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[Bug Report to Samsung] Always On Mode Not Working

As many of you guys knows, the Gear S2 - Sport, Classic, and 3G - have a software bug whereby the Always On setting doesn't work/stick.
Even when one sets the Always On to "On," the watchface will turn off (go blank) after a while instead of always showing the Ambient Watchface. The only way to keep the watch display always on is by also keeping on the Wakeup Gesture setting. Doing so, unfortunately, leads to a massive battery drain.
I've contacted Samsung twice about this issue and each time they reply saying I'm the ONLY person to report this issue and for me to perform a Factory Reset. I did do a factory reset with and without restoring my backup data and the Always On bug is still there.
So let us collectively work together and each of us submit a bug report to Samsung. Here is the link to their online submission form.
https://contactus.samsung.com/customer/contactus/formmail/mail/MailQuestionProduct.jsp?SITE_ID=1
The more people submit, the better our chances of getting a fix, sooner rather than later.
======
Edit, 12-30-15, with workaround to always-on issue:
Here is my tested workaround that is working for me right now on my AT&T Gear S2 3G (R730A) on the OL3 firmware.
I have tested this for 2 days and my watch display is always on and showing the dimmed, ambient watchface and NOT blacking out. For today, my Gear S2 3G was taken off the charger at 6:50AM and it's currently at 62% battery level at 5:36PM. And now at 12:24am, I'm at 35% battery left.
My Gear S2 settings:
-Display: Watch Always On = On
-Display: Brightness = 5
-Device: Wake-up Gesture = Off
-Connections: Bluetooth = On
-Connections: Mobile networks = Always off (I'm on Sprint)
-Connections: WiFi = Off
-Connections: NFC = Off
-Connections: Location = On, GPS​
I have not tested out this method on that many watchfaces but the ones I'll be mentioning shortly always stay turned on in the Ambient Mode without blacking out.
** Apps from the Gear store I'm using:
1. Tested watchfaces:
-[Clay] Futuristic
-Gear O'Clock: Digital Sense
-Gear O'Clock December
-Calendar Digital Watch.
2. HR Monitor by appyhapps.nl
** Steps I have taken **
1. Go into your Settings and set "Watch always on" to On and "Wakeup Gestures" to Off.
2. Open the HR Monitor app and click on the Settings icon (the Gear icon). And set it up like this:
-Exercise mode = off
-Internal = 15 minutes
-Show date = Off
-Turn screen on with each heart rate reading = On
-Keep screen on during run in exercise mode = Off
-Dim screen brightness in exercise mode = Off
-All the options under Alarm = Off
3. Press the U-turn arrow icon to go back to the Main Screen of the app.
4. Press the Start arrow icon to begin the heart rate monitoring app.
5. Go back to the watchface screen homepage by pressing the Home button on the Gear S2. Long-press on your current watchface and select the watchface of your choice.
6. Finished!
By using this method, my Gear S2 correctly shows the ambient watchface and DOES NOT turn off the screen after a while.
The impact to my battery life is minimal and I can easily last all day until when I charge my watch at night, which is around 11:30PM.
What is interesting is that even though it was set within HR Monitor to turn on the screen when a reading is taken, most of the time the screen is not turned on to show the HR Monitor monitoring screen. Instead, the ambient watchface is maintained and the heart rate is measured in the background. This is probably why there is minimal, if any, impact to my battery life.
I don't know why this method works but no complaints here. Now my Gear S2 is behaving as it did when I first purchased it on November 20th on launch day (on AT&T) and when I was on the original firmware. My Gear S2 has gone through 2 firmware updates since then and one of those newer firmware updates changed the behavior of the always-on mode. FU Samsung!! ​
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Ive just done that, it does get quite irritating going to look at the watch and its gone off completely. Hopefully enough people who also have this and find it annoying will do the same

