Sleep tracking completely broken on Galaxy Watch6

[Steven P. Administrators]

My Watch thinks I had two sleep sessions today while I was downstairs on the treadmill or sitting at my desk working

1,178 steps were recorded between 10:00 and 10:30 but apparently I was asleep in my bed from 10:21am

Really fed up with this watch, I bought it specifically for sleep tracking (because I wake up tired a lot) and all it has managed to do is add stress through the crappy or non existent reporting

It typically only records a couple of hours sleep a night. On the 24th and 26th I was offered to enter sleep data manually, which more or less actually reflected the time I was in bed and asleep, but it doesn't show any sleep stages or anything, just the amount of time I agreed I was asleep for.

I've looked all over and tried all of the advice

• I wear my watch snug and "two fingers" above the wrist bone
• I wear my Watch6 "snug"
• I purchased the fabric band, because Samsung says that is better for sleeping
• I tried wearing it round the other way so the watch face faces out on my inner wrist
• I tried wearing it on my ankle 
• I tried restarting the watch
• I tried unlinking Sleep mode with my Galaxy S23 Ultra
• I tried factory resetting (I relinked Sleep mode with my phone after realizing this did not work)
• I tried deleting Samsung Health app data and cache

For some people it either works flawlessly,. or like mine, completely useless.

One thing I've noticed for the past two nights is that my Watch6 requires a PIN when I wake up, this should only happen if I take my Watch off and put it back on (it is a requirement for Google Wallet) but I do not consciously take off my Watch at night, and it is too snug to accidentally register as being taken off.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Fezmid Reviews]

I bought an Oura Ring and it's awesome, especially for sleep tracking. Much more comfortable than wearinga watch too. Doesn't do activity tracking quite as well as a watch but it's decent.

[testman]

Yep, it's a very long standing issue with the Galaxy Watches, I have the exact same issue with my Watch 5.

 

Weirdly, with my Galaxy Fit it worked perfectly immediately before I switched to the Watch 5 - I could fall asleep in the afternoon in the front room chair and it would record it, but the Watch 5 couldn't detect it.

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 29/12/2023 at 19:54, Fezmid said:

I bought an Oura Ring and it's awesome, especially for sleep tracking. Much more comfortable than wearinga watch too. Doesn't do activity tracking quite as well as a watch but it's decent.

Samsung is supposedly coming with a ring, it is rumored to cost $300+ too. So I am holding my breath for that announcement at CES, or otherwise MWC Barcelona at the end of February.

I would rather keep my tracked Health data with one provider (Samsung in this case) also because the Oura Ring doesn't work with Samsung Health.

I might even end up selling my GW6 Classic if the ring comes to anything. I have found steps tracking is pretty accurate with my phone too (detecting leg falls as steps). I do half an hour sessions on the treadmill at 5.5km/h which ends up being roughly 3200 steps and my Watch (on my ankle) or phone in my pocket pretty much record the same amount. 

[Steven P. Administrators]

Tonight it recorded two stages. I did not get up or wake up in between and I manually turned off Sleep at 09:20

I manually turned it off, but Sleep tracking stopped almost two and a half hours earlier, okay... ?

[testman]

Workaround is to use another sleep app like Sleep As Android, installed on both the watch and phone. Within that you can enable export to Google Fit and Samsung Health. The app will record your heart rate from the watch, while the phone app can record your snoring.

Unfortunately the scores and recommendations won't update based on the exported data, but at least you will have more accurate data in Samsung Health.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 29/12/2023 at 15:44, Steven P. said:

My Watch thinks I had two sleep sessions today while I was downstairs on the treadmill or sitting at my desk working

I can't explain the treadmill, but I've fallen asleep plenty of times while at my desk writing out monotonous reports...

Back to the subject, I didn't realise I was so fortunate. I've had my Galaxy Watch for a few years now and never had any major issues that I can think of. If so many people have reported a similar situation, has Samsung acknowledged the issue?

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 31/12/2023 at 10:15, Nick H. said:

If so many people have reported a similar situation, has Samsung acknowledged the issue?

They haven't acknowledged it. It either works great for people or terribly like my experience.

Before this Watch I used the original Galaxy Watch 46mm, and until the most recent major updates to Samsung Health with the new icons and whatever, the Tizen version of my original worked great, also with Sleep tracking, but directly after the update it had the same performance as the Watch6.

Other tracking sensors appear to be fine, like steps, stress and heart rate and so forth.. it is just Sleep that is so broken for me.

Last night:

Time in bed 0:148 (it was actually 01:10) until 03:33 (it was actually 09:20)

So my Watch thinks I've been out of bed since 03:33am ....

Looking at my heart rate measurement, it recorded between 51 -106bpm between 03:30 - 03:57 that must have been the time I woke up and went to the bathroom to blow my nose, because for the rest of the night it's under 90. so one explanation is that it stops tracking when I get out of bed to go to the bathroom or whatever. I guess it's extremely dumb in that it sometimes can't detect that I went back to sleep again within my set Sleep schedule? 

