My Standalone Experience: AT&T Gear S as my only phone

[Active55]

My second charge got me through 2 days without the backup (barely), so I'm going to say with my type of use I can confidently get 2 days out of it carrying the battery backup, but I will likely charge it each night anyway.

Although the Gear S isn't designed to be a complete standalone phone (one SIM with no paried device), it can be used that way for talk and text plus light simple data task users like myself. It is a 2 band DumbPhone used this way with an absolutely wonderful curved touch screen and auto correcting keyboard on your wirst.

Am I happy with my purchase and shift backwards from a SmartPhone? You bet! Personally I didn't ever use the smartphone features anyway (that's probably not the case for most people). The Gear S mets basic availability to contact and be contacted needs in a world where that is becoming more and more a requierment. And it looks good doing it.

If I find anything interesting about using the Gear S this way as time goes forward, I will try to post up here. Getting out the door and active with my new Gear S wrist buddy (without a candy bar in my pocket) is my goal. IMO it's a homerun in this regard!

 

[ougum1]

This was posted by Burl Solomons on youtube concerning using the gear s as a standalone phone. Has anyone tried it? Does anyone know if it's true?

"So if you still want to go ahead, when you first get to boot the watch, (or after a factory reset) when you see the Bluetooth pairing screen with a watch symbol and 4 characters next to it, tap the watch symbol 20-30 times, and then a popup will appear saying "please press BT address 3 seconds" When the popup goes away, press and hold the watch symbol again, until another popup appears saying "The watch face is now your home screen" Job done - the Gear S is now a standalone device. Good luck!"

 

[Active55]

Put my single SIM card into my old smartphone and loaded all the contacts onto the SIM card. Put the SIM back in my Gear S hoping the contacts would load from the SIM. When I go to Contacts the screen just shows a processing blue rotating circle and states "Syncing contacts..." with a HIDE button. Initially I thought it might take awhile, because it took awhile to load them to the SIM in my other phone, but after letting it sit all night the same screen is still there. Not sure if it is draining battery life.

I there a way to stop this? Is it due to a setting I have on or off?

You'd think it would give up at some point and just say it can't sync, because I don't have a smartphone connected to it.

 

[Active55]

Solved it!

Did a Reset and then performed the independent setup procedure outlined in the video thread mentioned above. With te SIM card in the phone loaded with my contact list it came on and now includes my contact list. This makes the standalone one SIM card use of the phone without a V4.3 phone to set it up much more useable. Calls and texts can now be made from the contact list.

 

[Active55]

Got two days out of my third charge using watch face always on and using the S Health Sleep program overnight.

Also tried putting my single SIM card in two different factory unlocked phones (one an IcecreamSandwich Samsung and the other an Alcatel - neither running V4.3) and tried to pair the Gear S without a SIM. Both phones paired with it as a headset, but "nothing" would work on the Gear S; not even the sound, call ring, etc...

So my experience trying to connect to a non-V4.3 phone without a SIM card in the Gear S was unsuccessful. I may not have done something right, as this is the first time I've ever paired a phone with anything other than a car or BT home handset.

Anyone have success connecting the Gear S to a non-V4.3 phone?

 

[Active55]

Here are some more thoughts after close to one month of use. The quote below from a review here on Android Central of the Gear S summarizes my experience so far very well:

“The Gear S is an incredibly interesting device that really pushes the boundaries of what can be done with a smartwatch today. It’s quite a feat to see something in a watch-like form factor with a 2-inch display be capable of doing all of the basic tasks of a smartphone, even if it does have some compromises in implementation.”

I must say I was initially concerned about wearing a watch all the time again. I stopped wearing a watch over ten years ago when I decided I didn’t need it with a cell phone in my pocket. At that time I hated carrying the phone in my pocket and still hated it after ten years, but the ability to make and receive phone calls and messages outweighed that inconvenience. The first couple weeks it felt a little weird having a watch on my ten year virgin wrist. That weirdness is now gone. I have re-embraced wearing a watch and love the fact that my pocket is now empty. It actually seems like a new freedom of sorts.

As for negatives, I do miss the text message sound now and then. This happened with my pocket phone to, but not as often. I assume I just don’t hear it with other noises going on around me and it’s not because the sound notification isn’t working consistently. I’m going to experiment with the other sound tones to see if I can find one that is louder and longer to get my attention better; although it doesn’t seem to really be a volume issue.

