Samsung Gear/Galaxy Watch add-on feedback and testing

[joart]

Hi Milan,
recently I made some experiences with the combination Samsung Galaxy S7 and Gear S3.
Actually it works quite stable and the functionality (map view, start/stop function and selection set of data ) is really suitable to use the watch as a kind of remote control.
hence it would be closed to perfect if the set of data  could be extended to the ANT+ sensors which can be paired with most Galaxy Smartphones  (e.g. heart rate or speed sensor).
maybe you can consider this point for future updates.
In any case - thanxs for your great work.

Cheers
Jo

[slarti76]

Hi again
I now bought the Galaxy Watch anyway. Switching phones is in fact reasonably doable when using Samsung backup. Of course, app settings are not restored (including Health data, which is ok when using Samsung Health on the phone, too), but the important stuff like watchface, widgets and app order are. So I'll do that for longer trips with another phone, and for shorter ones, I'll just go without connection (don't need mail notifications on a hike, anyway). [that's nonsense, of course, as Locus won't work then - so either do the reset-switch-cycle or go w/o Locus on watch]

Apart from that, I find the Locus app very nice, but I agree with others before that the recording mode should have a map page, too. Going back to map and then back to the dashboard again is just the kind of annoying actions that you don't want to do on a trip (back button - tap the small icon and then again). Please consider, as proposed before, to add a zoomable, non-movable map screen as part of the dashboard. Thx!

[milan.cejnar]

@joart @slarti76
thank you for the information and the feedback about how you are using or would like to use your watch and the app. I will keep these improvement tips in mind.

[slarti76]

Well, alternatively (but probably more complicated) would be to include a Widget that displays the dashboard data and a tap leads you to the map. Just dreaming... 

[slarti76]

Oh, one more question:
What GPS is the app using? The one in the phone or is everything just being transmitted from the connected phone?

[slarti76]

@Milan:
I got another idea/request:
Right now, the map displayed is the exact same as on the phone. So any zoom factor is also used on the phone. That's not so great, as I change the phone's zoom factor with my presets, e.g. having higher zoopm for biking because the phone's further away. But the watch is always more or less same distance.
So it would be much better, if the phone had its own zoom factor. Would that be possible?

[milan.cejnar]

@slarti76
hello,
GPS data are currently taken solely from the phone since the app cannot work in stand-alone mode anyway.
You are right that the same zoom factor might be unsuitable for both the watch and the phone depending on your preset/usage. To be honest we still have to debug some issue in map rendering core because some overlay icons and symbols are a bit off by a various factor depending on DPI screen ratio of the watch versus the phone. So maybe the zoom factor will not be such an issue once we fix these little problems. But even so, it is a valid point and could be useful, thank you for noticing this

[HyPhan]

Currently trying out a Galaxy watch, after some pause and an Android wear watch before.
After some times running and once skiing I can say: Locus app works (Thanks!)

Of course, there are various details that could be improved from my perspective.

I am missing the heart-rate field in dashboard (showing the values of hr-belt connected with the phone) - should that not be one of the first values to think of? Of course, it would be very nice, if the watch's builtin HR sensor could be used too.

Clock (current time) would also be an interesting field for dashboard - not having to switch to watch time display and back. Sometimes on screen activation the current time is overlayed at the top for a very short time - did not find out when and why it does or not.

Not very nice is the fact that it always takes a moment until values refresh - so at first you always see the old values from previous/last time screen was active. I would prefer to spend that little extra energy to also update in the background - or at least refresh-before-show!

A pity it cannot be operated with buttons. But probably the Galaxy buttons are quite specific in what they are meant for by Samsung? At least, the screen seems a bit less sensible regarding unwanted touchscreen events than the Fossil Q Explorist I used to have.

But I cannot see much sense in the little start/switch screen. You press the back-button to get there and then need to touch to go to either map or dashboard. Usually you will go there to switch. Why not directly switch with that button - and exit with a double-button-press (or if not allowed other way around). Then at least one could use the watch with gloves only using buttons and the rotatable bezel (with both dashboard and map).

Perhaps you can consider. Thanks.

[slarti76]

Can we expect any updates at some point or is this not in active development anymore?

[milan.cejnar]

@slarti76
The add-on is still actively maintained and there was a small update not that long ago with added support for the new Galaxy Watch Active and with some fixes related to the unwanted add-on auto-starts.
Though I have to admit that active development of new features has a bit lower priority since beginning of this year due to workload related to the Locus Map 4 and Locus GIS release which are both expected later this year.

[raziel.trb@gmail.com]

hello, i have purchased your wonderfull app for my samsung note 9, i wasusing the addon in my wear os, in that case my huawei whatch 2 was able to send to locus map the heart rate. Now i have switch to tizen os, with my galaxy whatch 46mm. all is good, but the lacks of the heart rate is a pounch in an eye. i hope that you will add the heart rate feture in the near future. for now, if there is something that i can do to help the developers please tell me.

i use locus map in my galaxy note 9 in association with a samsung galaxy whatc bt 46mm, if you want i can tray and test what you want.

I and others customers wil be ok to pay something for this feature. thanks, let me know when you think to implement this.

[milan.cejnar]

@raziel.trb@gmail.com
Hello, yes, this feature is still missing unfortunately. I want to have it implemented by this time but there are other issues with higher priority that I need to attend to. Sorry about the delay but I cannot promise you any specific deadline for this feature yet.

[mntr86]

Dear, are there any news about heart rate sensor in this add-on?  Thank you for you reply.

[Menion]

Hello,
unfortunately, work on Android Wear platform is currently stopped.

[mntr86]

Also about tizen platform?

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