Mods: I'm hoping you'll let this thread stay. The one dedicated Tizen thread is a combination of how to install/uninstall, personal views of the change, and discussion of actual changes and features. It's really hard to follow and at the speed Samsung's pushing out Tizen (all the EU's already done) it's going to be a large share of this forum's discussion that'll be difficult to contain to one thread.
NakedFaerie said:
Tizen is really crap if you ask me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SenseiEmu said:
Why don't you like the Tizen update? Personally, I love it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're both right. It depends on what your view of the GG1's purpose is and what you bought it for.
If you bought it as a garage hobby to tinker with, sideload apps for larger displays, and to run it stand-alone and type and watch movies on a tiny display just because you can Samsung's abandonment of Android for the Gear family is a bummer. I've admired the things people like this have done but other than the sport of it I don't (personally) get it.
For people that bought a Gear (or any wearable) for the productivity benefits Samsung moving the GG1 to Tizen is great. Look at it this way, with the move away from Android with the GG2's the GG1 was an orphan. No one was developing apps for it even before the move and Samsung would have stopped providing updates for it also. So it would have suffered death by neglect. Samsung's sold (or shipped) an estimated 1M GG1's so add that user base to the ongoing Samsung/Tizen mix and you have the largest wearable audience out there and at least a chance of gaining some developer interest.
My thoughts after using Tizen for a few days...
The "ugly"
The lack of apps available is a big deal. Some people with GG2's have said they have more apps available in Samsung Apps than we do for the GG1 so hopefully what's missing is just Samsung having issues getting the GG1 configured in their App store. Some of the apps I used heavily and liked are gone: TripIt, Glympse, CNN, Vivino, and Peel Remote for example. I doubt some will be back so I'm kind of bummed.
The "bad"
I miss the ability to swipe down to access the Camera and swipe up to access settings (my upward swipeable app of choice). It's kind of strange that something so simple couldn't have been replicated in Tizen. The solution is to use the App clock which gets you access just as quickly. I'd rather have the weather showing but c'est la vie.
The "good"
So far, there's not a single stock app or feature I've found that's not better in Tizen than Android. Some examples.
Gear Manager
It's cleaner, faster, and better organized. The Home screen styler provides nice customizations without having to install battery-draining third party apps to stylize the watch face. The amount of discussion in this forum dedicated to watch faces kind of boggles my mind. So for the watch face obsessed the new customizations should be welcome. Before, if your phone lost its connection to the Gear, Gear Manager closed. Now, it stays open and displays a warning in the notification panel that the connection's been lost. There are settings now that allow you to receive notifications on your Gear while the phone's display is on and to receive notifications on your Gear without illuminating the display. Pretty nifty.
Connectivity
Way better. I can be about 15' further from my phone before my Gear loses its connection compared to Android. The phone/Gear also maintain their connection better and re-connect faster when it's lost. I like the audible notification when the connection is gained and lost too. Smart relay and Auto lock are a lot faster and more reliable too. Weather updates reliably for me every hour which was pretty random before. When a third BT device was thrown in the mix the Gear and my phone would fight for the connection. For example when I was in my car using BT audio. Everyone plays nice now.
UI
I -hate- the default Tizen interface display which is small icons flanking the clock. I liked the former jumbo icons because when running through an airport or walking on a street they are a lot easier to hit when moving. The new UI is highly customizable and there are now two home screen display options. The large clock/small icons default and the former jumbo icons. I was bummed when I first saw that "favorites" and "re-ordering" apps was gone from Gear Manager. It isn't gone it's now on the Gear itself and on steroids. Long pressing an app in the Apps panel allows it to be moved to the home screen. You can even re-order apps within the app panel by dragging and dropping them. The home screen works the same way. The clock is the default home page. You can re-order apps around it by dragging and dropping them. Long-pressing something on the home screen allows it to be deleted. Other than the loss of drag up/down app access from the clock screen I can't see how anyone can say the new Tizen UI approach isn't more customizable, flexible, and better overall.
Here's a quick vid of the Gear set up with jumbo icons as before...
Notifications
Hallelujah. What a mess the Android notification apps/management process was. Call logs getting stuck with no way to remove them, CNN staying in notifications permanently after the first notification was received, e-mail being treated separately, just to name a few. Every notification is now treated as a peer. While on the Notifications main screen you can now drag down and "delete all" appears so all your notifications can be deleted at once. The same exists for all individual notification categories too.
Mail
Gear Manager now lets you specify what e-mail accounts you want displayed on your Gear. In addition, you can now keep scrolling and read 100% of a received e-mail. If you're in the dedicated e-mail app you can now swipe left or right to delete a single e-mail. Maybe the old Android e-mail app did that too, I never tried it.
Messaging
There's now a dedicated messaging app. Messages now display with accompanying received pictures too. If you're in the app and swipe down a "send message" option's available that allows you to scroll your contacts with mobile numbers and originate a message from a template or using S voice. Speaking of which you now set either as a default across the device to manage how you reply. You can also now send an emoticon (only) as a message or reply.
