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? 

[LongHiker]

@kamild_ Why not use a Reminder instead of a timer? 

Reminder is a different app than the clock. I use Reminders daily. Some of my reminders repeat daily, some weekly. When I was sick, I would set reminders to take meds every so many hours. 

[kamild_]

Reminders won't work because I need to be reminded about something that doesn't happen on a fixed schedule. It dynamically shifts several minutes back and forth.

[realaud]

Then use the phone timer. Your watch battery will remain normal and you will still be able to keep track of whatever you are keeping track of.
Yes, you cannot complain sbout battery drain when you have AOD on and are using an app meant to run in the foreground. Either accept that it on remains hidden for a little while or turn off AOD when you set the timer. What yiu want is irrelevant here, as it's not going to change any time soon. You have options, you don't want to use them. You don't want help, you want to complain.

[kamild_]

I know I can use my phone instead. I know I can use literally anything else with a timer feature instead. I don't mean to be rude, but do you really think people need to be told that? Do you consider that help?

I want to use my smartwatch for it because it's the most convenient. I came here asking for help on how to make the watch stop doing something that cannot be rationally explained. Instead I get told that "this is intended", "I'm using the feature wrong" and "you can just use something else for this". It's shifting blame that can confuse people, and it certainly confused me, thinking I did not explain my problem clearly enough.

If the watch's software has a bug, just call it a bug. Better for both of us, as we can just move on. And maybe, just maybe, someone from Samsung catches wind of this and fixes this problem.

[realaud]

It's not s bug, it's intent. You don't like the way a feature functions, don't use it or, if you really wanted help, you would use any if the workarounds suggested.

[kamild_]

Do you mind explaining how that's a feature? What problem does it aim to solve?

[realaud]

Timer, by their nature are meant to stay on. Again, if you were using your watch the way most people do, the screen would go off and this would not be an issue, but you choose to have the screen on, which would create battery drain because the countdown is causing the screen pixels to move, which uses power.

[kamild_]

"Timer, by their nature are meant to stay on"

Depends on what you mean. If by "stay on" you mean "continue counting down the time continuously until the user explicitly stops the timer", then I agree. But if you mean "continue showing the time as it counts down", then I would argue. Why?

If you look at classic timers - you know, the simple digital ones with one or a few time-related functions, then they continuously show the time. But these are old, purpose-made devices. What we have on our wrists right now are essentially computers. And one of the traits of today's computers is that they are capable of performing a multitude of tasks at once.

Smartwatches are modern devices, and they should IMO behave as a modern device. Open a timer on a Windows/Mac PC, or an Android/iOS smartphone. Does the timer forcibly stay on your screen? It does not. It chills in the background counting time until you bring it into the foreground. That's how a smartwatch should also behave.

As for the battery drain... I agree with you, having the timer continuously display on the screen is what's causing the battery drain. It's not what I'm arguing, and it's why I'm starting to get worried once again that you're not fully understanding what I'm complaining about. Because I am not complaining about an active timer being displayed on the screen eating battery. That is not my problem.

[LongHiker]

@kamild_ You can easily edit the reminder when it pops up. I did this with the med reminders. If I didn't take the med at noon but at 1, I would edit the next reminder to happen at 6 instead of 5. 

[kamild_]

Thank you. It doesn't sound as convenient as the timer method, but I'll try this out as an alternative.