Cardio exercise mode? - Samsung Gear Fit

Last night I tried to use the Gear Fit for the very reason I bought it... to track my heart rate and calories burned during exercise. This is where I found my first real frustration with the device. I don't run or cycle. I do walk and hike on occasion but not really for exercise, just for fun.
When I exercise I do cardio in my house. I have tried and tried to see if there is a way to track this on the fit, either with just choosing another exercise or by adding a custom exercise. Problem is, if you choose one of the preset choices, it will not track what you are doing (even through it tracks heart rate). It will tell you that you have gone 0 distance and burned 0 calories. I just happened to be wearing my Polar also, so at least I got my readings from that, but I would love to move to using the fit only.
Has anyone found a way to track cardio? If not, this has to be a major oversight on samsung's part. I can't be the only person that wants to track exercise this way.

I'm afraid the GF was designed to be paired to a phone. It acts as a remote for data and control.
I've been using sports trackers for a few years. Try Endomondo, it works seamlessly with your gear fit.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.endomondo.android
endomondo.com
It also supports bluetooth (polar) and Ant+ Heart Rate Monitors.
You can set the Gear fit to record your steps (pedometer) or walking/HR (Exercise>Walking) which it will record but you have a limited history detail and capacity. This needs to sync with Samsung S Health. I have removed S Health from my samsung phone as it is the worst piece of software I have come across.
Good luck

Thanks for the reply. I guess I forgot to mention that I have it paired with a Note 3. I'm just asking about tracking cardio only (HR & calories burned) without trying to choose another exercise and trying to make it work (it doesn't)

Hi
I had this same problem, if you go into the s health app on your mobile, go into more on the top right of your screen, then choose manage items from the list it will show all the trackers that you use, switch on the sports one & this will track your aerobic excercise, although it works through the wrist band you have to activate it from your mobile each time. Hopefully Samsung will get it added to the gear fit if we complain enough lol. Hope that was helpful.

@janet22 how do you get the gear fit to track sport once you've started the activity on the phone in s health?

u can either chose a different sport or sync it with s health

Related

[Q] Gear Fit - No Movement Detected During Workout

Guys,
Quick question.
Is there a setting somewhere that allows the gear fit to NOT end the workout if stationary (or bad GPS) after a preset time?
Scenario:
Whenever I am cycling, I inevitably come across traffic lights and have to stop, after some time (normally once I get going again) the gear fit will display a message "No movement detected, workout stopped" or something along those lines.
If I acknowledge the message, then its ok, workout continues until the next stop, but if I don't notice it, and sometimes I don't feel the vibration when cycling, then eventually the workout will stop all together, and I only find out next time I check the device.
This is very frustrating, surely I don't have to keep checking the device to see if it thinks the workout is stopped, very dangerous when cycling.
So currently yes I have to periodically check to make sure it is still recording, if I just leave it, guaranteed it will stop recording without me telling it to.
Anyone else experience this when cycling?
Otherwise great device!
further to this..
yesterday on my ride home I got the "workout stopped" message when I had been moving for at least 3-4 minutes.
so not sure how it is calculating movement or what the threshold is.
luckily i noticed and acknowledged the message and the workout continued.
still very annoying.
surely someone else has experienced this, or am I the only one using the gear fit for cycling?
If i initiate the cycling workout from the app on the S5, it does not record heart rate, even though the device is paired.
Yes, I have found this as well, and annoyed me too. You could go for a 4 hr ride, and it's stopped after 20 minutes haha.
THAT would be annoying!
This is problem for the newest firmware i think, bcoz early i don't have this problem...
scoobydoo_nz said:
Yes, I have found this as well, and annoyed me too. You could go for a 4 hr ride, and it's stopped after 20 minutes haha.
THAT would be annoying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap absolutely rubbish!
I am yet to accurately record a workout and I have had the thing for nearly a week.
Tempted to take it back just doesn't do anything it is supposed to do, except send notifications that seems to be the only thing working properly.
I have same problem too. Samsung need to fix this soon with firmware update. Otherwise it will be a great product.
I suffer from the same problem. Anoying..... And if you track from the S Health app have you notice that the distance is way off from what the bike computer measures??? 4 riders, 4 bike computers from Sigma, all measured the same, S Health reported 2,5km LESS.......
I was really fed up with Gear Fit and I've just return it to the seller.
I think i'm going to wait for better devices (or an important upgrade)
I bought it because notifications and tracking options, but it was disconnecting all the time from the cellphone.
Bye bye gearfit!
The movement detector really sucks in this watch. The other day the pedometer prompt came on congratulating me on reaching my daily steps goal. The problem is that it was early morning and I did not go anywhere to reach the 10,000 step goal. Then it occured to me, it must of picked up the movement of me rubbing one out...