Anyone else submit a request to Samsung yet?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
Anyone else submit a request to Samsung yet?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, and here's there response:
"Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Samsung Technical Support. We always appreciate hearing from our customers.
It must be disappointing that the device screen is turning blank when the “Watch always on” feature is enabled on the Gera S2 watch. I will help you with the possible steps in this regard.
We have no such reported issues with the Gear S2 watch and Heart rate monitor is designed on the watch to monitor only the heart rate and it does not relate to the device screen turning ON. I request you to try following troubleshooting steps on the device and check if that helps.
1. Try restarting the watch and check if that works fine.
2. Un-pair the watch from the device to which it is connected and pair the device again and check if that works fine.
3. Verify if the device has any noticeable physical or liquid damages.
4. Try un-installing and re-installing the Gear manager application on the phone and pair the watch back and check if that helps.
5. If the issue persists, try disabling the “Always on” mode and enable it again after performing the above steps.
6. If the issue persists, I request you to try resetting the watch. On the idle screen select settings > About Gear > Reset Gear.
I hope the above provided steps will help you in resolving the issue. "

ColMustard said:
Yup, and here's there response:
"Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Samsung Technical Support. We always appreciate hearing from our customers.
It must be disappointing that the device screen is turning blank when the “Watch always on” feature is enabled on the Gera S2 watch. I will help you with the possible steps in this regard.
We have no such reported issues with the Gear S2 watch and Heart rate monitor is designed on the watch to monitor only the heart rate and it does not relate to the device screen turning ON. I request you to try following troubleshooting steps on the device and check if that helps.
1. Try restarting the watch and check if that works fine.
2. Un-pair the watch from the device to which it is connected and pair the device again and check if that works fine.
3. Verify if the device has any noticeable physical or liquid damages.
4. Try un-installing and re-installing the Gear manager application on the phone and pair the watch back and check if that helps.
5. If the issue persists, try disabling the “Always on” mode and enable it again after performing the above steps.
6. If the issue persists, I request you to try resetting the watch. On the idle screen select settings > About Gear > Reset Gear.
I hope the above provided steps will help you in resolving the issue. "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried anything new that fixes the always on issue?
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
Have you tried anything new that fixes the always on issue?
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, just living with it for now.

I think I know why the always on mode sometimes doesn't work. It is b/c of samsung's retarded battery-saving mechanism.
You probably noticed already that even with the always on mode set to On, the display will turn off moments after you take off the watch or charge it in the cradle. Well, while wearing the watch, if the watch moves around your wrist and the little sensor window loses contact with your skin, it thinks you took off the watch and turns the display off.
Samsung can fix this easily by just getting rid of that stupid battery-saving feature so the watch will then have true always on mode and be more useful as a watch (night clock by your bed, see time while being charged).
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

I'm currently using this workaround to have an always-on watchface without excessively draining the battery.
First, I have these apps installed: Photo Watch Pro & I am Alive.
I like to use my own pictures as a background and prefer a digital watch. So I send my pics plus an image of a black background to the watch.
Using Photo Watch Pro, I select all my pics + the black background as my watchface wallpapers.
I then launch I am Alive & set the display to be always on. When I'm not actively using the watch & want to save battery & prevent OLED burn-in, I tap on the screen (possible via Photo Watch Pro) to set my wallpaper as the black image file.
This way, now I truly have an always on display that works regardless of whether I'm wearing the watch or have it on the cradle.
I feel like I shouldn't have to do this in the first place but this will do until Samsung gets their software correct.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

i have submited email to samsung and they told me that this case beyond technical support so they need me to send the device to the them

Flight313 said:
i have submited email to samsung and they told me that this case beyond technical support so they need me to send the device to the them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They told me the same thing, those tards.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Interesting note, after changing the watch face to "Calendar Analog" the problem went away. Not sure what different about this face, but always on works now.

