Timer keeps popping up on its own

[kamild_]

Hello,

I have a Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. I started using the timer more often recently to count down a few hours at a time. I don't need to have it visible on the screen, so I hide it.

The problem is, the timer will sometimes just show up on my watch, completely unprompted. Which is an issue, because an active timer drains the battery hard.

I can't figure out how to force the watch to stop doing that. I looked this issue up and saw a mention about "routines", but I don't know where to see or access them. Apparently it could be part of Bixby, but I am not using Bixby (I don't even have it configured).

Is there a way to make this behavior stop? 

[realaud]

The timer doesn't stay hidden.  It uses the same amount of energy in the background as it does in the foreground.  May I ask what you are trying to accomplish by setting the timer?  Routines can be accessed and created in settings/modes and routines by accessing the routines tab from the bottom menu.  You can also create a custom mode such as for whatever you are trying to accomplish by setting the timer.

[kamild_]

Thank you for the answer.

Unfortunately, the statement about energy draw is simply not true. I have left the timer in the foreground before. Within around 2 hours, my battery level has gone from about 80% to 15%. Having it in the foreground absolutely chews through battery, in stark contrast to leaving it in the background where it doesn't seem to drain the battery at all.

There's also the simple aspect of convenience. This issue forces me to press the Home button every so often just so I can check the time.

I have gone through the settings on the watch, and I was unable to find anything that would resemble a "routine", could it be that it's not available depending on the region or something?

[realaud]

Routines are controlled by the phone and you would have to set the watch settings to sync with the phone. If you tell me what you are trying to accomplish, I can try to create a mode or routine for you.

[kamild_]

I've browsed through the settings within the Galaxy Watch app on my phone and I couldn't find anything like that either. Unless this is a Samsung-exclusive feature, which might be a problem because I do not own a Samsung smartphone.

Each day I just want to be reminded of something 4 hours later, sometimes twice a day, and it does not happen on a fixed schedule, so I don't think this is something I can possibly automate.

[realaud]

Modes and rotines are not in the watch app on the phone. They are in the phone settings. If you do not have a Samsung phone, you probably won't have the setting. In any case, your watch screen should time out when the timer is in use, unless you set the watch to have always on display. It's the AOD that eats your battery, not the fact that the timer is on in the foreground. Whatever brand phone you have, I'm sure it also has a timer, so you can always use the phone's timer function.

[kamild_]

Yes, I do have AOD enabled, but the AOD by itself - without any timers running - does not drain the battery that much, the watch still easily lasts for a full day. Having the timer open amplifies the battery drain tenfold. And that's the problem - I launch the timer, I press the Home button to put it in the background, I see the watch face so I move on with my day, then I look at the watch maybe an hour later and the timer is unexplainably in the foreground again. That sounds like erroneous behavior to me, because I don't know what purpose would it have.

And yeah, I can use my phone's timer instead... But the smartwatch is more handy and always with me, unlike my phone 🙂

[realaud]

The timer will drain the battery if you keep the screen on. You are able to hide it do you can use other functions on rhe watch, but it does pop up again. I use the timer all the time, not for hours at a time, but for over an hour. Ehile it is ob, the screen tmes out as normal, so the only drain is normal timer use. If you screen is staying on while the timer is active, that's a different problem.

[realaud]

Thats because with aid on and the timer running, the screen is active and changing with the countdown. The timer is not meant to *stay* hidden. You can't have AOD on and then complain about battery drain. How busy do you have to be that you can't tap the screen to see the time? You can also just set it to raise wrist to wake. But, to each their own

[kamild_]

"The timer is not meant to *stay* hidden."

Why? 

• If I want the timer to be visible all the time, then I open it and leave it in the foreground.
• If I do not want the timer to be visible all the time, then I press the Home button to hide it.
• If I want to hide the timer only for a moment, then I press the Home button, do what I want to do, then re-open the timer.

Is my thinking not reasonable here? Is the watch trying to be smarter than me at guessing what I actually want instead of paying attention to my operations? Because that's not smart, it's the opposite. It's dumb.

"You can't have AOD on and then complain about battery drain."

I'm sorry, but you seem to be not fully understanding the actual problem here. Allow me to repeat: 

I launch the timer, I press the Home button to put it in the background, I see the watch face (the part with the current time) so I move on with my day, then I look at the watch maybe an hour later without even touching the watch in the meantime, and the timer is unexplainably in the foreground again.

How is AOD at fault here? Yes, having AOD disabled would also prevent this problem from occurring, but so would throwing a disobedient watch into the trash can. Neither of those are the right solution. The right solution is for the watch to realize that if I put the timer in the background, I want it to stay in the background unless I manually bring it back up again.