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The_Interloper

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2016
685
1,412
At this point the Galaxy Watch 3 will definitely be going back. It keeps missing off sections of my runs, I can’t have that later in the year with the London Marathon and the upcoming training.
The solution posted here may help. I used to have a Galaxy Watch Active 2 and had a similar problem - when I switched to ensuring it always used the watch GPS, the issue disappeared.
 

Dave245

macrumors G3
Sep 15, 2013
9,763
8,007
The solution posted here may help. I used to have a Galaxy Watch Active 2 and had a similar problem - when I switched to ensuring it always used the watch GPS, the issue disappeared.
I tried changing a lot of the settings, nothing worked. I run at least 10k a day, it wasn‘t registering it. The same with the heart rate and other metrics.

also I much prefer the flat display square design of the Apple Watch, the round watch is more awkward to interact with on a run and just in general. I think the Apple Watch is a lot better than Samsungs Galaxy Watch 3.


It’s going back to Samsung and I shall stick with the Apple Watch, which works much better for me.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,642
13,143
UK
I tried changing a lot of the settings, nothing worked. I run at least 10k a day, it wasn‘t registering it. The same with the heart rate and other metrics.

also I much prefer the flat display square design of the Apple Watch, the round watch is more awkward to interact with on a run and just in general. I think the Apple Watch is a lot better than Samsungs Galaxy Watch 3.


It’s going back to Samsung and I shall stick with the Apple Watch, which works much better for me.
Are you sending the phone back too?
 

Dave245

macrumors G3
Sep 15, 2013
9,763
8,007
Are you sending the phone back too?
Yea, for me personally it’s not worth keeping the S21 Ultra as well as my iPhone to have the Apple Watch. I prefer the iPhone over the S21 Ultra. I don’t think the camera is that good (I’ve tried for a few days but I still get grainy and cartoonish looking images).

At this point I have to admit I’m an iPhone/Apple guy. I don’t think that will change, im deep in the ecosystem and I just prefer the way they do things.

At least I tried it. No harm done.
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,783
6,059
Anyone else who's using Spotify having issues as of late? It's a bit hard to explain, but it happens mostly when I try to connect with my car's bluetooth. The screen in my car will show a completely different song that was playing even if I choose a completely different playlist. Then, if I go to my phone and try to control the music playing, it doesn't even show that music is playing at all. Then I open the Spotify app, and it also shows a completely different song and that it's not playing. The Playlist that is actually playing over my car speakers is playing but I can't control it at all. Then after disconnecting to bluetooth, that same playlist is playing on my phone and the only way I can stop it is to force close the app.

I uninstalled and reinstalled Spotify, hoping that does the trick.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,371
4,355
Texas
At this point I have to admit I’m an iPhone/Apple guy. I don’t think that will change, im deep in the ecosystem and I just prefer the way they do things.

At least I tried it. No harm done.
Yeah, at least you gave it a shot. I was deep in the ecosystem. At one point... I had a iPhone, iPad, iMac and Apple Watch. And, it worked wonderfully. I can't knock people for staying in that circle... especially when nothing is wrong.
 

drinkingtea

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2016
1,124
2,976
Yea, for me personally it’s not worth keeping the S21 Ultra as well as my iPhone to have the Apple Watch. I prefer the iPhone over the S21 Ultra. I don’t think the camera is that good (I’ve tried for a few days but I still get grainy and cartoonish looking images).

At this point I have to admit I’m an iPhone/Apple guy. I don’t think that will change, im deep in the ecosystem and I just prefer the way they do things.

At least I tried it. No harm done.
I tried the Pixel 4a for a week recently and I came to the same conclusion. Android is getting better, but iOS is just much more refined, especially in combination with the Apple Watch, IMO.

iOS apps are still designed better (even YouTube’s own iOS app is cleaner than its Android app) and they actually follow iOS design language. I couldn’t find a browser alternative that matched even half of the functionality of Safari. I kept missing notifications/receiving them late/getting them all at once upon unlocking despite ensuring that all the battery saver options were off in settings. I’d wake up to about 20 Twitter notifications in the morning on my iPhone and to only 3 or so on the Pixel. I don’t like how the font size for all apps is controlled by the system font size. Also, I think the notification shade is really clunky. Why do I need to expand every notification in order to read it?

There’s a lot I liked about the Pixel, but these issues remind me why I stick with iPhone. It was nice to scratch the Android itch, though. I’m so bored with iPhone, but, man, does iOS do it right, IMO. I don’t think I’ll be trying the Ultra after my Pixel experience.
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,642
13,143
UK
I tried the Pixel 4a for a week recently and I came to the same conclusion. Android is getting better, but iOS is just much more refined, especially in combination with the Apple Watch, IMO.

iOS apps are still designed better (even YouTube’s own iOS app is cleaner than its Android app) and they actually follow iOS design language. I couldn’t find a browser alternative that matched even half of the functionality of Safari. I kept missing notifications/receiving them late/getting them all at once upon unlocking despite ensuring that all the battery saver options were off in settings. I’d wake up to about 20 Twitter notifications in the morning on my iPhone and to only 3 or so on the Pixel. I don’t like how the font size for all apps is controlled by the system font size. Also, I think the notification shade is really clunky. Why do I need to expand every notification in order to read it?

There’s a lot I liked about the Pixel, but these issues remind me why I stick with iPhone. It was nice to scratch the Android itch, though. I’m so bored with iPhone, but, man, does iOS do it right, IMO. I don’t think I’ll be trying the Ultra after my Pixel experience.
I really like the look of the S21 ultra and it has a lot of features I’d like. I know I can’t switch to android. However I’m wondering if I can use both phones? I know this has never worked well for me in the past but I wonder if I can make it work now. However I’m just worried about it sitting around unused as they have in the past. I’m just so set in the Apple ecosystem I think I’ll find it difficult to appreciate anything else as I should.
 

