Watch / Phone intergration (Note 9 + Samsung watch)

[sygnus21]

OK, so I just received my Samsung Watch (46mm) and one thing I noticed is the watch appears to be locked to Samsung apps only and is limited in certain functions. If I’m wrong, please point in in the right direction.

So, three big things are at issue for me, and I can see why there’s such a high return rate for the watch…

1) Messages – It appears you can’t port old messages over from phone to watch, and that you only get a record of from the day the watch has been setup.
2) E-mail – It appears you must use the Samsung app to view, send and receive emails. Apps like Microsoft Outlook mail client doesn’t work, and subsequently I’m not getting any email notifications on watch, even though notification Outlook is enabled in notifications.
3) Limited app availability – Example: Microsoft’s Outlook app, or Verizon’s Message+ app not available for download to watch.

Bottom line is if you’re using third party productivity apps outside of Samsung’s default phone apps, you may run into limited functionality with the watch. Case in point – email is none existent unless you’re using Samsung’s default email app.

If I’m wrong, please point to a solution in getting this solved. As of now, the watch is mainly geared to be a health monitor and not a productivity one.

 

[Greymire]

Samsung uses the Tizen operating system that is strictly a Samsung operating system. Only apps built on that system are usable.

 

[sygnus21]

Samsung uses the Tizen operating system that is strictly a Samsung operating system. Only apps built on that system are usable.

Yeah, and that appears to be what's causing the watch returns. I'm 50/50 on whether to return mine. I like it, but its limited functionality app wise cripples if you don't use Samsung's default apps.

 

[Greymire]

I haven't found anything I can't do. I do not want to browse the web or read mail on a tiny screen. It gives you notifications for anything. But I do understand. Apple only works with iPhone period. At least Samsung works with other phones. Ticwatch is the only one I know that uses any android app but if it's not made for a watch they are tiny or limited.

 

[sygnus21]

I said nothing about "browsing the web".

I do expect to get my email notifications. I also expect the watch to work Samsung's Note 9. Perhaps I expected too much.

Thanks.

 

[Fast-T]

Mine is fine on note9. I use Outback for work email and notifications are plenty on my wrist. I can read and reply from my watch. Seems to be a issue with your setup.

 

[cvflowe]

Mine is fine on note9. I use Outback for work email and notifications are plenty on my wrist. I can read and reply from my watch. Seems to be a issue with your setup.

+1, I use outlook and gmail. I get notifications on my watch for both. I can read read and reply.

 

[Greymire]

I said nothing about "browsing the web".

I do expect to get my email notifications. I also expect the watch to work Samsung's Note 9. Perhaps I expected too much.

Thanks.

Just threw the web in. I am surprised you can't run on mail notifications. I turned mine off. It was driving me nuts and draining the watch battery with all of the mail notifications. I suppose it depends on your program. Didn't mean to sound snarky. Sometimes happens when typing instead of face to face.

 

[cwbcpa]

I use Outlook for work and I also have a personal account. I do get notifications on the watch. I can't reply to emails from the watch though. When I hit reply it opens the app on the phone. That's totally fine with me. I don't want to respond to emails on my watch. I only respond to texts on the watch if I really have to.

 

[Devhux]

There's a high return rate for this watch? Got a source for that?

I don't use Outlook but GMail works great on the watch. As for Messages, I don't see why someone needs all their messages on their wrist but I'll accept everyone has different requirements. That said, outside of the iPhone & Apple Watch, I don't think any smartwatch will show all messages that are on the phone on the watch.

 

[sonnnet]

Regarding Outlook users, do you mean you prefer to use the Outlook app on your phone? If so, I can see what you mean. But I use Outlook on Windows at work and have the Exchange 365 account added to my Note 9 and use Samsung Mail on my phone to access my Outlook emails. It's a great app and even Tasks sync to Outlook tasks and you can view, create and edit tasks, follow up etc. They even show up in Samsung Calendar. The Android Outlook app doesn't have that capability for Outlook tasks. In fact very few Android email apps do. So I would say Samsung mail is superior in that respect. And of course the Galaxy Watch bonus is that you'll get pretty much full email pushed to your wrist, too (not just a truncated notification).