[Q] Gear fit never stays on for long...?

Hi,
While I think my Gear Fit is a very useful device it constantly lets me down on the training side. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I bike quite a bit and I like the way the Health app stores my map speed etc. the way it does. Once in a blue moon. The problem is that 9 times out of 10 the cycling app will shut down all on its own while I'm still in the middle of my training session. Hysterically irritating to have all these half-recorded sessions in my phone. And there's no way I can check on progress while cycling. To get to the Health app and then on to cycling on the Gear Fit would be sure death when speeding along at 35 kph. At least for someone as unbalanced as myself.
So am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting for the Gear Fit that I've missed? Is anyone else having this problem, or am I just stuck with a buggy example of the otherwise very nifty piece of engineering? Oh, and whoever designed the strap for the Fit must absolutely have had repeat business in mind! It's fallen off, like, 100 times of its own accord. A miracle that it's still in my possession.
Grateful for any advice on the "keep alive" topic.
Thanks/M
McHan said:
Hi,
While I think my Gear Fit is a very useful device it constantly lets me down on the training side. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I bike quite a bit and I like the way the Health app stores my map speed etc. the way it does. Once in a blue moon. The problem is that 9 times out of 10 the cycling app will shut down all on its own while I'm still in the middle of my training session. Hysterically irritating to have all these half-recorded sessions in my phone. And there's no way I can check on progress while cycling. To get to the Health app and then on to cycling on the Gear Fit would be sure death when speeding along at 35 kph. At least for someone as unbalanced as myself.
So am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting for the Gear Fit that I've missed? Is anyone else having this problem, or am I just stuck with a buggy example of the otherwise very nifty piece of engineering? Oh, and whoever designed the strap for the Fit must absolutely have had repeat business in mind! It's fallen off, like, 100 times of its own accord. A miracle that it's still in my possession.
Grateful for any advice on the "keep alive" topic.
Thanks/M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, but I have missed all my bicyclings. But I have solved issue. Taking pulse (beat of heart) off then the training have gone OK. I am a male and have hairs on my wrist. I haven't tryed if I would keep Gear Fit like womens do, wrong way around. I mean the display is under wrist and where are not any hairs or you have to keep your strap tighter than now.
Newest version bring pause function to Gear Fit training, but I agree that better would be if I can myself start and stop the bicycling training. It could stop automatically if you stand too long in traffic signal; GPS signal stays too long same. If this is true, then the clock is dangerous incitementing to run a red lights.
The pulse off settings is here: biking/ scroll right one screen (on landscape mode)/ pulse: take off tag of pulse.
EmDzei said:
Same here, but I have missed all my bicyclings. But I have solved issue. Taking pulse (beat of heart) off then the training have gone OK. I am a male and have hairs on my wrist. I haven't tryed if I would keep Gear Fit like womens do, wrong way around. I mean the display is under wrist and where are not any hairs or you have to keep your strap tighter than now.
Newest version bring pause function to Gear Fit training, but I agree that better would be if I can myself start and stop the bicycling training. It could stop automatically if you stand too long in traffic signal; GPS signal stays too long same. If this is true, then the clock is dangerous incitementing to run a red lights.
The pulse off settings is here: biking/ scroll right one screen (on landscape mode)/ pulse: take off tag of pulse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi EmDzei and thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately this did not solve the problem for me. Turned off the heart-sensor and have now tried two biking sessions but the Gear device stops recording after 10 and 25 minutes respectively. Pretty much the same results as before. A real pain in the nether regions! Does no one else have this problem? I've noticed that the phone "pings" every now and again and I'm wondering if it momentarily loses BT contact with the watch and that this somehow stops the Health recording. It does this at night also when I have the blocking mode enabled (which irritates the H-ll out of my wife, the soft pinging, that is). Any thoughts on this...?