One feature I liked on a Motorola Moto-Cubo I once had was a re-notification sound ever five minutes until you viewed it. IMO the ability to turn on and off such a feature is great to have on any cell phone. Even my in home phone recorder has that, so when you walk in it will beep every five minutes or so until you listen to the recorded messages. A re-notification feature is a wonderful way to insure you get messages in a timely manner and don’t miss any.

One problem I’ve run into using the Gear S as my only phone is if I turn it off when charging, the contact list doesn’t show up from my SIM card when I turn it back on until I do a reset as a standalone non-synced device. The Gear S shows the blue spinning circle and says “syncing” when I hit Contacts, but of course it never syncs because I don’t have another phone attached to it. In addition, when the re-initialization is done it wipes out my automobile BT pairing, so I have to re-pair it the next time I drive. I attribute this oddity to the non-standard way I’m using this as my only phone. Used in the way it is truly designed it will sync with your other phone and I’m sure the contact list will appear after it is synced. My simple workaround for this is to never turn it off. Problem solved.

This device is an attention getter; at least right now while it is still new technology unfamiliar to many. People notice it. The cash register is where the most conversions seem to start, because your hands are in the view of the cashier and others around you. When you tell people about the watch, light up the screen and do a few swipes; it produces amazing smiles over and over. If you are single and looking, this is a must have device. Let me explain.

The Gear S has what I’ll call the “Puppy or Baby Factor.” Just put this “Puppy” or “Baby” out there in plain view and watch the heads turn, staring begin and introductions initiate; just like when you have a puppy or baby in your arms. As a 55 year old single male, I can tell you I’ve met more beautiful women in the last few weeks then I have in the last year. It’s an amazing ice breaker! You don’t even have to initiate the conversation yourself. Just position yourself within view, lift your wrist and tap or talk, or just swipe through a few screens and watch them move closer and start the conversion for you. Lol… And it’s all positive just like when you have a puppy or baby in your arms. Who would have thought this beautiful sleek tech device would have such magical powers?

 

[Ntchwaidumela]

BTW, my TMO plan is $5 (after $10 discount because my phone is TMO), and the data is 500 MB, with unlimited talk and text. I'm on WIFI or BT almost exclusively, so I haven't used any of the data allowance yet.

 

[Ntchwaidumela]

One puzzling thing is the temperature near the 3:00 location on the watch face. Mine says 93* F, but I know it isn't 93* F in my home. Does anyone know what this temperature represents? Maybe the high for the day at the GPS location of the watch??? Just guessing...

If you're connected to your phone, that's the temperature from the nearest weather reporting location.

 

[Active55]

BTW, my TMO plan is $5 (after $10 discount because my phone is TMO), and the data is 500 MB, with unlimited talk and text. I'm on WIFI or BT almost exclusively, so I haven't used any of the data allowance yet.

Ntchwaidumela - Curious if you can just put a TMO SIM card into that unlocked Gear S you bought on eBay and start making calls and text messages?

Also, what model number was the unlocked Gear S you purchased?

Thx.

PS: TMO wouldn't sell me a Gear S outright and let me put my TMO PAYG SIM in it the first day they came out, so I went to AT&T. I can always have AT&T unlock my Gear S (because I am not on a contract with them) and go back to TMO if it will work with a PAYG SIM (if I want to), to reduce my monthly cell phone expenses even more. The $30/mo. AT&T is actually about $37 with all the taxes. I'm a very light cell user, so PAYG is always the cheapest way to stay connected for me, but I do like the freedom of having unlimited T&T; no worries of running out of time or having to rush to the store to up the PAYG.

 

[dohfil]

Active55

Thank you for posting this thread.

You inspired me to do the same and use the Gear S as a standalone smartphone.

T-Mobile let me buy the Gear S outright without a monthly rate plan, and putting my personal SIM in it.

I'm technically savvy and younger, so may offer a different perspective.

 

[Ntchwaidumela]

Ntchwaidumela - Curious if you can just put a TMO SIM card into that unlocked Gear S you bought on eBay and start making calls and text messages?

Also, what model number was the unlocked Gear S you purchased?

Thx.

PS: TMO wouldn't sell me a Gear S outright and let me put my TMO PAYG SIM in it the first day they came out, so I went to AT&T. I can always have AT&T unlock my Gear S (because I am not on a contract with them) and go back to TMO if it will work with a PAYG SIM (if I want to), to reduce my monthly cell phone expenses even more. The $30/mo. AT&T is actually about $37 with all the taxes. I'm a very light cell user, so PAYG is always the cheapest way to stay connected for me, but I do like the freedom of having unlimited T&T; no worries of running out of time or having to rush to the store to up the PAYG.

