Improvements since software update to BSA4

[Greymire]

Another question......jhansen is reporting 2 days per charge with the non LTE version...how much less does the LTE version get?

Which version of the Galaxy watch? A lot depends on how you are using it and what you have turned on.. I have the 46mm with heart rate always on and I get better than three days every time. Last time was four plus.. This time settings says I will get 3 days and five hours. Watch faces make a huge difference. The faces that come with the watch are probably optimized the best but other do well also.. You have to experiment. Some faces will drain fast and it is not always bright or animated faces that you expect to drain. Some of those are fine.
Also I have Do Not Disturb set from 9 pm until 6am and once I go to bed I set it to goodnight mode so it's not always popping in when I move my wrist. It does still come on some as the bezel moves easily. I have the Bluetooth model and current firmware. It seems US Bluetooth users got it first.

 

[Greymire]

LTE will always be a battery vampire and depends on a lot of variables like using mostly outdoors or indoors etc..
I have no need for LTE version really as e-sim is not offered by my provider/carrier yet.
I put my watch on at 6am when I get up and usually tale it off between 8-9pm, remaining battery can be anything between 65-80%, I'm guessing it's the wi-fi always on that causes the fluctuations

I have WiFi and HR always on.. That seems like slightly high usage but could be your watch face. Or an app. I wear mine 24/7 and charge at random intervals. I will charge during showers just to get it off for a bit on occasion. This normally ends up being my charge because I forget about it. I often shower with it on.. Anyway I digress but I normally sit around 75% give or take after 24hours. Normally just a hair below.
Also have most notifications turned off. They can be battery killers. I just have three or four on.. They drive me nuts at first.

 

[sonnnet]

Which version of the Galaxy watch? A lot depends on how you are using it and what you have turned on.. I have the 46mm with heart rate always on and I get better than three days every time. Last time was four plus.. This time settings says I will get 3 days and five hours. Watch faces make a huge difference. The faces that come with the watch are probably optimized the best but other do well also.. You have to experiment. Some faces will drain fast and it is not always bright or animated faces that you expect to drain. Some of those are fine.
Also I have Do Not Disturb set from 9 pm until 6am and once I go to bed I set it to goodnight mode so it's not always popping in when I move my wrist. It does still come on some as the bezel moves easily. I have the Bluetooth model and current firmware. It seems US Bluetooth users got it first.

Additionally, you can turn bezel wake off as well, if you wear it in bed...

 

[Greymire]

Additionally, you can turn bezel wake off as well, if you wear it in bed...

I should do that.

 

[sonnnet]

I should do that.

It would be nice if you could write routines. So create a bedtime profile, pin it to quick settings, select it and it turns off bezel wake, enters DND, turns off screen input, turns on continuous HR if not on already, etc, etc. That would be cool and could be customisable through the Wear phone app. But maybe that's getting ahead of myself a little...

 

[skatergirl]

Agree with you both. The amount of effort we have put into this watch AND the fact that we keep going means we are definitely not 'normal people', lol! I think it's lucky we like problem solving, where as, I can appreciate that others have just given up. Buying a smartwatch should never have led to an experience like this... But I have to admit, it has been interesting (!) and, like you, I'm almost completely satisfied now. All things considered, I really do like wearing and using this thing

It is so true ... we are not ones to give up easily. And now that my watch is giving me steps, I am happy and loving it.

 

[skatergirl]

Sonnnet totally agree with you "Buying a smartwatch should never have led to an experience like this..."
Btw just to say a BIG THANKS to you and Skatergirl for sharing and always be there trying to help others in this forum... this is really outstanding from you both. Respect!

Gosh .. that was really sweet of you. Thank you! You made my day.

 

[skatergirl]

It would be nice if you could write routines. So create a bedtime profile, pin it to quick settings, select it and it turns off bezel wake, enters DND, turns off screen input, turns on continuous HR if not on already, etc, etc. That would be cool and could be customisable through the Wear phone app. But maybe that's getting ahead of myself a little...

Yeah, but that is a good idea. Kind of like the workout widgets. Swipe left, tap and off you go.

 

[sonnnet]

Yeah, but that is a good idea. Kind of like the workout widgets. Swipe left, tap and off you go.

Agree. The workout widgets are probably the best widgets on the watch

 

[Peter621022]

It would be nice if you could write routines. So create a bedtime profile, pin it to quick settings, select it and it turns off bezel wake, enters DND, turns off screen input, turns on continuous HR if not on already, etc, etc. That would be cool and could be customisable through the Wear phone app. But maybe that's getting ahead of myself a little...

You mean like you can do with Bixby on the phone? Let's see how Bixby on the watch develops...

 

[sonnnet]

You mean like you can do with Bixby on the phone? Let's see how Bixby on the watch develops...

Yep, that's the one. Or 'routines' on Goodlock, or tasks on Tasker. It's something Samsung are keen on when it comes to phones, so I totally agree, let's see how the watch develops.

