Not a Samsung Guy. Can I still Use This Watch Effectively?

[pappy35]

Looking for my first smartwatch and this one is pretty much the only one I like the looks of.

My requirements are:

1. Watches are the only 'jewelry' I wear so the first test is finding one I like the looks of.
2. Functions I need are heartrate monitoring, steps taken, and notifications from my phone.
3. Sleep monitoring.
4. Very long battery life.

I don't really care about all the other tricks it does like differentiating lunges from bike riding, etc. as I don't really do any regular workouts (I know, I should, blah...blah). I currently have a Nexus 6P and may be getting the Pixel 2 XL soon so no Samsung for me (been there, done that, not going there again). I use Google's Messenger app, Calendar, and GMail and that's pretty much it.

Seems like I always miss notifications with my phone in my pocket or laying in the console of my car so my #1 want really is to have the phone buzz my wrist when I get an email, text, calendar, or an incoming call. Automatic heart rate tracking would be a big plus but if I need to do it manually that'll probably be OK.

So, given all this, will this watch work with seamlessly with a non-Samsung phone?

 

[racedog]

I have the Gear S3 and I used it with a Pixel XL and it will do what you want as long as the phone and watch have a Bluetooth connection. You will need to download the Samsung Gear app and plugin to the phone and do some setup. Also, you'll need a health monitoring app like SHealth or other to track your info.

 

[pappy35]

I got the watch (Classic, BT, no LTE) today and it's very nice. I notice though that the apps (mainly the gear plug-in and S-Health) are chewing up my phone battery really badly. It's bad enough that it's not usable long-term. Is this normal and can I expect it to level off after some time? I'm running Oreo which did wonders for my geriatric phone's battery. Now I'm back to draining like a stuck pig.

 

[afblangley]

The short answer to your question is yes, the Gear S3 will do all the items on your list. It will work fine with most (middle range or better) Android watches. Very little additional functionality was gained when I switched from using an LG to a Samsung phone with it.

The long answer to your question is there are other watches that will perform the health monitoring tasks much better than the Gear due to better hardware and/or software. I have no experience with Android Wear and Google Fit, but I know that Apple Watch and FitBit watches are significantly better in these areas. Jawbone products (though the company has abandoned the consumer market) are also good.

Tracking workouts isn't important to me (I wear a dedicated HR monitor to collect that data) but sleep metrics and continuous HR monitoring​ is of interest to me. S Heath is so inferior in these areas that I started wearing​ a Charge 2 at night. This wasn't inconvenient because my Gear needs to be charged nightly anyway. But I missed the HR data so much that I stopped taking the Charge 2 off in the morning, as it only needs charging a couple of times a week. So now I wear both. I don't carry a phone, so the Gear handles all my calls, messages, calendar, mobile payments, etc. The Charge 2 monitors my health metrics.

YMMV, especially if you're less geeked about this stuff. IMHO, the Gear S3 is the best looking smartwatch on the market.

 

[pappy35]

I tried removing and reinstalling the Gear drivers but the drain on my phone is running about 8% per hour now (was between 3-4 before). This needs to go away or the watch will have to go back.

 

[racedog]

I'm getting g great battery but I'm using the watch with an S8 and I get 8 hours sit with my phone. I can't tell you if the problem is hour phone, your version of Android or whatever. Wish I could be more help.

 

[pappy35]

The watch has been off the charger for 24 hours and is down to 48%. The phone's battery is draining at 5.5% per hour which is much better. My problems yesterday may have been due to me messing with S-Heath and the Gear app settings. The heat-rate tracking and sleep monitoring are working really well. Today has been a normal day usage-wise and I would expect a little more drain than before just due to the watch syncing with the phone so, so far, this is looking a lot better.

 

[racedog]

Glad to hear this.

 

[Mandarita]

I run into the same thing with new electronics. The first few days you tend to be adjusting the settings and checking things more than normal usage. I hope you enjoy your watch.

 

[pappy35]

So far it's going great. Notifications work, I can see incoming calls and reject them, heart rate and sleep tracking is working perfectly, and, best of all, I only need to charge it about every 3 days and could almost make four full days.

 

[Kemal Kinali]

Hello. Sorry for reviving and old thread but none of my questions seem to be answered. I want to ask you something, OP.
I want the Gear S3 but my phone is not a Samsung. It's a Huawei P9 Lite. Will I be able to reply both SMS and calls using my watch (I mean, can you with a non-samsung phone)?
I've read about people saying that the messages and I think calls, too, only work on the S3 if you have a Samsung phone.

 

[pappy35]

I rarely respond to texts and never take calls and the watch. Now, having said that, I can, and have, replied to texts with the generic 'OK' (and the other canned responses), and reject calls using the watch. I have accidentally answered a call or two with the phone so I know that does work but I'm not **** Tracy and using it that way just seems silly to me.

So, yes, these functions do work on the S3 when paired to a non-Samsung device (a Google Pixel 2 XL in my case).

 

[Kemal Kinali]

The reason I wanted to be able to take calls on the watch was for when I am driving. I would just talk into the air and the watch would, hopefully, pick it up fine. Not that I would act like James Bond in a public place, ugh ;D

 

[pkguy323]

Hello. Sorry for reviving and old thread but none of my questions seem to be answered. I want to ask you something, OP.
I want the Gear S3 but my phone is not a Samsung. It's a Huawei P9 Lite. Will I be able to reply both SMS and calls using my watch (I mean, can you with a non-samsung phone)?
I've read about people saying that the messages and I think calls, too, only work on the S3 if you have a Samsung phone.

The S3 will do all that you're wanting it to on an Android phone, Samsung or not. You can reply to SMS, FB Messenger, Google Voice, etc from the watch by typing, swiping, or voice response. You can even make and receive calls on the watch itself when it's connected to ANY Android phone with Bluetooth.

pappy35....on the battery life, it needs 2 cycles of charging(100 down to about 5%) before you will see longer times. When there's a watch update, this happens too that the battery will drain fast, then then after 2 cycles, it goes back to 3-4 days (for me!). Mine is non-LTE watch. I have a Note 8 and haven't noticed any significant drain on the battery....and I use Samsung Health daily.

Hope this helps!

 

[Kemal Kinali]

I've read somewhere that it's best to keep the charge between 40% and 80% for longevity. But once a month, you should drain it completely, or almost. Dunno what to believe. Everyone says something different and I want the battery to live as long as possible. I hate when electronics suddenly have a shorter battery time because it's used...