Contacts
Way faster scrolling. Swipe right to call and left to message works the same but the latter now actually works. In Android it would stumble over +1 or "(XXX)" around an area code. Contacts with pictures now have their pictures show up reliably wherever the Gear's able to display them.
S voice/Speaker/Mic
Wow, what a difference. S voice is twice as fast and the speaker/mic both louder/clearer. I've tested calls with some friends and they said I sounded fine where before I faded in and out and sounded like I was underwater.
Camera
Way faster and now includes geo-tagging. Voice now actually works consistently (EG: "shoot") which is a lot easier than trying to hit the display and allows you to look at your subject and not just your wrist when setting up a picture. The video limit is 15 seconds. Transfer speeds to the host device are now a lot faster too.
Music Player
Kind of cool. I used it with BT ear buds when mowing the lawn and it was surprisingly strong. Kind of a neat feature to have when you don't want to schlep your phone around to listen to music. I have a N3 so not schlepping it around is a bigger benefit than to someone with a S4 mini.
Fitness with Gear app/Health
I never used S Health on my phone but with the changes made to the Gear's health reporting and syncing apps I'll probably start. I've only browsed the apps/functions available but what they track seems interesting to capture and monitor to improve your health-related habits or routines.
So, for those that use their Gear for the out-of-the-box features the upside's pretty strong to move to Tizen. The biggest downside is the limited number of apps and the potential loss of those you may have used previously. The swipe up/down loss is a bummer but by using the Apps clock certainly livable. For those that bought the Gear as a "franken-watch" to play with you're obviously better off skipping Tizen.
If I've gotten anything wrong or if someone wants to add something to the list to keep it current just let me know.
Thanks for your detailed information! This Tizen thingy is Iching me so much right now, but as there is no way back(for now), there won't be any chance for me at this moment. As I play instruments I use my gear alot to tune instruments(it works pretty well!). And there is no way this will be available on Tizen(so far).
Thanks OP for the breakdown. I was one of those that bought this thing as a "garage product" when they were blowing them out for $100. I loved tinkering with it so much (installing Null rom) that I eventually bit the bullet and upgraded my aging Note 1 for an officially supported Note 2 hoping to reap better battery life from the upspec to BT 4.0 and better Gear Manager pairing.
Sadly, this has not been the case...So I am now pondering the benefits of Tizen and it's purported battery life enhancement. Can you comment further on this?
Can your setup make "hands free" calls? Currently I have the Google Now Launcher on my Gear and I can place calls by simply saying "OK Google, Call my Wife". Can something similiar be done with S Voice?
Hi Barry_GEG ,
To start , i to like to state , that i was one of " those" forum members ,not really interested in upgrading (?)
That said i was curious and open to suggestions and advice.!!
Read your detailed comparison and thought about it for a while and then came to conclusion you got some good points covered.!!
Well i flashed Tizen , and yes first impressions ( always count !!! )
Gear 1 is much smoother now (really trust me on this and Barry_GEG ) ,but the deal breaker for me is the music player !!
( i thought i could play music on my Gear 1, but via no headset, no go.! )
but this music player is a basic stand alone player.!!
I tested it with my Plantronic headset ,very impressed .!
I transferred my music to Gear via pc (switched my Note 3 bluetooth off )
I was connected directly with bluetooth headset to Gear and it plays 100% without handset ( Note 3 ).
This to me is already worthwhile.and a big bonus .
Forget about sentiments about this o/s and that o/s.
.( i am not a Tizen fan, as long as i can use my Gear better, it has to do )
Yes ,i lose some apps etc..and not much apps true, but found a good watchface in store .
(Not interested further, at moment about extra apps )
yes, to me already the stand alone music player
( Gear 1 on wrist and headset @ bluetooth connected ) is a worth while bonus .( for me )
Good luck ,
Thanks
Post note ..battery ,well we will just have to see ,but it looks ok ?
Battery life! It has been great. I just flashed it last night and it drained 1% in 12 hours.
The music player is a welcome add on, I like to run without distraction from phone.
Man, is there no way to send a msg template using another sms app? I hate the stock messaging app..
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Using the music player, does anyone know or have tried to listen to an audio book from overdrive or audible? I still use a little ipod to work around the house/garden and would love to use just one device.
This is pretty cool. You can move content off and on the Gear via USB rather than, for example, having to transfer music to the Gear via Gear Manager which has an 11 song at a time limit and is painfully slow.
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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[/url]
You can also load off-line pictures and videos for display/playback via the Gallery app. Here's a sample MP4 I transferred to the Gear via USB. Notice how decent the audio sounds. It was never that clear on Android, at least for me.
