Hey guys,
New to Gear S and using it just as a Bluetooth device currently (I have a grandfathered unlimited plan so I don't think I can add it anyway). I like to power my watch off each night to conserve battery, but each time I power it on I am getting the activation screen.
Is there anyway to stop that from happening? I'm having to hit Skip then Ok every time I power it on.
Is nobody else using this as a Bluetooth device only? I thought there would be a topic on this already, but I don't see one.
Tapatalked from my Note 3
I use mine as a BT and i never get a nagging screen. What carrier did it come from? and have you turned mobile networks to always off?
wakko69 said:
I use mine as a BT and i never get a nagging screen. What carrier did it come from? and have you turned mobile networks to always off?
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Click to collapse
It's a Verizon watch and yes I have mobile networks set to off
Tapatalked from my Note 3
Sounds like a Verizon or CDMA specific feature built into the watch firmware.
Airplane mode seems to disable all calling, messaging, and mobile networks so I don't think I can use that and still get calls/messages on my watch.
Just seems like there would be a number to call to bypass activation... They used to have that on cell phones back in the day.
Tapatalked from my Note 3
Your watch is not even activated as you stated, so it won't be able to call/messaging or connect to mobile networks anyway. It can only make/receive calls and messages via Bluetooth to your phone. So, as long as you enabled Bluetooth after airplane mode, you are fine.
foxbat121 said:
Your watch is not even activated as you stated, so it won't be able to call/messaging or connect to mobile networks anyway. It can only make/receive calls and messages via Bluetooth to your phone. So, as long as you enabled Bluetooth after airplane mode, you are fine.
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Click to collapse
Ok so I did that, but still no change.. Activation screen every time I power it off then on.
Tapatalked from my Note 3
Then, there is nothing you can do. Verizon put that in there to make sure you paid them to activate the phone. Honestly, if you are not going to using the cell radio part of watch, why waste your money on a Verizon version of the watch. Last time I checked, it is one of the most expensive version amongst all four carrier versions (also runs the oldest firmware). AT&T is the cheapest.
foxbat121 said:
Then, there is nothing you can do. Verizon put that in there to make sure you paid them to activate the phone. Honestly, if you are not going to using the cell radio part of watch, why waste your money on a Verizon version of the watch. Last time I checked, it is one of the most expensive version amongst all four carrier versions (also runs the oldest firmware). AT&T is the cheapest.
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Looking at slickdeals.net daily paid off about 2-3 weeks ago... It was $170 brand new... Couldn't pass that up. I would have never paid over $300 for a smart watch.
Tapatalked from my Note 3
igotgame said:
Looking at slickdeals.net daily paid off about 2-3 weeks ago... It was $170 brand new... Couldn't pass that up. I would have never paid over $300 for a smart watch.
Tapatalked from my Note 3
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Click to collapse
Hey, me, too. Let me also add, it's not worth over $300. At $170 shipped, I'm considering selling it. It's really falling short of my expectations, which weren't that high to begin. S-Voice is even worse than the phone version - slow and inaccurate. Few apps, with only a small percentage being quality.
On the plus side, it does handle notifications well. The display is good. The UI is fairly fluid.
Related
Hi:
Up until now, I have been using T-Mobile ever since the XDA came out.
Used a "visorphone" before that. I do NOT use T-Mobile's Internet access (T-zones) ever since I got hit with a $180+ overage charge the first month I used it.
So.
Here is my issue:
Starting a few months ago, I noticed that, even though I do NOT use T-Mobile for any Internet access (I call up my own ISP instead from the XDA), T-Mobile are charging me something like $.50 for every email sent or received from the XDA using my own ISP. I suppose they monitor the traffic or something. When I protested that they shouldn't charge me for anything Internet-related, only the minutes used to call my ISP, they told me basically that they don't give a damn what I think, and that I will continue to be charged $.50 for every email. They show up on my bill as "e-note" to the phone number "500."
I think that's ridiculous and possibly illegal since it doesn't involve their servers or their services at all, but I don't have the energy to deal with their untrained "Wireless Data Group." It would take years to explain this to them. Just getting them on the phone took over 1 hour. This is partly a warning post, that this is what T-Mobile is doing, and we should know about it. So, I am looking into switching to AT&T.
My questions for anyone reading this:
1) anyone else have that billing issue with t-mobile?
2) is at&t any better? do they charge for internet traffic even if you haven't signed up for their services?
3) i don't think i have simlock issues, the unlock util from this site says that it's already unlocked. rom is 4.00.21 ENG, radio stack 6.24.00
from yorch.net.
