Database Develop

how to make our Note 8 free of Samsung's ****ty apps?

Need some help decrippling this great ( SM-N950U ) smartphone!
I have disabled all bloat. Using nova prime as default launcher. Really would like to continue with purification. Any help please !

spjetrovic said:
Need some help decrippling this great ( SM-N950U ) smartphone!
I have disabled all bloat. Using nova prime as default launcher. Really would like to continue with purification. Any help please !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What apps are bothering you?
If one needs pure Android experience, pixel like would be more appropriate.
I have used the phone over 2 months and have not been affected by any bloatware app. Surprisingly the touchwiz just works great, no lags. Minimal bloatware. I am able to use phones for over 2 weeks at a stretch without feeling any need to even restart it.

spjetrovic said:
Need some help decrippling this great ( SM-N950U ) smartphone!
I have disabled all bloat. Using nova prime as default launcher. Really would like to continue with purification. Any help please !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BK Disabler in play store.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

But a non Samsung phone. Easy fix

rbeavers said:
BK Disabler in play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks that helps a lot. Would you know if we can use the Google phone and contacts app with out any issues?
note3userr said:
But a non Samsung phone. Easy fix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will take your comment and file it where the sun don't shine?

spjetrovic said:
Need some help decrippling this great ( SM-N950U ) smartphone!
I have disabled all bloat. Using nova prime as default launcher. Really would like to continue with purification. Any help please !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better to go for a non Samsung Phone like Pixel

I love Samsung Internet *_*
Samsung's apps have really improved and now rival the best. Personally, I have deleted most of the apps by Google. You might not be fond of them but they function well and certainly are not ****ty. :-O

kmdangi said:
Better to go for a non Samsung Phone like Pixel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wish it didn't have screen issues, but I still may.
I have a 67 days let out of 90 to return the note 8. bought it from Costco's. Thanks

Praks93 said:
I love Samsung Internet *_*
Samsung's apps have really improved and now rival the best. Personally, I have deleted most of the apps by Google. You might not be fond of them but they function well and certainly are not ****ty. :-O
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I have always been a gapps kind of guy until I got the note 8. I hate to admit the Pixel line is just boring compared to the direction Samsung is going. I used to hate Samsung and touchwiz (especially my sgs6). But it's much different now. It is actually more useful and customizable than ever before. Everything works as expected and the Samsung apps can be used or turned off. I find I have been preferring the Samsung versions over Google. They integrate better and have more useful features. This wasn't true just 3 years ago.

spjetrovic said:
Wish it didn't have screen issues, but I still may.
I have a 67 days let out of 90 to return the note 8. bought it from Costco's. Thanks
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Click to collapse
the 90 days return doesn't apply for cellphones i believe. all the carrier tablets and phones have 14 days return policy

xuanphucn said:
the 90 days return doesn't apply for cellphones i believe. all the carrier tablets and phones have 14 days return policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is from Costco's
If I do not like my phone, can I return it?
Costco's return policy for cellular phones is 90 days from date of original purchase. Within 90 days you may receive a refund on the handset itself. However, if you cancel service outside of the 14-day carrier trial period you are responsible for any applicable fees (see carrier Cancellation Policy). All phone(s) must be returned in a complete, like-new condition with all accessories, box, and instructions. Within the 90-day period a defective/non-working phone may only be exchanged for the exact same model. Costco does not sell replacements for broken or damaged phones. Phones may not be returned or exchanged for a different model. All cellular phone purchases require either a new 2-year activation agreement or a qualified upgrade.

Praks93 said:
I love Samsung Internet *_*
Samsung's apps have really improved and now rival the best. Personally, I have deleted most of the apps by Google. You might not be fond of them but they function well and certainly are not ****ty. :-O
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use Google photos? I have tons of photos and can't access g/photo with Samsung messaging app, can you? You may know of a way please share.

spjetrovic said:
Do you use Google photos? I have tons of photos and can't access g/photo with Samsung messaging app, can you? You may know of a way please share.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to download them to device to use them in messages. was the same on the pixel
Added afterthought below
You can also set Google photos to the default photo app by selecting other tab and then images and then Google photos.

