Nexus 5 Issues with YouTube, Play Store, Hangouts, & Drive While Using Cellular Data
Hello All, I bought a Nexus 5 while on a recent trip to the States (I work in Nigeria but spend a lot of time in the States) and I was able to use it with no issues for the 2+ weeks I was there, regardless of whether I was on LTE or WiFi. Since I returned to Nigeria and popped in my local SIM card (Etisalat) I've noticed that YouTube and the Play Store have perpetual connection issues while on HSPA+. YouTube is extremely slow and often fails to connect but if I hit the retry button enough times I am able to browse and watch videos, albeit after enduring a ton of frustration.
On the other hand, the Play Store is essentially non-responsive: the loading circle is all I see when opening the app, and spamming the retry button does nothing unlike with the YouTube app; every app I try to install from the Web Play Store fails, using Chrome on the device or on my laptop; I get update notifications and can't act on them; etc.
I've popped the same SIM onto my HTC One Dev Edition and none of these issues occur, in fact the data connection seems snappier. When tethering my N5 to my One or using the N5 on wifi the issues also disappear. I am able to download/update apps from the Web or Play Store app, and watch YouTube videos with no issues.
I called Google Play customer support and the rep told me I needed to update my physical address to reflect my current location despite the fact that the cards tied to the account are based in the US and I've never had these issues using my One, Nexus 4, Note II, or any of the other Android devices I've owned over the past 2+ years. I'm hoping someone out there has a solution because my N5 enthusiasm is fading fast. Any helpful info will be greatly appreciated!
PS - I also noticed that Hangout messages are sent/received much faster over wifi than HSPA+. Also Drive documents can't be saved over HSPA+ because I get the "offline: not connected to the internet" message even though the status bar and quick settings menu show that I am connected to the Internet and Google services (cell data quick settings tell is white, not orange). I have tried wiping data/cache in the offending apps (after Force-stopping the apps), to no avail. I have also toggled the network mode between LTE/3G/2G and the issues were not resolved.
I was looking to get an S3. What I wanted to know is can the watch be connected to the app store and download faces/apps without a phone either over wifi or if an LTE version over the network? Such as if you get a tablet, you can use it fine with just a wifi connection, you don't need to pair those to a phone. I ask because for one I don't have the latest phone of the month (Sammy seems to snub those with phone models older than a year - slight exaggeration but not much). The other thing is that I want to be able to leave the phone home at times and still be able to browse for watch faces etc over wifi.
I really don't care about notifications or email (I don't get that many) nor to I want to pay for things with the watch. When I really need to do those things I don't find using the phone that much work. I just want the watch to use as a watch, and have some helpful apps to use when not carrying my phone, is it possible?
Out the box, the Gear S3 can be setup and used by itself, without ever connecting to a smartphone. I call this independent mode. It can make and receive phone calls and messages, tell time, date, and weather, be an alarm clock, set reminders, and monitor fitness (i.e. sleep, HR, steps). I operated this way for a couple of weeks after getting the watch.
Additional functionality is gained if you have a phone (tablets won't work) that is capable of running Gear Manager. This is necessary if you want to install and apps including watchfaces. The watch doesn't need to be constantly connected to the phone. There are two ways additional ways to leave the phone behind. In standalone mode, the watch is disconnected from the phone, but downloaded apps remain available. In remote connect mode, the phone communicates with the watch via cellular network, allowing notifications to pass through.
I use the S3 as my primary phone. I have a cheap Samsung phone that's used exclusively for the setup and management of the watch. I use a tablet for tasks (ie. content creation, computing, media consumption) that require a larger screen.
afblangley said:
Out the box, the Gear S3 can be setup and used by itself, without ever connecting to a smartphone. I call this independent mode. It can make and receive phone calls and messages, tell time, date, and weather, be an alarm clock, set reminders, and monitor fitness (i.e. sleep, HR, steps). I operated this way for a couple of weeks after getting the watch.
Additional functionality is gained if you have a phone (tablets won't work) that is capable of running Gear Manager. This is necessary if you want to install and apps including watchfaces. The watch doesn't need to be constantly connected to the phone. There are two ways additional ways to leave the phone behind. In standalone mode, the watch is disconnected from the phone, but downloaded apps remain available. In remote connect mode, the phone communicates with the watch via cellular network, allowing notifications to pass through.
I use the S3 as my primary phone. I have a cheap Samsung phone that's used exclusively for the setup and management of the watch. I use a tablet for tasks (ie. content creation, computing, media consumption) that require a larger screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So unlike a tablet Samsung locks you out of the app store on the actual watch even if LTE if you don't have a phone connected? That seems kind of dumb and limiting especially since the supported phone list is so small. Is it just because browsing apps on the watch is too difficult maybe?
