Eric; I have been asked by a very unlikely source to help a T1D. This diabetic wants to have a ‘standalone’ watch with the xDrip application. The source is a Dexcom employee. He knows I use the SWR50 with xDrip. This employee also says he gets many requests for this information. I hesitate to offer a detailed step by step detail for this setup. I am sure that this person would also like to know of any other watch that offers this fool-proof standalone operation.
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
Are you asking about an xDrip watch? Sorry for my confusion, this thread covered a wide array of topics.
Eric; No. I have the famous Sony SWR50 Smartwatch. In fact I have a pair of these watches, one as a backup. Right now I am trying to discover the problem with my watch battery life reduction. I have had the watch showing 60% battery after 16 hours of use with xDrip+. I have disabled all of the extra battery usage factors with xDrip. At this point the only thing that seems to work is to install an older version of xDrip. When I started using xDrip, about 2014, this problem did not exist.
Any ideas? The Wear app. shows that the xDrip app usage goes up to almost 20% after about 5 hours of operation.
No, I am sorry I do not know much about that.
There are others here who know much more about that. You should post the question publicly.
Tag “docslotnick” in your post like this - @docslotnick
What battery usage were you getting prior to this issue? I also have two SWR50 watches, one for backup. The batteries on both of them eventually failed, and although I read you can replace the batteries (maybe by you??), I’ve yet to try replacing them. Instead, I no longer use the SWR50 watch since I switched to Loop on iPhone.
Hwr, when I was using the Sony SWR50 Smartwatch as standalone, 60% battery after 16 hours of xDrip+ usage was rather typical. I did have Steps and Treatments enabled, as well as Force Wear enabled in xDrip+.
You mentioned using xDrip+ in 2014 did not have this issue. xDrip+ did not support the SWR50 smartwatch in standalone mode at that time. I forget the exact timing but I believe it was in Oct 2016 (you can view the github code log to see exact history). So perhaps you do not need the watch in standalone mode (ie., standalone means using the watch as the Dexcom BG collector without having the phone nearby)? If so, then go to Settings - Smartwatch Features - Android Wear Integration and disable Enable Wear Collection Service, and Force Wear Collection Service. Disabling standalone mode should definitely save watch battery usage!
@dmac If I were looking for a watch at this time to use as a stand alone, I would get a BlueJay watch. That is the watch that is being developed by the xDrip+ dev JamOrHam.
https://bluejay.website/
But for now I have a couple of SSW3’s that work just fine.
Thanks for all of the responses to my battery charge life problem.
I first started using the Sony SWR50 on 7/12/2018, 11:08AM, as a ‘Standalone Collector’. At that time I had more than 50% battery charge after 16 hours of operation.
The reason I need the ‘Standalone Collector’ operation is I am not able to always have my smartphone available, security and environment restrictions. I am also a long distance competitive runner an don’t want the extra inconvenience of a smartphone during a run.
I’m not exactly sure when the battery charge started to reduce. It seems to have happened all of a sudden. I do know that after a complete reprogramming with xDrip and the Wear OS the battery charge again increases to the original level, 50% after 16 hours of operation. After a couple of days it again drops to less than 10% after about 14 hours.
I have replaced the battery in my watch. If you do replace the battery make sure that it matches the original 420 mAh specification. There are some sellers that are selling a 240 mAh battery for the SWR50 that only last about 8 hours before complete discharge.
I did start using my ‘new’ SWR20. Again first displayed more than 50% charge after 16 hours but quickly dropped to less than 10% after 14 hours.
For the SWR50 the battery change is pretty simple. Just make sure that you have the correct battery.
Dennis
I am very dependent on the Sony SWR50 for my ‘Standalone Collector’. It seems to be the perfect device for my application. I do hope that the watch being developed by JamOrHam has the transflective display.
I have even had a former promoter, Verizon, of the SWR50 to try to get Sony to again start production. As yet no success.