 

[Peter621022]

About the floor counter: I've given up. I can't stop it from overcounting heavily when the weather changes (= the atmospheric pressure drops), neither on the old firmware BRK3 or the new BSA4.
If you can't beat them, join them, so I guess I will use it as a floor counter when the weather is stable and as a bad weather alarm when it isn't.

 

[sonnnet]

About the floor counter: I've given up. I can't stop it from overcounting heavily when the weather changes (= the atmospheric pressure drops), neither on the old firmware BRK3 or the new BSA4.
If you can't beat them, join them, so I guess I will use it as a floor counter when the weather is stable and as a bad weather alarm when it isn't.

Well, that's a shame after all that testing on the different softwares.
You could try this:

There is a setting on the watch in settings/apps/permissions/system apps/power saving/sensors
This is set to ON by default (ie use power saving mode for sensors). I'm wondering if turning this off would improve accuracy of all sensors? I turned it off when I had the last software and thought I possibly did see better results. After upgrading to the new software, it went back to the default if ON. I've now turned it off again and will see if there are any improvements.

 

[Peter621022]

Well, that's a shame after all that testing on the different softwares.
You could try this:

There is a setting on the watch in settings/apps/permissions/system apps/power saving/sensors
This is set to ON by default (ie use power saving mode for sensors). I'm wondering if turning this off would improve accuracy of all sensors?

Thanks Sonnet. I switched it off just now. Floor counter is now at 67 (!) after a pressure drop of 1013 to 992 hPa in 12 hrs. I will keep an eye on it. As soon as the pressure goes down again I will know. Your weather in the UK is not that different from our weather in Holland, is it? And your floor counter is still spot on?

 

[sonnnet]

Thanks Sonnet. I switched it off just now. Floor counter is now at 67 (!) after a pressure drop of 1013 to 992 hPa in 12 hrs. I will keep an eye on it. As soon as the pressure goes down again I will know. Your weather in the UK is not that different from our weather in Holland, is it? And your floor counter is still spot on?

67?! So you are currently taking the stairs to the top of a skyscraper? Lol.
I am curious about the sensor/power saving option I referred to. I actually wonder if Samsung have been dumbing down our sensors in favour of increased battery life, one of the main selling points of this watch. We won't know unless we test it with it set to 'off' and if doing so improves things like steps, floors, HR, GPS. The update has improved HR and drastically improved GPS for me, so I would be more interested in any improvements in steps and floors.

 

[sonnnet]

@Peter Just for reference, my floor counter is showing 8 floors for the day and it's night time here. It's about right, I've been upstairs a few times today and climbed the gym stairs twice this evening. I would have to manually count to be sure though. I've certainly never had wild figures as you are experiencing. Watch is showing 53m above sea level and 999hPa. Pressure dropped about an hour ago and is falling still.
@skatergirl - try the settings change I've mentioned to Peter. Some sensors become inactive or are not polled as frequently when the screen is off. It's possible that turning off the power saving sensors setting will allow the watch to analyse motion more often and give a more accurate step count. Definitely worth a shot.

 

[skatergirl]

I just changed that setting. I have been getting really great steps since I turned on the first workout, knock on wood it stays this way. It's like there is some code written into the software that the step counter isn't fully activated until it starts a watch workout.

Samsung said it was working on stopping the cheaters in the monthly step challenges. I don't think keeping a counter from working is the way to go about it.

P.S. My watch thinks I have climbed stairs when I take a shower.

 

[skatergirl]

But sonnett, you could be on to something with the sensor power saving.

 

[Peter621022]

P.S. My watch thinks I have climbed stairs when I take a shower.

Mine does that do. The pressure sensor is thrown off when wet, according to the manual, which I can understand. What goes wrong is the floor counter also being counting with every pressure drop.
I am afraid switching the sensor power saving off didn't help. I am now at 28 and it's not even 10:00 am yet.
Just to make sure I am not missing something, these are my settings:
Location is On, with GPS and wireless
The altimeter is allowed to use Location
Pressure measurement calibration is on automatic, after a manual calibration.
Wi-Fi is on automatic
If just found a Map Control setting (above the power saving), that is not allowed to use Location, I will allow it and see what that does.
Any ideas left, someone?

 

[Peter621022]

Erh... could it be this simple? My floor counter went up again, now at 68 while the weather was stable, sunny in fact.
The pressure sensor of my phone showed a stable value of around 1025 hPa, my watch sensor went from 1012 to 987 in a short time.
That made me think: water leaves scale if you let it evaporate. Sweat leaves salt.
I never really cleaned the watch (it looks clean, also on the backside).
So I cleaned and dried the watch pressure sensor. The pressure value jumped up to 1030 hPa immediately and has been stable since.
Now let's see what happens when it starts raining again, but that value jump after cleaning seems promising, I'd say.