4) is there anything i should know? won't this t-mobile build of "windows mobile 2003" rom work with at&t ?
any info appreciated, you can email thomas at pullen.com (removed the @ for the spam bots).
thanks!
TMO is pretty bad, iv experienced their levels of ignorance too, but once in a while, u can incounter sumone who knows alot about what they do
you should have never used tzones (if it wasnt unlimited) for transfering big amounts of data, thats why u got charged so much, for going over the allowd data amount
when connecting to your own ISP, are u connecting using THEIR # ? ... if so, then i dont know where TMO gets these ideas 4 charging u extra + the phone call :roll:
to unlock u need to go back to a 2002 rom, with the unlock software
ur build will work, but it would be better to switch to 4.00.05 , since u wont need all the useless TMO apps and what not
Hey tpullen,
Sorry to hear about your terrible time with T-Mobile.
Q: What type of plan do you have with T-Mobile?
If its only a voice plan with no data the .50 sounds about right and will be the same if you move over to AT&T. As a matter of fact AT&T's data charges are higher.
It doesn't matter that you're calling your own ISP, the fact still remains you're sending/receiving data on a voice only plan. :wink:
HTH
thanks
hey:
thanks for the replies. to answer your questions:
i had the t-mobile 3,000 minutes for $49 plan. it is only free long distance for the southeast u.s.; i think it's called a 'neighborhood' plan.
no data at all in my plan; i would call my own isp and surf the web and check email. only about 3 months ago t-mobile started charging me to check email, but not for the web. my complaint is that i am using my own isp, and the call comes out of my minutes. yes, it's sending data with a voice-only plan, but hey! i have a dial-up phone line, nothing fancy, a land line in my house. it's voice-only. if i plug a modem into my home phone line and call my isp, should i expect to get a bill from my phone company for every email i look at? to my way of thinking, and anyone is free to disagree, if i'm not USING your services then i don't want to PAY for your services. unless it is a t-mobile email, web, or proxy server i'm talking to, i don't expect to pay t-mobile. the minutes were already being deducted from my available minutes. that's all i should have to pay.
i don't think that's so outrageous.
i did unlock my phone with the xda dev build, then went back to the same tmobile windows mobile 2003 build. i wasn't sure if the xda "stays unlocked" once you unlock it and then put a new rom on, but it does.
now i have an at&t sim, and it works well enough, but the sort-of-funny thing is that you apparantly can NOT just call your own isp with at&t.
i can't seem to get a connection to work. so i don't know. maybe i will stay with at&t since they, according to their sales literature anyway, have a data network that's like 3 times faster than t-mobile's data network.
of course it's more $ for them.
whatever the case, i have 30 days to try at&t with no obligation, cancel any time, owe them nothing. everyone has that option right now, in fact, due to the new ftc "local number port" thing happening.
i'll let ya'll know how it goes if i stick with at&t. i can always stay with t-mobile, but i'm not sure if that's a good idea.
Re: thanks
tpullen said:
maybe i will stay with at&t since they, according to their sales literature anyway, have a data network that's like 3 times faster than t-mobile's data network. of course it's more $ for them.
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Sounds like you're talking about the EDGE service. Yeah, like 4 times the cost of T-Mobile's unlimited plan. I think I'll stick to the cheaper slower service.
tpullen said:
whatever the case, i have 30 days to try at&t with no obligation, cancel any time, owe them nothing. everyone has that option right now, in fact, due to the new ftc "local number port" thing happening.
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Click to collapse
Owe them nothing?! You might want to read that literature again. You'll not pay a cancellation fee nor an activation fee, but you will owe them for the prorated amount of time you had service, and any other additional fees that you use. This is pretty standard in the wireless industry. So if you go over your prorated minutes for the month, you owe them airtime charges. Happened to me, so just be careful.
bye bye at&t
hi arkhangel:
yes, you are correct:
4. Every new customer gets a 30 day risk free trial. When you purchase a phone and activate service at an AT&T Wireless store or at attwireless.com, you can return your undamaged phone for a refund within the first 30 days and pay only for airtime and usage charges. It’s just one more way we can earn your trust.
so it is not without charge, and thank god i only made one 6-minute call.
as far as the EDGE network goes, it was so-so...i only viewed 2 webpages with it, they loaded pretty much as quickly as with any other data service over the xda...and the funny thing is that it consumed apparantly almost 2 mb to do so.
i am pretty frustrated now, the at&t customer service has been pretty rotten, but t-mobile isn't too great either.
i'm calling verizon next, to compare...
tpullen said:
They show up on my bill as "e-note" to the phone number "500."
