Wear OS: I'm not rich, just stupid

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Wear OS: I'm not rich, just stupid

Don't Ask: Nov 28, 2002

Incessant Excess posted:

Are there any decent options in the fitness tracker/smartwatch space other than the Galaxy Watch 4?

Right now, I'm using a Mi Band 6 to read incoming notifications and make NFC payments. This works pretty well overall but reading notifications is a bit cumbersome due to the small display and lack of emoji support, similarly making NFC payments could also be improved because changing menus on the band is a bit slow and unresponsive.

I like that the GW4 offers a small (40mm) version but the low battery life puts me off, as I don't feel that I'm using my current band enough to want to bother with something I'd have to charge daily. I'm guessing the answer is no but is there anything similar to the GW4 that offers better battery life or can the battery life of the GW4 be improved significantly by turning off all health tracking?

If it helps, my GW4 can usually last 2+ days and that's with notifications, step/heartrate/etc. tracking and lift to wake on. I take it off to shower so it's mostly kept charged in any case, but even when I can't be bothered it's still OK.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2022 10:15

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# ¿ May 18, 2024 21:51

Don't Ask: Nov 28, 2002

wolrah posted:

I've been getting terrible battery life on mine for about a week at this point. Somewhere between 6 and 9 PM I'm getting the low battery alert where normally it's more like 2-3 AM at the earliest.

My regular Watch 4's battery life starts getting noticeably worse every few weeks.
Usually I can eke out just a bit over 2 days with health/sleep tracking and tilt to wake, but eventually drops to about a day for no apparent reason. Then I reboot it and then it's back to normal.

:iiam:

# ¿ Aug 11, 2022 17:22

Don't Ask: Nov 28, 2002

T.C. posted:

I have a Garmin watch that I like, but I'm considering switching to a WearOS smartwatch with LTE to help give myself more of an excuse to leave my phone at home occasionally.

Is a current gen Pixel or Galaxy Watch really better to the point that I should be paying more than double what I can get a Galaxy Watch 4 for? Has there been a big enough jump in the newest generation that it makes it worthwhile?

I also have to check with my carrier to see if they still have a limitation that you can't pair a Galaxy Watch for number sharing unless you use a Samsung phone to do it.

edit: haha, what. Google Maps doesn't work on WearOS without a phone tethered via bluetooth, even on an LTE enabled watch? That's real dumb! Or it sort of works sometimes, but if you leave your phone disconnected too long the watch gets mad?

edit2: Also, Google Maps on watch won't do transit directions, which is the best google maps feature

I don't think there's a real difference between a Watch 4 and a Watch 5, except for the 5 Pro which has a larger battery.

Now I'm wondering if the Pixel Watch has any advantages over the Watch 4/5. It's pretty much worse in all regards including price, right?

# ¿ Oct 30, 2022 10:37

Don't Ask: Nov 28, 2002

sourdough posted:

If you're like me and were annoyed there was no way to turn off notifications for daily step goals on your Galaxy Watch, I finally found a fix:

Does this work for you? The option to turn the notification off is grayed out for me. This is on a GWatch 6.

# ¿ May 5, 2024 00:46

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