Anyone actually tried S-Beam?

**claye** · 07-13-2012, 12:43 PM

My coworker and I gave S-Beam a try... and the short version is that it's way too complicated to be useful in any way. Has anyone found a good use for it, or use it regularly?

We tried sharing a picture. After some troubleshooting, we found that we both had to go deep into the device settings to turn S-Beam on. Then I pulled up a picture from my gallery, our phones had a "moment" as we touched them together, and we waited... nothing happened.

Turns out, both phones need to have the Gallery app open. So he opened gallery, we touched phones again, and then I have to touch the screen again to send.

Seems WAY easier to just hit share->email/SMS/FB/G+

**tk-093** · 07-13-2012, 12:45 PM

What? The commercials make it look so easy and awesome. I call shenanigans! Get your brooms!

**tb801** · 07-13-2012, 01:15 PM

The other phones gallery doesn't need to be on. You just need to tap the picture on your screen.

**TattedLady75** · 07-13-2012, 02:17 PM

Me and Fiance tryed last night. He was trying to share a video he took. Needless to say 10 minutes later it was on my phone. After turning both phones SBeam on and starting the video. he held the two phones together, waited for two beep and then had to touch his screen and after bout 20 sec it started to download the video to mine. The way they show on the commercials, it looks more like streaming the content to the other phone. It definitely wasn't an instant thing

. But now that we know what needs to be done it shouldn't take as long next time.

**OWybPPgO** · 07-13-2012, 03:14 PM

My daughter and I shared a bunch of photos without a problem, but then I turned it off to save battery.

**claye** · 07-13-2012, 03:58 PM

I'll have to try again without having the gallery app open on both phones - we didn't get it to work before then, but that may have been a coincidence.

Sharing a photo was pretty much instantaneous though, I could see how a large video could take a little longer.

**nmbr6ruls** · 07-13-2012, 06:20 PM

Trying to send a picture from my S3 to my nexus. Its says a new tag was received and it goes to some file directory i cant find. fileshare/blah blah Even tried it with both galleries open and still same result.

**skipper2** · 07-13-2012, 06:56 PM

Watch the instructional video. I have transferred lots of things with my wife. It will NOT transfer if you keep both phones together. It starts transferring when you separate them. Did 3 videos and 10 pictures in less than a minute. Like a previous poster said you do not have to have both phones in the gallery. And 4 clicks from the home screen is not a huge inconvenience and deep in the settings and it only has to be done once in your lifetime.

**my3chis** · 07-14-2012, 05:50 PM

I seem to be missing the whole Samsung App/SBeam thing on my phone....

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

**nmbr6ruls** · 07-14-2012, 06:29 PM

Where does a picture file go if I transfer? It doesn't go to gallery.

**Irvgotti** · 07-14-2012, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by nmbr6ruls

Trying to send a picture from my S3 to my nexus. Its says a new tag was received and it goes to some file directory i cant find. fileshare/blah blah Even tried it with both galleries open and still same result.

I think android beam and s beam are totally different. Even tho its NFC. I think the s3 only shares with an s3 that way. But galaxy nexus can share with any that has android beam.

s beam uses wifi direct. Android beam uses nfc to connect. (sounds confusing since they both are nfc) but s beam is a galaxy s3 exclusive. i guess the s3 has a setting that will allow you to turn on android beam.

**radyoactive** · 07-14-2012, 08:16 PM

I transferred files using wifi direct with my coworker on his sprint S3. I just found the pic or video I want to send, press and hold the file and you have several options, when you choose wifi direct it shows any devices that are compatible, I only had one option and once I pressed it he was prompted to accept the download.

I even sent a 500mb video which took maybe 5 mins to transfer.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk

**stainiu** · 07-14-2012, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by claye

My coworker and I gave S-Beam a try... and the short version is that it's way too complicated to be useful in any way. Has anyone found a good use for it, or use it regularly?

We tried sharing a picture. After some troubleshooting, we found that we both had to go deep into the device settings to turn S-Beam on. Then I pulled up a picture from my gallery, our phones had a "moment" as we touched them together, and we waited... nothing happened.

Turns out, both phones need to have the Gallery app open. So he opened gallery, we touched phones again, and then I have to touch the screen again to send.

Seems WAY easier to just hit share->email/SMS/FB/G+

Funny I just turned on S-beam in like 3 seconds, and I didn't even know where it was.

**chachazlo** · 07-14-2012, 11:42 PM

I used it to share apps. Touched the 2 phones and the other phone was instantly sent to the play store. Very cool.