So basically we can use the Gear now to playback photo, video, and audio files. We just have to figure out what file formats it supports.
ive updated my gear to tizen and I love it, watch styler works very well and the interface is clean
only 1 problem I think
I goto gear manager ,then Samsung apps,
completely nothing there, no apps at all
has this happened to anyone else
rachaelslp said:
Using the music player, does anyone know or have tried to listen to an audio book from overdrive or audible? I still use a little ipod to work around the house/garden and would love to use just one device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I listened to an hour and a half podcast in MP3 format, so I would think if you have Audible in that one, that you would be able to listen to it too.
how did you get watchstyler installed? please share how if you don't mind
Sent from my SM-N900P
Hello,
I'm new here and be interested to now if there is anny chance that after flash tizen the watch is able to work whit Nexus 5 ? (notification and calls)
Thx Alex
Notifications working really well for me on Tizen paired with an Xperia Z Ultra. You get to pick which apps are allowed to notify through gear manager and then they sync up well. Attached is a pic (sorry for quality) of Tapatalk xda notifications I just got a minutes ago.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Update: media control also works very well with non samsung device - full control of poweramp was very unexpected.
Calls tested and working too. Photos sync back to phone and everything else is working as expected. For a non Samsung paired device the Tizen update is a good one (in my opinion).
iBuzman said:
Notifications working really well for me on Tizen paired with an Xperia Z Ultra. You get to pick which apps are allowed to notify through gear manager and then they sync up well. Attached is a pic (sorry for quality) of Tapatalk xda notifications I just got a minutes ago.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 AM ----------
Update: media control also works very well with non samsung device - full control of poweramp was very unexpected.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thx for the information i will flash my gear and test it this evening
You don't have installed gearmanager on phone ?
Alex
Yes, have gear manager installed (plus about 10 other gear apps) - you will need to install gear manager and associated apps for anything to work - there's a gear manager thread to guide you through it
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
After the restore to fix the battery its getting better but I would still go back to Android if there was a way. Yesterday a few of us found out you can flash the Android firmware but you had no touch so you couldn't do anything.
As it just got rooted hopefully it will get better faster.
forshaw said:
only 1 problem I think
I goto gear manager ,then Samsung apps,
completely nothing there, no apps at all
has this happened to anyone else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this exact issue and finally got it resolved today.
After clearing data on the Gear Manager app, logging out/in, etc. what eventually fixed it for me was uninstalling and re-installing Gear Manager.
Good luck!
@caseyc are you on Gear1 or 2 ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
kashortiexda said:
@caseyc are you on Gear1 or 2 ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gear 1
caseyc said:
I had this exact issue and finally got it resolved today.
After clearing data on the Gear Manager app, logging out/in, etc. what eventually fixed it for me was uninstalling and re-installing Gear Manager.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but now no watchstyler
I had watchstyler working before uninstalling gear manager,
Related
I got my Galaxy Gear (orange) today!
This post contains links to threads that I did not post. Give props to these guys as I have simply compiled everything that I have used so far to get my gear operational.
I have been looking forward to the note 3 for a long while. However, I was in the At&t stealership getting a sim card replaced and spotted the Galaxy Mega 6.3. This phone made my old note look like an iphone. So my impulsive manhood bought that monster screen attached to what actually is quite a snappy and decent phone. (after bloatware is removed)
Soon came the rub... the Mega is Samsung's red headed step child. There is little to absolutely NO support for this thing. You can't even download the firmware, much less root the At&t version. :crying:
Side loading apk's is the life saver for this device. Side Loading saved my Mega.
I am happy to report that the Gear is alive and syncing well with my device. I have been receiving notifications. S-VOICE WORKS. I've used the watch styler, However i am not able to see any new applications in the samsung market. Side load that stuff.
I personally pulled the gear manager apk off of an S4 that I have access to, but here is a link to the thread with the latest version.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2468522
To get S-voice operational i installed the galaxy note 3 s-voice apk found in this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2443723
Watch styler apk
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2473558
10/16 update
Six days in so far.
Working:
Notifications
Camera sync
Apps when installed from here
Watch styler (cool, if a little bit buggy, app which has already been pulled from the samsung app store)
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Samsung app store now displays gear apps (apk pulled from note 3)
Music player controls currently running audio app
Pocket is awesome
S-voice
Calling
Texting replies through s-voice
EVERYTHING!...
...except:
Weather
S health requires install as a system app... so the pedometer can't sync to s health (the I527 still has not achieved root if any devs have a heart for big beautiful screened phablets?)
Installing apps through the samsung app store... although I can see them and download them I cant install them yet... mwuahaha... yet
Everything else works great so far.
I've rooted the watch.
Also silenced the camera but left the focus sound. I wanted to get rid of the stork sneeze sound from the shutter not be creepy.
I've side loaded and deleted temple run and candy crush just to say I did it. The results were impressive... I decided to keep gameboid on there... Pokemon fire red on my wrist you say? Uh... does it sound like I have a choice in the matter?
So I suspect, that even though the galaxy Mega is only running 4.2.2, it was released in between the S4 and the Note 3 and perhaps already has the needed libraries for notification?
