Samsung Releases iOS Apps for its Gear Family of Smartwatches

[H2SO4]

It's really hard for some people to come to terms with the fact that Apple doesn't make the products they want anymore, and that they would be better served by going with one of Apple's competitors.

And then you have the people that have proudly sworn off Apple and stick around here to tell us how we're all sheep. Which is understandable, being that this is the internet.

Me personally, I think it's cool that Samsung now has a line of smartwatches that work on both major mobile operating systems.

That’s not the only thng that breeds dissatisfaction and you know it. Most dissatisfaction is from features being hobbled/removed while the price shoots up. It’s all well and good to say, Go buy a PC instead, but you’ve already made the investment and at Apple prices it’s a significant one. So you want those people to suddenly trash everything Apple in one fell swoop? People may be moving to other manufacturers but they still have some Apple gear, as far as I’m concerned that entitles them to gripe about it.
Another source is being left out in the cold, like having to take them to court to get a graphcis card problem simply acknowledged let alone fixed.

 

[FlexPen76]

Can you control Airpod's volume with the Gear watch? Like you can on a apple watch? Change tracks?

Yeah you can. But it's a bit clunkier. What I mean by that is you need to go the to music app like on the AW and actually tap the volume icon to change the volume by spinning the bezel as opposed to spin the crown. There's also a bit more lag apparent between changing the volume and it being applied. Also, while you can change the current playing track or pause it, you can't change to new songs or playlists from the S3 like you can on the AW. It will just play what's currently playing from the iPhone. It's also slower to respond. But it does work, just depends how urgent you want to change tracks.

 

[0098386]

Now, if Apple would allow people to use their watches on Android devices. I don't follow the mobile arms race but it strikes me that Android has caught up in software and, by some vendors, in hardware too and I'm lead to believe there are more android devices out 'in the wild'. So why not support the largest mobile OS? It doesn't make sense to avoid it.
[doublepost=1483874384][/doublepost]

Do the watches sync with an ipad?

Imagine a weird future where the company, Apple, let users who own their watch, the Apple Watch, connect to Apple's own tablet computer, the Apple iPad.

Then imagine a weirder future where there is a native weather and calculator app. (Always wondered why Apple are so down on the iPad. Maybe that tells us their attitude thats leading to lagging iPad sales.

 

[Easttime]

I can't get a sense of exactly what "compatible with iOS" means.

 

[0098386]

Yeah you can. But it's a bit clunkier. What I mean by that is you need to go the to music app like on the AW and actually tap the volume icon to change the volume by spinning the bezel as opposed to spin the crown. There's also a bit more lag apparent between changing the volume and it being applied. Also, while you can change the current playing track or pause it, you can't change to new songs or playlists from the S3 like you can on the AW. It will just play what's currently playing from the iPhone. It's also slower to respond. But it does work, just depends how urgent you want to change tracks.

Oh my. You summed up why I really dislike Apple's approach to their music remote control function. I have a Pebble and I thought skipping tracks by pressing a button on my wrist was neat (whilst using good headphones), and for a year I felt envious of what the Apple Watch promised. Track skipping AND volume controls? Oh my! But in that time Pebble added a function to control volume too (press the middle button then the up or down buttons).

Now I have an Apple Watch and the remove function is dire. It's laggy, it's unintuitive, sometimes it loads up album art when you're trying to change the volume (why is that? Is viewing album art on a watch more important than changing volume?). Maybe now Airpods are out and they haven't included a way to remotely control the volume or songs they'll put some extra effort into the Watch's music app. Who knows.

 

[Abazigal]

Now, if Apple would allow people to use their watches on Android devices. I don't follow the mobile arms race but it strikes me that Android has caught up in software and, by some vendors, in hardware too and I'm lead to believe there are more android devices out 'in the wild'. So why not support the largest mobile OS? It doesn't make sense to avoid it.

Apple watches exist to sell more iPhones (which remains Apple's largest source of revenue) and lock users within the Apple ecosystem.

Not to mention a lot of the Apple Watch's functionality is negated when you don't own an iPhone, so it would be poor value for non-iPhone users anyways.

 

[tomjdavies]

I had major price shock with the 7 Plus 128 and Watch Ed2 so swapped out for a Galaxy S7 edge and S2 Classic. The watch is brilliant - I don't miss my first gen sport watch and the quality of materials used on the S2 classic (leather band, stainless steel) feel very premium. The rotating dial is a far superior input method to the crown. I unexpectedly prefer S Health too, which I expected to be poor. Highly recommend the watches but can't comment on how well they'll work with iOS.