ColMustard said:
Interesting note, after changing the watch face to "Calendar Analog" the problem went away. Not sure what different about this face, but always on works now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying it out now. Will report back later.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

ColMustard said:
Interesting note, after changing the watch face to "Calendar Analog" the problem went away. Not sure what different about this face, but always on works now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It lasted for a while but the display still turned off on me.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
It lasted for a while but the display still turned off on me.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd, it hasn't gone blank on me yet. Have you restarted the watch after changing the face?

ColMustard said:
Odd, it hasn't gone blank on me yet. Have you restarted the watch after changing the face?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Should I?
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

ColMustard said:
Odd, it hasn't gone blank on me yet. Have you restarted the watch after changing the face?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried rebooting but no difference. Still turns off after a while. What are the rest of your watch settings?
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
Tried rebooting but no difference. Still turns off after a while. What are the rest of your watch settings?
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Display is always on
2. wake-up gesture off
3. Bluetooth on
4. wifi on
5. Vibration intensity strong
6. Long buzz on
7. Screen lock none
8. Software version R720XXU2AOJ3
Edit: It just dawned on me that you have the 3G watch, I have the sport watch. That could make a difference.

ColMustard said:
1. Display is always on
2. wake-up gesture off
3. Bluetooth on
4. wifi on
5. Vibration intensity strong
6. Long buzz on
7. Screen lock none
8. Software version R720XXU2AOJ3
Edit: It just dawned on me that you have the 3G watch, I have the sport watch. That could make a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings-wise, the only difference is that I have WiFi off. And yes, I have the 3G version. There was another firmware update last night for my AT&T 3G. It seems to address some NumberSync issues. I'll report if I see any improvements for the always-on mode, though I'm sceptical.
In Korea, all variants seem to be on firmware version OKK. I was on OL1 prior to the small update.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Looks like I opened my mouth to soon, watch went blank twice within 6 hours. It's certainly better than before where it would go blank every hour though.

ColMustard said:
Looks like I opened my mouth to soon, watch went blank twice within 6 hours. It's certainly better than before where it would go blank every hour though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on OL3 now & still no fix for always-on. Samsung fail.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Sleep tracking / time control / night profile

Hello,
the missing sleep tracking ist terrible, it seems the last update changed nothing.
Is there an app allready?
Is there a possiblity to do a night profile (without gesture for screen on)?
Greetings, vastl

For sleep tracking I really suggest G'Night app. I have it for about a month and it's really good. Worth the 3 dollars it cost. Today the app got an update and added monitoring you're heartbeat and improve stat and graphs. The only minus is that you can't export the data out of the watch.

Sleep as android is great if you don't mind the battery drain and know how to install it. Its significantly better than gnight and its only $2 more. There's tons of settings and the data is stored on your phone so you can see much much more information.
As for a "night" profile, do not disturb turns off gestures and vibrations. Drag down from your watch face and tap the middle button. Just keep in mind you have to enable and disable it manually. There's no automation, which kinda sucks.

Agree it sux big time it is not implemented in an official way.
This is a functionality every smart-band out there have!

Is there not a app that uses just your watch? I don't want to lay my phone on my bed. I actually just want to track how often I wake up like on the fitbit.

I heard the makers of sleepbot are making an app for S2 Gear also.

mills23 said:
Is there not a app that uses just your watch? I don't want to lay my phone on my bed. I actually just want to track how often I wake up like on the fitbit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be. G'night. Just make sure you also turn on airplane mode to get it to work well
Sent from my SM-G930P using XDA-Developers mobile app

I am using DnD mode. Whats difference between both? Airplane doesnt wake up at all?

OK here is my question for those of you doing sleep tracking. When do you charge your watch. Mine had about 40%battery left when I go too bed. Then when I get up there is only about 1 hour where I could charge before I leave for work.

I charge my watch before bedtime. When i wake up i have like between 80-88% battery left. With that i can wear the whole day the watch. At the evening it will be around 40-50%.

