huawei Fit Watch, cheap and nice, but since I do mostly indoor rowing there was no way to use it but by telling it I was cycling and, then, it would make random acquisition of GPS while I was actually indoor. Then I tried the Fenix 3 HR, amazing watch for tracking sport, dedicated program for indoor rowing, but waaaaay off in terms of active calories burned, it would have me burning active calories while watching TV on the bed! I tried two different units, very same issue. On internet you'll find a lot of people having this issue with all the Garmin HR watches, and no answer from Garmin EVER.
So I ended up trying the S3 Frontier. It costs exactly like the Fenix 3HR right now, but half of the new Fenix 5. Which in Europe arrives today. I won't write a review of the watch, but just try to answer to your questions:
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
I do indoor rowing every day. Plus stretching with a foam roller. I use "Indoor Cycling" program to track the first and "Yoga" to track the second. The watch gives me the same results in terms of HR and calories than the Epson PS100 and the Huawei Fit. So I would say it is accurate, if you keep skin and hr reader clean and tight. I'm a professional photographer, and when I go out on assignments I use the "Hiking" program to track steps, HR, altitude, and to track my gps route. It works very well, even if I'm out for hours and hours.
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
You can remove some of the original programs, but not all of them. They don't take much space though.
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
There are other app you can use instead of the native ones, like Endomondo (which gave me horribly high calories counting, though) or MapMyRun, etc. I don't know if you can track simultaneously an activity with both SHealth and Endomondo, though. Never tried. You can surely track you gps with ORUX on your phone while using another app on you watch. Remember that in the worst case scenario, if you disconnect the watch from the phone you can use the internal GPS on the watch to track your hiking using SHealth.
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
Kind of. You can load GPX files using either Komoot or Gear Navigator. Komoot is available only for users with a Samsung phone. I don't have it so I can't speak for it. I use Gear Navigator, and it works fine, but it requires the Gear Navigator Companion running on your phone. It gives you a map on the phone so you can see where you are compared to the track, but you still need your phone with you. The new Gear Navigator Standalone states it can use GPX too, and it works without a phone, but it still needs internet access or it refuses to work, so either you have the LTE version of the watch or it will still require a phone for the internet access. So, right now there is no app like Garmin ones which will allow you to have gpx tracks without maps working offline, but you have gpx tracks with maps (even satellite maps) working online. The best is I could track my "free hike" with SHealth, stop at the arrival, use the SHealth on the phone to export the GPX, open it with Gear Navigator, and have the watch showing me how to get back following my steps. That was nice.
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Right now some, but some of these get corrected to work with any android phone from time to time. Right now you don't have the "email" app (you can still read incoming emails, but you can't answer them or scroll through them). You don't have Uber and Komoot. You don't have the new matching themes. I can't think of other limitations right now, but probably there are. Nothing major, though, since I'm using mine since 18 days with daily workouts and hikes and all of the smart features (which are waaaaay better than any Fenix or Sunto watch) and I'm good with it.
lucarossini said:
hi there, I was in your very same position and I ended up getting and, for the moment, keeping the S3 frontier. I had an old Epson ps100 which is very good for tracking HR all day long and spotting any activity, but very bad in all the rest (step counts bad, no floor counts, horrible app with no integration with withings or myfitnesspal). Then I bought the Huawei Fit Watch, cheap and nice, but since I do mostly indoor rowing there was no way to use it but by telling it I was cycling and, then, it would make random acquisition of GPS while I was actually indoor. Then I tried the Fenix 3 HR, amazing watch for tracking sport, dedicated program for indoor rowing, but waaaaay off in terms of active calories burned, it would have me burning active calories while watching TV on the bed! I tried two different units, very same issue. On internet you'll find a lot of people having this issue with all the Garmin HR watches, and no answer from Garmin EVER.
So I ended up trying the S3 Frontier. It costs exactly like the Fenix 3HR right now, but half of the new Fenix 5. Which in Europe arrives today. I won't write a review of the watch, but just try to answer to your questions:
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
I do indoor rowing every day. Plus stretching with a foam roller. I use "Indoor Cycling" program to track the first and "Yoga" to track the second. The watch gives me the same results in terms of HR and calories than the Epson PS100 and the Huawei Fit. So I would say it is accurate, if you keep skin and hr reader clean and tight. I'm a professional photographer, and when I go out on assignments I use the "Hiking" program to track steps, HR, altitude, and to track my gps route. It works very well, even if I'm out for hours and hours.
