Database Info

Buggy "Always On" Mode on Samsung Gear S2

When I turn on the "Always On" mode in settings the "just two watch hands" mode sputters (flashing a couple of times) on the screen. Within a second or two the full watch screen then reappears. If I set the watch down on a flat surface, a variant of the same thing happens: the two watch hands (only) will appear for a second or two, then sputter and then the screen goes blank. If I use a digital watch face, it's the same thing except it is the numeric time values in black and white that sputter on and off. I have done a factory reset and it didn't help. If I have an app loaded up, same thing: the screen dims, the watch face sputters on then off again and the app lights back up. I called Samsung tech support and they are a complete joke. I thought that in "Always On" mode you would see just the dimmed watch hands and nothing else most when in watch mode. Help!

For me the Always on works fine with Samsung watch faces, however it behaves erratically with custom watch faces.

ColMustard said:
For me the Always on works fine with Samsung watch faces, however it behaves erratically with custom watch faces.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I've tried it with several of the stock watch faces and with a couple from Mr. Time Maker and they all have the same problem. So, when "Always On" is "On" what happens if you just sit the watch down on a table or something? Does it stay on or does it need to somehow recognize that it is on a wrist? And, do you see just the watch hands when the watch is "idle" and then the full watch screen appears when you lift the phone towards your line of sight? Just trying to get a proper diagnosis here - thanks for your help!

I'm thinking you also have the Wake-up Gesture under the Device setting turned on. If so, these both being turned on can compete with each other. Try turning that off, and see if you like the results. Also, to save battery, the always on watch hands will turn off if the watch senses you set it on a table. Apparently, they will also turn off if you remain still for a prolonged period (30 or 60 minutes?), like laying on a couch or bed.

FitzAusTex said:
I'm thinking you also have the Wake-up Gesture under the Device setting turned on. If so, these both being turned on can compete with each other. Try turning that off, and see if you like the results. Also, to save battery, the always on watch hands will turn off if the watch senses you set it on a table. Apparently, they will also turn off if you remain still for a prolonged period (30 or 60 minutes?), like laying on a couch or bed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was really hoping that you had the solution - seems logical. Alas, I tried turning off the wake up gesture and am still having the same problem. Thanks so much for taking the time to try to help out,

Intljock said:
When I turn on the "Always On" mode in settings the "just two watch hands" mode sputters (flashing a couple of times) on the screen. Within a second or two the full watch screen then reappears. If I set the watch down on a flat surface, a variant of the same thing happens: the two watch hands (only) will appear for a second or two, then sputter and then the screen goes blank. If I use a digital watch face, it's the same thing except it is the numeric time values in black and white that sputter on and off. I have done a factory reset and it didn't help. If I have an app loaded up, same thing: the screen dims, the watch face sputters on then off again and the app lights back up. I called Samsung tech support and they are a complete joke. I thought that in "Always On" mode you would see just the dimmed watch hands and nothing else most when in watch mode. Help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would you expect it to behave? I ask because, unless I'm misinterpreting what you are saying, mine does the same thing, but this is how I would expect (and want) it to work.
It seems to me maybe you expect "Always On" model to suppress the display of the full watch screen even the the wake up gesture is enabled and activated. If that is the case, then what you are expecting is inconsistent with the design.

GeorgeP said:
How would you expect it to behave? I ask because, unless I'm misinterpreting what you are saying, mine does the same thing, but this is how I would expect (and want) it to work.
It seems to me maybe you expect "Always On" model to suppress the display of the full watch screen even the the wake up gesture is enabled and activated. If that is the case, then what you are expecting is inconsistent with the design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you were misinterpreting what I was trying to describe. However, now, for whatever reason, I did another factory reset and it is working correctly and as you described. Thanks for taking the time to assist me!

Intljock said:
I think that you were misinterpreting what I was trying to describe. However, now, for whatever reason, I did another factory reset and it is working correctly and as you described. Thanks for taking the time to assist me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it is working correctly.

