Fustrating experience with Samsung SBeam

[_X_]

So this weekend I had a family get together. Most of us have Samsung Phones (S3, Note, Note 2, S4) and there is an iPhone blacksheep in the family.

My sister was sporing her new S4 is taking pictures and all.

So I decide to use the SBeam feature to teach her how to do it (I have the Note 2). I rarely use this feature and the last time I used it it was a bit difficult to setup, of course once it's working it's cake. So we place our phones together and no go. I check the S-Beam/NFC settings both are on. I'm baffled and embarrassment as I'm the most tech savvy in the group we decide to do it later without the group laughing at us. Of course the iPhone guy (I no longer refer to him as my brother) is smirking saying "I thought it was suppose to be easy...that's what the commercial tells us".

Later that day we finally try the SBeam again. It's a no go. So I borrow my wife's S3 and it works great, of course my sis has no interest in giving me the photo she just want's to make sure HER S-Beam works it does so she gets up an leaves. But I'm baffled I know I've used the SBeam before with my wife's S3 and my Note 2. I try it and it doesn't work.

So latter that night I get home and google this topic. It ends up the NFC chips on my note is on the top of my phone and the NFC for the S3/S4 are at the bottom. When I slide the top of my Note 2 to the bottom of my wife's S3 it works great.

This is frustrating. I know the technology is called Near Field Communication(NFC) but the technology should not have the res of only a few inches. And Samsung's directions on the phone are also misleading. Maybe I'm venting but I do feel if Samsung put so much effort behind S-Beam they should have made it a little more robust or giving the user some feedback as to where the NFC chip is at.

=X=

 

[TheyStoleMyName]

So this weekend I had a family get together. Most of us have Samsung Phones (S3, Note, Note 2, S4) and there is an iPhone blacksheep in the family.

My sister was sporing her new S4 is taking pictures and all.

So I decide to use the SBeam feature to teach her how to do it (I have the Note 2). I rarely use this feature and the last time I used it it was a bit difficult to setup, of course once it's working it's cake. So we place our phones together and no go. I check the S-Beam/NFC settings both are on. I'm baffled and embarrassment as I'm the most tech savvy in the group we decide to do it later without the group laughing at us. Of course the iPhone guy (I no longer refer to him as my brother) is smirking saying "I thought it was suppose to be easy...that's what the commercial tells us".

Later that day we finally try the SBeam again. It's a no go. So I borrow my wife's S3 and it works great, of course my sis has no interest in giving me the photo she just want's to make sure HER S-Beam works it does so she gets up an leaves. But I'm baffled I know I've used the SBeam before with my wife's S3 and my Note 2. I try it and it doesn't work.

So latter that night I get home and google this topic. It ends up the NFC chips on my note is on the top of my phone and the NFC for the S3/S4 are at the bottom. When I slide the top of my Note 2 to the bottom of my wife's S3 it works great.

This is frustrating. I know the technology is called Near Field Communication(NFC) but the technology should not have the res of only a few inches. And Samsung's directions on the phone are also misleading. Maybe I'm venting but I do feel if Samsung put so much effort behind S-Beam they should have made it a little more robust or giving the user some feedback as to where the NFC chip is at.

=X=

With s beam each person needs to be connected to a wifi to transfer files. Try just turning on nfc and see what happens.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Android Central Forums

 

[_X_]

Hi TheyStoleMyName
I did get the SBeam to work. It was just a proximity issue, the NFC have to be REAL close to each other for the handshake to work. I believe SBeam uses WiFi direct which means the two devices will create their own WIFI network for the duration of the file transfer.

 

[Mellimel22]

With s beam each person needs to be connected to a wifi to transfer files. Try just turning on nfc and see what happens.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Android Central Forums

U don't need to be on wifi to use sbeam.

Sent from my Galaxy Victory LTE using Tapatalk 2

 

[TheyStoleMyName]

U don't need to be on wifi to use sbeam.

Sent from my Galaxy Victory LTE using Tapatalk 2

I thought that it uses the wifi connection to transfer files to one another. Ill have to look into that more.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Android Central Forums

 

[chuckz28]

Also try staggering the phones a little bit when touching backs. Doesn't work right with my wife's gs4 and mine if they are even with each other but if we stagger them it works fine.

 

[TheyStoleMyName]

Do u get any sound when u put them back to back?

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[videian]

Have only tried it once ad well. And having just moved from an iPhone, I've got to say I was feeling like the black sheep lol.

A lot of disappointments with this phone so far, I'm trying to stick with it as I like the screen size, and daytime camera images rock.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Farish]

Note: Both devices must be active ? they cannot be in the lock screen or screen off mode ? before the S Beam connection can be made. When the device's screen is locked or off, the NFC communication is turned off as part of the device's security features.

Maybe this will help.

 

[rgarcia900]

It can get tricky but works with the S3, Note II, S2 Skyrocket and S4. And no, you don't need to have wi-fi on. Just make sure NFC & S Beam are on.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I497 using AC Forums mobile app