The only feature I missed is pulling my entire photo library up through iCloud on phone, but that isn't a biggy. 128gb micro sd makes up for it.

 

[iwayne]

Why is there a stripped down version of S Health in the Gear app. I like the look of the gear2 and have been beta testing it for about 6 months also. Yesterday my Gear2 battery went from 100% to 3% in 5 hours. Not exercising, just having drinks on a Saturday night...

 

[tomjdavies]

Why is there a stripped down version of S Health in the Gear app. I like the look of the gear2 and have been beta testing it for about 6 months also. Yesterday my Gear2 battery went from 100% to 3% in 5 hours. Not exercising, just having drinks on a Saturday night...

That's really strange. I get two days from my S2 Classic, with a small battery life hit when I've been using it for exercise. The S3 software update made a big difference with battery life too, when that was pushed in December. I don't notice a much of a dent in the battery life after using it overnight for the new native sleep tracking either.

I don't find the S Health app stripped down on the Gear v the Apple Watch - I think it offers more features? I can't comment when paired with iOS though. I like post-exercise round up it gives you - especially the map after road running, it's a nice touch.

 

[44267547]

Love the round face. This is how the Apple Watch should have looked like

I think Apple will eventually offer a round variant. The rectangular Watch is very modern and is elegant, which Apple and Marc Newson worked on together designing something that was contemporary.

The Round Apple Watch will do well if we see a release in the future. But I believe it's at least another year or so before it's released.

 

[Mac 128]

It's really hard for some people to come to terms with the fact that Apple doesn't make the products they want anymore, and that they would be better served by going with one of Apple's competitors.

And then you have the people that have proudly sworn off Apple and stick around here to tell us how we're all sheep. Which is understandable, being that this is the internet.

Me personally, I think it's cool that Samsung now has a line of smartwatches that work on both major mobile operating systems.

Apple is taking a different approach to compatibility, based on the rumors. Just like the iPhone and iPad which initially required a PC and iTunes, it would seem that Apple is looking to add LTE to the watch for platform interdependence. So maybe as early as next year they will be able to offer an Apple Watch that doesn't need a phone of any kind. Samsung will be able to offer watch apps for various products, and a PC or Mac can be used to set up the watch just like iPads and iPhones (while iPhone users, and maybe iPad, will still have exclusive access via iOS). If the rumors are true and the series 3 looks just like he current design, that could be partially explained by adding LTE and other functionality without focusing on changing the design entirely. They might also introduce a round variant, allowing them to leave the square watch alone, and potentially attract the Samsung market -- which is exactly what Apple did with the 4.7 & 5.5 inch iPhones, after years of saying they wouldn't. My money is still on a round watch coming for all of these reasons, including a larger case to support greater battery life, and other features, just like the iPhone Plus. Apple has demonstrated a willingness to splinter a product market with features, and I don't see why anything would be different here. Especially since I can't imagine they'll squeeze an LTE radio into the 38mm model, much less a camera, or anything else without compromising it's already challenged battery life.

 

[v0lume4]

Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!

Coming from AppleFan91.

 

[kdarling]

Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!

His post was not pointless at all. It was validly taking note that there will be integration limits between a non-Apple watch and an iPhone.

Not because of lack of trying, but because Apple is rightfully scared of allowing other devices even near equivalent integration. Style, watchface choice, and price competition would murder their own watch product if other companies could compete on level API ground.

Part of the reason apple has such a good user experience is that is closed its customers in. The more options you give, the more that can go wrong.

The APIs exist already, as Apple uses them for their own product. Apple is the new version of the bad Microsoft of the 90s, keeping secret APIs to themselves so their stuff works better.

This is, of course, their right. But it's not done out of making sure everyone has the best user experience. Opening the APIs would do that. Instead, it's done to protect a blandly styled product from direct competition.

 

[DUIduckSAUCE]

The APIs exist already, as Apple uses them for their own product. Apple is the new version of the bad Microsoft of the 90s, keeping secret APIs to themselves so their stuff works better.

This is, of course, their right. But it's not done out of making sure everyone has the best user experience. Opening the APIs would do that. Instead, it's done to protect a blandly styled product from direct competition.[/QUOTE]
I'm not saying user experience is apples sole motivation

 

[FelixDerKater]

All those people who got free watches with their Note 7 and ended up switching need an "ecosystem" for their orphaned watch...