I wasn't having your problem but I thought mine was fudged too when I was first playing with it. With it in my hands the ambient mode kept going from screen off to dim w/ the hour/minute hands.
I figured out later it tires to sense when you set the watch down. If you are playing with it, it gets confused. If you set it down on a surface, the screen will go off in ambient mode but will keep the screen lit up when wearing it.

I can't say I have the same problem (Regular Model, Don't use Always On Mode) but another possible reason for it to act erratic when its off your wrist is the watch constantly detects your body to make sure it is on you, this comes into play especially for the auto unlock screen feature for your phone as well as when NFC payments through the watch become available.

Same for me, mine is set to "Always On" is "On", "wake up gesture" is Off, watch face is Modern Utility or BALR, I have it on my wrist and I have two issues:
- When I turn my wrist (to look at the watch) it isn't showing the full display. Have to use a button or the "ring" for this. It worked for several days and then it stopped working. I have done a factory reset already. Seemed to work for a few minutes and then it got confused again.
- Occasionally it even doesn't show the watch hands when in "ambient" mode.
My expectations are:
- "Always On" shows watch face, dial and hands, ALWAYS
- "Aways On" is "Off" shows black screen and when looking at the watch is automatically turns on. Some "smart" watch faces show only dials when screen is "Off"
- "wake up gesture" should not have any impact.

Guys (Gals?), if You want to keep the display turned on all the time, just install 'I am alive' app and have it running in the background.

Carl Stoepker said:
Same for me, mine is set to "Always On" is "On", "wake up gesture" is Off, watch face is Modern Utility or BALR, I have it on my wrist and I have two issues:
- When I turn my wrist (to look at the watch) it isn't showing the full display. Have to use a button or the "ring" for this. It worked for several days and then it stopped working. I have done a factory reset already. Seemed to work for a few minutes and then it got confused again.
- Occasionally it even doesn't show the watch hands when in "ambient" mode.
My expectations are:
- "Always On" shows watch face, dial and hands, ALWAYS
- "Aways On" is "Off" shows black screen and when looking at the watch is automatically turns on. Some "smart" watch faces show only dials when screen is "Off"
- "wake up gesture" should not have any impact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are 3 ways to reset the watch:
1- Light Reset
- Factory Reset
2- with restore previous settings & Apps
3- without restoring previous settings & Apps
Using reset-2 did not fix the "Buggy - Always On" issue
Using reset-3 did fix the "Buggy - Always On" issue.

Carl Stoepker said:
Same for me, mine is set to "Always On" is "On", "wake up gesture" is Off, watch face is Modern Utility or BALR, I have it on my wrist and I have two issues:
- When I turn my wrist (to look at the watch) it isn't showing the full display. Have to use a button or the "ring" for this. It worked for several days and then it stopped working. I have done a factory reset already. Seemed to work for a few minutes and then it got confused again.
- Occasionally it even doesn't show the watch hands when in "ambient" mode.
My expectations are:
- "Always On" shows watch face, dial and hands, ALWAYS
- "Aways On" is "Off" shows black screen and when looking at the watch is automatically turns on. Some "smart" watch faces show only dials when screen is "Off"
- "wake up gesture" should not have any impact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The wake up gesture is initiated by the accelerometer, meaning any movement will wake the watch.
---------- Post added at 08:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:07 AM ----------
Intljock said:
I think that you were misinterpreting what I was trying to describe. However, now, for whatever reason, I did another factory reset and it is working correctly and as you described. Thanks for taking the time to assist me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it worked out.

Carl Stoepker said:
My expectations are:
- "Always On" shows watch face, dial and hands, ALWAYS
- "Aways On" is "Off" shows black screen and when looking at the watch is automatically turns on. Some "smart" watch faces show only dials when screen is "Off"
- "wake up gesture" should not have any impact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But that is not how it is supposed to work. "Always On" is suppose to show only hands, except with you use the wake up gesture (and that feature is enabled) at which point it will show hands and full watch face.

GeorgeP said:
But that is not how it is supposed to work. "Always On" is suppose to show only hands, except with you use the wake up gesture (and that feature is enabled) at which point it will show hands and full watch face.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You, finally. I said before - just use 'I am alive'. Standard option is not for that...

