We have loved the Samsung Galaxy Watch series since the very first version, even though it took Samsung a while to fully realise the smartwatch's full potential and didn't actually do that much in the beginning. We don't have that feeling anymore though, the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is one of the very best smartwatches. The health and fitness tracking that originally overpromised and underdelivered are part of our daily habits, we've nailed the notifications so we're not getting nagged all the time and it looks pretty good too.
Everybody uses their Samsung Galaxy Watch in different ways, but there are some things we all do – and some mistakes we think most of us make too. Here are the top six mistakes you're probably making with your Samsung Galaxy Watch.
1. Using the standard widgets
Fo me, one of the most useful things about the Samsung Galaxy Watch is the widgets. These widgets allow you to quickly see useful information with a simple swipe on the display.
You can speed up these interactions by removing widgets that aren't relevant to you and reordering the ones that are.
Simply open the Galaxy Wearable app and open the Widgets panel. We'd suggest you put your most-used widgets at the beginning, and hide any that aren't useful.
You can do the same with apps.
2. Not personalising the home button double-press shortcut
Another way to improve your smartwatch experience is to personalise what double-pressing the home button does.
You can set it to launch a favourite app or perform essential actions. It's a really useful shortcut and should be utilised to its full extent.
3. Getting notified twice for the same notification
Smartwatch notifications can be really useful, but let's face it, they can also be really annoying. If you find it annoying that whenever you receive a notification both your watch and phone vibrate then this tip is for you.
Head to the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app on your phone and navigate to the Notifications section. Then turn on the setting that will mute your phone while you're wearing your smartwatch.
4. Not downloading music for offline listening
This one's not essential but it has saved us on a few occasions. Just like your smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy smartwatch has local storage allowing you to download music and images for offline playback.
This enables you to go for a run without your phone and listen to music through wireless headphones.
To add content to your watch, open the Galaxy Wearable app and select Add content to your watch.
5. Not using Swimming mode
If you wear your smartwatch all of the time, including in the shower, bath, and swimming pool, then make sure you turn on the Water Lock mode. This essentially turns off the 'touch' part of your touchscreen display and prevents accidental touches when you're in the water.
To enable the Water Lock mode simply swipe down the quick settings menu and tap the droplet icon.
6. Not setting up SOS emergency shortcut
We think one of the most important smartwatch features is the 'SOS' function, which will send an emergency notification to selected contacts once triggered. It's especially useful if you can't reach your smartphone for whatever reason. This has proved to be lifesaving in the past, so it's well worth setting up, as you'd be sorry if you needed it but hadn't set it up yet.
Weirdly the SOS function on the Galaxy Watch isn't enabled by default, so you need to head to 'Send SOS requests' in the Galaxy Wearable app. Switch on the option and add the contact details of your emergency contacts.
Now, when you press the home button three times in quick succession, your watch will text the emergency contacts you've selected with your coordinates.
Don't worry about accidental notifications though – you can also enable a short countdown to ensure it doesn't send SOS signals by mistake.