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
You can remove some of the original programs, but not all of them. They don't take much space though.
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
There are other app you can use instead of the native ones, like Endomondo (which gave me horribly high calories counting, though) or MapMyRun, etc. I don't know if you can track simultaneously an activity with both SHealth and Endomondo, though. Never tried. You can surely track you gps with ORUX on your phone while using another app on you watch. Remember that in the worst case scenario, if you disconnect the watch from the phone you can use the internal GPS on the watch to track your hiking using SHealth.
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
Kind of. You can load GPX files using either Komoot or Gear Navigator. Komoot is available only for users with a Samsung phone. I don't have it so I can't speak for it. I use Gear Navigator, and it works fine, but it requires the Gear Navigator Companion running on your phone. It gives you a map on the phone so you can see where you are compared to the track, but you still need your phone with you. The new Gear Navigator Standalone states it can use GPX too, and it works without a phone, but it still needs internet access or it refuses to work, so either you have the LTE version of the watch or it will still require a phone for the internet access. So, right now there is no app like Garmin ones which will allow you to have gpx tracks without maps working offline, but you have gpx tracks with maps (even satellite maps) working online. The best is I could track my "free hike" with SHealth, stop at the arrival, use the SHealth on the phone to export the GPX, open it with Gear Navigator, and have the watch showing me how to get back following my steps. That was nice.
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Right now some, but some of these get corrected to work with any android phone from time to time. Right now you don't have the "email" app (you can still read incoming emails, but you can't answer them or scroll through them). You don't have Uber and Komoot. You don't have the new matching themes. I can't think of other limitations right now, but probably there are. Nothing major, though, since I'm using mine since 18 days with daily workouts and hikes and all of the smart features (which are waaaaay better than any Fenix or Sunto watch) and I'm good with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thank you for the deep insights of your experience with the watch.
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well?
2. Hi,
Thank you for the deep insights of your experience with the watch. It really makes me think more positive about buying one.
The main downside is that Im not a samsung user, so Im afraid that I will have less apps, watchfaces or settings/functionality.
I dont care for most apps, but Komoot actually looks nice.
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer/GPS accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well? Do you get location right?
2. Isnt there any way to sideload watchfaces/themes or komoot app onto the watch?
eranyanay said:
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer/GPS accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well? Do you get location right?
2. Isnt there any way to sideload watchfaces/themes or komoot app onto the watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Komoot looks nice, but has no map on the watch, only directions. Gear Navigator, instead, has map, and even streetview.
The Altimeter/Barometer has no normal hiccups you could expect on these sensors when mounted on watches. They always had, even my old digital Casio Pro Trek had. Though, thanks to the GPS auto adjustment, they are usually correct. They work very well in detecting floors as long as you swing your arms while climbing up stairs and never stop in the middle. They work very well during hiking or skiing. Garmin has worse luck with the altimeter, my first unit said I was at 6000 meters over sea (I live in Rome, we are barely 20m over sea) an wasn't corrected by the GPS in any way. The GPS works fine, though I think I always had the phone with me while tracking, so it might have been the phone GPS I used...
I just found another app I can't have because I don't have samsung, it is called Pears. However, consider that the new apps are all coming for all the phones (worst luck if you use iOs), and that I don't really feel crippled. Also, the new watch update corrected the way SHealth reads HR during workout and now SHealth has HR zones and evaluate calories accordingly. It is much better, now I feel in line with Garmin during workout (out of workouts Garmin was terrible, S3 wins).
To answer to your last question, though, there is no way I'm aware to sideload apps. You should have to change phone to upload those, since I think when you do the watch gets reset. But, again, they aren't so many. And some of those may not even be available in your country (another little issue, some countries don't have Gear Navigator for example!).
Thanks,
Last thing come to mind, and Im not sure, I see some threads here about watchfaces mentioning themes available at the samsung apps store, is it available for android users in general, without the samsung?