**Saerian** · 07-15-2012, 08:20 AM

I think S Beam is pretty great. When I first got my phone, I threw a bunch of HD movies on the internal memory/sd card. Then when I got to work I was able to send those HD movies to some co workers who also got the S3. I was able to transfer 2.3gb video files in under 5 minutes each.

**Ceetar** · 07-29-2012, 08:54 PM

Finally tried this out today.. and noticed somehow in process it'd added a folder from my computer on both my wife's and my gallery. weird.

anyway, I wasn't able to get it to work. On a whim, I changed the battery. (I had in an aftermarket one I'd gotten on Ebay that looks almost identical.) they both say "near field communcation" on them, but the original Samsung/Verizon battery did S-beam pretty seamlessly, while I couldn't get it to connect with the purchased one. Of course, that battery's also at ~30% right now, but that doesn't seem like it would be the issue.

**OWybPPgO** · 07-30-2012, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Ceetar

Finally tried this out today.. and noticed somehow in process it'd added a folder from my computer on both my wife's and my gallery. weird.

The phone always does that when you connect to a network with shared picture directories. I think it's using DLNA. It has nothing to do with SBeam.

The only way to avoid it is to use a 3rd party gallery.

**Ceetar** · 07-30-2012, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by OWybPPgO

The phone always does that when you connect to a network with shared picture directories. I think it's using DLNA. It has nothing to do with SBeam.

The only way to avoid it is to use a 3rd party gallery.

yeah, I assumed it wasn't related to the S-Beam, it's just when I noticed it for the first time. Although this could have some interesting results if I try to connect to random wireless networks I bet.

Anyway, really thinking that it's the battery I bought on Ebay that's the issue with the NFC.

**SMD** · 07-31-2012, 02:18 AM

Does wifi direct need to be on or something because I'm having a rough time doing this with my wife and my S3. NFC and SBeam are on on both. I tap the phones together and the noise occurs, the "touch to beam" thing comes up, I touch the screen, it beeps again and on neither phone do I see the "pull phones away from each other message that I've seen in videos about this". It actually even opens the gallery, but I don't see any new photos in my gallery.

I was successful with one pic so far in about 20 tries. Most times that I've tried, it just does what the above describes. Any advice?

**billybaldin** · 08-05-2012, 03:09 AM

I was having some problems myself. I dont use the stock gallery app. I use quick pic. I was using QP to choose the photo to beam. Even though it acted as if it was working it wasn't. I went into the stock gallery app. Tried it from there. Worked like a charm. So in my case the stock gallery app must be used. Hope this helps.

Billy

**GrooveRite** · 08-05-2012, 02:56 PM

S-beam should work with any carrier specific S3 I'm going to assume right?!?! Anyone tried with with 2 different carrier S3's yet??

**SMD** · 08-19-2012, 02:29 AM

Originally Posted by billybaldin

I was having some problems myself. I dont use the stock gallery app. I use quick pic. I was using QP to choose the photo to beam. Even though it acted as if it was working it wasn't. I went into the stock gallery app. Tried it from there. Worked like a charm. So in my case the stock gallery app must be used. Hope this helps.

Billy

Ahhhhh. So it's the quickpic app causing the SBeam issues?! Ahhhhh. I'll have to try the stock gallery app next time. Bummer. I like quickpic gallery app so much better but like others have said SBeam goes through all the motions and sounds but never seems to work when trying to send a pic from the quickpic gallery.

Bummer.

**H2o** · 08-19-2012, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by GrooveRite

S-beam should work with any carrier specific S3 I'm going to assume right?!?! Anyone tried with with 2 different carrier S3's yet??

I have. It works fine.

I have Verizon and a co-worker has the sprint version

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

**liteon163** · 08-19-2012, 04:58 PM

So S Beam is basically the app Bump?

Sent from my Blue 32 Verizon SGSIII using Tapatalk 2

**moke** · 08-20-2012, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Ceetar

yeah, I assumed it wasn't related to the S-Beam, it's just when I noticed it for the first time. Although this could have some interesting results if I try to connect to random wireless networks I bet.

Anyway, really thinking that it's the battery I bought on Ebay that's the issue with the NFC.

you besmirch the name of retailers in far lands wanting only to send you things (so long as you provide a credit card or paypal set of numbers, and pay shipping)

a pox on your socks, i say... fie on your pie in the sky notions of 'fairness / entitlement'.

the FREEmarket will out!!!

8)

((some folks wouldn't know they were alive without something to complain about))

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