Thanks/M
McHan said:
Hi EmDzei and thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately this did not solve the problem for me. Turned off the heart-sensor and have now tried two biking sessions but the Gear device stops recording after 10 and 25 minutes respectively. Pretty much the same results as before. A real pain in the nether regions! Does no one else have this problem? I've noticed that the phone "pings" every now and again and I'm wondering if it momentarily loses BT contact with the watch and that this somehow stops the Health recording. It does this at night also when I have the blocking mode enabled (which irritates the H-ll out of my wife, the soft pinging, that is). Any thoughts on this...?
Thanks/M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to notice here at start that I am not so specialist for this case. But I can give one or two hint.
This hint could hit forest with full speed. I don't know if the bluetooth and WLAN are on same chip. But on WLAN (= Wi-Fi) extra settings and its sleep mode there are three settings: always, only when connected and never (increase mobile data). Simple translations from finnish. =) I use this middle settings: allways, when device is connected. I wrote this hint because you wrote that your device seems disconnect 10 - 25 minutes. WLAN disconnecting time is similar: 15 minutes, if on sleep mode. As I said, this could be very very wrong information.
OK. Next our possible version differents. My Gear Fit firmware is R350XXU0BNE5. My Gear Fit Manager version is 1.67.0523 and I use it on my Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) stock un-rooted firmware version UFNB9. Last five serial character of Gear Fit are LRXW. I do not use blocking mode on Gear Fit. I use it on my phone and disable sync at nights.
Today I tested and bicycled 26,52 km. I visited two times on markets and paused my "training". All session took 1:44 hour (so beautifull day and sunshine). Does your bicycling have Pause button when you started the trip? My previous version of this doesn't and with it I had problems with cutted bicycle trainings. My phone lay on own bicycle mounting holder, so the bluetooth signal is very stong and distance ~50 - 60 cm only.
Uh, last comments. You have of course made a Samsung account and it sync works OK? I think also that keeping LTE off when biking outside of the city fairway, if it is not strong signal. Good to try in this desperation, eh.
EmDzei said:
Have to notice here at start that I am not so specialist for this case. But I can give one or two hint.
This hint could hit forest with full speed. I don't know if the bluetooth and WLAN are on same chip. But on WLAN (= Wi-Fi) extra settings and its sleep mode there are three settings: always, only when connected and never (increase mobile data). Simple translations from finnish. =) I use this middle settings: allways, when device is connected. I wrote this hint because you wrote that your device seems disconnect 10 - 25 minutes. WLAN disconnecting time is similar: 15 minutes, if on sleep mode. As I said, this could be very very wrong information.
OK. Next our possible version differents. My Gear Fit firmware is R350XXU0BNE5. My Gear Fit Manager version is 1.67.0523 and I use it on my Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) stock un-rooted firmware version UFNB9. Last five serial character of Gear Fit are LRXW. I do not use blocking mode on Gear Fit. I use it on my phone and disable sync at nights.
Today I tested and bicycled 26,52 km. I visited two times on markets and paused my "training". All session took 1:44 hour (so beautifull day and sunshine). Does your bicycling have Pause button when you started the trip? My previous version of this doesn't and with it I had problems with cutted bicycle trainings. My phone lay on own bicycle mounting holder, so the bluetooth signal is very stong and distance ~50 - 60 cm only.
Uh, last comments. You have of course made a Samsung account and it sync works OK? I think also that keeping LTE off when biking outside of the city fairway, if it is not strong signal. Good to try in this desperation, eh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-HA! I think You hit on the solution to the problem in Your very last comment. I've been trying various combinations of settings on both the Gear Fit and on the phone, but to no avail. Then finally it struck me that, yes! I have been experiencing issues when shifting between LTE and other modes, and that possibly possibly this could have something to do with my problems. And so, sure enough, when I blocked off 4G and went for my daily today I finally got the whole ride recorded in the phone!
So many thanks for putting me on this track and fining the solution for me, EmDzei!

