Samsung Galaxy Watch

[JG_RSA]

OK, so this wasn't my lucky week either.
Perhaps next week...

 

[blogbytes]

Beyond me how people can't be without a phone anymore for 30-60 Min while jogging. Do you guys have business meetings while running or what? Leave the damn phone at home and enjoy nature

Anyhow, I like the design of the watch. Might grab the 46mm one on carb if advertised at the right price.

Side question. These QR codes they hand out for the watch, surely they could work on any eSIM enabled device? Who are these eSIM pros you speak of?

 

[JG_RSA]

It's not about not being able to be without a phone for a single minute. It's about having an alternative to carrying your phone with you and being reachable in case of emergency or being able to call in case of emergency. I have people that I care about and need to be available for them in case of emergency.
I also like going to water parks. If I visit Lost City, for example, I don't need to carry cash with me as the watch has Samsung Pay so I can pay for meals and drinks with the watch as long as they have an NFC enabled card machine. There's free WiFi in certain areas, so the watch stays connected to the phone remotely and I can get my texts and Whatsapps with the phone safely stored in the locker, but I can't make or receive calls. The eSIM allows for this functionality almost everywhere, regardless of WiFi availability plus (IF this ever works for me) I can make and receive calls.
No more having to take the phone to the beach, gym, heated pool, playing sports, etc.

Only the Samsung Galaxy Watches are supported (not in my case though...) by Vodacom at present. Apparently more devices will follow later.

As for who those eSIM pros are - I'll tell you if I ever do speak to one at Vodacom.

 

[Stavats]

Tried the NFC JG, it's a battery guzzler. Also got overheating notifications so I'm leaving that one alone.

For me running on a farm without a connection is not optimal. Each to their own and when Garmin one day adds esim to their devices I'll definitely switch over, but for the moment this is everything I was looking for.

 

[JG_RSA]

That's odd @Stavats, I can't say that I've noticed any difference in battery life on the Frontier after I've enabled NFC. It used to be off before I got Samsung Pay working on it. It was enabled on the Sport and GW since day one, so I have no comparison between it being on/off on them. I've never had the overheating error on the Sport or GW either. I've seen it a few times on the Frontier when charging, but the second last firmware update seemed to have sorted it out.

Perhaps something you should monitor and bring to Samsung's attention if it persists.

 

[JG_RSA]

Five weeks later today...
I'll see if I can get a SIM swap done on my phone today, which will force them to re-link the eSIM. Perhaps that will work.
I've tried just about everything else.

 

[JG_RSA]

I can hardly believe it myself, but it's finally working. 🎉

I had the Multi-Ring and eSIM services removed on Friday afternoon and, after waiting until ~11:00 today for the request to be processed, went to a Vodacom store, did a SIM swap and had the services activated again. ALL of this took less than 30 minutes to do!
I got another e-mail with a (seemingly identical to the one I've received on 05/04) QR code and all seems to be working. I can call out for the very first time on the watch and it rings along with the phone in standalone mode, although this took about an hour before this started working.

I've noticed that the watch now has a VoLTE icon on the top right, which it didn't before.

I'm still testing it, but so far so good.

 

[Stavats]

On 2 occasions after activating the watch I've had people telling me they get a "busy" tone when calling me. After a restart of the phone calls come through again.

 

[JG_RSA]

So far so good on mine, but I haven't used it on standalone mode much so far. Shouldn't the call go through to your phone at least if the watch doesn't have signal or isn't registered on the network at the time?
I have the mobile connection set to auto on mine and when it disconnects from BT it does take a while (couple of seconds) to switch on LTE, so in that time phone calls go through to the phone only. Of course setting mobile to always on would solve that, but it does increase battery consumption.

I really find it useful though and once multiple devices are supported, I'll consider trying to get my hands on an imported S3 Frontier LTE to replace my S3 Frontier, unless the Galaxy Watch 2 46mm will be available in black as well and support MST payments, but the latter seems unlikely.

