Horrible step tracker

[Greymire]

Well I returned mine, and today picked up a Garmin Fenix 5s. It works! The display isn't as nice as the Samsung but everything works and the level of info it provides is almost overwhelming. It's expensive too, but it works!

My son has a Garmin.. It's awesome

 

[robinhelenehebert]

I'm basically just enjoying the various watch faces

 

[osbourne one-nil]

The Samsung definitely wins there, the higher resolution is very obvious. It's such a shame the rest of it sucked for me because I suspect it's just a software tweak that's needed.

 

[11B1P]

I was going to suggest the Samsung Gear S3. You'll get tired of Garmins user-interface real quick, unless it's much improved from the Fenix 3 HR.

 

[NIckkr]

I'm basically just enjoying the various watch faces

Me too. For me it's great looking watch first, and a perfectly adequate activity tracker second.
The ability to make, receive and view notification/calls without getting my phone out is also a great feature and works faultlessly and probably the main reason I bought it. The "fitness" aspect is , for me , a bonus.

There are probably quite a lot of owners who take that view and don't care it gets the number of stairs you go up "wrong" as long a it has a really nice leather strap and clear, bright high res watch face.

I find the step count quite accurate . But regardless, if I do x steps today and 2x tomorrow I don't particularly care how accurate the actual number is just that I am very likely walked twice as far today than I did yesterday.

 

[skatergirl]

Well for me, I expect all functions of a $350 watch to work and not just look nice with a nice strap. Samsung makes a big wahoo about fitness with the S Health app and monthly challenges that more than a million people a month join. Many of us DO want an accurate tracker and many of us do have a lot of experience with step tracking and can say this tracker needs work.

 

[NIckkr]

Well for me, I expect all functions of a $350 watch to work and not just look nice with a nice strap. Samsung makes a big wahoo about fitness with the S Health app and monthly challenges that more than a million people a month join. Many of us DO want an accurate tracker and many of us do have a lot of experience with step tracking and can say this tracker needs work.

Absolutely I agree it should work and do what it says on the tin . I was being a bit tongue in cheek with my "nice strap" comment.

But following this comment...

"I am so excited that after grocery shopping for 30 minutes and being awake and moving around for six hours that my watch says I have taken 197 steps. Lovely piece of junk from Samsung."


To me at least it strongly suggests your device is either faulty or something else is interfering with it's function.. But the watch absolutely is not junk.

I base this view on, among other things, my step counter seems to work fine and is accurate and takes repeatable consistent readings.

 

[Greymire]

Absolutely I agree it should work and do what it says on the tin . I was being a bit tongue in cheek with my "nice strap" comment.

But following this comment...

"I am so excited that after grocery shopping for 30 minutes and being awake and moving around for six hours that my watch says I have taken 197 steps. Lovely piece of junk from Samsung."


To me at least it strongly suggests your device is either faulty or something else is interfering with it's function.. But the watch absolutely is not junk.

I base this view on, among other things, my step counter seems to work fine and is accurate and takes repeatable consistent readings.

Not faulty. From what is being posted all devices will have an issue at some point. A restart often fixes it briefly. Or a reset. The fact that you can get it to work at times tells me it is software related. I know a couple people that have these and all have issues with either HR, steps, sleep tracking it all the above. The I have exchanged once as has another I know, but it was to correct poor battery life and the exchange worked.

 

[NIckkr]

....... all devices will have an issue at some point. .....

An unsafe conclusion.

Samsung has sold over 7 million of these devices (source IDC) and a relatively tiny sample of users are posting on various forums with apparent problems.


AllI can say is I've had mine 4 months and it performs faultlessly. What should I conclude?
Maybe I'm just one of the lucky 99.9% of owners?

 

[Greymire]

An unsafe conclusion.

Samsung has sold over 7 million of these devices (source IDC) and a relatively tiny sample of users are posting on various forums with apparent problems.


AllI can say is I've had mine 4 months and it performs faultlessly. What should I conclude?
Maybe I'm just one of the lucky 99.9% of owners?

I worked retail and manufacturing after I got married.. It is not an unsafe conclusion. After working in both field you factor in returns (a Best Buy Employee told me the return percentage was large). Then factor in those that do not use certain features. Many just want a watch to answer calls on. I agree that most that come to a forum like this are people with issues but there are far more that have issues that will never report it. I have found many do not even know how to use certain features. If you never turn on REM tracking you might not notice deep sleep issues. Others charge at night and don't care about sleep tracking at all.. And I find it hard to believe step tracking is fine for anyone. Your chances of being one percent of the people with a working phone are roughly similar to me having exactly the same issues with two different watches with identical issues. Or that both of my friends have the same issues and one of them is in his second watch. Sure it tracks steps but comparing it to my phone and Fitbit ionic it is way off (on the short side) more often than not. Sometimes it's ok.. If I want to clear everything and reboot before my walk it tends to work. Obviously we like it enough to keep it and hope for upgrades. I would also be curious to see how many call, support or just view support sites without posting.