Samsung gear s fitness

I think it is the best fitness companion and here's why.
It has phone.
Heart rate monitor.
Music player with Bluetooth headset.
Light weight.
Tracks steps
GPS.
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
I think it is the best fitness companion and here's why.
It has phone.
Heart rate monitor.
Music player with Bluetooth headset.
Light weight.
Tracks steps
GPS.
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the pedometer on the note 4 is much better then on the gear s. It says I have walked way more then my phone does. Off by about 700 steps from the phone. Watch showing more. I was in the car most of the day today so not sure how I did 2k steps.
rfs830 said:
I think the pedometer on the note 4 is much better then on the gear s. It says I have walked way more then my phone does. Off by about 700 steps from the phone. Watch showing more. I was in the car most of the day today so not sure how I did 2k steps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much of this is because you literally do not have the phone in your hand as much as the watch on your wrist?
I am coming from the fitbit line and this watch tends to give me less credit the fitbits do.
So, I just get a base line number and improve about it.
Look at the photos. To me the watch is much better
@NeatSheep
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will have to test it out at work as im always walking there. Maybe it is better. I never had a pedometer that was not my phone so maybe this is more accurate.
NeatSheep said:
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the s health app give you verbal specs for while you are out? Like split times, or lap times and such?
Yes you you choose an exercise it will start recording the time, distance, speed, calories burned, location on the map and heart rate.
@NeatSheep
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
To be honest. If it making you move more the it's doing its job. And the normal steps they don't do much and it can tell you the healthy pace that really matters.
And you can only depend on the star an exercise function and it can tell the time you moved so you look at the chart and remove the steps that you know that are not correct.
There is may ways to solve the problem but i say if it's making you feel good and makes to want more and move more then why not.
@NeatSheep
richlum said:
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had two Nike Fuelbands, and believe you need to look at any wrist device like they do. They all give you "points", whether they call them Fuel or steps, etc. Just establish a baseline and improve from there. I put my hands on my knee during biking at the gym, and get points this way, and don't worry that the elliptical is not real steps either, and I use the poles on this machine instead of keeping my hands stationary on the smaller arm rest handles. Improvement is the key. I lost 88 lbs. this year and credit my Gear 2 very much in helping me push my goals daily. I have it set still at 11000, but today got 16,000 points for example. Have fun with it. I am loving the new Gear S too.
True. If you use it to establish a baseline and set goals, it should be a good way to motivate yourself and improve.
I just laugh when it says I've 8,000 steps and I know if just sat on my ass in the office and car all day
richlum said:
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never gotten that to work flipping pages.
Go through a normal day and see the number steps you get. Then set your goal higher than that. Nothing will be perfect, but that gets "you" moving more, and isn't that the goal?
---------- Post added at 08:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:22 AM ----------
highlordkram said:
I had two Nike Fuelbands, and believe you need to look at any wrist device like they do. They all give you "points", whether they call them Fuel or steps, etc. Just establish a baseline and improve from there. I put my hands on my knee during biking at the gym, and get points this way, and don't worry that the elliptical is not real steps either, and I use the poles on this machine instead of keeping my hands stationary on the smaller arm rest handles. Improvement is the key. I lost 88 lbs. this year and credit my Gear 2 very much in helping me push my goals daily. I have it set still at 11000, but today got 16,000 points for example. Have fun with it. I am loving the new Gear S too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats! [emoji2]
1) Does it have Nike+ app already?
2) Has anybody used any semi pro watch in the past? Forerunner, ambit? Just wondering how Gear S compared to those devices.
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
Yes it has a Nike+
And most pedometer not professional.
I have a Garmin GPS watch. I can compare them together if you want
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
Yes it has a Nike+
And most pedometer not professional.
I have a Garmin GPS watch. I can compare them together if you want
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have many questions.. if you can answer - that's nice. I have experience with Garmin Forerunner 620 and Endomondo mobile app. Both suites me fine. And I just want to know if Gear S can replace them.
1) How often would you need to charge it if you would do 1 hour running every second day?
2) Is heartbeat recorded during the running or after the run? Is HB recorded by Nike+ app?
3) Can Nike+ app:
- Show average pace of the last kilometer? (after each km)
- Vibrate or in any other way inform every 1km?
4) In one of the videos I've seen Endomondo icon in Gear S. Have you tried it?
- Can Gear S+Endomondo work without!! the phone? That would be ideal solution for me.
- That stuff Endomondo records during workout? GPS coordinates? Heart rate?
Ok lets see. First i have garmin forerunner 910xt and i stopped using it and replaced it with gear s.
1. I charge my gear s sometimes every 2 days and the fact that the charger has a battery is good for me because sometimes i change it on the way to work.
2. I didnt run with the watch but walked really fast and it kept recording my heart rate during that time.
3. Nike+ works without phone after setup(UPDATE )************
4. Endomondo don't work without the phone
@NeatSheep
If Even Nike+ can't work without a phone - that's a no go for me
Does that mean that only Samsung fitness apps can utilize the mobility and GPS of Gear S?
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
NeatSheep said:
Ok lets see. First i have garmin forerunner 910xt and i stopped using it and replaced it with gear s.
1. I charge my gear s sometimes every 2 days and the fact that the charger has a battery is good for me because sometimes i change it on the way to work.
2. I didnt run with the watch but walked really fast and it kept recording my heart rate during that time.
3. and 4. Endomondo and nike+ don't work without the phone
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you getting away with charging every 2 days? When i use the gear s for my runs it needs a charge every 11 hours.
Ninja, how long are your runs?
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Daily Life with the Gear S