 

[Stavats]

So far so good on mine, but I haven't used it on standalone mode much so far. Shouldn't the call go through to your phone at least if the watch doesn't have signal or isn't registered on the network at the time?
I have the mobile connection set to auto on mine and when it disconnects from BT it does take a while (couple of seconds) to switch on LTE, so in that time phone calls go through to the phone only. Of course setting mobile to always on would solve that, but it does increase battery consumption.

I really find it useful though and once multiple devices are supported, I'll consider trying to get my hands on an imported S3 Frontier LTE to replace my S3 Frontier, unless the Galaxy Watch 2 46mm will be available in black as well and support MST payments, but the latter seems unlikely.

No the watch works fine, the problem is on my S8.

 

[JG_RSA]

That's odd.
How old is the phone's SIM card?
If it's fairly old, perhaps do a SIM swap and see if the problem persists. From what I've been told, you won't need to redo the eSIM activation if you do a SIM swap on the phone.

 

[JG_RSA]

Has anyone gotten the One UI update (4.0.0.4) on their Galaxy Watch yet?
I've been checking daily on mine, but it's not available yet. I've even went as far as changing the region (tried two random region settings), which is a hell of a mission to get the watch connected for some reason, but still no luck. I've had it on the S3 for ~3 weeks now. Don't know why it's still not available on the GW. Perhaps it's just the LTE models?

 

[COHBoss]

Has anyone gotten the One UI update (4.0.0.4) on their Galaxy Watch yet?
I've been checking daily on mine, but it's not available yet. I've even went as far as changing the region (tried two random region settings), which is a hell of a mission to get the watch connected for some reason, but still no luck. I've had it on the S3 for ~3 weeks now. Don't know why it's still not available on the GW. Perhaps it's just the LTE models?

I got mine for Samsung Galaxy sport.

 

[JG_RSA]

Galaxy Sport as in the 42mm Galaxy Watch, or Galaxy Active (as far as I know, they've launched with One UI) or the Gear Sport?

 

[COHBoss]

Galaxy Sport as in the 42mm Galaxy Watch, or Galaxy Active (as far as I know, they've launched with One UI) or the Gear Sport?

Sorry, the Gear Sport

 

[Erohann]

Has anyone gotten the One UI update (4.0.0.4) on their Galaxy Watch yet?
I've been checking daily on mine, but it's not available yet. I've even went as far as changing the region (tried two random region settings), which is a hell of a mission to get the watch connected for some reason, but still no luck. I've had it on the S3 for ~3 weeks now. Don't know why it's still not available on the GW. Perhaps it's just the LTE models?

Gf updated hers to One UI last week, non LTE

 

[JG_RSA]

Hopefully it will be available soon. It does feel a little outdated now compared to my updated S3. I was really hoping that I could jump the queue by changing the region, but I've just wasted my morning (as stated before, it's a hell of a mission to get the watch to finally connect) and reset the watch for nothing. 😫 Even with the backup restored, there are still a couple of settings that don't restore and all of the apps have to be reinstalled.

 

[Erohann]

Hopefully it will be available soon. It does feel a little outdated now compared to my updated S3. I was really hoping that I could jump the queue by changing the region, but I've just wasted my morning (as stated before, it's a hell of a mission to get the watch to finally connect) and reset the watch for nothing. 😫 Even with the backup restored, there are still a couple of settings that don't restore and all of the apps have to be reinstalled.

The LTE Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting an overdue One UI update

Later than the rest

www.techradar.com

 

[JG_RSA]

Thanks @Erohann

 

[JG_RSA]

OneUI update finally available locally for the 46mm LTE version (probably the 42mm too) 🎉
I've been checking daily; had it on the Frontier for quite a while now and was really missing it on this watch.

 

[JG_RSA]

OneUI 1.5 / Tizen 4.0.0.7 is finally available locally.

 

[JansenSensei]

I don't hate any member on Carb that much to pass this frustration on to him/her...