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Click to collapse
The phone is programmed to send an SMS to T-Mobile every time you reboot your PPCPE. These show up as e-notes to 500 just as you describe. Compare the timing of your email use vs. the timing of your reboots and see where the e-notes are coming from. I think you can purchase a bundle of a bunch (500?) of SMS messages (aka e-notes) for something like $2.99, so you could cap your cost that way.
You should also be aware that T-Mobile has gone to a flat rate for GPRS at $19.95 for unlimited internet. The comparable plan with AT&T is something like $80.
So I've been using the Gear S for a few days, and thoroughly enjoyed leaving my Note 4 in the truck or at home for quick errands. But aside from call forwarding I think I'm a bit confused about the functionality of the watch in terms of it as a stand alone device, and don't get me wrong it came through as promised as a stand alone, and I love this thing, the wait was worth it.
But the question is: when paired to my phone as Bluetooth I can not receive calls direct to my Gear S number, unless I'm missing something, but it goes straight to voicemail when I'm connected to my phones, can I set call forwarding to phone from my watch number or just only my phone to my watch? And do I only get text/calls forwarded, or all of my notifications (aside from emails which I know you got to add to the email app.) and does my phone need to stay on while at home?
I studied the crap out of this watch for 2 months before release, but a lot of the information was vague or speculation, then out of no where it dropped and just kind of looking for solid informed information now.
Overall, I'm still on the fence about using it on a plan, not because its come up short on what it promised, but because I'm not sure how often I'll use it. Im mainly just looking for any and all advice/tips to get the most out of this thing thinking maybe I've missed something ...
I justify the At&t $10 a month, because out the gate I saved $100 (Basically a free 10 months of stand alone service) and I do see the beauty of leaving my phone at home sometimes, plus for hitting the gym or taking the dog for a walk, I love my Note phones, but they do take up a lot of pocket real estate, so the watch is a nice feature.
And as far as battery life, I def get more on Bluetooth than as a stand alone, I can easily get a full day with cellular connection, but probably 2+ with just Bluetooth, and those numbers are wifi off/motion off.
Today: 8am - 100% - 12:45pm 92%.
Bluetoothed, Motion on, 19 Apps set to notify, brightness very readable but low.
Chances are I'll keep the cell plan on it, as far as the watch try and pry this thing from my hand ... at least until the Gear S2 drops lol. I'm just looking for any tips or tricks with the watch I might have missed, or maybe stories on how having there stand alone watch has improved your life.
It seems as if they focused too much on locking this watch down so you can ONLY use it with Samsung devices that they ended up with a watch with so much potential.
I thought I would be able to log in to my Google account on my watch and still be able to receive notifications on it. But nope, Samsung can't have us set up the phone temporarily and keep using it without a Samsung device. There's really no justification at this point to have a SIM card on this watch and being charged a monthly plan.
I wish another company would have released this device without the greediness of Samsung.
See I only buy Note series phones, so the locked to Samsung phones doesn't bother me, all the other watch companies would do the same if they weren't only making Android Wear devices and had proprietary software, just like the Iwatch will only run off an iPhone and not a peep will be said about that, people will praise it's old tech and uglymess as the second coming of jesus. Only samsung seems to catch the heat.
Let me reiterate that I'm 1000% happy with this watch, it's beautiful and functional, and the stand alone is great, just looking for a reason to keep it on a data plan in terms of fitting my lifestyle and need, I can see a lot of people needing this feature. The watch will stay on my wrist regardless. Me, I'm trying to justify the contract just to leave my phone in the truck during a shopping trip or to run errands or something. But again it's just $10 so it's not a huge deal.
It really depends on how your going to use it. Everyone is not going to use it the same way.
The price plan was not a concern at all and i was fine with that. I knew I was going to have the plan on it. Mines is mainly used for going on walks or runs. Sometimes i may still bring my phone, sometimes i may not. Felt i was covered either way. Making quick trips to shop, I'm set. Basically an "quick and short insurance policy" for me. Everything else is cool for me, but chances of me using is slim to none. And to do for $10. I'm good with that. It's doing every bit of what I had hoped it would.
Sent from my SM-N910P
Dmac1984 said:
See I only buy Note series phones, so the locked to Samsung phones doesn't bother me, all the other watch companies would do the same if they weren't only making Android Wear devices and had proprietary software, just like the Iwatch will only run off an iPhone and not a peep will be said about that, people will praise it's old tech and uglymess as the second coming of jesus. Only samsung seems to catch the heat.