What other tools available out there?
eranyanay said:
Thanks,
Last thing come to mind, and Im not sure, I see some threads here about watchfaces mentioning themes available at the samsung apps store, is it available for android users in general, without the samsung?
What other tools available out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you pair the watch on your phone, the latter will automatically install Samsung Gear App Store. That's the store. You'll find all the hundreds of watchfaces and the (few good) apps there. I also just tested Gear Navigator and it seems to work offline too, using the maps in the cache. So it could work on a long hike in areas without internet. I haven't found a way to load GPX tracks on the Gear Navigator Standalone, though.
Thanks.
I think you got me convinced
So far I thought maybe I'll wait.
I think I will go for it.
Just gotta find some glass screen protector so I wont be sad when it scratches...
eranyanay said:
Thanks.
I think you got me convinced
So far I thought maybe I'll wait.
I think I will go for it.
Just gotta find some glass screen protector so I wont be sad when it scratches...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't put any on mine. The watch has Gorilla Glass on it, it's just slightly worse than the Sapphire the Fenix 3 and 5 have (if you pay 100$ more). The watch has been on my wrist every minute for almost a month, sustained skiing (with several high speed crashes), workouts, children (I have a 5yo and a toddler), dog (australian Shepherd), cooking, BBQing, cycling, and it doesn't have a single, slightest, scratch on the glass nor on the bezel. The protectors are way less strong, they will keep getting scratches, you'll think they saved the glass from those, but I don't think so. That said, it is just my opinion, if you feel safe with one just buy it, they are cheap and disposable
Try to get the watch from Amazon or some other vendors with a good return policy, in case you don't like it. As I said, I changed several HR watches in the last couple of months before finding one I like. You may have a totally different experience. Better safe than stuck with a watch you don't like.
I use Gear S3 to track gym sessions (mostly 45 minutes indoor elliptical). Switched from Polar M400.
Until the last update the pulse and calories count were on the low side (pulse about 5 beats less than Polar, 298 calories for session where Polar counted 400).
Since the update trained once today, pulse and calories got really close to those of Polar.
I have nothing to add except that there is an Uber app.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Would you say there is a good smart watch alternative in the Android wear field?
I have been looking at the Huawei watch 2 but it's not as pretty,not having an altimeter, and also seems to have kind of bad battery life. Only their HRM sensor seems an improvement.
A published review from yesterday on wearable.com mentions negative feelings about pace and HRM reading for the s3.
Is it possible to connect a BT or ANT enabled heart rate chest strap?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
eranyanay said:
Would you say there is a good smart watch alternative in the Android wear field?
I have been looking at the Huawei watch 2 but it's not as pretty,not having an altimeter, and also seems to have kind of bad battery life. Only their HRM sensor seems an improvement.
A published review from yesterday on wearable.com mentions negative feelings about pace and HRM reading for the s3.
Is it possible to connect a BT or ANT enabled heart rate chest strap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look up the TicWatch on YouTube. I came really close to buying that.
RaymondPJR said:
Look up the TicWatch on YouTube. I came really close to buying that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you do eventually?
What did you buy, or didnt buy, and what was the reason for it?
Im really into the S3 design, Just thinking if I should wait until Sep/Oct where a S4 might get out
I had the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire and really like the watch, but the phone interconnectivity was really lacking for my use and I didnt get it with the integrated HRM. I got the Frontier and really like it. For my exercise use the only thing that I don't care for is the Altimeter, it seems to be off quite often (there have been plenty of discussions on that)
I do however like the new app integration of Endomondo. If you want to import GPX files, I am pretty sure you can do that. Not too sure about S Health.
eranyanay said:
What did you do eventually?
What did you buy, or didnt buy, and what was the reason for it?
Im really into the S3 design, Just thinking if I should wait until Sep/Oct where a S4 might get out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the Gear S 3 Frontier in the end for two reasons. The battery life of the TicWatch was not as good plus I found I could get the LTE version Frontier for $349.00 if I ordered direct from Samsung. TicWatch isn't as expensive plus you can use Google apps, but that wasn't enough in the end.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
I was seriously thinking today about the garmin fenix instead.
But honestly, I do sport activity maybe twice a week, and I prefer to have only good GPS reading, and take into consideration that the altimeter and HRM may be inaccurate
and the screen of the garmin is really disappointing, and as a watch, the watchface there looks very poor
So I think I will go with the gear s3.