After having the Gear S for over a week, I have to admit that I am appreciating the convenience it offers in my daily life. Let me start off by saying that I have been using a Pebble smartwatch up until I got the Gear S. Although the Pebble is great for what it is, I believe that the Gear S has done more to make my day easier.
Battery life is nowhere near the Pebble, but that was to be expected. On average, it is possible for me to go without a charge for 2.5 days. More often, I do fall in the 2 day range. Some of you are probably wondering how I achieved this. The trick is to connect it to your phone via bluetooth for most of your day. I noticed that if I do not connect the Gear S to my phone, battery life drops quickly. At the end of a work day, if my Gear S is not connected to my phone, I am usually left with 41% by the time I go to sleep. However, if my Gear S is connected to my phone for a majority of the day, I am usually left with about 70% throughout the day. When I'm sleeping, I turn on airplane mode to save more battery. Remember, your charging dock can act as a portable charger since there is a battery inside of it. You should take the charging dock with you if you are a heavy user. I would not call myself a heavy user. I accept several calls on the Gear S, approximately 20 text messages, and my email notifications are sent to the watch. I would call myself an average user.
There are also some other settings that I have to maximize battery life. I turned off GPS, motions, and wifi. Bluetooth is always on and data is setup to automatically connect. My screen brightness is setup to automatically adjust. All of my notifications are vibration only. I work in an environment that does not allow ringtones to go off. I haven't had the chance to test how my battery life would be if I setup my notifications to use sound instead.
The Gear S is convenient to me because it allows me to stay in touch without carrying a device that fills my entire pocket. This is especially true if you have kids. If you watch your kids all day, there will be many times when your hands are full. It has been much easier to accept calls using the Gear S instead of reaching for my phone.
Since the Gear S is water resistant, I was also able to take my family to the beach and not worry about damaging the Gear S. Usually when I'm at the beach, I have to worry about my Note 3 due to the sand. Because of the Gear S, I can leave my phone somewhere safe such as the car or at home.
Exercise is another activity where the Gear S really shines. The main reason why I take my phone with me while I'm out jogging/running is so my family can contact me. With the Gear S, I have less weight to carry. With a phone in my pocket, the phone always bounces around and I have to be careful about how fast I run so my phone will not fall out. This was when I really decided that the Gear S will be replacing my Pebble. The pebble is a champ when it comes to battery life, but I still had to carry an additional device when I'm out running.
I also notice that because of the limited features of the Gear S, I seem more involved with my co-workers and family. Before having the Gear S, I would always be looking at my phone during social gatherings. Now that I leave my phone at home, I can focus more on the people around me while staying in touch.
Another feature that I use often is the sound detector on my phone. I have my sound detector setup to send notifications to my Gear S when my newborn is crying. I'm shocked that this actually worked.
One of the biggest downsides of the Gear S is that I cannot use Google Now. I'm a rather heavy user when it comes to Google Now. Although I cannot use Google Now on the Gear S, I can still get notifications from Google Now such as traffic updates, weather updates, reminders, etc. Another issue is the keyboard. I can easily type using the keyboard. For me, the best way to use the keyboard is to use swype. The short comings of the keyboard present itself when I try to enter a word with only two letters such as "at" or "by". It always detects either the first or last letter. I'm getting better at typing such words, but it is still an issue.
Overall, depending on how your daily life is, this device may serve a purpose for you. At first glance I was not fond of the screen size. The curved screen definitely helps keep the watch comfortable to use. Don't be intimidated by the larger screen. I'm 5' 4". Needless to say, I am very short. It is a big watch, but when comparing it to my old analog watch, they were about the same size and thickness. Not a big leap to me in terms of size. My advice is to try it for a few days. Most carriers will let you return the watch if you don't want it. I was a fan of the Pebble because it does its job well. I think the Pebble still does a better job with notifications than the Gear S, but like I said earlier, the Gear S offers more to make my day easier.
I pretty much agree with everything you say, and would add that my Gear S tracks my exercise, especially my runs: I now know distance, speed, heart rate, etc. without having to run with my Note 2, which does nit fit in any of my pockets, and required a waistpack (very sexy).
As stupid as it sounds, I also appreciate the hourly reminders that I need to move! My work is sedentary.
Appreciate your review, and the fitness and telecommunication functions are really the strengths of the Gear S.
Just something funny I noticed: if the limited functions of an electronic device is forcing you to be more involved with family/friends/coworkers, then it is not doing its job ?
I changed my keyboard to one of the compact keyboards. That seems to work the best for me on text input.
I agree with your review as well. Just the convenience of feeling like I'm reachable without having to be so "concerned" about where my phone is makes life so much better. My kids can reach me any where, and given that my oldest is a new driver, that is extra important to me. The girls almost always call me when I am at the barn with the horses. So nice to be able to answer their call and still have both hands free to handle my 1200lb animals.
I agree with pretty much everything said here; including the limitations of Google services. I've been a big fan of a lot of the Google services the last few years especially Google Now. THough I am able to receive Google Now notifications, I can't do a Google search like I can on my phone. I get a Google Now notification for weather or traffic every 5 minutes. This is not only redundant, annoying and unnecessary, it is also a battery killer, so I turned that off.