Hey! You stupid crybaby f-🤬-ng piece of sh-🤬-t anti-Vodacom as-🤬-le! Get your f-🤬-ng fingers typing the bloody reply to this 🤬-ing msg already! Tell me if there is SOMEONE here on Carbonite NOW that you hate enough to pass this frustration on to at a good price

🙋‍♂️

Also, how much would that be, exactly....? 😅

Seriously, though.... I thought I was getting ready for an uphill battle but reading your account of how things went down.... yeah, that sounds about more or less exactly precisely what I was expecting to go through. OMG how glad I am it happened to you and not me... Come to think of it...🤔... OMG how I hope it is ONLY going to happen to you and not me...! Eek! 😶 What are the chances? Ummm...
I am thinking eSIM doesn't sound worth it at all...

I want to get an eSim capable watch so that I can leave my phone at home and still make/receive calls. At the moment I am perfectly happy to just miss calls and go "Hmmm... wonder who that person was. Oh well, I'll find out if they ever call back, else, meh..." but that is merely out of habit. This eSim thing was gonna be the answer to all my missed calls woes.... but it sounds like too much effort to go through... which brings me neatly back to my opening paragraph.... I wonder if I got a wearable at a decent price if I should even bother... 🤔

As I said in that thread of mine, I was considering buying it cash from Takealot (or wherever I find stock) and wasn't looking at getting this on installment but now I am wondering if I shouldn't get one second hand so that I at least waste less money if this turns out to be a total waste of time/money/energy/effort... in which case am now wondering if I shouldn't just stick with "If you REALLY want to get ahold of me, call me back" and just miss any calls I get while I'm out....

We live in South Africa, after all, so we are used to this, right?

 

[JG_RSA]

What an opening paragraph...

Don't be discouraged. Vodascum probably has done quite a few more eSIM activations since my ordeal.

There were a few complications, besides completely clueless (staff at the time), with my activation too.
Firstly, make sure you have a qualifying voice contract SIM (not prepaid, unless that has since changed), that you don't have Twincall still active on your account (if you've ever had it when it was still available) and do a SIM swap on your SIM which is to be linked to the eSIM if it's a couple of years old.

If possible (I don't know your location), go to the biggest Vodacom store in your area, once the apocalypse has ended of course. They are most likely to have done an eSIM activation(s) before, compared to a smaller outlet.

Lastly, once you finally have it working. be prepared for a dramatic increase in battery consumption on the watch when in standalone LTE mode, especially if you make or take a couple of calls on it. While it's great for a couple of hours' freedom from having to lug your phone around, it's certainly not an all day solution with the current crop of eSIM (Samsungs at least) enabled watches' battery capacity.
Remote connection is also hit and miss sometimes, which means that you may not always get SMSs and other notifications (email, Whatsapp, etc.) from your phone while away from it and the watch is on LTE mode (I leave mine on AUTO). Incoming calls still work fine though. I've found that enabling and then disabling Airplane mode on the watch *sometimes* gets it to connect remotely to the phone, but other times it just refuses.

Best of luck...

 

[JansenSensei]

Thanks.. .but the more I hear the more my interest wanes
Personally, I like the Gear S2 (not classic) but it's lack of Samsung Pay left this in the dust..
The Samsung Watch.... I just don't like that at all... It's just too big...
The Samsung Active is the perfect size and the perfect price... but from what I read it needs to be charged ( at least) daily...
The Samsung Active 2 is the same as the 1 but at a higher cost but with an average 4 day charge making it the absolute only option for me!

As you can see, am willing to pay more in order to charge less often so if you say that eSim activation will drain the battery then it makes sense why some claim the Active can last a day while others say they need to charge it 3 times a day... and there is no way in hell I am buying a watch I have to remove and charge 3 times a day (!) and yet it sounds like I might be paying extra extra for the4 day charge only for the eSim feature to bring that back down to daily charging...

This makes wearing the thing a chore and why would anyone willingly add hassles to their daily grind? Ughgh... All I wanted to know is whether or not I can buy the watch elsewhere and still activate eSim on it at Vodacom with a Vodacom sim.... now I am wondering if it's even worth it at all

To be honest, I don't care about missed calls since the people who know me know I am always behind my PC so they email me rather than call me. Anyone who doesn't know that is probably making a sales call so missed calls, meh... Some times, though, I do get a call so it would be nice to actually take it... but I'm not gonna loose any sleep over it if I don't.