I only wonder if its possible to connect HR strap to it. Is it?
Wrist HRM are innaccurate in realtime on more then 100 BPM, basically when your BPM is same around 20 more seconds then it's accurate , it's just the way the blood flows in wrist, while HRM on my phone (s7 edge) is exactly the same as EKG, meaning it's showing realtime bpm as tested by some doctor (artery in finger is almost in direct contact with heart) and wrist veins need time to "update". Altimeter needs to be calibrated when you need to use it, it's using small pressure sensitive membrane , and well it's really sensitive ( calibration is done by downloading relative pressure info for your place where you live and algorythm tries to define your height, and most of the time is correct. Fenix 3 has transreflect screen, meaning that insted of having backlight it's using outside light, hence perfect sun visibility, + you can't really compare 16 color display to SAMOLED 16.7m colors
eranyanay said:
I was seriously thinking today about the garmin fenix instead.
But honestly, I do sport activity maybe twice a week, and I prefer to have only good GPS reading, and take into consideration that the altimeter and HRM may be inaccurate
and the screen of the garmin is really disappointing, and as a watch, the watchface there looks very poor
So I think I will go with the gear s3.
I only wonder if its possible to connect HR strap to it. Is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, unless you're a huge activity person the Garmin is way overkill, and, yeah the screen res on the Fenix 3 was NO comparison to the Gear S3, not even in the same league. 350x350 compared to 218x218 (?)...............
I was able to get my S3 Frontier (Non LTE) on special at Amazon for $300. I like the Frontier far more than the Fenix 3
Sorry to bring suddenly the opposite input, but as a lot of other users are reporting on all the S3 forums around the globe, the new update messed badly with the battery and with other watch functionalities. In my case, a few days after the update the battery started going down twice as fast as before, I am talking about 1% every 10 minutes, which means 6% per hour, so around 17 hours of autonomy. The watch used to last me 48 hours before.
Yesterday the watch went completely crazy for a couple of minutes, opening random apps while I was in the middle of a workout. I was forced to reboot it (loosing all the workout I had done so far on SHealth) and then it was ok again. This morning I had another issue when I tried to install the update for HERE Maps (a good navigator) and it wouldn't let me. I tried all the possible combination of rebooting and cache cleaning, and since I still had the battery issue I decided to go for the hard reset, as suggested by many other users.
A horrible idea.
It took me the whole day with I don't know how many trials to finally finish a restore (bluetooth disconnections, network failures, plugin which stopped working, you name it). The restore, by the way, is just apps, watchfaces, and a few settings. No widget restore. No notification restore (even though it is listed in the backup option). No SHealth restore (I lost all of my tracked info on the watch, not on the phone though). No app order restore. I managed to install the new version of HERE maps, but now I can't install Gear Navigator Companion anymore. It gets downloaded and transferred to watch, but the installation fails every time. So I lost the only app able to use gpx tracks on my watch. And, what do you know, battery is exactly like before, meaning every ten minutes I loose a 1%.
Quite frustrated and wildly disappointed, I'm seriously considering to return the watch and try a Fenix 5s instead. I loved how the S3 worked before the update, though I liked the new way to calculate calories and HR zones. But I can't have a watch that doesn't last at least two days or that provides this kind of random issues after a hard reset and attempted restore... that really scared me.
Another update will come.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Soooo, for the longest time I thought 'other workout' on the gear health app recorded heart rate while working out. Evidently it does not. So it appears that my calories burned have not been as accurate as they could be. Looks like the gear health app is not going to do what I need.
Are there any other good apps that actually have a strength training recording function (that are accurate)? I checked out UA record, but I cannot get it to sync with Samsung health nor myfitnesspal (lol, same company...). Also, it recorded a 400 calorie burn for about 45 minutes of working out on chest day. That seems a little high? It doesn't exactly get the heart pumping.
Also, and I'm sure the answer is a big no, but, is it possible to port apps from Android wear to Tizen? I very briefly had a Huawei watch 2 classic (Tizen's UI is soooooo much better), and Google Fit Workout was absolutely perfect. It detects reps and what kind of exercise you are doing (incredibly accurate too even, seriously), and when you finished a set, it had a rest timer built in. The damn thing was amazing. I ALMOST stuck with Android wear just for that app. If any of you amazing developers can do such a thing, or even write your own app that does these things, I would very happily donate quite a bit.
