Looking for recommended settings/apps

Gunny94

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Hey guys!

I've just bought a Zenwatch for 200 euros via the Amazon france, and it's set to arrive on tuesday.

I was looking for the best possible settings for maximum battery life and also the recommended apps you might know!

Thanks and looking forward to any replies!

Cheers!
 

B. Diddy

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Nice choice! I think you'll love it.

I get great battery life on mine--it's usually only down to 60-70% by the end of the day. I keep the screen on, brightness usually to 4 or 5.

These watchfaces look awesome on the ZenWatch, and are free:
Chronos Time Master
Altimeter
Speeds
Eagle

I like this calculator app, since it also converts units: Calc Wear

ZenWatch Remote Camera is pretty cool--makes the watch into remote viewfinder and shutter release for the phone's camera.
 

Gunny94

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Nice choice! I think you'll love it.

I get great battery life on mine--it's usually only down to 60-70% by the end of the day. I keep the screen on, brightness usually to 4 or 5.

These watchfaces look awesome on the ZenWatch, and are free:
Chronos Time Master
Altimeter
Speeds
Eagle

I like this calculator app, since it also converts units: Calc Wear

ZenWatch Remote Camera is pretty cool--makes the watch into remote viewfinder and shutter release for the phone's camera.

That's amazing!

Really looking forward to get it!

By any chance you know if there is a Google All Acces way to use the watch as a way to switch Playlist and etc..?
 

B. Diddy

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By any chance you know if there is a Google All Acces way to use the watch as a way to switch Playlist and etc..?

Sorry, I don't use All Access, but from my experience so far with Google Play Music, I don't think you can specify a playlist using a voice command.

Bear in mind as well that I'm not constantly using watch apps, so battery life might not be as good for those who frequently access them. But a single charge should still get anyone through the entire day very comfortably.
 

Gunny94

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Hmm, I see :) I'm using Spotify for now but was thinking of making the switch. But seems like I'll hold off since it's the only with AW support. Thanks Diddy
 
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Nice choice! I think you'll love it.

I get great battery life on mine--it's usually only down to 60-70% by the end of the day. I keep the screen on, brightness usually to 4 or 5.

These watchfaces look awesome on the ZenWatch, and are free:
Chronos Time Master
Altimeter
Speeds
Eagle

I like this calculator app, since it also converts units: Calc Wear

ZenWatch Remote Camera is pretty cool--makes the watch into remote viewfinder and shutter release for the phone's camera.

That's impossible I keep my brightness at three and don't use always on and I have 14 percent by the end of the day.
 

B. Diddy

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It depends on how much you're using the watch to check notifications, use watch apps, or anything excessively active. I'd say my actual smartwatch usage is light to moderate. I check notifications about once an hour, maybe. Use Google Now on my watch maybe 2 or 3 times a day. I took my watch off the charger at about 10 AM this morning, and at 9:45 PM right now, it's at 62% (without having to recharge).
 

Penguwin

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I'm typically a much more heavy user, playing with the watch all day at regular intervals, receiving notifications quite often and using these voice actions regularly.

I have my brightness at 4, always on engaged and tilt to wake off. Typically I can get 18+ hours out of my ZenWatch even with this heavy usage pattern. It is usually my daily driver watch due to it's versatility and battery life.
 

Gunny94

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Hey again guys! How do I turn off the phone footstep counting leave the zen Watch doing itself besides the phone. I'm using Up! By Jawbone
 

B. Diddy

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I'm not sure if you can turn off the actual footstep counter. I doubt that uses much in terms of battery.

You can turn off the Fit app on the watch, though. Swipe in from the right, tap Fit, then swipe all the way to the right and tap Google Fit App in order to turn it off. You can do the same for Up, but not for Zen Wellness.
 

Gunny94

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Hey guys, just got mine! Any apps you recommend to reply to text without having to take the phone out?
 

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B. Diddy

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The native reply function is pretty good (I use Hangouts). You can either scroll to find the appropriate preinstalled reply (like Ok, Yes, No, :) , etc.), or you can speak the reply--the text-to-speech is just as good as on the phone, in my experience.
 

Gunny94

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The native reply function is pretty good (I use Hangouts). You can either scroll to find the appropriate preinstalled reply (like Ok, Yes, No, :) , etc.), or you can speak the reply--the text-to-speech is just as good as on the phone, in my experience.

Hmm, I got the software in English but I need to reply in Portuguese, and it won't cut it with voice.. :(!
 

B. Diddy

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You should be able to change the Google Now voice recognition language on the phone, which I would guess carries over to the watch. Open the Google Settings app on your phone, tap Search & Now>Voice>Languages, and select Portuguese.
 

B. Diddy

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What Rukbat was referring to was how the overall lifespan of a lithium battery will be generally reduced if it is routinely discharged down to near zero, then charged back up again. The "sweet spot" for most lithium batteries is to charge up when it hits around 40%, if you want to prolong battery life as much as possible. But this isn't always practical with some devices.