I wonder if this will change, I can get apps on a tablet through wifi I don't see why not with the watch. This watch seems like a mini tablet that tells time.
afblangley said:
Out the box, the Gear S3 can be setup and used by itself, without ever connecting to a smartphone. I call this independent mode. It can make and receive phone calls and messages, tell time, date, and weather, be an alarm clock, set reminders, and monitor fitness (i.e. sleep, HR, steps). I operated this way for a couple of weeks after getting the watch.
Additional functionality is gained if you have a phone (tablets won't work) that is capable of running Gear Manager. This is necessary if you want to install and apps including watchfaces. The watch doesn't need to be constantly connected to the phone. There are two ways additional ways to leave the phone behind. In standalone mode, the watch is disconnected from the phone, but downloaded apps remain available. In remote connect mode, the phone communicates with the watch via cellular network, allowing notifications to pass through.
I use the S3 as my primary phone. I have a cheap Samsung phone that's used exclusively for the setup and management of the watch. I use a tablet for tasks (ie. content creation, computing, media consumption) that require a larger screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure my friend that it can make and receive calls and send messages without it being connected to the phone via bluetooth??i got mine s3 a week ago...i love it really, but it doesn't do these things when not connected ro the phone (s6 edge plus)...
Just saw, i have the bluetooth s3 frontier version and not the LTE version...so i guess that's why it has to be connected to the phone via bluetooth...
My only problem is that i can not connect to my phone via wi-fi...whenever i activate this option on my phone, it crashes with the message gear S pluggin has stopped working...any clues ?
Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk
afblangley said:
Out the box, the Gear S3 can be setup and used by itself, without ever connecting to a smartphone. I call this independent mode. It can make and receive phone calls and messages, tell time, date, and weather, be an alarm clock, set reminders, and monitor fitness (i.e. sleep, HR, steps). I operated this way for a couple of weeks after getting the watch.
Additional functionality is gained if you have a phone (tablets won't work) that is capable of running Gear Manager. This is necessary if you want to install and apps including watchfaces. The watch doesn't need to be constantly connected to the phone. There are two ways additional ways to leave the phone behind. In standalone mode, the watch is disconnected from the phone, but downloaded apps remain available. In remote connect mode, the phone communicates with the watch via cellular network, allowing notifications to pass through.
I use the S3 as my primary phone. I have a cheap Samsung phone that's used exclusively for the setup and management of the watch. I use a tablet for tasks (ie. content creation, computing, media consumption) that require a larger screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are these stand alone functions also available if you have the wifi version and no LTE?
I don't have any experience with the S3 BT model. I can only speak to the capability of the Frontier LTE. This watch is a phone. It has functionality that's probably comparable to a basic flip phone. It comes preloaded with apps for phone, messaging, contacts, S Health, weather, reminders, and a few others. When the eSIM is activated, it can perform tasks associated with these apps immediately upon startup. No phone is required.
When the watch is setup via Gear Manager, it installs software that enables additional apps to be installed and gains greater functionality. Most of which remains even when the watch is disconnected from the phone.
Gear Manger compatibility isn't limited to Samsung phones, it can be installed many Android phones, but not tablets. Not even Samsung tablets.
afblangley said:
I don't have any experience with the S3 BT model. I can only speak to the capability of the Frontier LTE. This watch is a phone. It has functionality that's probably comparable to a basic flip phone. It comes preloaded with apps for phone, messaging, contacts, S Health, weather, reminders, and a few others. When the eSIM is activated, it can perform tasks associated with these apps immediately upon startup. No phone is required.
When the watch is setup via Gear Manager, it installs software that enables additional apps to be installed and gains greater functionality. Most of which remains even when the watch is disconnected from the phone.
Gear Manger compatibility isn't limited to Samsung phones, it can be installed many Android phones, but not tablets. Not even Samsung tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the watch is basically a phone then why couldn't I directly install apps/faces etc from the watch? It doesn't make much sense to me. If I install apps on a phone I do't need another phone to install things on the first one. It seems like Samsung is just too lazy to make an app on the watch to do it, or they want everyone to have to buy a new phone to use the watch (and hopefully a big percentage will buy a Samsung phone wink wink).
I wonder what the free space on the watch memory/storage is between the BT and LTE versons? If the LTE has more stuff installed I wonder if user memory is less?