The only other thing I wish it could do is respond to Google Hangouts. My wife and I have been very heavy Hangouts users the last couple years since we can message each other on our computers at home or work and switch seamlessly between our computers, phones and tablets. With the watch, I can read her incoming messages, but I can't respond to them until I am able to get my phone out or get back to my desk. I am hoping that Samsung or a third party implements this very soon. There actually is a Gear app that supposedly does this, but it cost me $1.49 and I couldn't get it to work.
This is my first smart watch. I was going to get the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch R before the Gear S came out. Therefore, I have no hands-on experience with any other watch, I think if some of the Google services could be implemented into the Gear S, it would be the best smartwatch on the scene. All I think it needs is Google search and the ability to respond to Google messages (Gmail and Hangouts).
This app works just right for hangouts. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pacosal.gear.notificationsgears
NinjaMom said:
This app works just right for hangouts. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pacosal.gear.notificationsgears
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the app I used. It was $1.49 four days ago. Does it work better now than it did last week? I noticed the rating is higher than it was when I first got it as well. I would be happy to pay for it, if it works, but I just ran out of time and patience.
It must. I have no problems replying to hangout messages.
Thanks. Maybe I'll try it again.
Been using this also, had maybe 2 recent updates to the app. It's not perfect but works 95% of the time for me using voice dictation to reply to wharsapp messages etc. Worth the money.
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thanks for the info about that app. I just got it myself. I was looking for a way to reply to hangouts also as I will be changing over to my google voice number as my main number. I wanted to still be able to replay to hangout messages. Thanks for this
Can the Gear S stream from some music streaming app to a pair of bluetooth headphones without your phone? I would find this really handy at the gym.
NVM. Found the thread addressing this.
tjl_48 said:
Can the Gear S stream from some music streaming app to a pair of bluetooth headphones without your phone? I would find this really handy at the gym.
NVM. Found the thread addressing this.
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Yes. Without a phone, You can store music on the Gear S and connect bluetooth headphones. You can also stream Milk music from the Gear S with the Gear S version of Milk music installed.
With your phone connected, you can control the music or podcast on the phone from the Gear S when they are connected via bluetooth.
Since the Gear S has it's own number from what I've read is there anyway to link it with my primary number?
alhadee12 said:
Since the Gear S has it's own number from what I've read is there anyway to link it with my primary number?
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I don't know what you mean by "link it with my primary number."
When your phone and watch are in range they are connected via bluetooth, so any calls notifications, etc, will be from the phone over bluetooth. When they get out of range, the phone will automatically forward your calls to the Gear S. If you turn off call forwarding and bluetooth, the Gear S can act as a completely independent device with it's own phone number.
The Gear S also has Wifi connectivity and all of these connections can be turned on or off and configured differently in settings.
I'm still trying to figure out how it all works together and how to make it do what I want. SOmetimes it will not do what I think it should and I can't figure out why. For the most part all of this is automatic and it all works pretty well, though.
MrAwesome75 said:
I don't know what you mean by "link it with my primary number."
When your phone and watch are in range they are connected via bluetooth, so any calls notifications, etc, will be from the phone over bluetooth. When they get out of range, the phone will automatically forward your calls to the Gear S. If you turn off call forwarding and bluetooth, the Gear S can act as a completely independent device with it's own phone number.
The Gear S also has Wifi connectivity and all of these connections can be turned on or off and configured differently in settings.
I'm still trying to figure out how it all works together and how to make it do what I want. SOmetimes it will not do what I think it should and I can't figure out why. For the most part all of this is automatic and it all works pretty well, though.
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What I meant by "link", will it use the phone number of my phone. I've come to learn some of the things you stated. It uses my phone line when connected via Bluetooth. Once it's put of range it uses its assigned phone number.
It will always use your phone's number as long as they are connected via bluetooth. When they get out of range the phone will forward to the watch. So incoming calls and texts to the phone will be forwarded to the watch as well. I haven't thoroughly tested this yet, but I believe in that case sending texts or making calls from the watch will show they are from the watch number and not the phone.
It's hard for me to test this and as far as my understanding of forwarding, that seems to make sense since forwarding only works in one direction. This is why I am trying to figure out how to get Google voice working on the watch. Because it has the potential (in theory) to make all calls and texts between all devices seamless. But so far Google voice doesn't seem to work on the watch at all.
MrAwesome75 said:
It will always use your phone's number as long as they are connected via bluetooth. When they get out of range the phone will forward to the watch. So incoming calls and texts to the phone will be forwarded to the watch as well. I haven't thoroughly tested this yet, but I believe in that case sending texts or making calls from the watch will show they are from the watch number and not the phone.
