Besides just notifications, what tips or advice can you give to using the watch to the full potential?
Samsung galaxy watch ultra.
I’ve been using Samsungs since they started making them. The main thing (after the time) is in fact the notifications, since it’s much less disruptive to me or my conversation if I just check a watch rather than pull out my phone.
Other than that, I hike most weekends during warmer months and I track that on the watch. I don’t really use the data too much after the fact, but I like knowing how long it really was, my heart rate, etc.
I work from home now, but when i was in an office setting it was fine to listen to music, and I used the watch to control the player, again without taking out a phone while I’m supposed to be working.
I use a watch face that gives me some quick stuff like the temperature, chance of rain, my last measured heartrate, steps, and my calories (when I was tracking that).
Basically I use it to avoid pulling out my phone for every little damn thing, and for the health tracking stuff.
This is less often, but if i go to a Waterpark or something like six flags in the summer, if you have a data plan on the watch, it’s really handy to have that and leave the phone in a locker or the car. That way you can still message your group, and if you have it set up, pay for food and drinks or merch while you’re there. They’re water resistant well beyond what will happen there so you don’t need to get a special case or worry about losing it on a ride.
Garmin 6S Solar Pro
I use it to:
- Tracking my steps and walks
- Tracking biking & hiking
- Monitoring my sleep
In the past I also used it to pay in grocery stores
Watch6 Classic.
Use it as a watch/for maps/step tracker.
Its pretty nifty. Although I had to disconnect work apps as the notifications were stressing me out
Same here (Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47mm now). I had the 43mm but the battery time difference is notable, barely above 1 day with the 43mm, comfortably 2 days with the 47mm. I got it refurbished for 100 euros a few months ago, the model came new a year or two ago.
I use it for alarms, notifications, occasionally for payment or calls, sleep and fitness tracking (no GPS), quick glance for the day’s agenda (I’m in meetings all day). And time, obviously.
Oh, and one cool thing: it has a rotating bezel around the screen and it can be used to control PowerPoint presentations. Very nifty trick for when you forget your clicker.
EDIT: for completeness, I just had one smartwatch before (OG Galaxy Watch with rotating bezel), similar uses without payments. Failed after 5 years due to water ingress at a water slide. Also a Galaxy Fit 2 before that (smartband), for time notifications and steps. My wife has now a Galaxy fit 3, it’s like 30 euros and does the basics.
Yeah, we have/had a bunch of samsung devices, but I wouldn’t blindly recommend it to everyone, they just work for us.
I quite like samsung stuff tbh. I know we’re not meant to on here but it all just works.
I use the PineTime, a fully open-source smartwatch, but it’s not very smart. It shows me the time and my notificafions, which is all I need. (It also does more things I dont use). It only costs like 35 euro as well.
Pebble Time 2.
I use it primarily for notifications and secondarily for step / sleep tracking. I also currently use it for media control, home assistant, and various other generic watch things (timer, clock,stopwatch, etc)
Still getting used to it. Perviously had (in order) a CMF Watch, PineTime, Garmin Venu, PineTime, and some nameless Amazon watch (ticwatch maybe?)
As far as advice, personally I load a ton of stuff on every watch I’ve had thus far, and then remove stuff slowly as I realize that I don’t need it. I usually get rid of around half of the stuff I initially added. Honestly, just try new stuff, go through whatever app store your watch uses and find new cool stuff. There’s cool stuff hidden all over the place.
I have a Garmin Forerunner. I have had it for 3 years, but I only really unlocked it’s usefulness when I got a power meter and a heart rate strap. It’s amazingly useful for training and it is almost always right about my energy levels and other metrics. I am getting older and it’s important to not over-train and fatigue myself which I would totally do w/o my garmin and I still occasionally do even when it’s telling me to take it easy or rest.
I also use the maps a ton when in the woods, as well as the weather.
I have used the coaching feature but it’s not really for me, I’d rather do my own training plan.
You really have to invest in the features and learn about them. My first year of use I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing with it or what anything meant on it and a lot of metrics and programs were not useful to me since w/o the data senors it was very broad estimates of my energy outputs. My max HR was set wrong for 1.5 years before I figured it out.
Galaxy Watch 5
Daily.
I use the timer, alarm, weather, hiking (fitness), and…
One more thing… what is it(snaps fingers in thought)?.. OH! Tell time.
I have a Garmin Vivoactive 6, and I use it for the following:
- sleep quality tracking. It judges me in the morning.
- steps and calories burned so that I can justify eating or drinking something shitty.
- whether or not to pull out my phone and respond to a text message
- how far from the green I am
That’s… about it. Would love other ideas.
How you judge your sleep massively influences how you feel, so I always judge how I slept, then check the watch if it agrees. If I think I slept well and the watch says no, I say technical malfunction. If I felt I slept bad and the watch says I slept well, I feel better about my sleep. Win win
Cheap Chinese Amazfit Neo. Basically a fitness tracker with a Casio-like look.
The one advice is, use gadgetbridge (https://gadgetbridge.org/). Replaces the shitty bloated spyware vendor app with something that does not sell your sleep pattern to the highest bidder. Downside, of course, is that you lose features and not every watch is compatible (or in different states of compatibility)
Multiple Refurbished Apple Watch SE
80% setting timers.
15% exercise tracking.
5% finding phone, checking weather and compass.
I’ve tried to go without it - but the ease of setting common timers pulled me back.
Refurb SE2 here-
50% Telling the time! (no clocks within view at work)
50% kilojoule/exercise tracking.
you never check the time on it?
Apple Watch.
Primarily fitness and sleep tracking.
Garmins are a bit better for fitness tracking, but the Apple Watch is one of the best for sleep tracking.
I don’t really use any apps on it besides that, but ringing, and the fine location tracking for my phone is amazing.
Pebble Time 2.
Mostly sleep and step counting. Media controls on occasion. Just got it so not had a chance to customize it much yet.
Coming from, in order: Garmin Vivoactive 5, 4, 3, 2, Pebble Time, Pebble OG.
Preferred the healthstats on the Garmin out of the box. Great indicator if I’m getting sick based on its measurements or if I’m not being as active as I should be.
I had a pixel watch 2, and my main activity with it was charging. Then I got a OnePlus watch R2, and that thing is way better. I mainly use it to track my activities, sleep, etc. But another benefit I wouldn’t want to miss is to quickly check what has been ringing up my phone without taking my phone out. Oh, and having a quick look at the temperature/rain forecast before I go out has saved me thousands of times.
Samsung watch 6.
Got it to monitor my heart which does not work on me for medical reasons though. It’s one of the cheapest but is still full featured (imo) but only with Samsung mobiles.
Really nice for managing notifications and using for media controls. A little fitness tracking.
Home assistant usage was great like until a year ago and now it simply doesn’t really work anymore.
I’ve had a few. I mostly use it to tell time, overview the weather and get notified about calls. I have a toddler that sleeps with me. I am also on-call for work half the time, so if I get called in the middle of the night it wakes me up so that I can sneak off to work a bit without waking the kid.
My pebble time had a great Google maps app for navigating. It was great. Nothing screams tourist like walking around with your phone to navigate.