Thanks!
In another thread, someone recommended using the "Pilates" setting for weight training. (Kettle bell workout was referenced.)
I tried Pilates last night for leg day. It definitely shows heart rate, but I don't think it actually uses it to calculate calories burned... The total burn seemed a little low, so I went into my phone's health app and did a manual entry (you only enter time, it does not consider heart rate at all), and it was identical to what was recorded while I was working out... Sooo, basically Samsung Health sucks...
I also finally got UA Record to sync with Health and myfitnesspal. It did NOT work well. I had double everything show up in myfitnesspal. I can't win! Samsung definitely knows how to make a better watch UI, but, they really suck as fitness devs and getting devs to write apps for Tizen... I ALMOST want to get an Android wear again. Almost. Ugh.
gettinwicked said:
I also finally got UA Record to sync with Health and myfitnesspal. It did NOT work well. I had double everything show up in myfitnesspal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also just tried UA Record with MyFitnessPal yesterday. I think the tricky part is configuring the app permissions for reading/writing data. Here's the setup I'm experimenting with now.
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->MyFitnessPal
Everything is on EXCEPT Allow To Write->Exercise
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->UA Record
Everything is on
I used UA Record to do a Treadmill workout. So far I'm not seeing double entries in MyFitnessPal. The "calories burned" is the same in UA Record and MyFitnessPal. Now having said that, the calculated calories burned in UA Recored/MyFitnessPal is vastly different from the calculated calories burned in S Health, 526 vs 241. I'm inclined to believe the lower number in S Health, but I can't see any way to change the calculation in UA Record.
BTW, I just discovered that SHealth has a bunch of other "exercise trackers" that can be turned on in the main interface. There are very specific exercises such as Arm Curls, Arm Extensions, etc. I wonder if enabling them would allow for "auto tracking" of weight training exercises.
SHealth->Manage Items->Exercise Trackers
terrencegf said:
I also just tried UA Record with MyFitnessPal yesterday. I think the tricky part is configuring the app permissions for reading/writing data. Here's the setup I'm experimenting with now.
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->MyFitnessPal
Everything is on EXCEPT Allow To Write->Exercise
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->UA Record
Everything is on
I used UA Record to do a Treadmill workout. So far I'm not seeing double entries in MyFitnessPal. The "calories burned" is the same in UA Record and MyFitnessPal. Now having said that, the calculated calories burned in UA Recored/MyFitnessPal is vastly different from the calculated calories burned in S Health, 526 vs 241. I'm inclined to believe the lower number in S Health, but I can't see any way to change the calculation in UA Record.
BTW, I just discovered that SHealth has a bunch of other "exercise trackers" that can be turned on in the main interface. There are very specific exercises such as Arm Curls, Arm Extensions, etc. I wonder if enabling them would allow for "auto tracking" of weight training exercises.
SHealth->Manage Items->Exercise Trackers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I did not know about the data permissions in health.
To be honest, I think UA has to be a little off on exercise calorie calculations. I did a 40 minute chest workout the other day, and it showed 405 calories burned. Health (w/o heart rate of course) showed 250. When I had the Android wear watch though, Huawei health showed a very high calorie burn like UA (380 I believe), while Fit workout (which tracks everything too) showed about 100 less. I'm not sure what to believe anymore lol... I'm going to try out UA again today and see what it says. Otherwise, screw it, I'll just use health.
terrencegf said:
I also just tried UA Record with MyFitnessPal yesterday. I think the tricky part is configuring the app permissions for reading/writing data. Here's the setup I'm experimenting with now.
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->MyFitnessPal
Everything is on EXCEPT Allow To Write->Exercise
SHealth->Settings->Data Permissions->UA Record
Everything is on
I used UA Record to do a Treadmill workout. So far I'm not seeing double entries in MyFitnessPal. The "calories burned" is the same in UA Record and MyFitnessPal. Now having said that, the calculated calories burned in UA Recored/MyFitnessPal is vastly different from the calculated calories burned in S Health, 526 vs 241. I'm inclined to believe the lower number in S Health, but I can't see any way to change the calculation in UA Record.
BTW, I just discovered that SHealth has a bunch of other "exercise trackers" that can be turned on in the main interface. There are very specific exercises such as Arm Curls, Arm Extensions, etc. I wonder if enabling them would allow for "auto tracking" of weight training exercises.
SHealth->Manage Items->Exercise Trackers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, of course mine isn't working. I set everything like you did, and I get my step count and calorie burn in myfitnesspal, but I worked out with UA a bit ago, and it doesn't show up...
In myfitnesspal, in apps and devices, all that shows under connected is health. However, when I select UA and connect, it opens that app and shows I'm connected (even though I knew that, I added myfitnesspal to it earlier). When I go back to myfitnesspal, it still doesn't show under connected... I don't know if I need to add UA to myfitnesspal first instead of the other way around? Either way, this is a mess...
gettinwicked said:
Yeah, of course mine isn't working. I set everything like you did, and I get my step count and calorie burn in myfitnesspal, but I worked out with UA a bit ago, and it doesn't show up...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed that the sharing of data between UA Record, MyFitnessPal, and SHealth is not immediate. I don't know how long it takes typically.
terrencegf said:
I noticed that the sharing of data between UA Record, MyFitnessPal, and SHealth is not immediate. I don't know how long it takes typically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, do you have UA connected to myfitnesspal too? Or just health and health is all that is connected to myfitnesspal? Still having issues here. I've tried with and without UA being connected to both.
gettinwicked said:
Hey, do you have UA connected to myfitnesspal too? Or just health and health is all that is connected to myfitnesspal? Still having issues here. I've tried with and without UA being connected to both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, after tonight's workout on the elliptical, I'm seeing double results in MyFitnessPal too. And checking yesterday's workout, I see 14 "Walking, Elliptical" entries, which is just ridiculous. But they only showed up overnight, so there is some weird delay happening.
I found some info about this issue in a UA Record help article about Samsung Health Integration (at the bottom of the page):
I'm seeing duplicate workouts in Samsung Health. What can I do to solve this?
If you also use Samsung Health with MyFitnessPal, we recommend only using MyFitnessPal to sync your exercise to Samsung Health. Syncing exercise with Samsung Health from multiple UA apps may cause issues with duplicate workouts. To edit your Samsung Health sync settings, go to the "Connect Apps & Devices" menu in UA Record and select Samsung Samsung Health.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea what they want me to do after I "select Samsung Health". Disconnect it? Edit permissions? Time for some more experimentation, which will have to wait until my next workout.
---------- Post added at 08:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------
Here's some more info about UA Record and MyFitnessPal, not that it helps much.
Also, I found that MyFitnessPal currently has a bug with using S Health as the "step source". Apparently, this is a known issue.
The joys of technology.
terrencegf said:
Well, after tonight's workout on the elliptical, I'm seeing double results in MyFitnessPal too. And checking yesterday's workout, I see 14 "Walking, Elliptical" entries, which is just ridiculous. But they only showed up overnight, so there is some weird delay happening.
I found some info about this issue in a UA Record help article about Samsung Health Integration (at the bottom of the page):
I have no idea what they want me to do after I "select Samsung Health". Disconnect it? Edit permissions? Time for some more experimentation, which will have to wait until my next workout.
---------- Post added at 08:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------
Here's some more info about UA Record and MyFitnessPal, not that it helps much.
Also, I found that MyFitnessPal currently has a bug with using S Health as the "step source". Apparently, this is a known issue.
The joys of technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! Honestly, this UA stuff is just a total mess. Talk about half-assing things... I ended up uninstalling the UA record apps from my phone and watch last night. Health updates myfitnesspal perfectly fine without issue. I guess for now I'll just deal with the possibly inaccurate calorie count during workouts (not like UA might not have been).
gettinwicked said:
Thanks for the info! Honestly, this UA stuff is just a total mess. Talk about half-assing things... I ended up uninstalling the UA record apps from my phone and watch last night. Health updates myfitnesspal perfectly fine without issue. I guess for now I'll just deal with the possibly inaccurate calorie count during workouts (not like UA might not have been).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If my workout tonight with UA Record ends up with more duplicate results, I too will uninstall it and go back to just using the base S Health app on the watch.
I found a thread on the Samsung forums about "Gear S3: Workouts Needed!" The main conclusion from members was that using the "Elliptical" workout in S Health on the watch worked the best for weight training since it seemed to calculate calories burned based on heart rate, which is not the case for "Pilates".
terrencegf said:
If my workout tonight with UA Record ends up with more duplicate results, I too will uninstall it and go back to just using the base S Health app on the watch.
I found a thread on the Samsung forums about "Gear S3: Workouts Needed!" The main conclusion from members was that using the "Elliptical" workout in S Health on the watch worked the best for weight training since it seemed to calculate calories burned based on heart rate, which is not the case for "Pilates".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, thanks for the info! Until they fix the UA record app syncing, I think that's going to be my go-to. Awesome.
On the UA thing, I wonder if ONLY syncing it with myfitnesspal (also no health sync with myfitnesspal) might work? I'm definitely done experimenting for a little while. But, I may have to play with it again at some point.
I have done some more experimentation with UA Record, and was able to get it to export workouts to S Health. However, I have concluded it's simply not worth the effort. The only real benefit I see is a (possibly) more accurate calorie calculation with UA Record. Big deal.
Here's the quick summary on what I had to do to get things working.
(1) On the watch, turn off all automatic workout detection.
(2) On the phone, link S Health with UA Record and MyFitnessPal. We know what a pain that is.
(3) In S Health->Settings->Data Permissions->MyFitnessPal, turn off both "Allow to write exercise" and "allow to read exercise".
(4) On the phone, use UA Record to start an Elliptical workout.
(5) When finished with workout, open S Health on phone to allow steps to sync.
(6) Then open UA Record on phone to allow S Health to sync.
And after all that, UA Record shows the workout as "Walking, Elliptical", which means S Health records it as "Walking". Not at all what I wanted.
So, I'm giving up on UA Record. S Health plus MyFitnessPal works good enough for now.
I have been using UA for awhile on my Google Pixel and I installed it on my Gear. The under Armour App writes to My Fitness Pal. I have the UnderAmour writing to Samsung Health I do not have Samsung health writing to My Fitness Pal
So when I want to do a crossfit workout I start the workout on my phone connected to a external HRM Schosche Rythm + it tracks the heart rate etc and calories burned. Then when done, I stop the work out on my phone. The data is shown on the UA app on the gear. It also goes into Health as a Crossfit workout. Then check MyFitness Pal and it shows workout
Then if I run or walk or anything else I use the UA app on the watch.
I would love to use the Health app, but cant use an external BLE HRM
Well all this talk got me thinking of why I use UA. So I removed the UA app and now strictly use the health App. When I do a crossfit workout I throw on my External HRM and start a Circuit Training session from my phone and take the watch off. That way I can wear my wrist straps etc without the watch getting in the way. Then when I do anything else I use the watch and HRM on that. I never gave the S Health app much thought, but its pretty slick having to use only 1 app to accomplish things. I wish there was a Crossfit or Circuit Training option on the actual watch or a way to rename some of the stock workout modes.
bootsie99 said:
Well all this talk got me thinking of why I use UA. So I removed the UA app and now strictly use the health App. When I do a crossfit workout I throw on my External HRM and start a Circuit Training session from my phone and take the watch off. That way I can wear my wrist straps etc without the watch getting in the way. Then when I do anything else I use the watch and HRM on that. I never gave the S Health app much thought, but its pretty slick having to use only 1 app to accomplish things. I wish there was a Crossfit or Circuit Training option on the actual watch or a way to rename some of the stock workout modes.
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The only issue I found with this, the watch doesnt see the workout that you started on your phone. That doesnt seem right to me? Any Thoughts?
Any updates? Are you guys still using the method to track your workout?
Fitdigits
What I did was use Fitdigits ICardio app with a HR monitor and left my watch off during weight training. I was using a Garmin watch and linked the Garmin app and the iCardio app to My fitness pal but not to each other. That seemed to work. I now switched to the Gear 3 and the connections are a little more problematic done Samsung wants to push you to their apps. My current configuration is Samsung>my fitness pal<iCardio. I am hoping this will works and I will see the calories on the watch through Samsung but we will see.