I don't understand why TMO wouldn't let you buy their SIM or the watch outright, unless you didn't want to sign up for their plan. That's a must. And there is no contract. The model number of mine is SM-R750W.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[Active55]

I don't understand why TMO wouldn't let you buy their SIM or the watch outright, unless you didn't want to sign up for their plan. That's a must. And there is no contract. The model number of mine is SM-R750W.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

I already had a TMO SIM in my PAYG phone. All I wanted to do was buy the Gear S outright and put my existing TMO SIM in it. I didn't want any plan. They told me the plans only apply if you already have a $50 /mo. TMO plan and want to add the Gear S. Why would I want to pay $55/mo. and have two phones? Especially when I can activate the Gear S by itself on AT&T for $30/mo. and pay less for the Gear S...

Did you have to enter an unlock code when you set it up, or did it come factory unlocked like the claim? (I see the SM-R750W has 3G 850/1900 that is good for AT&T and TMO)

 

[Active55]

Tried out the weather app for the first time. It forced me to turn on the Location GPS and IIRC data. Came up with the city I was in and the temp in C*. I can’t relate to C*. Does anyone know if you can change the temp from C* to F*?

Shortly thereafter I noticed my battery life was disappearing quickly. In fact, at 2 to 4 times normal usage rates. I put the Gear S on the charger that evening to top it up from the low teens. Normally it would have been at about 50%. Sometime in the early morning when I got up to visit Johnny, I unplugged it with 100% charge. It just sat until I got up at about 6am. When I checked it at about 7am it was already down to 34% (?). The BT was now on (I don’t remember turning it on), so I turned that off, but left the weather app on after checking it. By 8am I was at 13%, so I turned off the weather app and paused S-Health too, then put it in battery saver mode. I made a couple text massages and had a friend call me to see if the battery saver mode let calls and text come through okay; they did. At 9:10am it was at 0% and shutdown.

This is very strange and similar to what some others experienced early on with theirs. I’m guessing it is somehow related to the weather app, because that is the new thing I started playing with (without any connection to another Smartphone - remember I use my Gear S by itself as my only phone). Possibly it was constantly checking my location and updating the weather or constantly trying to sync with another phone that I don’t have connected. I just can’t say for sure.

I’m recharging it now and will do a complete standalone reset to start anew, then turn off: data, BT, GPS, etc… I am going to also put the Gear S in battery saver mode from a full charge and see how long it will last. I've been wanting to do this test for awhile, now that I know it does let calls and text messages through.

 

[Ntchwaidumela]

I already had a TMO SIM in my PAYG phone. All I wanted to do was buy the Gear S outright and put my existing TMO SIM in it. I didn't want any plan. They told me the plans only apply if you already have a $50 /mo. TMO plan and want to add the Gear S. Why would I want to pay $55/mo. and have two phones? Especially when I can activate the Gear S by itself on AT&T for $30/mo. and pay less for the Gear S...

Did you have to enter an unlock code when you set it up, or did it come factory unlocked like the claim? (I see the SM-R750W has 3G 850/1900 that is good for AT&T and TMO)

No code needed. Just took it to the store and had it activated.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[dorrien12]

Re: My Standalone Experience: AT&T Gear S as my only phone

Tried out the weather app for the first time. It forced me to turn on the Location GPS and IIRC data. Came up with the city I was in and the temp in C*. I can’t relate to C*. Does anyone know if you can change the temp from C* to F*?

Shortly thereafter I noticed my battery life was disappearing quickly. In fact, at 2 to 4 times normal usage rates. I put the Gear S on the charger that evening to top it up from the low teens. Normally it would have been at about 50%. Sometime in the early morning when I got up to visit Johnny, I unplugged it with 100% charge. It just sat until I got up at about 6am. When I checked it at about 7am it was already down to 34% (?). The BT was now on (I don’t remember turning it on), so I turned that off, but left the weather app on after checking it. By 8am I was at 13%, so I turned off the weather app and paused S-Health too, then put it in battery saver mode. I made a couple text massages and had a friend call me to see if the battery saver mode let calls and text come through okay; they did. At 9:10am it was at 0% and shutdown.