[aphanic]

There may not be much for you to do I'm afraid, sleep tracking through wearables is highly dependent on the sensors and algorithms used (heart rate monitoring too, but the topic is on sleep), the data presented in these two videos should give you some insight on how your Watch6 fairs, even if it is not a formal study with several subjects (there are videos for the Classic too, if yours is one of those):

 

I do not think people should take biometric reports out of devices like these as accurate, they could be, but they are more like general trends or "in the ballpark of", except for a couple of them. Bands (bracelets), which are cheaper and more widespread, are also less reliable overall, even popular ones. Apple Watches on the other hand tend to be more reliable, but they do require iPhones.

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 31/12/2023 at 13:21, aphanic said:

I do not think people should take biometric reports out of devices like these as accurate, they could be, but they are more like general trends or "in the ballpark of", except for a couple of them. Bands (bracelets), which are cheaper and more widespread, are also less reliable overall, even popular ones. Apple Watches on the other hand tend to be more reliable, but they do require iPhones.

Yeah I am aware that Apple's sleep tracking is miles better through what I've read online and someone I know who has an Apple Watch.

What bothers me is that Samsung promotes it heavily, but it is sub-par in my experience, well on Android WearOS it is.. it used to be fine on Tizen.

[testman]

In my opinion the sensors are fine, it's the software/firmware that is awful. On exact same watch and phone Sleep As Android works fine.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Well I give up. I have now put the Watch6 up for repair, they will pick it up tomorrow.

I've tried so many different things over the last month and a half since I got it, and read so many different topics, nothing has helped. I am starting to suspect that something is up with the sensors.

 

Here is what I have tried:

• Cleaned sensors several times with 99.9% isopropanol with lint-free cloth (glasses cleaning cloth)
• Tried default Silicon band, Galaxy Watch6 Fabric Band (M/L) tight and watch face pointed inward, makes no difference
• Factory reset several times (but restored from Backup each time)
• Heart rate monitor is on Continuous
• All privacy and Sensors are set to "allowed" for Samsung Health and Health Platform
  • one must go deep menu diving in a lot of Privacy related permissions!
• Sleep mode schedule set (between 01:00 and 09:00) on phone and watch
  • because for some strange reason they are completely separate from each other
• The entire month of January measured just an average of 1-2 hours each night
• Nothing measured in the past 3 nights, was asked to enter manually
• It doesn't matter if I take my phone to bed or not (sleep tracking same result)
• I have been taking my phone to bed with me for the last two weeks, but this has not helped
• "Snore detection" is on or off, makes no difference in the result

Below are the averages, as can be seen at most 1-2 hours a night was tracked it was like that before the Jan 9 as well:

 

 

28th, 29th and today I was asked to enter manually.

 

Only difference is I also tried Sleep Cycle app last couple of weeks, but people who have used it said that Sleep Cycle actually fixed Sleep Tracking for them. For me it appears to have gotten worse.

[NinjaGinger]

Just got a Galaxy watch 8, thank the gods it IS the app and not me.

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 31/01/2024 at 08:18, NinjaGinger said:

Just got a Galaxy watch 8, thank the gods it IS the app and not me.

Galaxy Watch6 is the newest. Apple Watch 8 is Apple's newest.

[adrynalyne]

On 31/01/2024 at 01:44, Steven P. said:

Galaxy Watch6 is the newest. Apple Watch 8 is Apple's newest.

9 for Apple. 

[Steven P. Administrators]

Mine was just picked up.

[testman]

I doubt it's the sensors. As I mentioned before, Sleep As Android works fine. In fact I leave it, I do not turn it on, and Sleep As Android knows when I fall asleep and turns the phone app on automatically. It picks up my Sleep patterns, and seems to work fine.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Hi, it's me again! 🙋‍♂️

Finally after trying since August 2023 with different Galaxy Watch models (original 2018 Classic, 5, 4 and now Watch6 Classic) I now have a "sleep animal" for the first time.

But I can only get sleep to track when I wear it on my ankle at night. If I wear it on my wrist, it only tracks between 1-2 hours.

I am the first to admit I do not get great or enough sleep. I am usually tired in the afternoon and will sometimes have an hour nap.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 07/05/2024 at 16:50, Steven P. said:

But I can only get sleep to track when I wear it on my ankle at night. If I wear it on my wrist, it only tracks between 1-2 hours.

I am the first to admit I do not get great or enough sleep. I am usually tired in the afternoon and will sometimes have an hour nap.

Yeah man, I usually get 8-9 hours each night but even then I occasionally have a nap around 1400. I'd die following your sleep rota.

I was about to ask how the heck you get it on your ankle, but I guess you've got a strap that completely undoes?

I don't get told what kind of animal I relate to with my sleeping habits. I would assume a hibernating bear or something. World War 3 could be happening outside my window and I wouldn't know. 

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 07/05/2024 at 18:01, Nick H. said:

I was about to ask how the heck you get it on your ankle, but I guess you've got a strap that completely undoes?

Yeah this is what I have (link). Through sheer luck the textile end of the band can relatively easily be pulled through the watch clasp loop so I can attach it round my ankle. As a result there's no plastic or metal to break or wear/get bent out of shape.