 

[NIckkr]

I worked retail and manufacturing after I got married.. It is not an unsafe conclusion.

Not sure what relevance that has or how that 2 statements are linked. Was its selling complicated high technology and a job in software Engineering or high Tech manufacture? Maybe you did.
Regardless I still can't see how you can can say with authority that ALL devices (specifically the Galaxy Watch) WILL have an issue at some point.

(a Best Buy Employee told me the return percentage was large).

Anecdotal and unsupported by actual figures and no apparent detail in why watches were being returned.

So I question it's relevance as support the statement to ALL watches will either start out faulty or develop an issue.

To put that into context All devices of this nature have "issues" or bugs. That's kind of how software works ( or indeed doesn't).

I am personally convinced that the activity reminder is broken. Possible by the last update. This will not cause me to return the watch or call it junk. I am fairly confident a patch will be issued at sometime if there is an actual issue.

Similarly if the step tacker function has an issue ( very possibly even though mine seems fine) Samsung should acknowledge it ( unlikely). It is far more likely they will issue a fix as a patch and call it a performance enhancement. That's how software companies work.

However, some very good points in the rest of your post about the level of expectations and actual usage being crucial to how a user perceives the performance of their watch.

For instance I have absolutely no idea if sleep tracking works . For me, the watch is too big to wear in bed. My previous (much smaller) Fit Bit gave me nearly 2 years worth of sleep data.
I was unsure then and and remain slightly baffled now as to what I was supposed to do with that information.

 

[Greymire]

Not sure what relevance that has or how that 2 statements are linked. Was its selling complicated high technology and a job in software Engineering or high Tech manufacture? Maybe you did.
Regardless I still can't see how you can can say with authority that ALL devices (specifically the Galaxy Watch) WILL have an issue at some point.




Anecdotal and unsupported by actual figures and no apparent detail in why watches were being returned.

So I question it's relevance as support the statement to ALL watches will either start out faulty or develop an issue.

To put that into context All devices of this nature have "issues" or bugs. That's kind of how software works ( or indeed doesn't).

I am personally convinced that the activity reminder is broken. Possible by the last update. This will not cause me to return the watch or call it junk. I am fairly confident a patch will be issued at sometime if there is an actual issue.

Similarly if the step tacker function has an issue ( very possibly even though mine seems fine) Samsung should acknowledge it ( unlikely). It is far more likely they will issue a fix as a patch and call it a performance enhancement. That's how software companies work.

However, some very good points in the rest of your post about the level of expectations and actual usage being crucial to how a user perceives the performance of their watch.

For instance I have absolutely no idea if sleep tracking works . For me, the watch is too big to wear in bed. My previous (much smaller) Fit Bit gave me nearly 2 years worth of sleep data.
I was unsure then and and remain slightly baffled now as to what I was supposed to do with that information.

I have health issues that affect sleep so proper sleep tracking can be beneficial to me.. What I was trying to say before is that technology is released so fast most electronics sold are beta products. They are to extensive to perfectly test. So the public becomes beta. For example I sold cell phones when the first came out. The huge bag phones and mobile phones. There were bugs in them but but they only occured if the exact steps were performed. If only 3 to 4 percent of the people were finding the bug then it was deemed acceptable and nothing would be done. The R&D often outweighed the returns or complaints. If it was hardware they might offer a repair but would not recall all devices. They would not say it was a bug with all phones.. In those days it was mostly hardware. These days it is most likely software but the same practices apply. Bugs exist in almost all new devices released. It takes time to work them out. The bugs are there for everyone. Whether you find them or not depends on your usage. For example the heart rate issue while exercising seems to be directly related to positioning and how bad you sweat. I don't have this issue but a friend does. We were both having step count issues but since my last reboot mine seems fine. His is still off. Mine seems still a off but the margin of error is acceptable if it stays. You might not have any issue in how you use yours but that does not mean the bugs are not their. The next update may fix everyone else's bugs and create others. Technology is being released so quickly that everything has bugs. We got a new tv and had three bug fix updates in a month.

 

[EMGSM]

I notice that mine is off by 4-8 steps under what it should be. I wish it were more accurate but working a little extra to get 10k steps just means more exercise i guess.

 

[Greymire]

4 to 8 steps is minor. It all depends on your reference.. One thing that Fitbit did was add a manual setting where you entire your stride length for those that were off. It seemed to work. I don't think Samsung and Fitbit calculate steps the same. I could cheat by waving my arm in the fitbit.. I can't do it in the Samsung. After a reset and only installing apps that I really want steps appear to be working for me. Oddly I have had a watch face mess up my steps as well. I can't recall the name.