This is very strange and similar to what some others experienced early on with theirs. I’m guessing it is somehow related to the weather app, because that is the new thing I started playing with (without any connection to another Smartphone - remember I use my Gear S by itself as my only phone). Possibly it was constantly checking my location and updating the weather or constantly trying to sync with another phone that I don’t have connected. I just can’t say for sure.

I’m recharging it now and will do a complete standalone reset to start anew, then turn off: data, BT, GPS, etc… I am going to also put the Gear S in battery saver mode from a full charge and see how long it will last. I've been wanting to do this test for awhile, now that I know it does let calls and text messages through.

I just completed a power save mode test, I got 55 hrs of use and it's at 11%. That's with keeping it on all night. If it was turned off at night, could probably get quite a few days. Going to Florida over Christmas for four days, gonna use that mode to get through the four days without charging, just for observation of course.

I got calls, text messages, s health pushing me and a ebay notification (that my Gear 2 Neo sold...lol).

 

[Active55]

Re: My Standalone Experience: AT&T Gear S as my only phone

I just completed a power save mode test, I got 55 hrs of use and it's at 11%. That's with keeping it on all night. If it was turned off at night, could probably get quite a few days. Going to Florida over Christmas for four days, gonna use that mode to get through the four days without charging, just for observation of course.

I got calls, text messages, s health pushing me and a ebay notification (that my Gear 2 Neo sold...lol).

WOW! I like the sound of that. And I'm guessing that is without using the battery backup cradle?

I got about 60 hours out of the Gear S in normal use for me with the cradle boost in the afternoon of day 2 (3 days total). This Power-Saver Mode test should prove interesting...

 

[Ntchwaidumela]

sux2bu said: S voice works just fine with out a main phone.

Good! I just have to learn how to do it.

sux2bu said: To the OP, you can compose a new message by going into messages and taping the three dots in the top right hand corner.

When I go to an existing received message, there are not three dots in the right hand corner. Don't known how to get to the compose message screen or message program yet? My box didn't have a manual in it, only the health & safety book. Tried to download the manual from Samsung, but the computer or connection just hung. Flying blind and not an experienced device user...

sux2bu said: Fixing your contacts will be trickier. What I think you will have to do is buy or borrow a compatible main phone. You won't have to use it but you will have to use it to be able to set up your contacts. You'll have to set it up with all your info just like if you may bought a new phone. Then sync your watch to that phone so it gets all your contacts

Maybe I can upgrade my Samsung Galaxy S DUOS from Ice Cream Sandwich to Kit Kat? I'll have to look to see what operating systems are available for that.

sux2bu said: (you can't add/edit/delete contacts from your watch)

That stinks! :-( You can't even add a contact if you receive a call from a person not in your contact list either?

sux2bu said: The good thing about having a main compatible phone is that you will have the phone ready if you ever need to change anything or do any updates. If you borrow a phone you will have to go over that whole set up process again. You can pick up a used Galaxy S3 for under $100.

It's looking more and more like I will need to have an Android V4.3 or higher phone handy to use this device properly even if I only have one SIM card. I suspected that when purchased, but thought I'd give it a try without one, because I wanted that phone out of my pocket so bad.

Is there a local US site to download a .PDF manual for the Gear S that is isn't overseas?

Was there suppose to be a manual in the box?

You should be able to download the users guide/manual to your computer. It only takes a few minutes. Just make sure you put it in your Documents folder.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Active55]

Yeah, all that stuff has been resolved. Had the manual printed at Kinko's from a downloaded .PDF file (Staples wouldn't do it because of the copyright on the last page). Nice to have an 8 1/2" x 11" readable manual to look through. I'm over a month into using the Gear S now. Very happy with it!

 

[dorrien12]

Re: My Standalone Experience: AT&T Gear S as my only phone

WOW! I like the sound of that. And I'm guessing that is without using the battery backup cradle?

I got about 60 hours out of the Gear S in normal use for me with the cradle boost in the afternoon of day 2 (3 days total). This Power-Saver Mode test should prove interesting...

That is without the battery pack...no doubt that would have been another 25 hours.

 

[dorrien12]

Re: My Standalone Experience: AT&T Gear S as my only phone

WOW! I like the sound of that. And I'm guessing that is without using the battery backup cradle?

I got about 60 hours out of the Gear S in normal use for me with the cradle boost in the afternoon of day 2 (3 days total). This Power-Saver Mode test should prove interesting...

The most I've gotten with regular settings is 21 hours. Do you turn off at night? Do you recall what your settings were to get the 60 hrs.?