Weather doesnt work... but again... the n3 weather widget requires root
apps wont install... but I am sure this is because I am using a note 3 apk
I took a leap of faith and I'm happy with my galaxy gear. I can't wait for full potential for this little gadget is realized.
420pope said:
I got my Galaxy Gear (orange) today!
This post contains links to threads that I did not post. Give props to these guys as I have simply compiled everything that I have used so far to get my gear operational.
I have been looking forward to the note 3 for a long while. However, I was in the At&t stealership getting a sim card replaced and spotted the Galaxy Mega 6.3. This phone made my old note look like an iphone. So my impulsive manhood bought that monster screen attached to what actually is quite a snappy and decent phone. (after bloatware is removed)
Soon came the rub... the Mega is Samsung's red headed step child. There is little to absolutely NO support for this thing. You can't even download the firmware, much less root the At&t version. :crying:
Side loading apk's is the life saver for this device. Side Loading saved my Mega.
I am happy to report that the Gear is alive and syncing well with my device. I have been receiving notifications. S-VOICE WORKS. I've used the watch styler, However i am not able to see any new applications in the samsung market. Side load that stuff.
I personally pulled the gear manager apk off of an S4 that I have access to, but here is a link to the thread with the latest version.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2468522
To get S-voice operational i installed the galaxy note 3 s-voice apk found in this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2443723
Watch styler apk
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2473558
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about reading texts on the watch and the weather?
Sorry I should clarify.
I posted within an hour of purchasing the gear.
Text notifications display full text.
Weather does not read location from.the phone. Possibly because I am running stock andy touchwiz 4.2.2 instead of 4.3 with full Bluetooth 4.0LE and the full expanded notification api in place.
All of the stock gear notification abilities seem to be working correctly.
I am curious to see what will work as new applications and updates roll in.
I haven't tested the samsung e-mail notifications, as I use the gmail app. I'm really thinking about switching just for the watch.
A very important note, one which I knew would be a possibility when I bought it... I CAN NOT SEE ANY GALAXY GEAR APPS IN THE SAMSUNG APP STORE
Perhaps I may find a way around that soon
Until then... this is still a bamf little watch no matter what anybody says
OP updated 10-16
420pope said:
Sorry I should clarify.
I posted within an hour of purchasing the gear.
Text notifications display full text.
Weather does not read location from.the phone. Possibly because I am running stock andy touchwiz 4.2.2 instead of 4.3 with full Bluetooth 4.0LE and the full expanded notification api in place.
All of the stock gear notification abilities seem to be working correctly.
I am curious to see what will work as new applications and updates roll in.
I haven't tested the samsung e-mail notifications, as I use the gmail app. I'm really thinking about switching just for the watch.
A very important note, one which I knew would be a possibility when I bought it... I CAN NOT SEE ANY GALAXY GEAR APPS IN THE SAMSUNG APP STORE
Perhaps I may find a way around that soon
Until then... this is still a bamf little watch no matter what anybody says
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same set up and love the Mega 6.3 got the gear with Null Rom, but no internet. Did you ever find a way to get internet on the Gear?
mokushiroku said:
I have the same set up and love the Mega 6.3 got the gear with Null Rom, but no internet. Did you ever find a way to get internet on the Gear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually switched to a note II running 4.4 KitKat in search of tethering... I have found little use for the gear manager after tethering... Tablet talk... And a few other tweaks I've made for personal use.
That's funny I came from the Note 2. So are you saying tethering doesn't work on the Mega?
Cause it has better hardware.
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Actually not sure about whether the mega has achieved tethering yet... The issue would lie with carrier provisioning.
I left the mega community about a week after root was accomplished.
I was caught between buying a note 2, note 3, or an HTC one.
My brother and I actually set up his HTC One quite perfectly. Null_12 is great... Tasker is a great solution and I intend to upload a bunch of profiles built specifically for our purposes in the next week.
Watch the Galaxy Gear forum for updates.
And grab 4.4 KitKat asap... It is amazazazing!
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
I love the Galaxy Gear. I love the native apps on the watch. However, while a few of the add-on apps are good, I am disappointed some of the others are poor.
I recognize some of the physical design shortcomings of the Gear, but accept the product as it is. In my mind, the watch is not a sport watch, it is a little computer on my wrist. I accept that I need to take reasonable precautions to guard it from water exposure, cold shock and physical impact (caution with glass bezel).
The native apps are fabulous. They are what I consider essential in making the device a truly smart watch (swatch). Overall, it allows me to interact with the smart phone (sphone) upon urgent events: answering phone calls, reading text messages, notification on email, controlling media player while walking, monitoring distance and pace while running. The native watch faces are even good: review of weather or accessing any three apps. Of course, the camera is a huge bonus - not essential, but it truly makes the Gear a distinctive swatch. The inclusion of a speaker for phone calls is an outstanding feature, again this is handy when receiving a call while walking.
