Smart Watch - Almost Funny: I received my Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 smart watch today. Naturally, it requires an app to get it working. I was surprised that both of my phones were able to...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I received my Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 smart watch today. Naturally, it requires an app to get it working. I was surprised that both of my phones were able to install the app, but I was disappointed that neither phone can find the watch. I guess this will be another Amazon return. This watch cost only $62, but I'm not going to take a chance on their $200 or $300 watch.

Another oddity. Of course, it comes with a neat little magnetic charging cable that snaps onto the watch. The other end has a USB C plug. I have several dozen USB chargers, but no one of them has a USB C port. Fortunately, I can charge the watch using my Moto e6, which uses a USB port for charging.

Reading online, I'm not the only one having trouble connecting to the watch. Even if it does connect, it loses contact occasionally, so there goes the "smart" feature. Back it goes!

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

jerryc41 wrote:

I received my Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 smart watch tod... (show quote)

My only question is: Why?

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

jerryc41 wrote:

I received my Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 smart watch tod... (show quote)

My wife had similar experience with Apple watch (very expensive) and her iPhone. Similar to your experience PLUS every time that iOS needed an update both the phone and watch needed update and re-mate them... Anywhere from 2 or 3 hours to an entire day fighting the problems, and if you didn't get them updates/mated then the watch didn't work and the iPhone harassed her continually that she had watch not mated. She threw that expensive watch awaw... Lesson learned.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

KillroyII wrote:

My wife had similar experience with Apple watch (very expensive) and her iPhone. Similar to your experience PLUS every time that iOS needed an update both the phone and watch needed update and re-mate them... Anywhere from 2 or 3 hours to an entire day fighting the problems, and if you didn't get them updates/mated then the watch didn't work and the iPhone harassed her continually that she had watch not mated. She threw that expensive watch awaw... Lesson learned.

Twenty years ago, that could have been a scene in a comedy sci-fi movie.

jimkolt Loc: Sun City, AZ

I have a Garmin watch. Lots of choices, reasonable prices and works well. Highly recommend.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Everything seems to be going USB-C, supposedly due to an EU order that all connectors on devices sold in the EU be USB-C after a certain date. So if that were your only quibble I'd just suggest you get a USB-C charger and move on. Even a cheap one should have enough output to charge a watch quickly.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wrangler5 wrote:

Everything seems to be going USB-C, supposedly due to an EU order that all connectors on devices sold in the EU be USB-C after a certain date. So if that were your only quibble I'd just suggest you get a USB-C charger and move on. Even a cheap one should have enough output to charge a watch quickly.

I can understand having USB C on the device end of the cable, but most cables have a Type A connector on the power end. That the wide, flat one.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

jimkolt wrote:

I have a Garmin watch. Lots of choices, reasonable prices and works well. Highly recommend.

I admit that a smart watch would be more of a toy than a necessity, but I was taken in by the low price and the great reviews for the Samsung Fit 3. I'm going to avoid anything that needs a cell phone app.

BebuLamar

jerryc41 wrote:

I admit that a smart watch would be more of a toy than a necessity, but I was taken in by the low price and the great reviews for the Samsung Fit 3. I'm going to avoid anything that needs a cell phone app.

But I think all smart watches need cell phone app. Personally I don't like smart watch as I have to charge them daily also I don't need anything more on a watch but to tell me the hour, the minute and the second. I don't even need the date.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

BebuLamar wrote:

But I think all smart watches need cell phone app. Personally I don't like smart watch as I have to charge them daily also I don't need anything more on a watch but to tell me the hour, the minute and the second. I don't even need the date.

The Galaxy Fit 3 could go a week between charges unless everything was turned on. I might get something that keeps track of my steps. My phone could also do that, but unless I go out somewhere, the phone is turned off.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

I've worn a self winding watch of one sort or another for more than a half century. it's always on, viewable from a lot of different angles, accurate enough for daily purposes, and keeps running as long as I keep wearing it. But I recently decided I would like to have heart rate and steps info available and got an Amazfit Band 7 tracker to wear on the other wrist. It doesn't do phone calls, but does have a sleep monitor as well as a lot of workout functions, of which I only use the Walking one for my semi-weekly workouts. It has 10 alarms you can set - I have 2 set permanently, Sunday wakeup and a daily reminder for evening pills, and the others I set as needed for single use.

It was not expensive, and I refer to the thing regularly throughout the day. A charge usually takes less than an hour, and lasts at least a week, usually closer to 2.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wrangler5 wrote:

I've worn a self winding watch of one sort or anot... (show quote)

Thanks for that! It's temporarily on sale for $45, but they seem to have an identical one for $40. Then there's a different brand for $50. "Connectivity" is Bluetooth. Not for me! No connectivity - because I already know that it won't connect.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Amazfit+Band+7&crid=1GZD7KMVTCDEK&sprefix=amazfit+band+7%2Caps%2C163&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Do both of your phones fail to connect to ANY bluetooth device, or just to the Galaxy smart watch? If just the watch, it might be worth trying something from Amazon that intrigues you since you can send it back for free if it doesn't connect well.

Admittedly, bluetooth can be occasionally flaky, at least in my experience. (Except between two Apple devices, where I have always had complete reliability.)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wrangler5 wrote:

Do both of your phones fail to connect to ANY bluetooth device, or just to the Galaxy smart watch? If just the watch, it might be worth trying something from Amazon that intrigues you since you can send it back for free if it doesn't connect well.

Admittedly, bluetooth can be occasionally flaky, at least in my experience. (Except between two Apple devices, where I have always had complete reliability.)

Neither of my phones can download the apps for two small cameras. The Samsung cannot install the app for the watch. The Moto e6 can install the app, and I can see that it is paired with the phone. However, when the phone scans for something to connect to, it finds nothing. The watch tells me to use the app to activate the phone. I have Schrodinger's phone. It sees the watch, but it doesn't.

My "new" Samsung watch arrives today. If that can't connect to everything, back it goes. It's the Galaxy S10, supposedly a good phone. I'll probably use it for everything but phone calls - no activation and no expense.