I'm one of the few who use an S3 as my primary phone. I too wish that the S3 was a more independent device. But as it stands right now, it's the most capable smartwatch available (excluding watches running full Android made by a few small manufacturers). I hope that it paves the way for more standalone offerings by Apple and Android Wear watch makers.
I have a gear s3 lte Att e-sim unlocked. How can I activated with ATT GO PHONE or any other carrier Cricket,Tmobile? I am not an att customer. Thank you!
handrade773 said:
I have a gear s3 lte Att e-sim unlocked. How can I activated with ATT GO PHONE or any other carrier Cricket,Tmobile? I am not an att customer. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the eSIM is provisioned via programming, Cricket and MVNOs don't have the system to do it. So that's a no go.
Theoretically, T-Mobile should be able to do it because they also sell the watch. The difficulty is finding an employee who knows how to do it, since the IMEI won't be in their database. Getting it on a wearable line instead of a smartphone (more expensive) or tablet (no talk) plan will be an additional obstacle.
Putting the watch on GoPhone is also technically doable, someone on this forum or Android Central said they did it. I think they called CS with the IMEI and ICCID. Perhaps they will chime in on exactly how they were able to get it done.
I called ATT CS and I was able to activated on $30 plan ($25 Auto).
AFBLANGLEY, does the phone that you use to set up and manage the watch with, does that phone need to have a service plan?
Thanks, Dan
Dudical said:
AFBLANGLEY, does the phone that you use to set up and manage the watch with, does that phone need to have a service plan?
Thanks, Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it doesn't need a SIM. As long as the phone is connected to a WiFi network, the watch can remotely connect to it. My phone sits docked permanently, right next to the router.
afblangley said:
No, it doesn't need a SIM. As long as the phone is connected to a WiFi network, the watch can remotely connect to it. My phone sits docked permanently, right next to the router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to utilize apps like spotify and audible from the phone that is connected back home? I am going to attempt to use the same set up as you and keep my Iphone as primary phone. I just would like to get all notifications and be able to respond with the GS3 as well.
jmr5x said:
Are you able to utilize apps like spotify and audible from the phone that is connected back home? I am going to attempt to use the same set up as you and keep my Iphone as primary phone. I just would like to get all notifications and be able to respond with the GS3 as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's my understanding that if you have a Spotify premium account, you can stream directly to the watch, but I'm not a Spotify user. I don't believe that there is an Audible app for Tizen.
In terms of messages, email and notifications, yes they will be passed through as long as the watch is remotely connected to the "host" phone.
What you're wanting to do will work fine. The reason I have the setup is because I use a tablet and it is incompatible with the S3.
afblangley said:
It's my understanding that if you have a Spotify premium account, you can stream directly to the watch, but I'm not a Spotify user. I don't believe that there is an Audible app for Tizen.
In terms of messages, email and notifications, yes they will be passed through as long as the watch is remotely connected to the "host" phone.
What you're wanting to do will work fine. The reason I have the setup is because I use a tablet and it is incompatible with the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exciting news. Do you happen to have a link that describers your experience using the setup with additional phone? I would be interested to know some details but hate to pick your brain if its already out on the interwebs.
Im guessing that the tablet has no connection and never has to the GS3?
Are you using the tablet with google voice number for calls and messaging? I was contemplating on how I could link my Verizon number on the iPhone to the android at home near the router.
Does your gear s3 still count the steps without connection with the phone? Mine stops with bt and wifi turned off.
a few weeks ago I purchased a Cycling specific computer, the Hammerhead Karoo 2. Its running oreo 8.1. has 32Gb memory, BT, ant+ , wifi , and a sim slot for cellular data. to save memory it ships without google play services so any apps need to be side loaded.
beacuse this is basically a smart phone without the phone app( there no mike nor spearker either but BT could be used) my goal is to be able to use this while out riding, in case of emergency, and not have to take my phone with me as well.
What apps would be needed to have text messaging available? what do i need for MMS service? and suggestions for a one button SOS text app would be nice.
Thanks
tg
tommygHTCdream said:
a few weeks ago I purchased a Cycling specific computer, the Hammerhead Karoo 2. Its running oreo 8.1. has 32Gb memory, BT, ant+ , wifi , and a sim slot for cellular data. to save memory it ships without google play services so any apps need to be side loaded.
beacuse this is basically a smart phone without the phone app( there no mike nor spearker either but BT could be used) my goal is to be able to use this while out riding, in case of emergency, and not have to take my phone with me as well.
What apps would be needed to have text messaging available? what do i need for MMS service? and suggestions for a one button SOS text app would be nice.
Thanks
tg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bump
one year bump