The second reason why I want a smart watch is so I can use Samsung Pay. THAT is the main reason why I decided I am willing to start wearing a watch again after more than 2 decades of not doing so. With these things costing as much as they do I figured I had best get myself the most feature rich thing once off and not regret it later on so I looked at eSim but, honestly, it sounds like way too much grief and downsides. I should just check to see which is the cheapest Samsung Pay compatible watch and look for a pre-owned one and call it a day.

 

[JG_RSA]

I maintain that the eSIM functionality is a worthwhile feature to have, BUT don't expect it to be an all day (as in completely give up on having the phone around at all) solution. It's great for while at the gym, at a water park or other activity where carrying a phone around isn't ideal/possible, but only for a couple of hours at a time and not for constantly making/taking calls during that time.

Of course the same limitations apply as when using any of the Samsung watches on remote connection (both watch and phone connected to the internet via WiFi). You can't, for example, initiate a Whatsapp chat (there are 3rd party apps available, all of which are rubbish - the last time I've tried them at least) or manually check for new emails on the native watch email app.
If LTE connectivity is set to AUTO and the watch is within BT range, then of course it won't use LTE connectivity, so battery life won't be affected.

Claimed battery life, like auto manufacturers' claimed fuel consumption, is just that - claimed, generally not real world achievable.
It pretty much depends on personal usage and settings (display always on, GPS ON/OFF, Wifi ON/OFF/AUTO, screen brightness, etc.).

Make sure you know what to expect from the watch and see LTE connectivity as a bonus, otherwise you will be disappointed and would have gone through the process of getting the device and getting the eSIM activated for nothing.

The Active watches are great, but I wouldn't want to give up the rotating bezel on the S3's / GW's.
Just checking that you are aware as well that the Galaxy Watch is available in two sizes - 42MM (Black or Rose Gold) and 46MM (Silver with black bezel). They look pretty much like normal watches (if you want it to blend in and not look like an obvious smart watch) when paired with a metal strap. The 46MM has a slightly bigger battery, compares to the 44MM's, but good luck finding a 46MM LTE one. They are scarce.

The new GW is probably due this year too, so perhaps wait to see what that brings to the party. Either way, there should be people parting with their LTE Galaxy Watches to upgrade to the new model, so there might be some more second hand ones on here then.

 

[JansenSensei]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I was just discussing it with the wife now also and said the same as what you have in bold: Better to buy something WITH eSim and just not USE it rather than getting something without it and then kicking myself for it later. I.e. see it as a bonus.

I just had a look on here to see what is available and found a few at price points that had me interested... but of course they are all sold already ...all except one, which is just simply closed. Don't know if it sold off site or if the guy just closed the listing due to the lockdown.... Either way, I am not in a hurry to get the device right now (I believe FNB still delivers if I wanted to get it immediately) since, what am I going to do with a smart watch while stuck at home? So I can wait a little while and check what becomes available here (hopefully ppl who read this and advertise theirs will tag me in the post! hint hint 😁).

So, get something with eSim, be patient and see what comes around... then prepare for the 50/50 of struggling with Vodacom or not. I noticed above you said that I need a "qualifying" contract and that part has me scared.... Can I just take that R50 contract they offer or must I take a R800 one? Can I take a data only contract or must I take one that gives me "airtime" or one that gives me a set allocation of minutes/sms/data? This whole "qualifying" contract business is what prompted my other thread in the first place...

Also... I can't find a black Active 2 anywhere. It's all Rose Gold everywhere. I'm guessing nobody in the civilized world wanted it so that is the only stock South Africa could source? Sigh... Black or silver (ideally black), that is for me... Rose Gold, yeah, not so much.... lol

But again, thanks for the info. Will keep my eyes open on here after the lockdown or when the new series is launched and see what becomes available.