Let me reiterate that I'm 1000% happy with this watch, it's beautiful and functional, and the stand alone is great, just looking for a reason to keep it on a data plan in terms of fitting my lifestyle and need, I can see a lot of people needing this feature. The watch will stay on my wrist regardless. Me, I'm trying to justify the contract just to leave my phone in the truck during a shopping trip or to run errands or something. But again it's just $10 so it's not a huge deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS
---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------
Dmac1984 said:
But the question is: when paired to my phone as Bluetooth I can not receive calls direct to my Gear S number, unless I'm missing something, but it goes straight to voicemail when I'm connected to my phones, can I set call forwarding to phone from my watch number or just only my phone to my watch? And do I only get text/calls forwarded, or all of my notifications (aside from emails which I know you got to add to the email app.) and does my phone need to stay on while at home?
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Click to collapse
The Bluetooth thing if you forward your calls to GS your phone (on smartphone will ring) If you forward GS calls to smartphone it will ring both numbers. Its how you set up your GS. Think of GS as a house phone. When your home bluetooth/wifi your GS to pair with the smartphone. When you are out and about leaving your phone at home you may forward your calls to bluetooth as well as accept calls from your GS.
I have a Sprint note 4 and a Gear S T-mobile. I will not pay the Sprint plan for the GS the detailed plan does not work for me so T-mobile GS I got. I many never use my GS number on my watch but it's nice having it in case I may need an emergency phone.
gingy13 said:
how unique are you?
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I'm not your average bear boo-boo (Yogie)
Super subjective ...
I see that dilemma as one of extreme subjectivity ...
I carry my phone with me everywhere I go, for the most part. What I discovered today is that if my phone is at home, and I connect my watch to WiFi wherever I am, I can still see missed calls, browse the web, receive and respond to text messages, and view new emails (though there is a weird glitch in there with composing), all of which came to my phone while I was out.
That said, having a mobile plan can certainly be a safety net because it allows calls when you leave your phone somewhere ... and when you're out of WiFi range ... but I can't say for me that's all that much of a problem. When I run to court or have to do quick errands, I'm not usually gone long enough to have to worry all that much about receiving urgent messages -- that's not to say that it isn't convenient to still be able to.
Ten dollars monthly really isn't a lot of money. It's actually kind of a negligible amount. For me, though, it costs a lot more. I threw in a StraightTalk sim because I bought the device at AT&T but have Verizon phone service, and it was pricey, plus it doesn't feel worthwhile to pay 30 bucks for something that I only need as a safety net or a convenience.
I just went through the full specifications of the device via the model-config.xml file on it, and I also started digging through the folders on the device. This thing is nowhere near its potential right now ... but we will have to see what Samsung does with it, and more importantly, what developers do with it. It really is a phone on the wrist and it has a ton of power that isn't being used just yet.
Wondering if anyone can answer this for me. I am up for renewal on my work line through ATT and wanted to make sure everything would function correctly if I got the gear s on my work line and paired it with my personal phone through verizon. Anyone have any experience with this and can share some insight? Thanks!
d0ntp4n1c said:
Wondering if anyone can answer this for me. I am up for renewal on my work line through ATT and wanted to make sure everything would function correctly if I got the gear s on my work line and paired it with my personal phone through verizon. Anyone have any experience with this and can share some insight? Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Everything will work fine carrier does not matter with this watchphone
I've got an AT&T Gear S paired with my Sprint Note 4. Everything works.. Including the remote function.
Thanks for the replys! Currently waiting on my Gear S to arrive
duongdn said:
I've got an AT&T Gear S paired with my Sprint Note 4. Everything works.. Including the remote function.
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Click to collapse
An update to the Gear Manager came thru last night that broke the remote connection between my ATT phone and Straight Talk watch.
Samsung and the carriers are working hard to make sure both devices remain on their networks in order to have remote connections work.
Do backups prior to accepting updates....
mghtymse007 said:
An update to the Gear Manager came thru last night that broke the remote connection between my ATT phone and Straight Talk watch.
Samsung and the carriers are working hard to make sure both devices remain on their networks in order to have remote connections work.
Do backups prior to accepting updates....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I received the update also. Used the remote connection this morning taking my niece and nephew to school this morning. No issues. Left my phone at home and still received calls, notification and texts. Was able to reply also using Gear Notifier Extender.
duongdn said:
I received the update also. Used the remote connection this morning taking my niece and nephew to school this morning. No issues. Left my phone at home and still received calls, notification and texts. Was able to reply also using Gear Notifier Extender.