It's hard for me to test this and as far as my understanding of forwarding, that seems to make sense since forwarding only works in one direction. This is why I am trying to figure out how to get Google voice working on the watch. Because it has the potential (in theory) to make all calls and texts between all devices seamless. But so far Google voice doesn't seem to work on the watch at all.
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Click to collapse
Google Voice works great with my Gear S. Incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
If you want to know how, I explained it in a thread on Android Central.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=461234
jlczl said:
Google Voice works great with my Gear S. Incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
If you want to know how, I explained it in a thread on Android Central.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=461234
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Thank you for your response. I did read your post about Google Voice. It was hard to fully understand. I did everything you're supposed to do (I think). It still doesn't work for me.
nguyen4514 said:
After having the Gear S for over a week, I have to admit that I am appreciating the convenience it offers in my daily life. Let me start off by saying that I have been using a Pebble smartwatch up until I got the Gear S. Although the Pebble is great for what it is, I believe that the Gear S has done more to make my day easier.
Battery life is nowhere near the Pebble, but that was to be expected. On average, it is possible for me to go without a charge for 2.5 days. More often, I do fall in the 2 day range. Some of you are probably wondering how I achieved this. The trick is to connect it to your phone via bluetooth for most of your day. I noticed that if I do not connect the Gear S to my phone, battery life drops quickly. At the end of a work day, if my Gear S is not connected to my phone, I am usually left with 41% by the time I go to sleep. However, if my Gear S is connected to my phone for a majority of the day, I am usually left with about 70% throughout the day. When I'm sleeping, I turn on airplane mode to save more battery. Remember, your charging dock can act as a portable charger since there is a battery inside of it. You should take the charging dock with you if you are a heavy user. I would not call myself a heavy user. I accept several calls on the Gear S, approximately 20 text messages, and my email notifications are sent to the watch. I would call myself an average user.
There are also some other settings that I have to maximize battery life. I turned off GPS, motions, and wifi. Bluetooth is always on and data is setup to automatically connect. My screen brightness is setup to automatically adjust. All of my notifications are vibration only. I work in an environment that does not allow ringtones to go off. I haven't had the chance to test how my battery life would be if I setup my notifications to use sound instead.
The Gear S is convenient to me because it allows me to stay in touch without carrying a device that fills my entire pocket. This is especially true if you have kids. If you watch your kids all day, there will be many times when your hands are full. It has been much easier to accept calls using the Gear S instead of reaching for my phone.
Since the Gear S is water resistant, I was also able to take my family to the beach and not worry about damaging the Gear S. Usually when I'm at the beach, I have to worry about my Note 3 due to the sand. Because of the Gear S, I can leave my phone somewhere safe such as the car or at home.
Exercise is another activity where the Gear S really shines. The main reason why I take my phone with me while I'm out jogging/running is so my family can contact me. With the Gear S, I have less weight to carry. With a phone in my pocket, the phone always bounces around and I have to be careful about how fast I run so my phone will not fall out. This was when I really decided that the Gear S will be replacing my Pebble. The pebble is a champ when it comes to battery life, but I still had to carry an additional device when I'm out running.
I also notice that because of the limited features of the Gear S, I seem more involved with my co-workers and family. Before having the Gear S, I would always be looking at my phone during social gatherings. Now that I leave my phone at home, I can focus more on the people around me while staying in touch.
Another feature that I use often is the sound detector on my phone. I have my sound detector setup to send notifications to my Gear S when my newborn is crying. I'm shocked that this actually worked.
One of the biggest downsides of the Gear S is that I cannot use Google Now. I'm a rather heavy user when it comes to Google Now. Although I cannot use Google Now on the Gear S, I can still get notifications from Google Now such as traffic updates, weather updates, reminders, etc. Another issue is the keyboard. I can easily type using the keyboard. For me, the best way to use the keyboard is to use swype. The short comings of the keyboard present itself when I try to enter a word with only two letters such as "at" or "by". It always detects either the first or last letter. I'm getting better at typing such words, but it is still an issue.
Overall, depending on how your daily life is, this device may serve a purpose for you. At first glance I was not fond of the screen size. The curved screen definitely helps keep the watch comfortable to use. Don't be intimidated by the larger screen. I'm 5' 4". Needless to say, I am very short. It is a big watch, but when comparing it to my old analog watch, they were about the same size and thickness. Not a big leap to me in terms of size. My advice is to try it for a few days. Most carriers will let you return the watch if you don't want it. I was a fan of the Pebble because it does its job well. I think the Pebble still does a better job with notifications than the Gear S, but like I said earlier, the Gear S offers more to make my day easier.
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Hello
What app do you use call sound detector?
Thanks

