Running with Galaxy Watch Active

[alleng1]

My Galaxy Watch Active arrived on Thursday. My plan is to use it for tracking runs and I've just taken it out my first run. I have found some aspects that are deeply irritating and are making me regret buying it and I'm wondeing how others have found the experience of using galaxy watches to track running and if any one has any solutions for the below problems. 

1) Always on face

When using the run tracking feature, I want to be able to set the face to always show the tracker. This is not possible on the watch. You can set the face to always on, but it reverts to the standard watch face showing the time. This seems like such an easy and obvious thing for a product that is billed as being as a comprehensive health tracker and I cannot believe it is not possible.

2) No average split time

On the Samsung running tracker there is no option to view your average split time while running. This is a key metric for many runners and deeply frustrating not to be able to see this.

3) Spotify

One of the reasons I bought the watch was to use Spotify while I running. This was easy to set up and all seemed to be going smoothly until I got 1km into my run. The Samsung running app has a voice tracker that reads out your last km stats (a feature I really like). When it reads it out it pauses your music on Spotify and the music does not automatically resume afterwards. This is so annoying.

I tried pressing the play button on my bluetooth headphone, which works fine to control Spotify when not in the running app. However, this button doesn't work when you're in the app. So, the only way to start the music again is to go into the Spotify app on the watch itself and resume and repeat this every km.

This essentially makes running with spotify impossible. I am therefore unable to use the watch for one of the main things I bought it for.

[Anton69]

Agreed, there are several really annoying issues with the supposedly 'sports-oriented' Galaxy watch.

I have given up on using the watch for active activity tracking and prefer to use Endomondo (and Zombies, Run! and Spotify) from my phone. In addition to your issue with the 'always on' face, my issue with the watch is that when I do want to use it, it's to time 200m reps. I use the default stopwatch, but the only way to access it is a fiddly small icon. After 5 reps and run backs, the "Oh! You appear to be running! I'm just going to put up a *really useful* screen now with the number of steps you've taken, everyone wants to know that when they're exercising!" screen appears and hides the stopwatch, so every time I jog back to the start I have to find the stopwatch from it's fiddly widget again...

It's almost like Samsung got a bunch of techies to develop their "sports and active" watch and never gave it to anyone to test in the real world...

[Shaish]

Hello,

Any solution for the "always on face" issue?

I am using the Galaxy watch for tracking my running exercises, but it's really annoying to deal with the screen off.

Thanks.

[sirbeersalot]

Just been for my first run with new watch. Installed Strava and screen keeps going off. Did Samsung do any testing with exercise...???  How can I see the screen for pace, distance etc when it's black. And when  turn my wrist the clock comes up first then Strava. ... Useless... Samsung please fix the screen on issue or take all the active stuff off as it's useless as a activity watch.

[alleng1]

I've given up on both the Samsung running app and Strava app, as they both seem deeply flawed on the watch. 

However, I've started using the Gear Tracker app instead, which is absolutely brilliant. It costs £5, but is totally worth it. 

It has an option to hold the screen always on, tracks all the metrics you could want and syncs seemlessly with Strava.

The developer is also really helpful if you have any issues. I'd recommend checking it out. It has saved me a lot of frustration!

[sirbeersalot]

Will certainly check out gear tracker. Thanks for the heads up as the watch is useless as it is. I'd go back to my old TomTom watch if it wasn't for the strap issue. Samsung should pass the watch on to people that actually exercise before they launch a "active" watch. They would get some useful need back. 

[Paul_A]

There is a watch app called "I Am Alive". Just toggle on before you start and it will keep the display acive for your run.

Works relly well, so glad i found this!

[sirbeersalot]

To anyone having issues with running with this watch I have been using the gear tracker app now for a few runs (as recommended a few threads up) and can say it's really good. Well worth a £5. Much better than anything Samsung have provided and much better than the Strava app for the watch. It's really customisable and hasnt missed a beat as yet. Quickly picks up GPS and syncs with Strava very quickly.

[RenC121]

Regarding this.... "When using the run tracking feature, I want to be able to set the face to always show the tracker. This is not possible on the watch. You can set the face to always on, but it reverts to the standard watch face showing the time."

You can actually set this by going to Settings, Display, Show last app, then change it to 1 hour. It will stay on at least for 1 hour. Hope this helps

[MostBlessedOne]

You can actually keep the watch face at the tracking mode when running, treadmill, etc. First, on the watch itself (under settings->watch faces), turn on the always on mode. Then, also on the watch itself (under settings->Advanced), turn on show last app. Lastly, turn on Show last App within 1hour (under setttings->Display->Show Last App). That's the setting, but not the end of it. Then on the watch itself, scroll right, to add the workout screen. Once you have added the workout screen, you can from within each type of workout customise what to be displayed on the workout screen while you are say jogging. You customise by tapping on the vertical 3 little dots. That's about it. I have tried it and it works where the watch face displays all the stats (that I chose) throughout my entire workout. Hope this helps.