I also discovered some things I have not tried while I was doing some searching online about ankle wearing and sleep tracking

• Disable Sleep Mode schedule syncing to watch (well i have tried this before, but not the following:)
  • But also, clear the automatic Sleep Mode schedule on the Watch and disable it
  • But also, disable Sleep Mode schedule on the phone, because this sets (certain conditions, but in my case) Do Not Disturb on the Watch
• Then: Turn on Sleep Mode manually on the Watch (or let the Watch detect it)
• Set Always on Display schedule to turn off between 01:00-09:00 on the phone
• In WearOS enable "Sync Do not Disturb with Phone" - this allows you to set the conditions you used to have in the phone's Sleep Mode if you take it to bed with you.

What we're trying to achieve here, is not have the Phone override a Watch setting for sleep tracking.

It seems like thanks to Samsung's crappy settings soup, the Phone or the Watch override each other depending on the setting.

For example, in Sleep Mode on the Phone, I also have "enable Do not Disturb" on, but my Watch automatically sets Do Not Disturb on my phone when it enters Sleep mode, so two settings, which one cancelled the other out?

Same with schedule when it is synced, according to some reddit comments, the Sleep Mode schedule Sync from the phone cancels out the schedule set on the watch (like, it overrides it).

So instead, now I am letting my Watch set Do not Disturb on my phone, and I am manually setting a schedule for AoD instead of having the phone's Sleep Mode turn off the screen.

Samsung made it far more difficult and complicated than it needs to be, especially so after they buried Bedtime Mode behind an additional "Modes" menu on the Watch with an update at the end of last year.

[satukoro]

On 07/05/2024 at 12:51, Steven P. said:

Yeah this is what I have (link). Through sheer luck the textile end of the band can relatively easily be pulled through the watch clasp loop so I can attach it round my ankle. As a result there's no plastic or metal to break or wear/get bent out of shape.

I also discovered some things I have not tried while I was doing some searching online about ankle wearing and sleep tracking

• Disable Sleep Mode schedule syncing to watch (well i have tried this before, but not the following:)
  • But also, clear the automatic Sleep Mode schedule on the Watch and disable it
  • But also, disable Sleep Mode schedule on the phone, because this sets (certain conditions, but in my case) Do Not Disturb on the Watch
• Then: Turn on Sleep Mode manually on the Watch (or let the Watch detect it)
• Set Always on Display schedule to turn off between 01:00-09:00 on the phone
• In WearOS enable "Sync Do not Disturb with Phone" - this allows you to set the conditions you used to have in the phone's Sleep Mode if you take it to bed with you.

What we're trying to achieve here, is not have the Phone override a Watch setting for sleep tracking.

It seems like thanks to Samsung's crappy settings soup, the Phone or the Watch override each other depending on the setting.

For example, in Sleep Mode on the Phone, I also have "enable Do not Disturb" on, but my Watch automatically sets Do Not Disturb on my phone when it enters Sleep mode, so two settings, which one cancelled the other out?

Same with schedule when it is synced, according to some reddit comments, the Sleep Mode schedule Sync from the phone cancels out the schedule set on the watch (like, it overrides it).

So instead, now I am letting my Watch set Do not Disturb on my phone, and I am manually setting a schedule for AoD instead of having the phone's Sleep Mode turn off the screen.

Samsung made it far more difficult and complicated than it needs to be, especially so after they buried Bedtime Mode behind an additional "Modes" menu on the Watch with an update at the end of last year.

My Galaxy Watch 4 worked great for nearly two years until a couple months ago I got a wearOS update that just brought this thing to its knees.

It takes anywhere between 5 seconds and never for it to update how many steps I have on the step counter tile. Sometimes it just goes back to sleep before finally showing me how many steps I got. My watch has the most random lag spikes, and I have most of what it does turned off. The only thing on constantly is the heart rate tracker and bluetooth.

It was a significant enough change in usability that I'm no longer interested in Samsung's watches if they're going to nerf the usability after two years on a watch that cost hundreds of dollars.

 

That said if anyone has recommendations for a watch that does heart rate (don't need analytics, just maybe the range for the day), steps, a timer/alarm, and text notifications, I'd love to hear em.

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 08/05/2024 at 14:44, satukoro said:

My Galaxy Watch 4 worked great for nearly two years until a couple months ago I got a wearOS update that just brought this thing to its knees.

My Tizen-based Galaxy Watch Classic 46mm was accurate until they did the big Samsung Health update at the end of summer last year.

Then I bought a second hand Galaxy Watch 4 Classic that had great battery life (3+ days) and great sleep tracking until a WearOS update completely broke the sleep tracking.

But I like the look of the Galaxy Watch Classic and the dial bezel.

 

On 08/05/2024 at 14:44, satukoro said:

That said if anyone has recommendations for a watch that does heart rate (don't need analytics, just maybe the range for the day), steps, a timer/alarm, and text notifications, I'd love to hear em.

Fitbit and Apple Watches are the most reliable that I have heard about in my search online to try and fix the issues I've been having.