[Q] S Health pedometer on treadmill

Hi,
I understand the step counter on the Gear S is tied to arm movement, and does not work well on a treadmill if you are holding on to the rails.
I have just set up a treadmill desk in my home office and am trying to figure out if there is another way to "wear" the Gear S to make it work. The first day I tried, I attached it to my lower leg, it counted the steps, but the next day it did not.
Has anybody experimented using either Gear S or Samsung phone (I have the Note 3) on a treadmill while not swinging arms and walking at a slow pace? I have tried to add the steps taken manually, but that does not appear to work. I also figured if the phone shows more steps, it would overrule the Gear S count, but I don't think S Health works hat way.
Any suggestions?
What would happen if you try using the Nike+ running app on the Gear S while you're walking on the treadmill? I just finished a treadmill run today and it was my first time using the Nike+ app on my Gear S. The app knows that I'm indoors and it estimates my running pace and mileage based on how I swing my arms.
I have the exact same setup. A desk on my Treadmill. Like you, I only walk at 1.6 MPH because I can actually talk on the phone and use my laptop while walking. I do a couple hours a day.
I have had NO problem having the Gear S in my pocket and having it record steps. It works quite well in fact. I even attach the recharger (unplugged) to the back while it is in my pocket. That way I end up measuring steps AND having a fully charged watch.
Sorry I can't help you but to tell you mine is working this way fine.
I tried tying it to my ankle...first day, it worked great. Second day, it must not have been tied tight enough and it registered 24000 steps in 2 1/2 hours. While it looked great on my statistics, needless to say, it was absolutely incorrect. Because it had been tied too loosely, it bounced too much, recording each step multiple times.
I typically wear yoga pants, so no pocket. Will try wearing something with a pocket today to see if that helps...
Thanks for the tip
The swinging arms issue is the problem... While I am at my treadmill desk, I type on my computer. Not much swinging going on unless I am on the phone and upset about something
Will try the pocket option below.....

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