Oxizee said:
I am using DnD mode. Whats difference between both? Airplane doesnt wake up at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Airplane turns off BT, wifi and NFC so your watch is not communicating with your phone. DND just turns off notifications so your phone doesn't light up. I have DND on all the time to save battery. With G'night your phone wakes up briefly when it is taking your pulse
Sent from my SM-G930P using XDA-Developers mobile app

Is there anything that deactivates the rotating bezel, find it does not take much to wake the watch that way when sleeping
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app

Duct tape lol
Sent from my SM-T330NU using XDA-Developers mobile app

I enjoy seeing my sleep tracking data in Samsung S-health. The watch automatically records it, then uploads it automatically when you check S-health.
I saw some people having trouble where their sleep graph wouldn't show, to avoid this let the S2 upload the data, in other words, dont say yes i was asleep during such and such time, because that's your phone, not the watch info.

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?
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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?
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dschachm said:
How do you set the schedule?
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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.
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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.

Heartrate monitor

Is it possible to stop the continual 24/7 heartrate monitoring? I want the Watch 2 to only monitor HR when I'm doing a fitness activity or if I manually ask it to display my HR. This 24/7 monitoring is unnecessary and I find it especially annoying when I remove my watch, put it into Airplane & Do Not Disturb mode and the green LEDs on the rear still flash all the time.

sunking101 said:
Is it possible to stop the continual 24/7 heartrate monitoring? I want the Watch 2 to only monitor HR when I'm doing a fitness activity or if I manually ask it to display my HR. This 24/7 monitoring is unnecessary and I find it especially annoying when I remove my watch, put it into Airplane & Do Not Disturb mode and the green LEDs on the rear still flash all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure you can configure it in options.
Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

You have to go into the heart rate application and swipe to the right twice and there is a toggle for automatic measurement I'm not sure whether you will need to turn this back on to do fitness activities with your watch though

lukesellwood2 said:
You have to go into the heart rate application and swipe to the right twice and there is a toggle for automatic measurement I'm not sure whether you will need to turn this back on to do fitness activities with your watch though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that but it doesn't stop the 24/7 HR tracking.
You need to also go into the Google Play Services app in system apps and disable the sensor tracking from there. Google tracking everyone and everything again.

sunking101 said:
Is it possible to stop the continual 24/7 heartrate monitoring? I want the Watch 2 to only monitor HR when I'm doing a fitness activity or if I manually ask it to display my HR. This 24/7 monitoring is unnecessary and I find it especially annoying when I remove my watch, put it into Airplane & Do Not Disturb mode and the green LEDs on the rear still flash all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Afaik this is the watch trying to detect if you are still wearing it, and lock if you aren't... This is just a guess. If you are paranoid, go to permission settings and turn off ALL health related permissions.
Sent from my athene using XDA Labs

Question Sleep and workouts accuracy

Hi, sleep recording in Samsung health in very random, deep sleep 15 min each night, not sleeping for 1 h and a half, clearly not accurate. Does it works better android app or simply the watch can't make better ? (GW 4 by). Also, while hiking, Samsung health stops recording hearth rhythm for 5-10 min, restarts again, stopping again and so on. Same question, with another app can I get better results ? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

adrianhoria said:
Hi, sleep recording in Samsung health in very random, deep sleep 15 min each night, not sleeping for 1 h and a half, clearly not accurate. Does it works better android app or simply the watch can't make better ? (GW 4 by). Also, while hiking, Samsung health stops recording hearth rhythm for 5-10 min, restarts again, stopping again and so on. Same question, with another app can I get better results ? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Samsung sleep monitor in health doesn't work work a crap. It'll say I slept 2 hours when I slept 8, etc.. Download sleep for android on your phone and watch and use that. It works awesome. It even has an alarm setting that looks for the perfect sleep pattern to wake you up so you're less tired. I have mine set to only 20 minutes within my alarm time, and I feel pretty good most mornings. Hope this helps with that piece.
As for heart beat and such, I've never had an issue with both my watch 4 and watch 5. You might want to try a factory reset of the watch for that.