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Yeah, after a reset and some tinkering I was able to get it working again.
Did you see Verizon's terms on the watch? $349 on contract and $45-$55/month Doesn't make sense comparing it to the other OEMs. The wildly different prices and terms from the big three are going to come with restrictions. Think about it, why would you buy the watch from Tmo for $400 if you can just walk to the ATT store, pay full price, get it unlocked and save $100?
After a good talk with a friend at Samsung, he said that right now the remote notifications are being handled by Samsung's servers... But not for long. That control will ultimately be transferred to the OEMs. Updates to the watch and phone app could soon kill the ability to receive cross network notifs. According to him, this will happen in two stages....First, through the mobile data connection, then via Wi-Fi.
So far, I have hit one road block after another getting this device unlocked even tho I paid full price and seeing a few XDA members post successful unlocks. The latest excuse from an ATT Support Supervisor, is the $299 price is for ATT GO customers only. If you wish to buy it in an unlocked state, you must first tell the rep your intent prior to purchase, pay $399 and then the store mgr will override the unlock prevention. I found this out on Tuesday and called my ATT rep (worked with him for 9 years), and this was all news to him. Waiting for callback....
Just posting what I've learned in the last 13 days and an FYI for those wanting to use these devices on different networks.
mghtymse007 said:
An update to the Gear Manager came thru last night that broke the remote connection between my ATT phone and Straight Talk watch.
Samsung and the carriers are working hard to make sure both devices remain on their networks in order to have remote connections work.
Do backups prior to accepting updates....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mghtymse007 said:
Yeah, after a reset and some tinkering I was able to get it working again.
Did you see Verizon's terms on the watch? $349 on contract and $45-$55/month Doesn't make sense comparing it to the other OEMs. The wildly different prices and terms from the big three are going to come with restrictions. Think about it, why would you buy the watch from Tmo for $400 if you can just walk to the ATT store, pay full price, get it unlocked and save $100?
After a good talk with a friend at Samsung, he said that right now the remote notifications are being handled by Samsung's servers... But not for long. That control will ultimately be transferred to the OEMs. Updates to the watch and phone app could soon kill the ability to receive cross network notifs. According to him, this will happen in two stages....First, through the mobile data connection, then via Wi-Fi.
So far, I have hit one road block after another getting this device unlocked even tho I paid full price and seeing a few XDA members post successful unlocks. The latest excuse from an ATT Support Supervisor, is the $299 price is for ATT GO customers only. If you wish to buy it in an unlocked state, you must first tell the rep your intent prior to purchase, pay $399 and then the store mgr will override the unlock prevention. I found this out on Tuesday and called my ATT rep (worked with him for 9 years), and this was all news to him. Waiting for callback....
Just posting what I've learned in the last 13 days and an FYI for those wanting to use these devices on different networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's hope a decision is made down the line to not lose cross carrier notifications. It's really the one thing I like about the watch.
duongdn said:
Let's hope a decision is made down the line to not lose cross carrier notifications. It's really the one thing I like about the watch.
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Me too! Wouldn't be pleased at all if I lost this ability.
Waiting for an answer from my rep on all this, considering returning if the above is currently in play.
mghtymse007 said:
Me too! Wouldn't be pleased at all if I lost this ability.
Waiting for an answer from my rep on all this, considering returning if the above is currently in play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My decision to return it may be based on this also. Please keep us updated.
duongdn said:
My decision to return it may be based on this also. Please keep us updated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do.
---------- Post added at 11:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------
For those interested, here's the link to Verizon's Gear S press release and pricing....
http://www.tizenexperts.com/2014/11/verizon-wireless-announce-their-prices-for-the-samsung-gear-s/
Jeez the news about them locking cross carrier stuff sucks if it's true. I swear they are trying to kill this fricken device before it has a chance to succeed. From my understanding you can still use this through Bluetooth and get all the functionality right? (albeit through your phone and not the Gear S's own number)
I haven't seen any reviews of people using it without one. Starting to think maybe I should just cancel my order and hold off...
EDIT: To specify I mean functionality like respond to texts and email/ make calls and what not. Just through the phone its paired to.
d0ntp4n1c said:
Jeez the news about them locking cross carrier stuff sucks if it's true. I swear they are trying to kill this fricken device before it has a chance to succeed. From my understanding you can still use this through Bluetooth and get all the functionality right? (albeit through your phone and not the Gear S's own number)
I haven't seen any reviews of people using it without one. Starting to think maybe I should just cancel my order and hold off...