 

[Tubamajuba]

That’s not the only thng that breeds dissatisfaction and you know it. Most dissatisfaction is from features being hobbled/removed while the price shoots up. It’s all well and good to say, Go buy a PC instead, but you’ve already made the investment and at Apple prices it’s a significant one. So you want those people to suddenly trash everything Apple in one fell swoop? People may be moving to other manufacturers but they still have some Apple gear, as far as I’m concerned that entitles them to gripe about it.
Another source is being left out in the cold, like having to take them to court to get a graphcis card problem simply acknowledged let alone fixed.

Of course you don't throw away your Apple gear. It still works, after all. Keep using it until you buy something new, and make sure that new thing doesn't come from Apple. Simple as that. I don't see how making desperately snarky comments about completely off-topic things in every single news thread on this site makes life any better for ex-Apple fans, but that's what has become of this place.

I'll never buy an Apple desktop again, but that's okay- I have a newfound love for building PCs that I wouldn't have had if I stuck with Apple machines. There's a silver lining to just about everything.

Apple is taking a different approach to compatibility, based on the rumors. Just like the iPhone and iPad which initially required a PC and iTunes, it would seem that Apple is looking to add LTE to the watch for platform interdependence. So maybe as early as next year they will be able to offer an Apple Watch that doesn't need a phone of any kind. Samsung will be able to offer watch apps for various products, and a PC or Mac can be used to set up the watch just like iPads and iPhones (while iPhone users, and maybe iPad, will still have exclusive access via iOS). If the rumors are true and the series 3 looks just like he current design, that could be partially explained by adding LTE and other functionality without focusing on changing the design entirely. They might also introduce a round variant, allowing them to leave the square watch alone, and potentially attract the Samsung market -- which is exactly what Apple did with the 4.7 & 5.5 inch iPhones, after years of saying they wouldn't. My money is still on a round watch coming for all of these reasons, including a larger case to support greater battery life, and other features, just like the iPhone Plus. Apple has demonstrated a willingness to splinter a product market with features, and I don't see why anything would be different here. Especially since I can't imagine they'll squeeze an LTE radio into the 38mm model, much less a camera, or anything else without compromising it's already challenged battery life.

Wow. I might actually buy an Apple Watch at some point if it became an independent device. Even more than a round watch, I want an Apple Watch with an always-on screen. That could be another explanation for a series 3 watch that isn't any thinner.

 

[jamisonbaines]

Samsung today announced the first iOS apps for its popular Gear family of smartwatches, which were previously only compatible with Android phones.

The Samsung Gear S app brings iPhone connectivity to the company's Gear 2 and Gear 3 wearables, while the Gear Fit app offers similar compatibility for Gear Fit2 watches. The apps allow device owners to monitor features and manage applications installed through the Gear appstore.

As someone with a Samsung Gear 2 I want to express how disappointed I am in this article's inaccuracy. I happily downloaded it and tried to connect to my paperweight/smartwatch before reading the app details and finding it only works with Gear S2 and S3. Thanks for trying MacRumors and Samsung.

 

[OneMike]

Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!

Just as much as I love the Apple can do no wrong lets drink the koolaid and not have any opinion. Everything they do is awesome yo! Think different psss, who needs to think at all.

I am glad to see competition and with more research may look into one of these watches.

 

[StealthRider]

Took the opportunity and bought a Gear Fit2 to replace my Pebble Time (since those bastards went under before I got the Time 2 that I really wanted). So far I love it; it does everything I need it to do. And it's very pretty for something not made by Apple. I say good call, Samsung!

 

[CjonesHouston]

Yeah you can. But it's a bit clunkier. What I mean by that is you need to go the to music app like on the AW and actually tap the volume icon to change the volume by spinning the bezel as opposed to spin the crown. There's also a bit more lag apparent between changing the volume and it being applied. Also, while you can change the current playing track or pause it, you can't change to new songs or playlists from the S3 like you can on the AW. It will just play what's currently playing from the iPhone. It's also slower to respond. But it does work, just depends how urgent you want to change tracks.

Thank you.

 

[StarShot]

Don't know much about the Apple watch except I don't want one. Got a Samsung Gear Fit 2 last Sept. I was a bit disappointed in that it didn't link up with my IP7, but the info it provided was almost exactly what I wanted. I knew there was a Apple Beta app being tested in Japan, but not available in the US. Then, I discovered the new app for iOS and have been using it for about 10 days now. Love the new bluetooth features with the app. For a watch that is available for about $130 or less, I think it's a great deal. I realize there are naysayers here that won't be satisfied until they can watch youtube on the watch.