 

[sonnnet]

Totally with @Greymire here. His informed view is in keeping with countless issues reported by Galaxy Watch users, specifically step count, heart rate and sleep tracking issues. Even Samsung fanbase website Sammobile has reported on this:

www.sammobile.com/2018/10/02/no-fix...BhAB&usg=AOvVaw1Y9xC52MdpBCcsIRdhaubx&ampcf=1

That article was in October 2018 and software upgrades since have only effectively addressed battery life. The other issues above still remain.

I love the look and feel of the watch, the high Res, the notifications, the music quality and the industry leading AOD (watch always on). But as Greymire says, this is in reality a beta product. Moreover, it FEELS like a beta product because of the tracking issues.

It doesn't do what it says on the tin and for the price and the pedigree of the brand, that simply isn't acceptable. And it's damn frustrating and potentially dangerous when things go on the blink while you're exercising hard (if, admittedly, you try to get it to work at the same time).

I'll probably put up with it on balance. It's just a shame that the faults prevent me from feeling like I've got an amazing piece of tech.

 

[sonnnet]

Anyway, a couple of things to try which have worked for some people:

Step Counter: Apparently (and I haven't tested this), if you have a watch face with a step counter on it (including the pre installed Samsung watch faces with a step counter) it can throw your step count way off. So maybe try a watchface without a step counter and see if that improves things.

Heart rate: I've discovered a new setting. Go to Settings/Apps/Permissions/System Apps (at the very bottom of the list)/Power Saving/Sensors. Turn this off.
I haven't tested this yet but I would love this to be the answer. And it would make sense. Samsung by default set it to save power and not be as accurate because battery life on the Galaxy Watch is a major selling point. So by changing this setting and enabling full performance, who knows, maybe it will work. Maybe it might improve sleep tracking too (but that's a big maybe). Also bear in mind changing this setting will likely adversely affect battery life, so best to keep an eye.
I'm going to try it working out tomorrow and see if there's any difference.

 

[Greymire]

Anyway, a couple of things to try which have worked for some people:

Step Counter: Apparently (and I haven't tested this), if you have a watch face with a step counter on it (including the pre installed Samsung watch faces with a step counter) it can throw your step count way off. So maybe try a watchface without a step counter and see if that improves things.

Heart rate: I've discovered a new setting. Go to Settings/Apps/Permissions/System Apps (at the very bottom of the list)/Power Saving/Sensors. Turn this off.
I haven't tested this yet but I would love this to be the answer. And it would make sense. Samsung by default set it to save power and not be as accurate because battery life on the Galaxy Watch is a major selling point. So by changing this setting and enabling full performance, who knows, maybe it will work. Maybe it might improve sleep tracking too (but that's a big maybe). Also bear in mind changing this setting will likely adversely affect battery life, so best to keep an eye.
I'm going to try it working out tomorrow and see if there's any difference.

Let us know how it goes. I have a feeling it will turn all sensors off to save power but I could be wrong.

I know some apps and watch faces affect step tracking some.

 

[sonnnet]

Let us know how it goes. I have a feeling it will turn all sensors off to save power but I could be wrong.

I know some apps and watch faces affect step tracking some.

Definitely doesn't turn them off. I've set it to constant heart rate detection and it's recording in real time.

The real test will be during a workout. Will be sure to let you know how it goes.

 

[sonnnet]

Let us know how it goes. I have a feeling it will turn all sensors off to save power but I could be wrong.

I know some apps and watch faces affect step tracking some.

Ok, since I don't have the update yet, here's my initial report having changed the sensor/ power saving setting mentioned above.
And... well, it perfectly tracked the various exercises I did tonight at the gym. Coincidence? Maybe. I'll need more testing. But so far, based on tonight, spot on. See the graphs. No flatlines whatsoever. And if the update does improve things further (so that, eg positioning and tightness aren't so necessary), things are most definitely looking up.

 

[Kko 5]

Ok, since I don't have the update yet, here's my initial report having changed the sensor/ power saving setting mentioned above.
And... well, it perfectly tracked the various exercises I did tonight at the gym. Coincidence? Maybe. I'll need more testing. But so far, based on tonight, spot on. See the graphs. No flatlines whatsoever. And if the update does improve things further (so that, eg positioning and tightness aren't so necessary), things are most definitely looking up.//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190125/bb2b387e3339caff0dce34eb839c7f4c.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190125/d0cedfe62c6c7496cb4d5e2cd16d0aca.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190125/169abcce2565f14420f93e08d4d9af4f.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190125/387fcef6b3f056ee8b745bafb69f2e43.jpg

Dear Sonnnet many thanks for your really valuable input!!!
I am just about to get the new Galaxy watch as a fitness tracker but with all these issues, I am having second thoughts and hesitate to buy it. Please let us know whether it goes accurate/ stable within the next days...Regards SK