Just searched and found this thread, had the same issue, turns out the on body detection is the cause, as in if it's not on you it will go off, if you have it on it stays on as in the boring watch hands

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.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
My AOD also turns off when the watch determines that I'm sleeping and then requires a security pin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

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?
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I just kept gesture motion on.

kronium said:
No, I just kept gesture motion on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Settings, Display, Brightness.

gpmg762 said:
Try Settings, Display, Brightness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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....

Sleep mode app/widget?

Is there any way to quickly set the phone to do not disturb, switch the wake up gesture to off? I like the sleep tracking feature of the watch, but I hate getting alerts in the middle of the night, or when my watch keeps waking up. It would be nice to have a single switch or those controls on one screen to put the watch in sleep mode basically.

I use quiet hours... Don't know if such app exists ...
Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G930F met Tapatalk

There is an app in the Galaxy Apps called Theater Mode. it is a widget. one tap and the screen goes very dim and is muted. it cannot turn off the AOD (Gear won't allow it). You can also set a schedule for Do Not Disturb (settings > device > do not disturb) so it turns on/off automatically on your schedule...

Can't you swipe down from the top and hit do not disturb?
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

dschachm said:
Can't you swipe down from the top and hit do not disturb?
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, you can. and you can also set it to a schedule so you don't even have to swipe down and select it twice a day...

tomglass said:
yes, you can. and you can also set it to a schedule so you don't even have to swipe down and select it twice a day...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you set the schedule?
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

dschachm said:
How do you set the schedule?
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to settings > device > do not disturb; from there select "turn on as scheduled" and then go down to "days" "start time" and "end time" to set your schedule.

wasn't aware of scheduling feature, so i'll look at that. The other issue with sleeping with the watch on is the screen lighting up. I have to also go in and turn off the auto wake up gesture, but even that doesn't prevent the bezel from turning and lighting up the screen.
So I can manually mitigate most of these issues, but it's several manual steps every night, then again every morning. Just seems like a small fix that could make it a much more convenient thing to use.

Silly but useful solution: I wear a wrist sweatband over it at night. I don't even notice it and it saves me an elbow jab from my wife in the middle of the night.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

SlowBusa08 said:
wasn't aware of scheduling feature, so i'll look at that. The other issue with sleeping with the watch on is the screen lighting up. I have to also go in and turn off the auto wake up gesture, but even that doesn't prevent the bezel from turning and lighting up the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the Theater mode app (very dim screen) and turn AOD off... if the screen does happen to come on during the night due to bezel movement, it is not even noticable (at least for my wife and me!)

Theater Mode is great but does that also Mute the S3? If so it is not a solution for people, like me, that use the watch as an alarm clock.

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?
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Gear S2 Classic Always On display - Missing?

Hi guys,
Please tell me I'm stupid, because I can't seem the find the setting on my Gear S2 classic to switch always-on to ON.
From my googling it seemed to be located on the watch under Settings -> Display, but the only settings I have is:
- Brightness
- Auto low brightness
- Screen Timeout
with screen timeout only have options for 15sec, 30sec, 1min and 5min
I know I had this feature, but it seemed to have mysterious disappeared
Thanks in advance for the help.

Settings > Style > Watch always on
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

<<CodeMaster>> said:
Settings > Style > Watch always on
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks
seems it was then moved recently

I have the Gear S2 Classic SM-R735A Is there anyway that instead of showing the AOD (Always On Display) to instead constantly show the ClockFace instead? I know it would drastically drain the battery quickly, but I really dont care really.

You have the Flaunt App that does this.. Have you tried it?

chasedood said:
I have the Gear S2 Classic SM-R735A Is there anyway that instead of showing the AOD (Always On Display) to instead constantly show the ClockFace instead? I know it would drastically drain the battery quickly, but I really don't care really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be determined by your watchface...or set your screen to never timeout.
3 years later and Samsung still hasn't updated the instructions for turning on AOD!