Galaxy Watch 7 Update 8.0 — Major Downgrade in SmartThings Tiles and Usability

[userxOVfuyKw2D]

I don't usually waste my time commenting on things like this, but this was so frustrating I had to let everyone know how Samsung messed up on this upgrade. After the latest 8.0 update, my Galaxy Watch 7 feels like it took a huge step backward in functionality. 

1. SmartThings Routines Tile:
   This used to be perfect — four buttons, each clearly labeled with at least an abbreviation of the routine name. Nice and simple, scroll to the tile and hit a button. Now there’s no text at all. Unless I make each icon unique, I can’t tell one routine from another. The only way to see what’s what is to open the full SmartThings app, tap All routines, and scroll. That’s several extra steps for what used to take one glance.

2. SmartThings Devices Tile:
   Another downgrade. It used to handle four devices plus a (…) button to access the full list. Now I can only fit two devices, and the (…) shortcut is gone. There are “new” tiles that open the full device list, but they only handle one device at a time and remember the last one used — not the one I want pinned as default. It now takes four tiles to do what one tile used to do.

3. Heart Rate Tile:
   Used to give full info at a glance. Now there’s a pointless “preview” tile that only gives minimal information, which you have to tap just to see the full tile that you used to see instantly. I don't want to spend all day scrolling and tapping my watch. I want to look at it and go. This "splash screen" tile is just lipstick on a pig, which made the pig uglier.

4. New Design (Oval Backgrounds):
   Whoever decided to shrink the usable display area on a round watch with an oval shaded background needs to rethink that choice. It wastes screen space, drains battery lighting up extra pixels, and hides the clear functional layout we had before. I don't want anything that distracts me from whatever information I am trying to take in. That includes lighting up extra pixels just to make it look fancy. Fancy is nothing more than a distraction.
   
   5. The new vertical tile stacking: 
   I don't need a dozen tiles lined up over/under each other, that's what scrolling right/left is for. Having to scroll left, right (and now) up and down is just too much.

This downgrade annoyed me off so bad that I deleted all the tiles except the music controls and SmartThings controls, because this “downgrade” made the watch much less intuitive and flat-out frustrating. Please bring back the old SmartThings tiles — the functional ones that actually made sense. Or you are going to force me to use the chatbot coding tools available and return to creating my own tiles. 

[nature_554]

I have to agree with most of this.  For me it's just the new tiles.  Give us the option for half size or full size tiles.  for Sleep.. there is only the small half size one.  It doesn't show sleep time.  I loved to be able to see that quickly each night.  Also the full screen heart for activity tracking was great.  

Maybe the half size pill is good for some things.. but still give us the option for a full size one that would use the full size of the screen.  Please!

[MissLatte]

Watch 7 upgrade is a MAJOR DOWNGRADE!!!! I liked and need the larger tiles. Hate, hate, hate the stackable tiles. Who ever created it should be fired.
I am extremely dissatisfied. I wish I had just changed to iPhone before getting this watch. It's still a possibility.

[nullandvoid]

I actually like the new design, especially the stackable widgets.  I can group like apps together and not have to scroll forever for essential tiles.  I like the color coding, and I am not too haughty to tap a widget to expand the full information.  The information provided on the widget is exactly the information I want to see at a glance - if I want/need to see more, like I said, I can tap to expand.

[SorchaUK]

I agree - the tiny tiles are hard to see and really miss the quick at a glance style tiles- they were so elegant at conveying a lot of information very quickly. This update feels old fashioned and a real step backwards.  There isn't even a option to restore old tile types. It's really put me off upgrading to a Samsung watch again next time, when they can impose such a massive change on tile style like this.

[Lumaria]

Don't forget about the HUGE hit to battery life too. Once I updated to the latest version of OneUI, that being 8, it just killed my watch's all day battery life including when using apps. It's so frustrating that I'll even attempt a risky downgrade operation to get my watch to how it used to be.

[nullandvoid]

I (and millions of others) haven't had one iota of change in battery uptime on my watch since the update.  In fact, it may have improved slightly.