The issue I want to make in this thread is my experience with the add-on apps. A few of the apps are excellent and add value to the overall swatch experience (eg: Runtastic). However, some other apps are poorly coded, or outright fail to install or work. It astonishes me that some apps fail to work, given that Samsung has vetted this library of restrictive apps. As I understand it (read elsewhere), Samsung had exclusively invited developers to code apps for the Gear. I presume Samsung would also test these apps prior to including them in the download library. Well, I now suspect they may not have.
I am also disappointed at how slowly apps are being added into the library. I appreciate that the user base for Gear is small and thus revenue opportunities are assuredly small. However, any developer that introduces apps for the library could develop early expertise, etc. However, reality shows that third party apps are few and sometimes even disfunctional.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREAT APPS
Four apps in particular work very well and add value to the swatch experience:
RUNTASTIC
- Shows running performance (pace, distance, etc) on watch
EVERNOTE
- Read notes, checklist etc on watch when shopping etc.
- Upload camera photos to user account for later use.
POCKET
- Play audio reading of previously saved internet articles.
ZDCLOCK
- Set alarms, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- POOR APPS
I tried with frustration and disappointment a few other apps.
MyFitnessPal
- This works, but it forces a very lengthy synchronization with sphone and internet on each access.
- The delay caused by syncing is so frustrating that I uninstalled it, and refuse to use it.
RunKeeper
- This works, but it displaces far less performance data than Runtastic.
- Because of its inadequacy, I uninstalled it.
QuickSpeedometer
- This app fails to install. This failed on numerous attempts.
Mini Gallery
- This app fails to install. This failed on numerous attempts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've got mini gallery installed on my 'swatch' and it's never failed yet.
Works well and runs without fault.
Although I have mini gallery installed and it works (sort of), I have over 400 images on my 64 gig card and mini gallery is so ridiculously slow to load (even after the first time) it is virtually unuseable.
My favorite add on is watch styler it totally makes this watch worthwhile to me. I can make my own face, how awesome is that! Got one with the same wallpaper as my phone got my white and red jumpman (Jordan logo) got my Rolex background and I'm just getting started.
Man I love this watch.
Carried by a Raven
watch styler is one of the apps that I consider useless LOL.
Not only is the hour hand always off on a custom face, it freezes up constantly and kills battery life.
My main annoyance with a specific app is miniSquare. It boggles my mind that this app has been broken since day one with no removal or developer communication. Literally no one can use the app, as it only brings up a Korean error.
As a big fourquare user, I really really want this app to work.
Aside from that, I'm still on the negative side as far as my feelings on the marketplace go. Hopefully that changes in the future.
Amdathlonuk said:
I've got mini gallery installed on my 'swatch' and it's never failed yet.
Works well and runs without fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MINI GALLERY
-------------------
OK, taking your lead, I made another attempt to install Mini Gallery. Nope, it failed to install yet again. Or maybe not? So what happened is that it finally appeared to install and appeared on the Gear. However it seemed to freeze on the watch. After waiting for a couple of minutes I rebooted the Gear and uninstalled it.
Now, after reading your note, I see what might have happened. It was busy scanning my s-phone's thousands of photos stored on my extSDcard. Well then, demanding such a long wait time makes it unusable for me.
QUICK SPEEDOMETER
------------------------------
This app is by the same developer, Symphony Teleca. I tried installing this again, and this time it did load. This makes me think that Samsung's app server might instead be sending a link to the developer's server for downloading. Is this possible? I have only had previous difficulty download the two apps from the same developer.
The app does work. Good. However, I notice something irregular. Only when this app is run on the Gear, its duplicate app appears on the Note-3's notification window as an actively running task. That is because this app needs to poll the s-phone's GPS for data updates, so I presume the developer launches a GPS server service on the s-phone, while on the s-watch is a client service. Later when I stop and quit the app on the Gear, its server app remains active on the Note-3. I must then resort to killing the task on the Note-3 to recover system resources.
I have a suspicion that this might be the fault of Samsung's SDK library and not that of a developer's sloopy program techniques. Regardless, good programming practice, SDK, and libraries should never leave a thread active after the main program has terminated.
On the contrary my boy Watson.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Skeleton said:
MINI GALLERY
-------------------
Now, after reading your note, I see what might have happened. It was busy scanning my s-phone's thousands of photos stored on my extSDcard. Well then, demanding such a long wait time makes it unusable for me.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
The gallery probably works fine if you don't have a ton of images on your MicroSD card, but I just realized I have over 800 images in just one of multiple folders on my 64 gig card.
Hey guys,
I'm looking at getting a G2N in the next few days (if I can find a shop that has them in stock!)
I just have a couple of questions...
1. Does it show WhatsApp messages? I tried YouTube but the ones that talk about WhatsApp is in German.
2. Does it show the weather forecast?
3. How accurate is the S Voice on it?
I'm using a Galaxy Note 2 (DN3 RC2 on 4.4.2).