 

[sygnus21]

Mine is fine on note9. I use Outback for work email and notifications are plenty on my wrist. I can read and reply from my watch. Seems to be a issue with your setup.

Not really! You use Outback. I use Outlook. Hardly the same, and thus NOT a valid comparison to determine it's my setup.

Thank you.

 

[sygnus21]

There's a high return rate for this watch? Got a source for that?

I don't use Outlook but GMail works great on the watch. As for Messages, I don't see why someone needs all their messages on their wrist but I'll accept everyone has different requirements. That said, outside of the iPhone & Apple Watch, I don't think any smartwatch will show all messages that are on the phone on the watch.

Got a source saying its not????

And I use Outlook. NOT Outback, Gmail, or Samsung's default client. And I don't understand why I should do what you do with your watch - I don't understand why you're worrying about me wanting "my" watch to do what it says it's supposed to do? What others here says it's supposed to do.

Thanks.

 

[sygnus21]

Regarding Outlook users, do you mean you prefer to use the Outlook app on your phone? If so, I can see what you mean. But I use Outlook on Windows at work and have the Exchange 365 account added to my Note 9 and use Samsung Mail on my phone to access my Outlook emails. It's a great app and even Tasks sync to Outlook tasks and you can view, create and edit tasks, follow up etc. They even show up in Samsung Calendar. The Android Outlook app doesn't have that capability for Outlook tasks. In fact very few Android email apps do. So I would say Samsung mail is superior in that respect. And of course the Galaxy Watch bonus is that you'll get pretty much full email pushed to your wrist, too (not just a truncated notification).

Yes, the Outlook app on the phone. And with that, I'm still not getting notifications.

And yes, I also have Office 365 installed on my desktop, and as stated above also use the Outlook on my Note 9 without issue. Under the Outlook app I have 3 email accounts installed there, one exchange account for my school, and two personal IMAP accounts. I get NO notifications whenever I get an email in anyone of those accounts.

BTW I was using Samsung's default phone mail app until I switched to Outlook on my S7 Edge, and still use it on my Note 9.

Regardless, I find it annoying I can't get my notifications and whenever I press the watch's email app I get "No email account. Set one up on your phone?" This tells me the watch isn't recognizing the Outlook app installed on the phone. That if I want my email notifications I have to set up an account on Samsung's app. Not an option there.

 

[11B1P]

have you gone into the Gear app > settings > notifications > manage notifications on your phone and turned on your email account there? sorry, can't help more than that, I too don't want email on my watch.

 

[sygnus21]

have you gone into the Gear app > settings > notifications > manage notifications on your phone and turned on your email account there? sorry, can't help more than that, I too don't want email on my watch.

About a thousand times!

Anyway I'm now getting notifications, but not through the watch's email app. I just get a notification of the email and what it says, but they don't save. That's fine, just want to make sure I'm notified of emails. I too am not looking to read them on the watch, I just need to be notified of them. I can read them on the phone when need be.

Read somewhere that enabling ALL notifications fixes the issue. It certainly did for me. Now I just need to turn off the 70+ notifications I don't need, and hope email notification still works

Thanks for the suggestion though, it helps in making sure I'm using the right procedures.

 

[Luke Franzen]

You can add work outlook to your Samsung mail app (on your phone which syncs to your watch) if you have office 365 at work. It took me a while to figure it out, but go into the mail app and add an account as type office 365 (red house icon). This takes you to a microsoft login, which then pulls your company's security settings.

I had to add a pin # and some additional steps that my company required (they are extremely secure), but after a few minutes it finally synced and everything came through. It blocks me from doing certain things, but it's the same on my phone.

Hope this helps.