Gizmoe said:
You have to download them to device to use them in messages. was the same on the pixel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's right. but you misunderstood. I can't even see g/ photos in Samsung's messaging app when attempting to attach a photo. It defaults to Samsung gallery with out an option to open Google photos.

On the bottom of the keyboard go to the other tab. Then select the images icon. It should give you an option to select your default app option. Google photos being one of them. If not, clear defaults to the gallery app and try again.

Praks93 said:
I love Samsung Internet *_*
Samsung's apps have really improved and now rival the best. Personally, I have deleted most of the apps by Google. You might not be fond of them but they function well and certainly are not ****ty. :-O
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gizmoe said:
I agree. I have always been a gapps kind of guy until I got the note 8. I hate to admit the Pixel line is just boring compared to the direction Samsung is going. I used to hate Samsung and touchwiz (especially my sgs6). But it's much different now. It is actually more useful and customizable than ever before. Everything works as expected and the Samsung apps can be used or turned off. I find I have been preferring the Samsung versions over Google. They integrate better and have more useful features. This wasn't true just 3 years ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I've had a few Samsung's, a couple LGs, but always tried to make them as stock as possible, or flash AOSP ROMs if possible. Then I always went back to Nexus/Pixel. With the S8+ and now my Note 8, I have no desire to go back to the Pixel. I'm sold on Samsung.
The build quality of the hardware is unmatched, not even by Apple. I'm hooked on Samsung Pay. And yes, I LOVE Samsung Internet. I actually get annoyed when something opens in Chrome by default. I may end up disabling Chrome altogether. The lag seems to finally be gone and these phones fly.
I know the Pixel 2 camera is supposed to be better, but in all real life reviews, the results are between this year's top flagships are so close it's ridiculous.
Last night I even disabled GMail and signed into my GMail account on the stock Samsung email app. I love the GMail app, but I love the exclusive preview feature with the SPen. If i didn't use Google Voice as my primary number, I'd probably switch over to the stock Messages app, but I'm stuck with Hangouts. Which is fine, I'm one of the few who loves Hangouts. I'm even using TouchWiz home instead of Google Now or Nova.
Oh, and the Samsung autofill on Oreo is AWESOME. Beats out the Google autofill in my opinion, because it's a little more secure, but just as fast and convenient. But you have the option to choose either one.
Point being, the Samsung apps and experience is light years ahead of what it used to be. You still have the option to switch over to almost all Google apps, including the launcher, bit it's not necessary anymore, or in many cases, even preferable, on a Samsung device now.
This is all, of course, just my opinion. I personally think the OP would be happier with a Pixel 2XL. I loved my Pixel before I got my S8+.

Mr. Orange 645 said:
Same here. I've had a few Samsung's, a couple LGs, but always tried to make them as stock as possible, or flash AOSP ROMs if possible. Then I always went back to Nexus/Pixel. With the S8+ and now my Note 8, I have no desire to go back to the Pixel. I'm sold on Samsung.
The build quality of the hardware is unmatched, not even by Apple. I'm hooked on Samsung Pay. And yes, I LOVE Samsung Internet. I actually get annoyed when something opens in Chrome by default. I may end up disabling Chrome altogether. The lag seems to finally be gone and these phones fly.
I know the Pixel 2 camera is supposed to be better, but in all real life reviews, the results are between this year's top flagships are so close it's ridiculous.
Last night I even disabled GMail and signed into my GMail account on the stock Samsung email app. I love the GMail app, but I love the exclusive preview feature with the SPen. If i didn't use Google Voice as my primary number, I'd probably switch over to the stock Messages app, but I'm stuck with Hangouts. Which is fine, I'm one of the few who loves Hangouts. I'm even using TouchWiz home instead of Google Now or Nova.
Oh, and the Samsung autofill on Oreo is AWESOME. Beats out the Google autofill in my opinion, because it's a little more secure, but just as fast and convenient. But you have the option to choose either one.
Point being, the Samsung apps and experience is light years ahead of what it used to be. You still have the option to switch over to almost all Google apps, including the launcher, bit it's not necessary anymore, or in many cases, even preferable, on a Samsung device now.
This is all, of course, just my opinion. I personally think the OP would be happier with a Pixel 2XL. I loved my Pixel before I got my S8+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Email is definitely a winner!!