EDIT: To specify I mean functionality like respond to texts and email/ make calls and what not. Just through the phone its paired to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, this situation isn't any different than Samsung's ridiculous decision to make these compatible with only their latest flagship devices. They are losing SO many sales due to this silly decision.
As to your inquiry...Yes, even without a SIM card, the BT connection will give you all the functionality of the companion Gear models. But, obviously, none of the standalone and remote features will be usable.
Overall, I've been very happy with this watch and amazed by it's features and hardware. However, the lack of quantity and quality apps is very frustrating. Again, another moronic decision by Samsung to provide an OS that is considered to be inferior to Wear, and is slated to be the OS for their cheapo line of phones.
Where is the logic in this??? Here they build a flagship watch and decide to finish it off with the "blue light special" of OS's!?!?!? WTF to that....
Samsung REALLY needs to stop copying and, ultimately, trying to be Apple. They really do have the ability to be a leader and pave their own path, but instead continue to follow. Truly a shame.
mghtymse007 said:
Unfortunately, this situation isn't any different than Samsung's ridiculous decision to make these compatible with only their latest flagship devices. They are losing SO many sales due to this silly decision.
As to your inquiry...Yes, even without a SIM card, the BT connection will give you all the functionality of the companion Gear models. But, obviously, none of the standalone and remote features will be usable.
Overall, I've been very happy with this watch and amazed by it's features and hardware. However, the lack of quantity and quality apps is very frustrating. Again, another moronic decision by Samsung to provide an OS that is considered to be inferior to Wear, and is slated to be the OS for their cheapo line of phones.
Where is the logic in this??? Here they build a flagship watch and decide to finish it off with the "blue light special" of OS's!?!?!? WTF to that....
Samsung REALLY needs to stop copying and, ultimately, trying to be Apple. They really do have the ability to be a leader and pave their own path, but instead continue to follow. Truly a shame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bit of a mixed bag imo. They ARE trying to do their own thing and push their own brand/eco system. Ultimately that is what every brand wants to aspire to. When iOS launched the app store was ****. Same with android and windows phone (albeit THAT one is still ****). Personally I feel that they might have jumped the gun with this one by making it SO goddamn enclosed inside samsungs ecosystem as it is, but they are kinda trying to be a leader by branching off into their own ****. I also want to say when I first looked into it there were devs semi excited about Tizen. I'll have to go research the os again as it has been a couple months (originally looked into it when the gear s was announced) Regardless, I am definitely not saying your wrong the choices they made on this phone seem to be stopping A LOT of people from buying. IMO they should have made some exclusive features that only work properly with Samsung phones that were innovative (not something expected in the device) enough to make you WANT to go out and get a note 4/ s5 to pair with it.
duongdn said:
My decision to return it may be based on this also. Please keep us updated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After my 1.5hr visit to the ATT store... My gear is now finally unlocked. I did not have to pay any additional $$$, nor do the lengthy activation/deactivation process mentioned in an earlier post.
Being armed with the ATT Unlocking terms and conditions page and the FCC regs helped get this done. But, it's ridiculous that I would even have to go to this level.
If and/or when you go into the ATT store to make this purchase, be sure that you deal with one of the managers. The regular reps are clueless in this respect.
Considering this watch to pair with my N4. With it having it's own dataplan/number, are there instances where I call and text someone from a number they aren't familiar with or does it forward everything through my phone? For instance, if I send a text from watch, does it come from watch # or my phone #? I've read that if it disconnects from your phone in standalone mode the phone will forward calls to it, but if I start a call from the watch...am I calling from the watch # or does it send the call to my cell that actually makes the call?
Also, what has been your monthly cost to your bill with this watch?
Thanks!
I have the T-Mobile 5 dollar a month plan on mine. Unlimited talk and text plus 500mb data. As long as your connected to your phone, all calls or text made through the watch goes through your cellular number. If want to use the watch number for texts or calls, you have to disconnect from your phone and wait for the cellular modem to engage.
sniickers said:
I have the T-Mobile 5 dollar a month plan on mine. Unlimited talk and text plus 500mb data. As long as your connected to your phone, all calls or text made through the watch goes through your cellular number. If want to use the watch number for texts or calls, you have to disconnect from your phone and wait for the cellular modem to engage.
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Click to collapse
Not quite correct, as you can choose which number the gear S uses when making a call from the watch even if you're connected to the phone still.