I first started using the Sony SWR50 on 7/12/2018, 11:08AM, as a ‘Standalone Collector’. At that time I had more than 50% battery charge after 16 hours of operation.
The reason I need the ‘Standalone Collector’ operation is I am not able to always have my smartphone available, security and environment restrictions. I am also a long distance competitive runner an don’t want the extra inconvenience of a smartphone during a run.
I’m not exactly sure when the battery charge started to reduce. It seems to have happened all of a sudden. I do know that after a complete reprogramming with xDrip and the Wear OS the battery charge again increases to the original level, 50% after 16 hours of operation. After a couple of days it again drops to less than 10% after about 14 hours.
I have replaced the battery in my watch. If you do replace the battery make sure that it matches the original 420 mAh specification. There are some sellers that are selling a 240 mAh battery for the SWR50 that only last about 8 hours before complete discharge.
I did start using my ‘new’ SWR20. Again first displayed more than 50% charge after 16 hours but quickly dropped to less than 10% after 14 hours.
For the SWR50 the battery change is pretty simple. Just make sure that you have the correct battery.
Yes, this is the same reason I used the watch as standalone collector!!
Hmm, this seems to indicate the issue is battery related and not necessarily xDrip+. Have you already tried disabling all non-essential standalone settings, such as Steps, Treatments, etc., which use up quite a bit of battery? Also, you may want to Reset Wear DB (in xDrip+ phone Settings hamburger menu item) to see if that improves the battery usage. This is typically auto performed daily but if your watch is disconnected from your phone, data may be accumulated on the watch.
Refer to Enable xDrip+ Android Wear Integration for additional options which may not be essential to you. For example, Sync Wear Logs, Enable BG Alerts (on watch), etc., may not be essential.
What do you mean by ‘new’ SWR20? Your existing SWR50 watch with a new 420 mAh battery?
Question: Just as a test to try to determine whether the issue is with xDrip+ or not, can you try using your ‘new’ watch without xDrip+ standalone (ie., Disable both Enable and Force Wear in xDrip+ Settings), and see if you still get the battery drop?
@docslotnick Do you also experience a similar drop in battery?
Thanks for the details on changing the battery. That is still a TODO for me, and a good reminder I must still do it!!! 
@dmac Yes, my original SWR50 that I use as a collector now only lasts for about 6 hours on a charge. But I have continually been using it for three+ years. I’m ready to set up my spare, but it’s a real hassle trying to get xDrip+ to load onto
an Android Wear 1.5 watch. I’ll probably get a Blue Jay instead.
For now, I’m able to plug it in every five hours or so.
Yes I did mistyped the SWR50 below; SWR20. It should have read SWR50.
Yes I still experience the battery drop. The only thing that seems to make a temporary improvement is to do a complete reinstall of the Wear OS and xDrip+.
I have also disabled Steps, Treatments, WiFi, Constant Scanning and every other possibility. I may have missed something, just haven’t itemized all of the items.
I will also refer to the suggestions below about additional possibilities. It is still a mystery as to why this has happened. I am sure that when I first started using xDrip+ I did not have this problem with the original suggested enabled items.
As suggested below, data collection device, I have checked the battery with both options, watch or phone. I also tried to disable the watch display, unless touched. That also did not help.
I will categorize all of the suggestions below to review.
I the Wear OS is also suspect. I have not yet tried to reprogram the watch with a 2018 version.
Doc;
Since your watch configuration was working great I would suggest to just change the battery. That does not require any downloads. The original configuration remains. Only 6 hours is pretty ‘slim’. Just looking at my SWR50 it was fully charged at 4:00am. It is now 8:13am and has dropped to 70%. That shows it should still have 40% after 8 hours. This is with my ‘whatever’ existing problem. I need to double that battery life.