Sent from my GT-N7100 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I don't use whatsapp messenger so I can't answer the first question, but I do use it to receive Facebook, espn, and other notifications. I'm site if you choose to see those it will display them. It also has a ten day forecast. And as far as s voice I think it's pretty spot on, I've been using it for a week and only once have I had to re-say what I meant. I have it paired with an s5 to for what it's worth
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
kdogguk said:
Hey guys, I'm looking at getting a G2N in the next few days (if I can find a shop that has them in stock!) //
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Does it show WhatsApp messages?
I don't use WhatsApp, but *all* the apps that I have used with the watch DO show notifications clearly.
(GoogleNow, Business Calendar, Feedly, a couple of others/ etc.)
2. Does it show the weather forecast?
Yes, it even has a watch face with time and a weather logo that show the temperature and a current weather
symbol (clouds, clear, rainy). If you push the logo, you get a scrolling weather forecast in more detail (for several
days). It works well -but the fastest/most current updates in settings is hourly (I'd like 15 minutes!). I also use WeatherBug
and it pushed weather to the watch --turned it off since I was getting multiple weather more or less the same times!
3. How accurate is the S Voice on it?
- S Voice does work, and I use it to respond to text messages. (So, if you get a text message on your watch -you can read the whole thing, and there is a menu to reply (settings: either 3-4 stock "canned" messages, or using a "free form" reply with S Voice. I used S Voice, but to do so you need to a) be in a reasonably quiet location (outdoors on a windy street does not work well, riding in a car with the window open and music playing does not work well...etc.).
- Secondly, I found I needed to think through the reply completely in advance and then say it slowly. Whenever I tried to create and speak and pause and continue to speak, S voice just caught a portion of the reply and offered "here is your reply shall I send it"? (no no no! delete!). However, when I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and said it slowly but clearly, S voice did well. I would NOT recommend it for LONG message replies on the watch, (Send several short replies -that works!) However, S Voice does not seem to be as good at dictation as Google's voice keyboard, or Swype/Dragon's voice type. It is pretty good at searches.
We are very close to Android Wear devices being released. Are you prepared to possibly feel remorse after dropping money on one of these and then just a few months later, new devices will be out that may eclipse them in function and app ecosystem? I bought and kept my Neo with the knowledge that its a stopgap for a few months and I'll most probably ditch it for Android Wear this summer. There's still a lot of missing functionality that the older Gears and even Pebble watches can do that need to be caught up because Samsung decided to ditch the old platform for Tizen. So it's pretty much like a gen 1 device again instead of building on the existing ecosystem from the original Gear, which means waiting on features, apps and stability/bug fixes.
Because I love the IR blaster and mic, I kept my Neo in the chance that devs can come through and fix/add the software/apps to address my problems with it. I don't know if an Android Wear device will come out that has the IR blaster, so I'm keeping the Neo for now. Even though the WatchOn app sucks right now, because it's very limited in what devices it can control.
You must be willing to gamble on whether those apps/software features will ever come around, because those of us who buy Samsung devices regularly, know that if you don't buy one of their devices that have decent developer support, you're kind of screwed due to their penchant to release so many new devices and subsequently forget about supporting their last-gen products with updates. We'll see if the decision to go Tizen will help or hurt this product. So far the app store is pretty thin and I expected there would be a bounty of awesome apps by now since one of the advantages of Tizen promoted was that it's so easy to develop on this platform compared to android. Given that, the only reason for the lack of apps I would think is lack of developer interest.
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
zero66 said:
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try that.
Download Apex launcher or any other launchers for lag problem, put in mind that Android uses more ram and cpu processing than IOS, that's why they keep on increasing ram, also turn off as much bloatware (apps came with phone) as possible, another very useful tip is to turn of your phone every day for few mins like your computer this will clear ram.
Welcome to the future
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Hellscythe said:
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh thanks for this , I will try that.
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
noideaforusername said:
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
noideaforusername said:
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works fairly well.
mah123 said:
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely disagree. I love my S5 and the HW integration.
But each to their own.
mah123 said:
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
This works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Push Bullet and be amazed. It mirrors any notifications on your phone onto your PC via chrome. That way you don't been to look at the phone. I work at a desk all day and can leave the phone where ever and always know if I have an SMS, call, email or anything else. Don't forget Google now also works with Chrome.
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree a bit with your response. And that's why I am also checking out the Xperia Z1 Compact. Once you go from the Galaxy S5 to the Z1C you will notice a huge difference in speed for opening and closing apps. I am even using Nova launcher, google calendar and avoiding any TouchWiz apps, but still the lag is disappointing.
mah123 said:
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
HitMile said:
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this , yes I did this , made a difference.
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. Just make sure to get it from XDA or one of the apk blogs. With Tasker you can fix your bluetooth issue by detecting when bluetooth is detected and then use command pause music. Tasker should help you fix all your other issues as well. For email the easiest fix is to use a special color on your notification LED or specific vibrate pattern to know when you have email. You can also show an overlay using a "scene" (Tasker's definition of a popup or app window) on top of the lockscreen. Handy :thumbup: But if you need help using Tasker you can do a lot of things: there are plenty of guides all over the Internet, you can google search your problem with the word "tasker" at the end, you can PM me (yes, I'm friendly), you can ask a question over at the Tasker Noob thread here on XDA (I also monitor this thread and I will answer your questions there). Welcome to Android and have fun!
--
Say thanks if I was of help!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Free mobile app
aarongillion63 said:
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Fantastic thanks !
I own both phones. In the last few years I have owned the latest Samsung and Apple flagships (iPhone 4 and Galaxy S2, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5).
Both platforms are great and they have their cons and pros.
I am an iOS Developer. I have my name in both Cydia tweaks and App Store. To be honest I felt in love with iOS when I used it for the first time. I like Android, but not as much as iOS yet.
I find the quality of iOS blows Android out of the water. Third app quality is much better on iOS than on Android, based on what I have seen. In terms of software in general, I think iOS is much better. It may be restrictive, but nothing that can't be beaten with jailbreak. Android's big plus is freedom and yes, I like customizing my phone.
In terms of hardware Samsung blows Apple out of the water. I love the camera and that it is Water Resistant. Design wise the iPhone looks prettier, but personally I don't care about those aesthetics.
The one thing I absolutely hate about most Android phones are the hardware buttons. When I type in landscape I keep hitting the sensitive buttons accidentally, many times this result in losing a wall of text I just typed (my palm hits the back button accidentally all the time). I wish these could be disabled when typing or that they could be replaced with software buttons.
Sent from my SM-G900H using XDA Free mobile app
There are many things that iOS does 'better' than android, or at least, its a mix of what people of become accustomed too and some are just better. So, when people do make the switch to android, or indeed WP etc, it can be an uphill struggle as those things that are 'better' are maybe less intuitive over on the android side.
However, you have to look at the bigger picture. Android is far far more customisable, even as stock. With the addition of TouchWiz and Sense etc, they bring a lot of features that in themselves are 'better' than iOS.
There are many people that go the other way (Android to iOS) and struggle with some of its inability to control and customise.
What I'm saying is.... give it time, and do not judge android on its lacking in one or two areas, try and look at it from a bigger perspective.
**When I say 'better'... I mean its what each individual sees as better, I'm not saying that it is**
aarongillion63 said:
For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. [ / QUOTE ]
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
This is a very good discussion. I find that generally programmers favor Android because of it's similar OS structure to a PC (I'm talking about the coding behind it all and C/Java), and common consumers and Apple computer owners favor iOS. This is a generalization and personal opinion. I know there is the outlier of Apple programmers, I've tried to get into it myself, but my problem I've ran into is that Objective C is overly complicated, just to accomplish simple things. Anyway, even if you don't develop apps, you may favor Android as a coder thanks to Tasker. I've found myself addicted to Tasker as far as tweaking/programming goes, without the need to use Android SDK. Then, you can still export Tasker projects to apks if you want. Tasker can make a good visual-sdk app creation tool.
iresq said:
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. :thumbup:
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Other then the obvious time.
I like mine, but debating taking it back because in not using it as much as expected. Maybe i just don't have enough uses for it. Hence this thread
I use mine for notifications whilst at work so I'm not constantly getting my phone out.
Use it for music using Bluetooth ear phones when I'm out running or in the gym.
Controlling music playing from My phone so i can leave my phone plugged in.
Controlling my phones settings easily, again without getting the phone out.
Ticking off the shopping list as im getting dragged around tescos with the misses.
Use the camera app quite a bit too have a look in hard to reach areas when working on my car or fixing generators at work, also handy when playing hide n seek with my kids.
Quick text messages and replys.
Starting and stopping My Tracks easily.
And lastly just enjoy geeking out with it.
When working out, I use the heart rate tracker with Endomondo. For real time heart rate tracking the entire workout. This helps give a better idea of how many calories were burned. It works best during treadmill walking, not as well when weightlifting. But even what it does during weightlifting is better than nothing.
Shopping list as was mentioned already.
Cooking: I use "My Cookbook" app. To view recipes on my watch while cooking. This is so much easier, than trying to pull out the phone, book or tablet, to read a recipe while in the act of cooking. It keeps the hands free for the actual cooking.
Weather: I use the "Bright Weather" app. Which keeps a persistent weather card on my watch. So anytime I want a quick view of the the weather I can pull up that card right away.
Easy reading and replying to text. I use the "WearResponses" app, to easily reply to text messages. It's also easy to create and send a message via voice.
Watch faces, wow there are so many. I'm very much a watch face junkie .
Calendar: I always have the calendar card open for easy lookup of my daily schedule.
Step Counting: Aside from tracking steps during my workouts. Google Fit tracks steps all day. So I can see when I'm getting a good number of steps in a day overall.
Navigation: When using Google Maps, I can see directions on the watch while walking.
Calculator: I use the "Multi Calculator" app, to be able to use a calculator right on my phone.
Sleep: (Last but certainly not least.) I use the "Sleep As Android" app. To track my sleep patters, pause tracking when I get up in the middle of the night momentarily, to stop sleep tracking when I wake up and even dismiss alarms.
There's more, but that's the regular everyday stuff ,
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------
I have to add answering the phone. It's so nice to get caller ID on the watch. No need to pull out the phone when I get a call. I can look at the watch and decide if I want to send the call to voicemail or answer. There have been times I would have never taken any action on a call. Because my hands were not in a position to pull out the phone. But I was able to send to voicemail, because I could at least get one finger to my watch .
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
@phil gpx. How are you taking pics with the watch? Also what app do you find best for the shopping lists on the watch? Keep?
@Darnell_Chat_TN. How is the heart rate tracker with Endomondo? Google fit sucks at it as I get a BPM after a run at 70. There's no way.
How do you like my cookbook?
Edit: I just did a search for some of those apps: which cookbook app? There were 2. And, which endomondo app? Pro or basic?
Thanks guys. I just got this watch a few weeks ago. Played with the basics myself, but I know it can do more for me.
Sorry for the off topic questions
Definitely more then I'm using it for.
I wish i could get it to work with my fitness pal
BadFish79 said:
@phil gpx. How are you taking pics with the watch? Also what app do you find best for the shopping lists on the watch? Keep?
@Darnell_Chat_TN. How is the heart rate tracker with Endomondo? Google fit sucks at it as I get a BPM after a run at 70. There's no way.
How do you like my cookbook?
Edit: I just did a search for some of those apps: which cookbook app? There were 2. And, which endomondo app? Pro or basic?
Thanks guys. I just got this watch a few weeks ago. Played with the basics myself, but I know it can do more for me.
Sorry for the off topic questions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For camera, have a look at the "ZenWatch Remote Camera" app. It will work with any Android Wear device.
Heart rate tracking with Endomondo is good. It's not always perfect, but for an hour walk/run, it does give a good overall picture of BPM average and high. It's best to just allow the arm to swing normally during the activity. Trying to keep holding your arm up to look at the watch I have found messes the reading up and gives low numbers.
The watch only works with the free version of Endomodo, but if you want extra features you have to get the paid version. And then, the free version will work with the watch, plus have all the paid features too. So you'll have 2 apps if you get both, but only use the free version, that will also have the paid features after you buy the paid app .
I'm using "My Cookbook (Recipe Manager)", by Maadinfo Services. It's very nice, since I can put in recipes however I like them and then see it on my watch. The last viewed in the phone app will show on the watch.
flyboy1100 said:
Definitely more then I'm using it for.
I wish i could get it to work with my fitness pal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Endomodo is "supposed" to automatically feed data to MyFitnessPal. But I have never been able to get that to work. So I always have to enter the data into MyFitnessPal manually .
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
As mentioned above or camera for wear or camera remote etc as there are many on the play store.
The shopping list is called Bring. You can have multiple people on the list and you get a alert when someone updates the list.
Darnell_Chat_TN said:
For camera, have a look at the "ZenWatch Remote Camera" app. It will work with any Android Wear device.
Heart rate tracking with Endomondo is good. It's not always perfect, but for an hour walk/run, it does give a good overall picture of BPM average and high. It's best to just allow the arm to swing normally during the activity. Trying to keep holding your arm up to look at the watch I have found messes the reading up and gives low numbers.
The watch only works with the free version of Endomodo, but if you want extra features you have to get the paid version. And then, the free version will work with the watch, plus have all the paid features too. So you'll have 2 apps if you get both, but only use the free version, that will also have the paid features after you buy the paid app .
I'm using "My Cookbook (Recipe Manager)", by Maadinfo Services. It's very nice, since I can put in recipes however I like them and then see it on my watch. The last viewed in the phone app will show on the watch.
Endomodo is "supposed" to automatically feed data to MyFitnessPal. But I have never been able to get that to work. So I always have to enter the data into MyFitnessPal manually .
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried the ZenWatch Remote Camera app with the LG G Watch R and it basically **** the bed told me in no uncertain terms it only supports the ZenWatch. Too bad, it looks like a neat app.
grafikal said:
I just tried the ZenWatch Remote Camera app with the LG G Watch R and it basically **** the bed told me in no uncertain terms it only supports the ZenWatch. Too bad, it looks like a neat app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start the app on your phone. Then it will open on the watch automatically.
Darnell_Chat_TN said:
Start the app on your phone. Then it will open on the watch automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When starting it on phone it has a popup saying that it could not pair with watch and asking if I still want to continue using it with the option of "yes" or "no thanks". Absolutely nothing happens on the watch. Maybe you have an older version? Either way thank you for trying to help.
grafikal said:
When starting it on phone it has a popup saying that it could not pair with watch and asking if I still want to continue using it with the option of "yes" or "no thanks". Absolutely nothing happens on the watch. Maybe you have an older version? Either way thank you for trying to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had it a while, but get all update. So I'm using the latest version now.
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