[Samsung Galaxy Watch] Whammamoosha:
NOTE: Either it has been a f***ing big time coincidence, or it was triggered on Samsung servers somehow (?) by trying to download the firmware to my notebook using SAMFIRM (it was identified, R805FXXU1ESI1, but failed to download), or Samsung reacted real quick to this post, but anyway in a matter of hours after posting this I'm getting the September update through the official channel (Galaxy Wearable app). The updates below were posted before this very note. Just installed. Loving the new look and all features and corrections I mentioned are there! At the time of this writing the online documentation (https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R805F/ZTA/doc.html) still points to the February update (R805FXXU1DSB3, posted in May). EDIT: the update introduced a known bug, one that makes the watch disconnect while updating bundled apps and the update stalls. I guess this may be why Samsung was holding back the updates. OMG. A patch that solves a problem but introduces another. Like Microsoft with "Windwoes" 10.

UPDATE: now it doesn't even serve as a watch. It entered Daylight Savings Time, which has been abolished in the country, and the time settings option is grayed out. Well done, "Sam-Jong"!

UPDATE 2: it looks like there are builds for all regions up to September, but Sam-Jong is lazy enough not to publish them. Just change the region code (ZTA) in the link below and check it.

http://fota-cloud-dn.ospserver.net/firmware/ZTA/SM-R805F/version.test.xml

UPDATE 3: there is even an October update for region TGY:

http://fota-cloud-dn.ospserver.net/firmware/TGY/SM-R805F/version.test.xml

Samsung is holding off these releases for some obscure reason. One of them could be sabotaging Galaxy Watch to favor the Active lineup, like they did to the Note 9 to favor the Note 10.

***

I have an expensive Galaxy Watch LTE, a high-end product, bought at Claro/Brazil this week, national/legal, model SM-R805F.

I've read that it received an update that allows it to monitor outdoor swim training (at the sea), so I bought the model.

The problem is that, even after the firmware update, it does not offer this function, nor several others that have been announced. The lag in step count in walks goes uncorrected.

I did some research and found out that this same model (SM-R805F) received an update abroad in May, which is already outdated, but here there's no update since February, even more outdated.

What's the reason behind this disrespect towards Brazil, and especially towards the LTE variant, top of the line? The BT variant (model SM-R800, without LTE) was updated here in September. So LTE here is at least 7 months behind BT.

LTE for me is a requirement.

Here follows Samsung's own update documentation.

Germany (DBT Region, carrier-free):

https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R805F/DBT/doc.html (May firmware)

Brazil (ZTA [Claro] and ZVV [Vivo]):

https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R805F/ZTA/doc.html (February firmware)

https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R805F/ZVV/doc.html (February firmware)

The ZTO region (Brazil, carrie-free) does not exist for this model, the following page does not exist:

https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R805F/ZTO/doc.html

although the model is reported on sale by the Samsung Brazil page. It never existed, was never available for sale. Samsung says on its page that it is available in its own stores, but that has not left the papers. I went to several stores and the answer is always the same: "only available at the carriers".

The ZTO region only exists for the BT variant:

https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-R800/ZTO/doc.html (September firmware).

I've tried all the way to contact Samsung, chat, Samsung Members app and etc, I tried the number 0800-942-9060, a number that a store dealer gave me, but when I call during office hours a recorded voice informs you that at the moment they cannot answer, and at other times it informs you to call during office hours. A real booby trap.

All the answers I received by the other means were "we can do nothing". They don't even give a justification for what is happening.

I have a laptop, a TV, wired and wireless chargers, a dock, a tablet and a Note, all recent, all Samsung tops, but apparently the king has laid in splendid cradle and thinks he can abandon the user that bets in the company's products.

I am responsible for IT in a growing business, I recently recommended buying more than a dozen Samsung Expert X30 laptops for employees, but I am reviewing this recommendation.