It's in the settings on the watch and took me a while to find.
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app
gingerdude said:
Not quite correct, as you can choose which number the gear S uses when making a call from the watch even if you're connected to the phone still.
It's in the settings on the watch and took me a while to find.
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app
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Actually, you are wrong. The option you are referring too. Which is in the call settings menu under the auto call forwarding option, where you can choose the outgoing number, is only selectable only after disconnecting from the phone and allowing the cellular modem to come on the Gear S like I said before.
Now you can leave cellular modem on all the time even when connected by bluetooth (which is likely your scenario) but it is the worst option for battery life. Second the menus are quite simple and direct, nothing to get confused on. Unless someone gives incorrect information.
sniickers said:
Actually, you are wrong. The option you are referring too. Which is in the call settings menu under the auto call forwarding option, where you can choose the outgoing number, is only selectable only after disconnecting from the phone and allowing the cellular modem to come on the Gear S like I said before.
Now you can leave cellular modem on all the time even when connected by bluetooth (which is likely your scenario) but it is the worst option for battery life. Second the menus are quite simple and direct, nothing to get confused on. Unless someone gives incorrect information.
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I have cell modern switched to always on as It lasts whole day and I charge every night.
I stand corrected.
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks, guys....Is the watch worth a monthly cost? I never leave my phone, so it'll always be tethered to it.
EVOme said:
Thanks, guys....Is the watch worth a monthly cost? I never leave my phone, so it'll always be tethered to it.
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If you are going to not use the cellular portion of the watch, I would recommend going to AT&T and purchasing the device outright. The outright price is $299 as opposed to T-Mobile ($349.92). AT&T should sell you the watch outright without needing a plan.
I located one at att and lady is telling me I cannot buy, even at full price, without an account with them. I have a verizon Note 4. She said it has to link with a phone on the same carrier in order to work correctly. True?
EVOme said:
I located one at att and lady is telling me I cannot buy, even at full price, without an account with them. I have a verizon Note 4. She said it has to link with a phone on the same carrier in order to work correctly. True?
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That isn't true at all. I'm currently using a T-Mobile Gear S with my Verizon Note Edge and everything works flawlessly. I have even forwarded my calls/texts messages to the Gear S.
EVOme said:
I located one at att and lady is telling me I cannot buy, even at full price, without an account with them. I have a verizon Note 4. She said it has to link with a phone on the same carrier in order to work correctly. True?
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Also, if you do setup service with them, you can cancel it immediately and tether the device to your phone. You will NOT have to pay an ETF if you purchase the device outright.
I went to Best Buy to try it on a few hours ago, after the call with ATT, and decided it's too big on my wrist. :-\
EVOme said:
I went to Best Buy to try it on a few hours ago, after the call with ATT, and decided it's too big on my wrist. :-\
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I felt the same way when I first tried it on and messed with it. But the longer I wear it, the less I notice it's even there. Unless it's being blown up with notifications of course lol. I have small wrists and work at a computer all day. Not trying to convince you otherwise, just letting you know how it's been in my experience.
slimc84 said:
I felt the same way when I first tried it on and messed with it. But the longer I wear it, the less I notice it's even there. Unless it's being blown up with notifications of course lol. I have small wrists and work at a computer all day. Not trying to convince you otherwise, just letting you know how it's been in my experience.
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Thanks!! It was kinda tough with the watch attached while I was wearing it. Maybe I'll buy tomorrow and demo it to see how it goes. Att has the restocking fee if I decide against.. Oh well.
So im loving my S8+ so far coming from a glitchy Note 5.
I have been using the Hangouts dialer app to be able to talk and surf at the same time with Sprint. It works but it sucks for business.
It sucks because it drops calls all the time. Especially if Im on the phone with an automated system or big company. It will just hangup. Ebay is the worst with this. As soon as it hears hold music it seems to hangup or disconnect
Or if im on a call using Hangouts dialer app. If i get an incoming regular call it will automatically drop the Hangouts call without warning.
Any other apps or solutions to try????? I need to talk on the phone and look up things on the web or get data notifications while im on the phone sometimes.
Thanks
There's no way to use data and phone service on Sprint. That's the way that the network is made.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
It's just one reason Sprint is the worst network in america by far
Switch to tmobile ....... lol
But yea nothing can be done its how there data is setup its on the same line as calling.