spjetrovic said:
This is from Costco's
If I do not like my phone, can I return it?
Costco's return policy for cellular phones is 90 days from date of original purchase. Within 90 days you may receive a refund on the handset itself. However, if you cancel service outside of the 14-day carrier trial period you are responsible for any applicable fees (see carrier Cancellation Policy). All phone(s) must be returned in a complete, like-new condition with all accessories, box, and instructions. Within the 90-day period a defective/non-working phone may only be exchanged for the exact same model. Costco does not sell replacements for broken or damaged phones. Phones may not be returned or exchanged for a different model. All cellular phone purchases require either a new 2-year activation agreement or a qualified upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. But if you break the 2 year agreement, you may be slapped with a fee to terminate, correct?

myechophone said:
Nice. But if you break the 2 year agreement, you may be slapped with a fee to terminate, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely

Praks93 said:
Samsung Email is definitely a winner!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it better than Inbox? Can it sort your stuff that well? I'm asking because I'm curious.

Face Unlock is too quick! (Not bashing it)

I'm on day 2 with this phone, I've just moved over from a Note 8 and so far loving it!
It's still early days and not sure if over time I'll regret my decision coming away from Samsung, after being with them for a last 3/4 years, but I fancied a change and got really annoyed with the battery life on the Note 8!
Anyway my post is about the Face Unlock on the Mate 10 Pro, which came via the OTA update, well its soo much better and quicker than my Note 8 that it's maybe a little too good! For instance I like that it detects me even when wearing sunglasses, the Note 8 didn't, but when I'm at work I put my phone on my Wireless Charger (I know this doesn't have wireless charging before anyone says anything, I'm just using it as a stand atm) and when I get a notification come through my phone unlocks ha!
I have the setting on so my phone screen lights up when a notification comes through, similar to iOS, along with face Unlock which is rapid, it just unlocks my phone!!
I'm not complain just surprised at the difference between the Note 8 and Mate 10 Pro!
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

maverick1103 said:
I'm on day 2 with this phone, I've just moved over from a Note 8 and so far loving it!
It's still early days and not sure if over time I'll regret my decision coming away from Samsung, after being with them for a last 3/4 years, but I fancied a change and got really annoyed with the battery life on the Note 8!
Anyway my post is about the Face Unlock on the Mate 10 Pro, which came via the OTA update, well its soo much better and quicker than my Note 8 that it's maybe a little too good! For instance I like that it detects me even when wearing sunglasses, the Note 8 didn't, but when I'm at work I put my phone on my Wireless Charger (I know this doesn't have wireless charging before anyone says anything, I'm just using it as a stand atm) and when I get a notification come through my phone unlocks ha!
I have the setting on so my phone screen lights up when a notification comes through, similar to iOS, along with face Unlock which is rapid, it just unlocks my phone!!
I'm not complain just surprised at the difference between the Note 8 and Mate 10 Pro!
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like you have the US model. What is the update that you have on phone.. I have the US version but no update yet. If you are on .119 can you confirm if night mode on camera is working.
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 08:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------
maverick1103 said:
I'm on day 2 with this phone, I've just moved over from a Note 8 and so far loving it!
It's still early days and not sure if over time I'll regret my decision coming away from Samsung, after being with them for a last 3/4 years, but I fancied a change and got really annoyed with the battery life on the Note 8!
Anyway my post is about the Face Unlock on the Mate 10 Pro, which came via the OTA update, well its soo much better and quicker than my Note 8 that it's maybe a little too good! For instance I like that it detects me even when wearing sunglasses, the Note 8 didn't, but when I'm at work I put my phone on my Wireless Charger (I know this doesn't have wireless charging before anyone says anything, I'm just using it as a stand atm) and when I get a notification come through my phone unlocks ha!
I have the setting on so my phone screen lights up when a notification comes through, similar to iOS, along with face Unlock which is rapid, it just unlocks my phone!!
I'm not complain just surprised at the difference between the Note 8 and Mate 10 Pro!
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you test if the phone unlocks with a photo. I remember reading somewhere it did. But Huawei was going to fix it
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk

shreyashmalani said:
Seems like you have the US model. What is the update that you have on phone.. I have the US version but no update yet. If you are on .119 can you confirm if night mode on camera is working.
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 08:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------
Can you test if the phone unlocks with a photo. I remember reading somewhere it did. But Huawei was going to fix it
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope UK model, I'm on .132 and have Night Mode.
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

maverick1103 said:
Nope UK model, I'm on .132 and have Night Mode.
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohhhh ok. my bad.. Thought I saw BLA-A09 in ur signature.. it was L09
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk

shreyashmalani said:
Ohhhh ok. my bad.. Thought I saw BLA-A09 in ur signature.. it was L09
Sent from my BLA-A09 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries!
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

Mate 10 C636 on april update (.134) and I just tried face unlocking after having this phone for months, its super, super, incredibly fast. Works in dark areas but not super dark areas. I tried it on a dimly lit room and it worked, on a room with no lights it doesn't work because it doesn't use infrared.
I'm blown away by how fast it is.. I wanna bet $100 that this is so incredibly fast because the face detection is done by the NPU which is purpose built for stuff like this..

X-Iscariot said:
Mate 10 C636 on april update (.134) and I just tried face unlocking after having this phone for months, its super, super, incredibly fast. Works in dark areas but not super dark areas. I tried it on a dimly lit room and it worked, on a room with no lights it doesn't work because it doesn't use infrared.
I'm blown away by how fast it is.. I wanna bet $100 that this is so incredibly fast because the face detection is done by the NPU which is purpose built for stuff like this..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes snap, I just cannot get over how quick it is compared to the Note 8!! I've noticed it works well in low light too, but not completely dark!

maverick1103 said:
Yes snap, I just cannot get over how quick it is compared to the Note 8!! I've noticed it works well in low light too, but not completely dark!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can change that it goes to homescreen automaticallybut you stay on lock screen. There is a setting that disables going to homescreen but still unlocks the phone. Then you only need to swipe to go to homescreen or double tap the notification.
I have that turned on because I like to check my Lockscreen before deciding whether I want to use the phone (see who texted before deciding whether I text back or ignore).
Additionally you can enable that the contents of your notifications are hidden unless your face is detected. This way you nosey GF won't be able to see your side chick texting you. Lol
edit: i never managed to fool it with a photo. tried many times.

Fast but not accurate
As a camera with nothing else its so quick but I've got problems because it detects my twin brother as mine "some times" but its good enough

0alfred0 said:
You can change that it goes to homescreen automaticallybut you stay on lock screen. There is a setting that disables going to homescreen but still unlocks the phone. Then you only need to swipe to go to homescreen or double tap the notification.
I have that turned on because I like to check my Lockscreen before deciding whether I want to use the phone (see who texted before deciding whether I text back or ignore).
Additionally you can enable that the contents of your notifications are hidden unless your face is detected. This way you nosey GF won't be able to see your side chick texting you. Lol
edit: i never managed to fool it with a photo. tried many times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah thanks, I've just changed it so I have slide to unlock now, as I much prefer that as I can read the notifications and respond as and when!
I tried the hide notifications to start off with but turned it off as preferred them on, I don't have a nosey girlfriend to deal with, hell I don't even have a girlfriend so I'm good there lol!
arianamirgholami said:
As a camera with nothing else its so quick but I've got problems because it detects my twin brother as mine "some times" but its good enough
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty unlucky, I don't have that issue and have not been able to unlock the phone with a picture so I'm happy with it.

OEM unlock button... How can I enable it?

I saw some faqs describing to get the OEM button for older phones but it didn't work for me. Anyone else have or tried and can give me tips?

juanfernandez77 said:
I saw some faqs describing to get the OEM button for older phones but it didn't work for me. Anyone else have or tried and can give me tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you probably missed the part where your note 9 snapdragon doesn't have that capacity. in the event where you do have an exynos then you missed the part where these older phone needed 7 days of uptime for it to appear( not sure if this is still the case on these certain F and DS note 9s')

bober10113 said:
you probably missed the part where your note 9 snapdragon doesn't have that capacity. in the event where you do have an exynos then you missed the part where these older phone needed 7 days of uptime for it to appear( not sure if this is still the case on these certain F and DS note 9s')
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks. So no root for snapdragons yet.... Sigh

juanfernandez77 said:
That sucks. So no root for snapdragons yet.... Sigh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well this is unfortunately not news. been this ways for years and years...
some hacks will eventually make their way but it will take time and effort. the procedure on your phone will most likely not be as simple to do as with the exynos version when ever these hacks come out

I am looking at rooting my Note 9 I've almost had for 2 years is it worth it?

I don't use any of the Samsung Apps but I do have the Frontier watch and was wondering if this will be affected? Also are my banking apps affected? I'm looking to get more out my battery life, explore more customization options and for games that I play! Has anyone else done it?

Well that question can only be answered by you
If you don't use Samsung apps then that's one worry out the way.
About banking apps I found this which has some info in that regard at the end of the reply: https://www.quora.com/Is-using-bank...fe-Is-there-any-chance-our-data-to-get-stolen
Mainly this piece:
"Also, the banking apps these days have become smarter — they realize when they are run on rooted phones and would stop working totally (if they run at all in the first place)."
The way I understand it is that even if a certain banking app runs fine there's no guarantee that they won't update it to fix it and to make it unusable on rooted devices.
My advice would be against rooting this phone unless you're just bored and want to mess with it for no reason and are prepared to lose OTA/security updates and trip KNOX forever.
I mean I can't find a single thing missing from this beast in order to even consider rooting it. Plus it will get the latest OneUI 2.1 in June so

Nellions said:
I don't use any of the Samsung Apps but I do have the Frontier watch and was wondering if this will be affected? Also are my banking apps affected? I'm looking to get more out my battery life, explore more customization options and for games that I play! Has anyone else done it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where you based ? Why i'm asking here in the UK we have 2 year warranty i would advise you to ring up Samsung get a new battery installed then root it! Well that's my plan they usally install battery for free!

Root it sooooo much fun
I'm on the Dr's rom no problems at all

I'm having the same question as well. Battery life on this phone has never been great, probably because of the rubbish exynos chip.

velloon said:
I'm having the same question as well. Battery life on this phone has never been great, probably because of the rubbish exynos chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 8 hours screen on time with the exynos model though. That's on wifi, i get 7 hours on 4G. Can't complain about battery life at all here.

koragg97 said:
I get 8 hours screen on time with the exynos model though. That's on wifi, i get 7 hours on 4G. Can't complain about battery life at all here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah my battery sucks, but it don’t suck if your using the phone! Mine drains like mad over night, but if I’m using it i get easy 7 hours on screen time! My email is the main culprit! i will be ringing up samsung when stupid lockdown is over! As i will be getting battery replaced from them!

N1NJATH3ORY said:
Yeah my battery sucks, but it don’t suck if your using the phone! Mine drains like mad over night, but if I’m using it i get easy 7 hours on screen time! My email is the main culprit! i will be ringing up samsung when stupid lockdown is over! As i will be getting battery replaced from them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lose around 2-3% overnight. I have a routine which turns off mobile data, wifi, sync, aod, gps, nfc and bluetooth between 1:30 and 7:30am. Maybe try this, dunno.

koragg97 said:
I lose around 2-3% overnight. I have a routine which turns off mobile data, wifi, sync, aod, gps, nfc and bluetooth between 1:30 and 7:30am. Maybe try this, dunno.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks will try! My Note 10+ 5G 256GIG model is spot on with battery life, i wont even lose 1% over night even though its got no sim in it. Never am going to do that like purchase multiple phones with in few months of each other! i dont even play with my Note 10 + 5G or my Tab S6 LTE 256GB as the Note 9 does everything i need!

Question What do y'all think about the Galaxy Watch 5?

What's your opinion?
I think it looks good!
If you have problems with it, feel free to say!

How to enable temperature options?

Beso said:
How to enable temperature options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch 5 Pro-temperature sensor option missing?
So got the watch yesterday and so far it's ok,.A little unimpressed by the lack of rotating dial. But going through all the sensor options there is no menu for body temperature even though the sensor is there. Does anyone know where the sensor options are? Or is this just another incomplete...
eu.community.samsung.com

shaharofir said:
Watch 5 Pro-temperature sensor option missing?
So got the watch yesterday and so far it's ok,.A little unimpressed by the lack of rotating dial. But going through all the sensor options there is no menu for body temperature even though the sensor is there. Does anyone know where the sensor options are? Or is this just another incomplete...
eu.community.samsung.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread is not available in my country..... NO COMMENT LIKE IF PEOPLE LIVE IS US ARE WORTH MORE THAN PEOPLE LEAVE IN EU.... SHAME

Beso said:
This thread is not available in my country..... NO COMMENT LIKE IF PEOPLE LIVE IS US ARE WORTH MORE THAN PEOPLE LEAVE IN EU.... SHAME
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Theres no option for the temperature sensors yet. Samsung say it wont be long before its available but are apparently waiting for regulatory clearance."
I'm from the EU too, to be exact, i'm from Hungary. this is available for me..weird (i'm not using any VPN)

I got my Watch 5 yesterday and it seems good. According to Samsung product info, this model is mostly an incremental upgrade to the Watch4 and includes improved heart rate monitoring, slightly longer battery life, and slightly upgraded glass type.
One odd thing I noticed: When I adb to the watch the prompt says:
heartbl:/ $
I thought that is kind of strange.

Aethera said:
One odd thing I noticed: When I adb to the watch the prompt says:
heartbl:/ $
I thought that is kind of strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heartbl is the codename of the watch

notnoelchannel said:
heartbl is the codename of the watch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep I see it in getprop:
[ro.product.model]: [SM-R910]
[ro.product.name]: [heartblue]
I was initially concerned 'heartbl' might mean 'heartbleed' which would be an odd name to use. Then again heartbleed, spectre, meltdown, etc. do have a cool ring to them. It would be interesting if a company used CPU vulnerabilities for a product naming scheme.

After wearing the Watch 5 for a couple days it definitely feels like a nicer fit on the wrist. It feels like with the updated shape of the watch bottom that it sits more snugly on the wrist and doesn't move around as much. I see how this could improve heart rate monitoring.

The Watch 5 performs and feels better than my prior watches!
Cheers

It's like wearing a DVD Player on my watch, since I can't activate must needed functions such as NFC payments because of region locks with CSC... Until I find a solution for this, this is basically walking around with a somewhat expensive watch like a Garmin but with 20% of battery time.

notnoelchannel said:
What's your opinion?
I think it looks good!
If you have problems with it, feel free to say!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the Galaxy S3 Frontier and my Watch 5 is soooo much better all around. It's lighter and I like the improved voice interactions using Google Assistant (instead of the horrible Bixby). I'm glad they went away with Tizen. Google's Wear OS opens up more possibilities.

So far I like it, for some reason Samsung pay was eating up 1/4 of it's battery and I didn't even have it set up. I uninstalled it using the Galaxy watch 4 debloat instructions and my battery life got substantially better. Right now "Samsung Text to speech engine" and "Find my mobile" apps are the biggest drains, but the battery life, even with the Samsung pay totally blew my old fossil watch out of the water. This watch is better than it in every way.

I picked the watch 5 pro when I got my Pixel 7 pro. I was gonna get the pixel watch but it's too small for my taste. I love the watch 5 pro...2 days battery is sweet.... AOD on always ...

I got a brand new grey Titanium 5 Pro for £250 in the UK through a friend who got it free with a Samsung TV. He decided to stick with the Garmin watch he already had so didn't even open the Watch 5 Pro. Bargain.
And it's fantastic. I'm coming from a Huawei Watch GT2 so despite the good battery life the Samsung has, it's not a patch on th GT2 from which I got over 10 days. But that stupidly long battery life came with a cost, namely little in the way of features and zero app support. The 5 Pro is the best compromise.