Roadstar

macrumors 68000
Sep 24, 2006
1,718
2,186
Vantaa, Finland
Thanks! This sounds interesting indeed. I have a Galaxy Watch Active 2 on Tizen right now, but I've also got a TicWatch Pro 3 on its way from Amazon to see how the new 4100 SnapDragon performs. If I'm not happy with that one, that new Samsung watch could be on my radar.

Naturally what I'd ultimately prefer is using my Apple Watch S6 with my Pixel, but we all know that's not going to happen.
 

Roadstar

macrumors 68000
Sep 24, 2006
1,718
2,186
Vantaa, Finland
Wear OS is dead though. Unless this is Google plan on reviving it this year?

Yeah it could be doing much better indeed, but I'm hoping that the new SD chips reinvigorate also Google's interest in the platform. With Samsung locking its Tizen watch functionality more to their own phones and Apple insisting on keeping the Apple Watch iOS-only, more choice for wearables connected to non-Apple/Samsung phones is always welcome.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Yea, for me personally it’s not worth keeping the S21 Ultra as well as my iPhone to have the Apple Watch. I prefer the iPhone over the S21 Ultra. I don’t think the camera is that good (I’ve tried for a few days but I still get grainy and cartoonish looking images).

At this point I have to admit I’m an iPhone/Apple guy. I don’t think that will change, im deep in the ecosystem and I just prefer the way they do things.

At least I tried it. No harm done.
I got grainy cartoony images a couple times in the last couple of days. It happened when I was indoors and switching lenses. It's like there was some sort of software delay so that after switching lenses the image processing wasn't keeping up. I don't know. It was strange. But I tried to get the same shots with my 12 Pro Max and the same issues cropped up. I haven't figured it out.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. We all are different and have different needs and expectations from our gear. I appreciated your positive contributions to this thread.
 
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Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,371
4,355
Texas
I really like the look of the S21 ultra and it has a lot of features I’d like. I know I can’t switch to android. However I’m wondering if I can use both phones? I know this has never worked well for me in the past but I wonder if I can make it work now. However I’m just worried about it sitting around unused as they have in the past. I’m just so set in the Apple ecosystem I think I’ll find it difficult to appreciate anything else as I should.
That’s why I don’t do the two phone lineup for exactly what you mention.. having a secondary phone just sitting around not being used, however.. trying to force it into my routine. It’s like… buying another phone to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
Naturally what I'd ultimately prefer is using my Apple Watch S6 with my Pixel, but we all know that's not going to happen.
I would want this… but I wouldn’t care if it’s paired with Android. I rather have it standalone.. similar to how the iPad works. A cellular standalone Apple Watch where I can get iMessage, run apps, get Fitness & Health support along with Apple Pay. I’m fully on board with that.
 

Dave245

macrumors G3
Sep 15, 2013
9,763
8,007
DPD came to collect it yesterday, I’m not sure how long it takes for Samsung to receive it as it’s within the U.K. anyway, with it being a Friday im not sure if they will deliver it to Samsung today (Saturday) or if it will be Monday.

I was given a little card with a number on it so that I can track it back to Samsung. However I entered the number on DPDs website this morning and it’s not recognising the number.
 
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animalx

macrumors 6502
Apr 1, 2013
473
324
I tried the Pixel 4a for a week recently and I came to the same conclusion. Android is getting better, but iOS is just much more refined, especially in combination with the Apple Watch, IMO.

iOS apps are still designed better (even YouTube’s own iOS app is cleaner than its Android app) and they actually follow iOS design language. I couldn’t find a browser alternative that matched even half of the functionality of Safari. I kept missing notifications/receiving them late/getting them all at once upon unlocking despite ensuring that all the battery saver options were off in settings. I’d wake up to about 20 Twitter notifications in the morning on my iPhone and to only 3 or so on the Pixel. I don’t like how the font size for all apps is controlled by the system font size. Also, I think the notification shade is really clunky. Why do I need to expand every notification in order to read it?

There’s a lot I liked about the Pixel, but these issues remind me why I stick with iPhone. It was nice to scratch the Android itch, though. I’m so bored with iPhone, but, man, does iOS do it right, IMO. I don’t think I’ll be trying the Ultra after my Pixel experience.
The Pixel and the 21 Ultra do not have the same experience actually. They run the same OS, but functionally they are different. Pixel = stock Android. Ultra = extras in addition to stock Android. I've found over the years, stock Android has been adding Samsung features slowly but surely. Though there is one feature I wish they'd bring over from the Pixel, and that's the call screener. I'd love to have Google answer certain calls for me and filter them live. I say that to say, you have a lot more control and choices with the Ultra. For example, with what you said about notifications, you can actually change the way notifications are handled. You can change darn near whatever you want. I like it better than the Pixel, and it's light years ahead of iOS. I'd definitely say it's worth giving it a look.
 
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yui4

macrumors 65816
May 26, 2011
1,216
982
DPD came to collect it yesterday, I’m not sure how long it takes for Samsung to receive it as it’s within the U.K. anyway, with it being a Friday im not sure if they will deliver it to Samsung today (Saturday) or if it will be Monday.

I was given a little card with a number on it so that I can track it back to Samsung. However I entered the number on DPDs website this morning and it’s not recognising the number.
It takes 2 or 3 working days. You’ll get an email from Samsung, don’t worry
 
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