954wrecker said:
It's just one reason Sprint is the worst network in america by far
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It was a stupid decision, made by people who don't work there anymore. Sprint has made major improvements in my area with service and gave me a good deal to stay with them. No, they are far from perfect but they work for me.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
Katt50 said:
It was a stupid decision, made by people who don't work there anymore. Sprint has made major improvements in my area with service and gave me a good deal to stay with them. No, they are far from perfect but they work for me.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
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Tried them for free for over a year. In my area(top 10 city in the country by population) they suck and I feel like it was not even worth the $0 price I paid.
You can do it with the hangouts dialer....
Its just i was wondering if there was a similar app that worked better.
Sprint does suck but im not going to pay 15-20 more a month for T mobile
I had sprint for many years suffering with all the black holes in my city. Went with a new provider that has 22gig unlimited on the Verizon network. While sprint has awesome speeds if you are next to the tower , you might as well not have a cellphone if you aren't. I got mostly 3g wherever I went, and this is a top 25 market. You could talk and use data on a note 3. That's long gone.
gn4life84 said:
So im loving my S8+ so far coming from a glitchy Note 5.
I have been using the Hangouts dialer app to be able to talk and surf at the same time with Sprint. It works but it sucks for business.
It sucks because it drops calls all the time. Especially if Im on the phone with an automated system or big company. It will just hangup. Ebay is the worst with this. As soon as it hears hold music it seems to hangup or disconnect
Or if im on a call using Hangouts dialer app. If i get an incoming regular call it will automatically drop the Hangouts call without warning.
Any other apps or solutions to try????? I need to talk on the phone and look up things on the web or get data notifications while im on the phone sometimes.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a special SPRINT-section of the S8+ on this forum: ask there...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/sprint-galaxy-s8-link
henklbr said:
There is a special SPRINT-section of the S8+ on this forum: ask there...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/sprint-galaxy-s8-link
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Thanks!
I've had it this way for a while, so just is what it is. I get better service with sprint that verizon or att offer here (co workers have one or the other and its really sad) and tmobile...they are a joke.
That said, i'd love to find a legit app solution to this, I can't have anything sketchy (dropping calls due to others, etc) due to the nature of my job.
They will be enabling a solution to allow data usage while in a call sometime this year. It's an important feature so I believe it's a high priority.
MrClean69 said:
They will be enabling a solution to allow data usage while in a call sometime this year. It's an important feature so I believe it's a high priority.
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Anything in writing or did you just make that up? It's been this way for over 3 years but now it's important enough to fix?
954wrecker said:
Anything in writing or did you just make that up? It's been this way for over 3 years but now it's important enough to fix?
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I don't have anything in writing, but it's been complained about for a long time and the people in charge now, actually care and listen. I don't believe it's easily fixed but they are committed to making it work like it should.
MrClean69 said:
I don't have anything in writing, but it's been complained about for a long time and the people in charge now, actually care and listen. I don't believe it's easily fixed but they are committed to making it work like it should.
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I'm calling BS on everything you just said. Unless sprint gets purchased by T-Mobile and goes GSM like Metro PCS did.
954wrecker said:
I'm calling BS on everything you just said. Unless sprint gets purchased by T-Mobile and goes GSM like Metro PCS did.
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Well I've been employed there for 16 years and these are the only executives that have actually known what they are talking about, cared about what customers and employees think and delivered on what they said. They were handed a big ol turd and from my perspective, they've done more good in less than 3 years than the previous regime did in 10.
I'm not on the wireless side so I don't know much about that tech and how it works.
Google sprint VoLTE. Sprint needs to update to voice over lte for voice and data to work simultaneously. Supposedly they are going to update to Volte soon. I'm not holding my breath though
MrClean69 said:
They will be enabling a solution to allow data usage while in a call sometime this year. It's an important feature so I believe it's a high priority.
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Click to collapse
The only solution with the state of current hardware is for sprint to switch to voice over lte, there won't be any other solution.
---------- Post added at 09:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 AM ----------
Katt50 said:
There's no way to use data and phone service on Sprint. That's the way that the network is made.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
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Well actually you can but its device specific, all the latest phones over the last several years don't support that feature but older phones did at one point. Phones like the evo lte and gs3 and possibly gs4 and a few others supported svlte, which is voice and data at the same time. If you had one of those phones now, you will still get voice and data but its due to the hardware set up of the device and not the network.
I KEEP Getting told they're reconstructing the networks. Should be done by end of year.
I keep saying HOW THE HECK do you expect to compete when the biggest feature is missing.
I'm not understanding how it could be hardware though. When they sell the same thing as Verizon.
They will do testing this May 31, but i read only is in two model of phone, and GS8 not appear.