Dennis
You can install the wear xDrip+ app directly by following Howto Enable Debugging. And use the following command to install the apk:
use the command:
adb install -r downloaded-filename.apk
I recall that Wear OS version makes a difference. When I used the watch as collector, I used the older version after discovering auto updates caused problems! I forget which version I used but maybe @docslotnick can check his watch to see which version he is using. You may need to download it from apkmirror if you don’t already have it.
I am surprise by your comment; ‘it’s a real hassle trying to get xDrip+ to load onto
an Android Wear 1.5 watch’.
I guess I have done that operation so many times it is very quick and simple. I always start from ‘scratch’ no xDrip or Wear OS. The Wear OS download from Google Play is almost automatic with either Bluetooth or NFC between the phone and watch. NFC is much faster.
Dennis
I have the SWR50 watch. And I know the battery is getting weak.
It did work, but I had some issues with getting consistent numbers.
I ordered a bluejay watch last night. No idea really on how long it will take to get here.
I like the idea that it isn’t really a Wear OS, Tizen, etc. type OS. It is a slimmed down setup that should hopefully give a good battery life.
The low cost is nice, but really, battery life and standalone are my two biggest goals.
My Samsung Gear S3 watch has great battery life compared to almost everything out there, and that is mainly because of their operating system. This gives me hope for the BlueJay watch and battery life while running xdrip.
I rely on the SWR50 so much that I don’t want to discard it at this time. The BueJay watch is very interesting. There is one thing that the SWR50 has that I really like, the transflective display. I have inquired about the BlueJay display but as yet have not gotten a reply.
The SWR50 battery change is pretty simple. You must make sure that you replace it with the correct part. There are some sellers that only supply a 240 mAh battery when that is about half of the required mAh.
I have two SWR50 watches. One is a new model. My original is pretty old, one of the original watches built in 2014. That battery was getting bad. My new watch started with the xDrip+ app with 60% battery life after 16 hours of operation like my original. After a couple of days it also dropped to about half that number of hours. I am suspect of the newer Wear OS causing the problem but not sure. My next troubleshooting is to install an older Wear OS version. I have removed an installed the OS many times so not a problem. I also have a back-up cell phone to install for my original watch.
If you do replace the watch battery try to maintain the seal. The original seal was a flexible adhesive. I have replacing this with a rubber ‘O’ ring with an adhesive seal around the screws. I also like the water resistance of this watch.
Dennis
Yes, this is another great feature of the SWR50!
About once every six months my Sony SWR50 starts consuming battery like mad. I have never figured out why. I have everything turned off except a few unruly apps that refuse to abide by the Wear restrictions. (Kindle, music player) After a couple of days of consuming power, the watch goes back to normal. Occasionally the opposite happens and the battery lasts a lot longer than expected. I have a charger in my bathroom with a magnetic usb connector to make connection easy, and I just charge twice a day and forget it.
Occasionally xDrip+ gets hung somehow, and although the watch collects the BG and the System Status screen shows that happening, the Home screen will be blank with the “next will update” message at the top. A reboot or going through all the menu options sometimes gets it working, or I just install the latest .apk and it works again.
I have a spare watch and now a replacement battery to install when needed. This is such a great setup for my needs that I don’t want to change.
Yesterday I decided to prove the SWR50 is not the cause of the reduced battery charge life. For this test I used my original SWR50. I had already replaced the battery but with the existing Wear OS and xDrip+ I was only getting about 8 hours of battery charge.
My first step was to download Wear OS version 2.11. That is a 2018 version. That was again a very simple operation to load into the watch. I then downloaded the newest version of xDrip+
I programmed all of the correct xDrip+ items.
Last night I put the watch on Charge. I removed the charge at about 4:30am this morning.
A couple of hours ago I checked the watch battery statues with the Wear OS. I was shocked to see that I had forgotten to disable the watch Wifi. but still had 1day and 7 hours of battery life left. This was after running for more than 10 hours. At 4:30pm the watch show I still have 72% charge left. Below is a picture of the battery status taken at 4:19pm:
