Initial impression - good potential, poor execution - Samsung Gear S2

I may have a lemon S2 Classic. 24 hours in and there are 3 relatively bad issues:
- Pedometer step counter does not work AT ALL. Wore watch all day and it shows I took *zero* steps.
- Heartbeat measuring is a major fail. Click the icon, and the resulting curve is erratic & all over the place. Never even locks on a heart rate and eventually gets to a "try again" button every single time.
- I have display set to always on. After a few seconds, it reverts to a plain black display with clock hands only. No other features. I can live with that, but wait a few minutes more and the screen goes completely black until I touch it or shake it to wake it back up.
I'm hoping someone can point out tips that mean some of this stuff is just user error, but I've spent a ton of time combing the settings both inside the watch as well as inside the phone app. HTC One M9, by the way, and the BT paired without a problem. Thinking Best Buy is about to get a watch returned! Thoughts on what I'm missing?

Sounds like you have a bad unit. My steps have been as accurate as any other wearable I've used. The heart rate monitor is excellent (you need to wear it snug though)... I can't comment on the ambient display as I don't use it
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

I think You should return it - the problems You mentioned don't occur on my S2c.
The pedometer is not perfect, at least not before You make more than ~10 steps. If less, the smartwatch is not recording it (as far as I read, it suppose to work like that, cause devs implemented it to be 'eco-energy' and not start recording with every move). But in daily use it works fine for me.
Heartbeat sensor should record fine, maybe the grip on the belt is to loose? Try to make some activity with sHealth and observe if the sensor records anything.
About display - if You choose from settings 'always on' it WILL show only plain black display with clock hands. That's how it suppose to work If You are interested in having the face always turned on then look in the Store for 'I am Alive' app.

Related

[IDEA/REQ] In-Call Lock Screen with Light and G-Sensors

Hi,
I recently bought a HTC Touch HD, and I think that the "shutdown-screen-when-you-answer-a-call" function of phones like Diamonds, Touch Pro and HD is the dumbest way to prevent accidental presses on the touch screen.
Our devices have a light sensor, that could be used to switch off the screen if the phone is near the ear (like the phone using an "i" word ) and keep it on when you answer with loudspeaker for example.
The "problem" with this function is that when you're already in a "no-light" environment, the screen lock function doesn't work.
To resolve this issue, I think we could use the G-Sensor. Indeed, if the place has no light, then, the phone cannot detect the proximity of a ear. But when you put the phone next to the ear, you hold it a the vertical...
To make it short, the app should do :
Do nothing in normal use.
When a call arrives :
- it monitors the ambient light
If there's light :
- when you answer the call, if there's light then no more (you stick the phone next to the ear), it switches off the screen and continue to monitor.
- while in call, if there's light again (you want to see some info on the screen for example), it switches on the screen and continue to monitor.
- and so on until you end the call
If there's no light :
- when you answer the call, but let it at the horizontal (you let it on the desk for example), it does nothing
- if you take the phone on the vertical position (you stick the phone next to the ear), it switches the screen off.
- if the phone, during a call, goes from vertical to horizontal of horizontal to vertical, the screen is switches on/of
- and so on until you end the call
Obviously, you could replace the "switch on/off screen" with "lock/unlock screen".
What do you think about ?
UPDATE :
After playing a bit with the HD, it appears that HTC DOES use the light sensor for turning the screen off during a call.
Let's do a test :
In a place with plenty light :
- put your mobile with the face up
- call a number (always face up) : the screen will not be switched off until the light sensor detects a loss of luminosity or a timeout set in the registry.
So, my conclusion is that HTC already use the light sensor to switch the screen off during a call, but they do it in an absurd way :
- they poll the sensor just to shut down the screen, not to switch it on.
- once the screen has been switched off, they do not longer poll at all.
Do you think it could be a way to "hack" their system to do what we want to do ?
no one has an opinion on this idea ? if there's nobody that want / have the time to develop a soft, I understand, but at least please, give me just your opinion
I agree with your idea for such an application. I must admit that I am very used to just pushing the power button when I answer a call (from Polaris use) to ensure I am not going into other programmes as I rub the phone against my ear. On the other hand I am trying to get used to the Touch HD's modern automatic method but I can't help not feeling relaxed that it has worked and keep trying to look at the screen in the corner of my eye to see if it did go off or not.
If it does not come now I am sure there will be such an app very soon just as you describe especially as all the latest models now have it.
i'd use the half of it that doesn't require the G-sensor as i don't have a diamond or HD...
but i'm certainly sick and tired of my ear operating my touch screen while i'm speaking.
I've written a prototype to do exactly what you are talking about although the one crucial part I am missing is the lock code. Every example or suggestion for locking the screen is very hacky and never feels like a good approach. If anyone has a good solution for locking the screen (especially in managed code) I would be happy to complete what I have started and release it with source so it could be improved upon.
So far, the best locking utility I have seen is PocketShield although I'm not sure what approach was used for locking in that case. It almost feels like a form that captures all windows events but I'm not sure exactly.
fireweed said:
I've written a prototype to do exactly what you are talking about although the one crucial part I am missing is the lock code. Every example or suggestion for locking the screen is very hacky and never feels like a good approach. If anyone has a good solution for locking the screen (especially in managed code) I would be happy to complete what I have started and release it with source so it could be improved upon.
So far, the best locking utility I have seen is PocketShield although I'm not sure what approach was used for locking in that case. It almost feels like a form that captures all windows events but I'm not sure exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe the simpliest way to "protect" the screen is to switch it off. I suppose it must be some API to do that ?
Concerning the "locking", I think the simpliest way is to put on focus an empty window (transparent if it can be ).
I'm really happy to know that you're working on an app like that
lpaso said:
Hi,
I recently bought a HTC Touch HD, and I think that the "shutdown-screen-when-you-answer-a-call" function of phones like Diamonds, Touch Pro and HD is the dumbest way to prevent accidental presses on the touch screen.
Our devices have a light sensor, that could be used to switch off the screen if the phone is near the ear (like the phone using an "i" word ) and keep it on when you answer with loudspeaker for example.
The "problem" with this function is that when you're already in a "no-light" environment, the screen lock function doesn't work.
To resolve this issue, I think we could use the G-Sensor. Indeed, if the place has no light, then, the phone cannot detect the proximity of a ear. But when you put the phone next to the ear, you hold it a the vertical...
To make it short, the app should do :
Do nothing in normal use.
When a call arrives :
- it monitors the ambient light
If there's light :
- when you answer the call, if there's light then no more (you stick the phone next to the ear), it switches off the screen and continue to monitor.
- while in call, if there's light again (you want to see some info on the screen for example), it switches on the screen and continue to monitor.
- and so on until you end the call
If there's no light :
- when you answer the call, but let it at the horizontal (you let it on the desk for example), it does nothing
- if you take the phone on the vertical position (you stick the phone next to the ear), it switches the screen off.
- if the phone, during a call, goes from vertical to horizontal of horizontal to vertical, the screen is switches on/of
- and so on until you end the call
Indeed, you could replace the "switch on/off screen" with "lock/unlock screen".
What do you think about ?
I searched the forum for an existing app that could do this, but I didn't find anything.
If there's already an app that do this stuff, I'm truely sorry for this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking for this.. If you find a solution send me a PM, I will do the same
Thanks!
We need this app, how does the iphone acheive this?
I think the 'easiest' way to make this app would be to keep the phone doing what it does currently (put the phone on standby when answering a call) then have the light sensor take the phone out of standby when it receives light, (taking it away from your ear)?
Obviously if its dark then we would have to use the power butten as we currently do now or have the Gsensor do it with a twisting motion (vertical to horizontal).
If anyone has an idea how to program this i'm willing to help in any way, the current systems seems so crude on such tech devices!
DB
lpaso said:
Hi,
I searched the forum for an existing app that could do this, but I didn't find anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There a program, that can help you. Not full, but it can switch off screen, using g-sensor. However its using not vertical aligment of the phone. There are using changing orientation of the phone to decide when phone near the ear.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2622590&postcount=45
I have always wondered why our WM phones don't do what the iphone does...
For the SE Xperia X1, the light sensor is right near the earpiece (along with the little front facing camera), so it would go to virtually 100% darkness when near the ear. I would presume unless you are using the phone also in 100% darkness (which should be pretty rare I would guess) then it would work like the iphone.
I have also been quite annoyed by the fact that after a phonecall, sometimes I found i'm in a note taking program or weather program or something else. It just seems dumb, considering our phone HAVE these lightsensors?!
I think it's a fantastic idea to solve a VERY FRUSTRATING PROBLEM
lpaso said:
no one has an opinion on this idea ? if there's nobody that want / have the time to develop a soft, I understand, but at least please, give me just your opinion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would rank myself this way:
Not a newbie who's just gotten a touchscreen phone and is now discovering the quirks when holding screen to ear,
and not a developer,
but a power-user. I have installed all sorts of XDA-developed features/enhancements for my phone.
But now I have 4 years experience -- starting with the T-Mobile MDA, and its successor, the T-Mobile WING. And despite all of the advancements expected in that time, STILL, I inadvertently end a call, or put it on hold accidentally, ALL THE TIME. Between that and trying to retrieve the phone from my pocket just to answer the damn ringing phone, I would say I have, on the average, a 20% success rate -- and 80% of the time the call is disrupted. And at least once a day my ohone, in my pocket, even when using s2u2, manages to REDIAL my latest conversation, so mcuh so that all my friends say "why don;t you get rid of that phone. It does all these whiz bang things but still can't reliably manage a basic phone call.
My most recent experiment was to call someone, then when they answered, press the s2U2 key to lock the phone screen. Only I came to find out from A_C that this is no good: S2u2 does not have recognition that you're ending the call, thus, since it's in lock-mode, the "END CALL" or Hang-Up hard key does not work.
So by all means, I would even pay for an app that once and for all handles the baseline problems of simply making a phone call. Thanks for making this request.
fireweed, have you contacted A_C, author of s2u2 ?
There may just be perfect synergy between the two of you. His "best of breed" screen-lock app is widely used -- and other developers, like supbro, for example, author of iDialer, have collaborated on small code-bits from A_C to solve some integration problems.
If for any reason you are unfamiliar with A_C, go to his website: www.ac-s2.com -- where his apps are explained, and all link back to XDA.
He's even managed to make the screen lock work, yet, have it selectively overridden when you insert headphone jack -- such that his s2p (slide to play) app opens and allows you to switch music tracks etc while otherwise the screen and buttons are all fully locked...
fireweed said:
I've written a prototype to do exactly what you are talking about although the one crucial part I am missing is the lock code. Every example or suggestion for locking the screen is very hacky and never feels like a good approach. If anyone has a good solution for locking the screen (especially in managed code) I would be happy to complete what I have started and release it with source so it could be improved upon.
So far, the best locking utility I have seen is PocketShield although I'm not sure what approach was used for locking in that case. It almost feels like a form that captures all windows events but I'm not sure exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
After playing a bit with the HD, it appears that HTC DOES use the light sensor for turning the screen off during a call.
Let's do a test :
In a place with plenty light :
- put your mobile with the face up
- call a number (always face up) : the screen will not be switched off until the light sensor detects a loss of luminosity or the timeout set in the registry expires.
So, my conclusion is that HTC already use the light sensor to switch the screen off during a call, but they do it in an absurd way :
- they poll the sensor just to shut down the screen, not to switch it on.
- once the screen has been switched off, they do not longer poll at all.
Do you think it could be a way to "hack" their system to do what we want to do ?
I think HTC does not only switch off the display but goes to standby (phone works independent if you didn't know yet). Your idea is a lot different in terms of programming.
I don't know if it goes to standby : when the screen is switched off during a call, a press on any button switch it on again. In the registry, the key controlling the timeout before the screen is shut off is named "LightSensorToScreenOff" so I think it is just switching off the screen...
lpaso said:
I don't know if it goes to standby : when the screen is switched off during a call, a press on any button switch it on again. In the registry, the key controlling the timeout before the screen is shut off is named "LightSensorToScreenOff" so I think it is just switching off the screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if thats the case, its HALF of what the iphone does... it turns off the screen based on the light sensor going dark suddenly (next to ear) but then fails to turn the screen back on after you move the phone away from your ear...
Anyone know how to enable this?
Interested in having this feature too. Isn't it possible to have the G-Sensor determine when the phone is vertical and shut the screen and then when it is lying flat to turn the screen back on again. Believe that the Iphone does it this way, not with the light sensor.
Hmm... I never had my ear 'navigating' my phone during in-call before....
I never allowed the screen to touch my face anyway, and the speaker is facing the ear canal, when I receive or make calls...
But i do understand that s2u2 can do what you guys might need, it locks the screen during in call.
Hennyb said:
Interested in having this feature too. Isn't it possible to have the G-Sensor determine when the phone is vertical and shut the screen and then when it is lying flat to turn the screen back on again. Believe that the Iphone does it this way, not with the light sensor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the Iphone has something called proximity sensor, which senses the distance from the ear to the phone, hence when the phone rest on the outer ear, the phone screen shut off.
Or am I wrong?
Section9 said:
I think the Iphone has something called proximity sensor, which senses the distance from the ear to the phone, hence when the phone rest on the outer ear, the phone screen shut off.
Or am I wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you're right. It uses an iR sensor to know if there's something near the phone.

Is there a way to keep the screen always on ?

Hi!
It may look strange, but I really would like to keep the screen of the gear watch always on, at the lowest possible light setting and that when the watch detects the wrist movement, the light settings come back to the normal one.
I'm sure this will add up to very low battrey life. But if I can get a day like this, it would be great!
Thanks!
I wanted this at first, because coming from the Pebble -it's just so convenient having the screen accessible all the time and the gesture doesn't always register.My idea was that it should just be a very minimal screen in terms of pixel use to leverage the power saving qualities of the AMOLED tech. Problem is, the AMOLED screen is also known for burn-in on the phones, so I'm afraid even if we set this it would damage the watch screen in the long run (and I would be ok if I only got a day of use also, as I'm fine charging every night anyways).
There is a watchface called "AlwaysWatch" in the Samsung Gear store that's supposed to give you an always on face until the battery runs out. Problem is, it runs as an app instead of the default face and of course I'm afraid to try it due to the burn-in issue. I sent the developer a note saying make the watchface a small, but still legible digital font instead of analog and float the time around the screen periodically would get around this burn-in risk, we'll see if he adds the option.
Thanks for the info on this app (I also have a pebble ).
In order not to burn the screen, it would be preferable to change the watchface form time to time and put it in the lowet light possible...
FixB said:
Thanks for the info on this app (I also have a pebble ).
In order not to burn the screen, it would be preferable to change the watchface form time to time and put it in the lowet light possible...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of my disappointments besides the flaky gesture wake up is that there doesn't seem to be an ambient light sensor to trigger screen brightness changes. I would have thought that would be a no brainer for a device such as this by now.
rEVOLVE said:
One of my disappointments besides the flaky gesture wake up is that there doesn't seem to be an ambient light sensor to trigger screen brightness changes. I would have thought that would be a no brainer for a device such as this by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe the camera light sensor in the Gear 2 could be used for that purpose?

[APP][Android 6+] Ambi-Turner - wake up ambient display

I've created an app that wakes ambient display when you take the phone out of your pocket or if you have the phone face down and turn it over. The app is in addition to Google's ambient display and does not change your lock screen in anyway. It can also set "pulses" of ambient display. The free version allows you to have it always pulse while charging.
I added a few other paid features for tilt or lift to unlock, wave to unlock, pulsing at an interval, and battery percentage display on the ambient display.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or run into any problems. Thank you!
Check it out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compass.ambiturner
Pulse means, as long as i have for exampel a unread whatsapp message, ambi is showing at the set pulse time?
Maybe ill test it on OP3 with CM14.1 running ... will report back!
MultiCulti said:
Pulse means, as long as i have for exampel a unread whatsapp message, ambi is showing at the set pulse time?
Maybe ill test it on OP3 with CM14.1 running ... will report back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. There is a filter for you to choose which apps can trigger a pulse. The pulse timeout is how long do you want the pulses to continue before it stops (to save battery). Pulse will temporarily pause when your phone goes into deep sleep. I could wake it up, but that's a much larger battery hit.
The other features seems to have little to now battery impact. Pulse is fine as long as the interval isn't set crazy low.
So far I've only personally tested it on stock Pixel XL.
ok, so far its working fine here!
Just the pulse isnt working (tried whatsapp and google messenger)
Love the idea off showing the battery, but its not that looking good :silly:
but i think, you just can manage this as "notification", or am i wrong?
anyways, good idea so far, will follow (bought it anyway) :laugh:
MultiCulti said:
ok, so far its working fine here!
Just the pulse isnt working (tried whatsapp and google messenger)
Love the idea off showing the battery, but its not that looking good :silly:
but i think, you just can manage this as "notification", or am i wrong?
anyways, good idea so far, will follow (bought it anyway) :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery level is a notification. I'll create a custom layout to improve the look in a future update.
The pulse is the least reliable feature. I'm still working out the kinks, but doze and deep sleep definitely are one problem. I'm testing various ways and will try to get it as consistent as possible.
Alarm Manager would work but it would drain battery.
Looks great! Just to confirm - you need to have a lock screen set up for it to work?
poczynek said:
Looks great! Just to confirm - you need to have a lock screen set up for it to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it works with androids Ambient Display. So if you have that and it's turned on it should work.
So I've done some limited testing with the app white listed from doze and so far it improves the responsiveness significantly. I don't know the battery impacts yet, but if it's not noticeable I'll add code to prompt users to white list it.
Other upcoming changes:
Advanced settings to adjust wait times for how long the phone has to be in your pocket or laying flat before a wake can occur.
A pulse option that initially pulses faster when a notification comes in, and progressively shows down until the timeout.
Possibly change in lock screen battery indicator appearance.
Filter on laying flat thresholds. I suspect the accelerometer incorrectly reports the phone tilted while it is laying flat on occasion.
New update posted.
I may have discovered what is causing the intermittent nature of wave to wake. I made some changes in how I'm using the proximity sensor so that should help. I'll have to wait and see after a day or so of use to see how consistent it is.
I also added an option to turn off the wake from pocket.
There's now a help screen with an email developer button and some troubleshooting hints. I've been getting a large number of 1 star reviews, and many of them are people who don't realize you need to have ambient display turned on and a lock screen set, so I included more info on that.
Oh, and the notification is now hidden unless you have the Battery Indicator selected!
If anyone is still having problems with tilt to wake please let me know. On my Pixel XL that has been working every time all day. There is sometimes a delay, but I think that's due to the aggressiveness of Android 7.1 putting the device into sleep.
Awesome app. I bought it mainly because of Wave To Wake, but for some reason it works two times on my Nexus 6 and then stops working until I turn my screen on and off again. Oh, and I've already whitelisted Ambi-Turner from the battery optimisation.
Also I would love if you could make Ambient Display work as soon as I turn the screen off, without having to wait for 10 or 3 seconds.
Thank you a lot for your hard work, I hope this can be fixed. Please contact me if I can help with anything!
Ygor Cortes said:
Awesome app. I bought it mainly because of Wave To Wake, but for some reason it works two times on my Nexus 6 and then stops working until I turn my screen on and off again. Oh, and I've already whitelisted Ambi-Turner from the battery optimisation.
Also I would love if you could make Ambient Display work as soon as I turn the screen off, without having to wait for 10 or 3 seconds.
Thank you a lot for your hard work, I hope this can be fixed. Please contact me if I can help with anything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to get wave to wake as consistent as possible. Did you update last night? Let me know if that helps it.
I'm actually working on some advanced settings to let you control those timeouts.
grokus said:
I'm trying to get wave to wake as consistent as possible. Did you update last night? Let me know if that helps it.
I'm actually working on some advanced settings to let you control those timeouts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm testing it right now and it's still quite inconsistent. Though I never know if I'm waving too fast or too slow, you know? Maybe if there was a way to make it more sensitive? Thanks for the attention! ;D
Edit: just to be clear, Wave To Wake does only work two times, but I discovered that I don't actually need to turn the screen on for it to work, I can just move the device (then Ambient Display will turn on) and after that the Wave To Wake will work again (though still only two times). I believe it has something to do with the time after it's been awake or something like that.
Android Wear Issue
Ok...I love the app when its working and even bought the Pro. So worth it to me.
This morning I forgot my Android Wear watch (LG Urbane) at home and Ambi Turner was working perfectly. I had to run home at lunch, grabbed my watch, turned it on and now Ambi Turner isn't working.
Any thoughts how to get around this?
mschumacker said:
Ok...I love the app when its working and even bought the Pro. So worth it to me.
This morning I forgot my Android Wear watch (LG Urbane) at home and Ambi Turner was working perfectly. I had to run home at lunch, grabbed my watch, turned it on and now Ambi Turner isn't working.
Any thoughts how to get around this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE: I turned off the 'Mute' for my watch and Ambi Turner started working again. Hmm...gotta thing this one through. Turning on Mute alerts my watch, but I also see them on Amber Display.
Ygor Cortes said:
I'm testing it right now and it's still quite inconsistent. Though I never know if I'm waving too fast or too slow, you know? Maybe if there was a way to make it more sensitive? Thanks for the attention! ;D
Edit: just to be clear, Wave To Wake does only work two times, but I discovered that I don't actually need to turn the screen on for it to work, I can just move the device (then Ambient Display will turn on) and after that the Wave To Wake will work again (though still only two times). I believe it has something to do with the time after it's been awake or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm adding some customization for the wave timeouts. I wish I could measure hand distance from phone but the pixel and nexus sensors don't have that granularity the way moto phones do.
mschumacker said:
UPDATE: I turned off the 'Mute' for my watch and Ambi Turner started working again. Hmm...gotta thing this one through. Turning on Mute alerts my watch, but I also see them on Amber Display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm that's strange. I'm using a garmin fitness watch that has notifications and haven't seen anything like that. Does your watch somehow mute notifications on your phone so that only the watch displays them?
grokus said:
Hmm that's strange. I'm using a garmin fitness watch that has notifications and haven't seen anything like that. Does your watch somehow mute notifications on your phone so that only the watch displays them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes...there is a setting in Android Watch (Silence phone while wearing watch ) in the new version. It used to be 'Mute calls and notifications'. Its actually very handy so that when I'm in a meeting, I just get a vibration on my watch instead of my phone making any noise. Add the 'Feel the Wear' app where you can customize the vibration pattern per app...just a great combo.
EDIT: Since I just got a new version of Android Watch, it seems I can turn on the Silence option and the AmbiTurner, wake on wave, is working! Woo HOO!
Made tons of improvements. Tilt to wake should be extremely reliable now. There is also a lift to wake option. I reduced the speed you need to wave, so it should be much easier to trigger now. I also added an option to always pulse while charging.
Let me know how it works!
I had taken a break from updating it because I became a father but I have a little spare time now.
grokus said:
Made tons of improvements. Tilt to wake should be extremely reliable now. There is also a lift to wake option. I reduced the speed you need to wave, so it should be much easier to trigger now. I also added an option to always pulse while charging.
Let me know how it works!
I had taken a break from updating it because I became a father but I have a little spare time now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@grokus is this app still being developed?
Sent from my LG-H990 using XDA Labs

AOD (Always On Display) Auto Off?

So apparently on Samsungs official news site , the AOD display has a sensor that will disable the AOD when it's placed inside a pocket or a bag (Why would your watch be in your pocket or bag instead of your wrist?). You would think this would also work if say you're wearing a long sleeve shirt. I have been unable to trigger this via long sleeve shirts and I don't have thin enough clothing to test the pocket, nor do I own a bag to test.
"The device’s 3-inch circular Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 360 x 360. Its 16 million colors, full color Always On Watch continuously shows the time rather than fading to black. The ambient light sensor helps to adjust the brightness of displayed information and works to automatically disable the Always On Watch when users can’t see the screen, such as when the watch is in a pocket or a bag. Users can opt to personalize their Always On Watch with customizable, interactive watch faces."
Who's willing to help me test this feature?
Naturesretard said:
So apparently on Samsungs official news site , the AOD display has a sensor that will disable the AOD when it's placed inside a pocket or a bag (Why would your watch be in your pocket or bag instead of your wrist?). You would think this would also work if say you're wearing a long sleeve shirt. I have been unable to trigger this via long sleeve shirts and I don't have thin enough clothing to test the pocket, nor do I own a bag to test.
"The device’s 3-inch circular Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 360 x 360. Its 16 million colors, full color Always On Watch continuously shows the time rather than fading to black. The ambient light sensor helps to adjust the brightness of displayed information and works to automatically disable the Always On Watch when users can’t see the screen, such as when the watch is in a pocket or a bag. Users can opt to personalize their Always On Watch with customizable, interactive watch faces."
Who's willing to help me test this feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone already posted on the forums about how their AOD wasn't working, and they found out it was because their strap was blocking their wrist from making contact with the sensor. I'm guessing that the heart rate sensor didn't sense a pulse and turned off the screen completely, or some other sensor all together.
Here's the link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s3/help/problems-feature-t3507324/page2
My AOD also turns off when the watch determines that I'm sleeping and then requires a security pin.
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optimummind said:
My AOD also turns off when the watch determines that I'm sleeping and then requires a security pin.
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My AOD works just fine. But it will not turn off when sleeping or covered. It senses my heartbeat just fine. Perhaps my unit is defective? How did you get it to turn it when sleeping, anything special?
Naturesretard said:
My AOD works just fine. But it will not turn off when sleeping or covered. It senses my heartbeat just fine. Perhaps my unit is defective? How did you get it to turn it when sleeping, anything special?
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Nothing special. My Classic began to track my sleep automatically out of the box. After I wake up, I press a button or rotate the bezel then put in my pin. Shortly afterwards, I get an alert on the watch and it shows in numbers & a graph how long I slept and also shows me how long I was motionless, how long I had a little bit of movement, and how long I was restless.
When the watch is simply covered up by my longsleeve shirt or a jacket, my AOD doesn't turn off.
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It won't turn off AOD with long sleeves, because it knows you're wearing it. It only turns off if it's NOT on your wrist. Or when you're sleeping.
Did anyone install the new PK7 watch update on their Gear S3? Any issues with AOD? Like AOD not working or turning off despite the AOD setting being on?
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I just got my Frontier today, and I came here now looking for answers on the AOD feature i have been hearing about but have not witnessed as of yet... My watch goes completely black every time after about 4 to 5 second of inactivity. Like i said i was coming here now to XDA to find out if this was a config problem or what?? Two things I have seen here that may be an issue for me, 1 - i always wear long sleeve shirts, and 2 - i have always had trouble with the smart watch heart rate monitors getting a good pulse on my wrist. (This is my 5th smartwatch, 4th samsung) I did do all of the updates today when initially using watch. I have been wearing it about 8 hours. Hope this helps.
S1CAR1US said:
I just got my Frontier today, and I came here now looking for answers on the AOD feature i have been hearing about but have not witnessed as of yet... My watch goes completely black every time after about 4 to 5 second of inactivity. Like i said i was coming here now to XDA to find out if this was a config problem or what?? Two things I have seen here that may be an issue for me, 1 - i always wear long sleeve shirts, and 2 - i have always had trouble with the smart watch heart rate monitors getting a good pulse on my wrist. (This is my 5th smartwatch, 4th samsung) I did do all of the updates today when initially using watch. I have been wearing it about 8 hours. Hope this helps.
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Settings > Style > Always on. Have you turned that on?
Also, it won't work if the watch isn't on your wrist.
Is there a way to increase the brightness of the AOD? Mine is hard to see unless I'm in a fairly dark room.
lyall29 said:
Is there a way to increase the brightness of the AOD? Mine is hard to see unless I'm in a fairly dark room.
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No, I just kept gesture motion on.
kronium said:
No, I just kept gesture motion on.
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That's my set up also.
lyall29 said:
Is there a way to increase the brightness of the AOD? Mine is hard to see unless I'm in a fairly dark room.
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Try Settings, Display, Brightness.
gpmg762 said:
Try Settings, Display, Brightness.
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Thanks, this does seem to be the only way to make the AOD brighter.
"Samsung Flaunt" is a widget you can install, i installed it on mine (you have to select it from widget once installed) as i found certain faces i have time out into a default (black face white hands and red second hand) i didnt want this, i wanted a face of my selection be it downloaded or a pre-installed face to remain on at all times especially if i go out, if you select the "Frontier" face (pre-installed) and have AOD Turned on you lose very little in quality / dimming when the time out kicks in, with "Samsung Flaunt" you install the widget and this then allows you to have the watch face on for up to 30 mins, However it will eat your battery, but then i can live with day to day charging, I like the idea of going out for a meal or a beer with pals and my face being on, i like the idea of a smart watch simulating a "real" watch look, as we all know there are thousands of faces we can select to show off.
S1CAR1US you can change the time out by going settings/Display/Screen Timeout/ then theres a choice of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes, if you select the desired time out, and go back to your normal face, by clicking your bezel one click left (notifications) and one click right (watch face) your face should remain on for that length of time, if this isn't long enough (wasn't for me) i used the "Samsung Flaunt" widget.
Rgds
Is it possible or not to set automatique disable AOD for exemple every day at 23 h to 07 h ?
[email protected] said:
Is it possible or not to set automatique disable AOD for exemple every day at 23 h to 07 h ?
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Would be very useful, but it is not possible.
I mean you can't set it in system settings, but it is possible to use a "complication" in Gear Watch Designer.
I designed a couple of watch faces setting a complication to turn off AOD every night, was very simple.
slimsta said:
"Samsung Flaunt" is a widget you can install, i installed it on mine (you have to select it from widget once installed) as i found certain faces i have time out into a default (black face white hands and red second hand) i didnt want this, i wanted a face of my selection be it downloaded or a pre-installed face to remain on at all times especially if i go out, if you select the "Frontier" face (pre-installed) and have AOD Turned on you lose very little in quality / dimming when the time out kicks in, with "Samsung Flaunt" you install the widget and this then allows you to have the watch face on for up to 30 mins, However it will eat your battery, but then i can live with day to day charging, I like the idea of going out for a meal or a beer with pals and my face being on, i like the idea of a smart watch simulating a "real" watch look, as we all know there are thousands of faces we can select to show off.
S1CAR1US you can change the time out by going settings/Display/Screen Timeout/ then theres a choice of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes, if you select the desired time out, and go back to your normal face, by clicking your bezel one click left (notifications) and one click right (watch face) your face should remain on for that length of time, if this isn't long enough (wasn't for me) i used the "Samsung Flaunt" widget.
Rgds
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Click to collapse
Where did u install it from.. Cannot find it in playstore store nor Samsung stire
Sent from my Nexus 6P
I went into samsung gear app/samsung Galaxy apps/searched for flaunt, installed and it should sync to widgets on your s3 gear, hope this helps?
Secret section gear 3
lyall29 said:
thanks, this does seem to be the only way to make the aod brighter.
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if you guys trying fix all the lil things like brightness and touch and sound go settings_gear info_about device_software version when you infront of this click 5x and that will bring up dialer on there then just press *#0*# from here you can mess with brightness and all sorts of stuff if you figure wat *#0011# will help me out been trying bunch old codes from my s3 s5 days alot work on this lil thing and also if anyone figures out how too turn on dev mode cuz of thizzz pm me thanks....

How to get "ScreenSaver" while the S3 Fronteir is on "Always On"

While I had my my AT&T S3 Frontier LTE watch set to "Always On" I was getting something like a "Screensaver" which consisted of just the hour and minutes hands in white on a black background. It came on after the watch display dimmed and after the display time out. This happened while using the Chronograph+ (default) watch face. It was a distinctive + useful screen face that probably saved me some battery life. Now the displays dims after the time out and then it turns completely off (black). After I power cycled the S3 yesterday, I stopped getting this "Screensaver" and can't find the settings combination that will get this "screensaver" back. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how to get it back?
tamanaco said:
While I had my my AT&T S3 Frontier LTE watch set to "Always On" I was getting something like a "Screensaver" which consisted of just the hour and minutes hands in white on a black background. It came on after the watch display dimmed and after the display time out. This happened while using the Chronograph+ (default) watch face. It was a distinctive + useful screen face that probably saved me some battery life. Now the displays dims after the time out and then it turns completely off (black). After I power cycled the S3 yesterday, I stopped getting this "Screensaver" and can't find the settings combination that will get this "screensaver" back. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how to get it back?
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Click to collapse
Enable Settings -> Style -> Watch Always On
tamanaco said:
While I had my my AT&T S3 Frontier LTE watch set to "Always On" I was getting something like a "Screensaver" which consisted of just the hour and minutes hands in white on a black background. It came on after the watch display dimmed and after the display time out. This happened while using the Chronograph+ (default) watch face. It was a distinctive + useful screen face that probably saved me some battery life. Now the displays dims after the time out and then it turns completely off (black). After I power cycled the S3 yesterday, I stopped getting this "Screensaver" and can't find the settings combination that will get this "screensaver" back. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how to get it back?
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Click to collapse
I don't think I've really ever used the default faces. I know in a lot of the Watchmaker faces you can get a toned down face with maybe just the numbers and hands glowing when using AOD mode but I don't know about the default faces. In display settings there's a setting for auto low brightness that may affect that.
10urshin said:
Enable Settings -> Style -> Watch Always On
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If you read the first sentence of my post you'd see that I'm already using this setting.
tamanaco said:
If you read the first sentence of my post you'd see that I'm already using this setting.
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Yea i have read it. Not just first sentence but I also read the whole thing, you must admit it is not really making much sense. "Screensaver"? There is no such thing on this watch, only AOD and "Now the displays dims after the time out and then it turns completely off (black)." this sentence perfectly describes the AOD off behavior. So i thought it worth mentioning.
Only other thing that comes to my mind is default analog AOD watchface(attachment) which is something watch shows if the current watchface does not support AOD. But since you stated that you were getting your "screensaver" on Chronograph+ which supports AOD, it doesn't really make sense either.
Anyway hope you'll find your answer.
I also saw this "screensaver" mode in a review video somewhere, but I have not been able to locate it again. Once I find it, I'll post a screenshot of it.
tamanaco said:
While I had my my AT&T S3 Frontier LTE watch set to "Always On" I was getting something like a "Screensaver" which consisted of just the hour and minutes hands in white on a black background. It came on after the watch display dimmed and after the display time out. This happened while using the Chronograph+ (default) watch face. It was a distinctive + useful screen face that probably saved me some battery life. Now the displays dims after the time out and then it turns completely off (black). After I power cycled the S3 yesterday, I stopped getting this "Screensaver" and can't find the settings combination that will get this "screensaver" back. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how to get it back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinking more about it, I don't think the AOD is even supposed to remain on all the time. That has been a major complaint, the AOD mode not being actually AOD. What you're experiencing now isn't normal and there should be no setting to change that. If you want to set up the watch again, you might try resetting it. That's assuming you've already tried just restarting it.
What comes to my mind with "Watch always on" (or "Always On Display", AOD) and having screen completely black is if watch thought at some point that you weren`t wearing it - only in that case should the screen go completely black with AOD set, otherwise it should, well, keep "always on display", that`s the point of the setting
When you take the watch off your hand, then it goes blank even though AOD setting is still active - watch is "playing it smart" to preserve battery life in case where you`re not actively using it.
But, it`s possible for the watch to (wrongly) think that you`re not wearing it even when you do, thus turning the screen off when it should otherwise be in AOD mode (as set). For example, it can happen when your wrist band is a bit loose so the heart rate sensor has issues reading your pulse, or when the heart rate sensor itself is smudgy or otherwise blocked to make the valid reading - some people with tattoos reported that AOD doesn`t really work for them, having the screen constantly turning off (tattoo effectively confusing the heart rate sensor reading).
This is especially troublesome if you`re using "Samsung Pay", where the watch asks for you PIN in order to unlock itself every-single-time, as it`s thinking that you didn`t wear it in the meantime...
All this said, from what you described, it looks like AOD doesn`t work for you at all anymore, as what you seem to call "Screensaver" is actually AOD - a dimmed and more simple version of the watch, whose main purpose is to spare the battery while still providing a bit more realistic feel, having the watchface shown all the time.
There is additional "trick" to trigger AOD mode (once you have the setting configured), besides simply waiting for some (configured) time to pass by - just cover the watch with your palm for a few seconds, and it should fall back to AOD mode. If the screen goes blank instead, you might have an issue with the watch.
It would be good to have some default watchface in use when you`re trying AOD (like mentioned Chronograph+), just to opt out a possibly "broken" third-party watchface, and you could also check if "S Health" heart-rate reading works for you, starting a heart-rate readout manually (you can use a widget for that as well).
If the issue is still there, you may try restarting the watch again, or eventually soft (or factory) resetting might be a thing to go for, too, though you`ll have to setup the watch again, as already mentioned.
I have seen the exact same behavior. My AOD will suddenly become black and white, while normally it is full color, and any app icons that are usually on the AOD disappear. When the watch is active (by turning wrist or touching the screen), the full color face returns and looks normal - it is only the AOD that is always B&W. The difference for me is that I don't like it and I would like to figure out how to get it to stop happening.
I've had the watch for about 2 months and it has happened to me 3 times with different watch faces. It lasts from several hours to more than a day. I have changed every related face setting, changed faces, changed face settings, AOD settings, restarted, and reset the watch completely (and restore), but it still happens. The only thing that I've noticed may help (may be coincidence) is that it will stay indefinitely until I power cycle the watch. After restarting, the AOD remains black and white for a few hours and then suddenly the color AOD will return. Next time it happens I will take a pic.
I'm actually somewhat relieved that I'm not the only one who has seen this because my googling revealed next to nothing. I don't know if I would call this a screensaver, but it would be nice to be able to control it.
annulation said:
I'm actually somewhat relieved that I'm not the only one who has seen this because my googling revealed next to nothing. I don't know if I would call this a screensaver, but it would be nice to be able to control it.
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I knew I was not seeing things... please take a picture if it happens again, so that we can have a reference image. I'll do the same if it happens to me again. In certain situations... I actually like just having the hour and minute hands in "brightish" white on black background. Like you, I would also like to control it. I thought it was a "screensaver-like" feature as the watch face turns mostly black. But as you say, it might be a glitch... it has not happened to me since I last power cycled the S3.
Low Color AOD
I finally figured it out.
The behavior is called "Low Color AOD" and "High Color AOD". It is controllable by swiping from the right side of the screen near 5 o'clock straight up. This consistently toggles it for me, and a popup message shows a message saying either "Low Color AOD" or "High Color AOD". See pics attached (sorry, don't know how to rotate them).
Pics:
1. Low Color AOD
2. High Color AOD
3. popup message Low Color AOD
4. popup message High Color AOD
Only some faces support this behavior. For me, "Low Color AOD" always means monochrome B&W and no app icons.
PS - this face is called "Stylish Set" and the creator gives free coupons for it if you email him. It is one of the few faces I've found that shows day/date, with temperature and battery.
As mentioned, the function described is dependent on the functionality of each watch face independent of the watch itself. If a given watch face supports it, it can be accessed. The "always on" function also depends on the capabilities of each watch face. Some have customized always on displays, and some do not (generic). The watch will go black if it senses it is not against the skin (the sensor on the back). This will also cause the watch to lock again and require the security code to re-activate. If a band is too loose, the watch can falsely think it has been taken off. The time that the watch face itself is on can be extended with an app called "Flaunt" available from the Galaxy app store. It can extend the original watch face active time to 30 minutes. It can then be re-activated to extend for other 30 minute time periods. Of course it does impact the battery life.

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