 

[JG_RSA]

I honestly don't know what the current Vodacom requirements are with regards to linking an eSIM.
Looks like the T & C's page mentioned in my post #29 has been moved or removed.

At the time when I dealt with it, there wasn't a specific price plan requirement. It just couldn't be a prepaid or data only primary SIM and the eSIM couldn't be a standalone number (although the eSIM does have its own number), as in it had to be linked to your primary voice contract number.
I'm on a R309 Smart S (contract only; device excluded) plan on the SIM linked to my eSIM, so by no means a top of the range contract. It was also out of contract (over 24 months old/month-2-month) at the time and they had no problem linking it (didn't force me to upgrade), but made it clear that I would lose the eSIM functionality if I converted the number to prepaid. There was a once off connection fee applicable and then R25 monthly for Vodacom OneNumber.

 

[JG_RSA]

Has anyone upgraded to the new Galaxy Watch3?

I'm sort of on the fence about it. Apart from the slightly bigger display on the 45mm version, not much about it excites/tempts me.
I'm yet to see one IRL, but I sort of prefer the look of the Galaxy Watch 46mm over it. I'm not loving the protruding buttons.
Damn, they're expensive too...
That said, I'll probably get the 45mm LTE one eventually.

 

[mradovan]

Smartwatches... that's a tough one, everyone has his/her own requirements, and what they consider a dealbreaker.

Sorry, it doesn't answer your question, but I'm itching to voice my 2c
I retired my GW 46mm some 6 months ago, two main reasons -

• Battery life and AOD impact on the battery life. If I turn AOD on, the battery life goes down to 2 days (and that's without touching a single button). So, non-AOD mode it is, with "turning-the-wrist" thing to lighten it up. One day it just happens I have to keep my cat on a 40 min drip (kidney issues, but that's besides the point). So, memorised the start time, know when to take it off, and off we go. Closer to the time, the cat fedup and unruly, I keep turning my wrist while holding the cat, the damn thing just doesn't want to register. After some wriggling, it lightens up and I take a quick glance. Of course, it was the same time when I started, as the damn watch face that I was using only updates like 1/2 seconds after the display turns on... an extreme case, but there were numerous other annoying occasions.
• I found it truly useless for hiking. It doesn't have a magnetometer, and most navigation apps are quite fiddly and nothing can be done quickly. I mean, I climb up to some god-forsaken place, want the watch to tell me which direction next - and it now expects me to pace in an arbitrary direction, so it can work out which way I'm facing by comparing the two GPS positions. Seriously...

Of course, being able to say "Hi Bixby, remind me to hang my washing in 2 hours time" was super-convenient

Got myself a Garmin Instinct - it completely resolves the above two peeves.
If I upgrade, it'll be Fenix.

 

[JG_RSA]

I have AOD activated on all of my watches. I couldn't live with the watch having no display and not being able to tell the time at a glance. Never really bothered with the wake-up gesture feature for this reason. Sure it eats battery life, but I charge it every night, so not too bothered as long as it lasts the full day, which the GW does. The S3 struggles a bit to make it through the day, depending on usage.
I have no interest in sleep tracking (I know that I sleep terribly, if at all. Always have, probably always will), but I can see that it might be an issue if it's worn at night and it doesn't have fast charging, which they don't.
I'm not thrilled that the GW3 has a smaller battery compared to the GW.

I hear you regarding fitness tracking. I can't recommend the Samsung watches to someone who wants a fitness tracker above all else. The GW3 apparently has some improvements, but I've never really been bothered by fitness tracking too much and see it as a bonus feature.
I only really use the watch for navigation when I use a rental car, but since many of them now have Android Auto (fascinating that this is standard on many entry level/budget cars, but an option that costs thousands on luxury cars...), that's not too often these days.

I find Bixby to be slightly less rubbish than the old S Voice and I hardly ever use it.

My requirements for a smart watch are fairly basic:
Notifications, battery that lasts a full day and it must look like a regular "classy" watch and not like a child's toy. I'll also probably always go for the LTE versions going forward.