Today will be day 1 with the GW5 with D-Buckle 44mm. I set it up last night and wore it on my left wrist all night and my old Fitbit Charge 4 on my right to see how close the sleep tracking is. C4 had 82 as my sleep score and the GW5 80 so I think they are close. So far I am impressed with the GW5. I still have a ton of things to learn and setup on it but I can already tell that I am going to get a lot of use out of it. The display is fantastic and so easy to see out in very bright sunshine. Will follow-up after a week or so of use.
I am from the USA east coast but I now live in South America in Colombia in the Andes Mountains.

Horrible Setup for non Samsung devices.
took me about 4h to set it up on a Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
1. Can't connect to the phone via wearables. Tried all available workarounds, nothing worked. Last try was trying older versions of Wearables app, that did it for me.
2. Couldn't activate eSIM: Your phone needs an active SIM card to activate an eSIM to the watch.
Obviously the phone has an active SIM and is Connected to the internet via LTE/5G. Didn't find any solution for that, other than reset watch, digging out my old Samung, switch SIM to that, activate eSIM, switch SIM back to 12S Ultra, and reset and reconnect the watch to the 12S Ultra again.
The option in wearables app still gives the SIM not active on phone error, but the eSIM still is active on the watch, and mobile data still works.
It's annoying AF. But other than the atrocious setup I'm happy so far.

xXxWOExXx said:
Horrible Setup for non Samsung devices.
took me about 4h to set it up on a Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
1. Can't connect to the phone via wearables. Tried all available workarounds, nothing worked. Last try was trying older versions of Wearables app, that did it for me.
2. Couldn't activate eSIM: Your phone needs an active SIM card to activate an eSIM to the watch.
Obviously the phone has an active SIM and is Connected to the internet via LTE/5G. Didn't find any solution for that, other than reset watch, digging out my old Samung, switch SIM to that, activate eSIM, switch SIM back to 12S Ultra, and reset and reconnect the watch to the 12S Ultra again.
The option in wearables app still gives the SIM not active on phone error, but the eSIM still is active on the watch, and mobile data still works.
It's annoying AF. But other than the atrocious setup I'm happy so far.
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Please see my LTE activation guide which may help.

Following this guide for wrist size I decided to swap my 44mm wifi model for a 40mm LTE. Really like the 40mm size. Not sure if the tradeoff in battery life will be acceptable but in terms of wearability for my ~16.5 cm wrist the 40mm seems a lot better. I can see myself sleeping with the 40mm watch on my wrist all night whereas the 44mm just seemed to big and bulky to want to use it as a sleep tracker.
A couple things were confusing about setting up the LTE service: 1) The EID is what the customer support rep for my mobile provider wanted when she asked for the SIM. Technically it's called an ESIM but for purposes of activation they consider it a SIM; 2) You have enable a special settings mode in the Galaxy Wearable app to enable "Current QR TestMode" under "Test ESIM Feature". I created a post about this.
As far as battery life, I just switched the font color of basic dashboard to pure white, against a pure black background, which makes it possible to turn down the display brightness a lot. Hopefully that will help extend the battery life.
One minor issue I have is that on the curved complications with the digital dashboard face the font sizes are too tiny for my vision. I really have to squint to read them. I wish that the curved complications had larger fonts.
One last comment: when making an LTE call the call quality was surprisingly excellent. I was able to have a conversation via the watch even while using my hands for other things. The other party said the call quality on their side was excellent.

mech_supernova said:
So far I like it, for some reason Samsung pay was eating up 1/4 of it's battery and I didn't even have it set up. I uninstalled it using the Galaxy watch 4 debloat instructions and my battery life got substantially better. Right now "Samsung Text to speech engine" and "Find my mobile" apps are the biggest drains, but the battery life, even with the Samsung pay totally blew my old fossil watch out of the water. This watch is better than it in every way.
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Good to know about Samsung Pay. I also don't use it but am afraid to debloat since even seemingly unnecessary apps could destabilize the watch if they're uninstalled. It might be safer to disable apps first and if there are no stability issues then they can be uninstalled later.