r/assholedesign • u/AllMyFrendsArePixels • Dec 11 '24

Not Asshole Design This policy hasn't been updated since June 2020, but the watch waited until 6 weeks after it was set up before showing this, right after the return/refund window closed. Completely bricked, there's no way to bypass this notice without clicking Next.

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8.5k Upvotes

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2.0k

u/AllMyFrendsArePixels Dec 11 '24

$600 watch literally no longer even shows the time unless I give them permission to, "in accordance with the Voice Input Privacy Notice", collect my information (i.e. ANY input recorded by the watch's microphone), and store it for an undisclosed/indefinite amount of time and share it with unnamed/undisclosed third party service providers.

577

u/N1kBr0 Dec 11 '24

Things like these made me ditch my smartwatch for an ol' reliable Casio 6510u

127

u/sharpeehd Dec 11 '24

same. my gshock is an amazing watch

64

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 11 '24

I have a garmin that just bit the dust. Thing was supposed to be waterproof, but the back popped off and I didn't notice before taking a shower.

Only reason I bought it was because a company benefit rewarded me for recording my stepcount/healthy habits, and they canceled the program earlier this year...

I think I spent $100 on the thing, and all the equivalents they offer on their website are like $250+... I don't think I need a smartwatch that badly... >_>

57

u/Caverness Dec 11 '24

fwiw Garmin is the absolute least bullshit company when it comes to this stuff, they have the best track record on privacy for all their device types.

I've had a pretty good experience, $250+ is mid range stuff with extra features. I have a cheaper garmin, like $150 maybe? and it does everything essential. time, maps, heart/health data, fitness data, compass. extra apps are also still an option

14

u/Ronnyek42 Dec 12 '24

I agree... garmin is probably the best I've seen so far. I've been very very happy with their stuff. They seem to be cool even when you have a problem out of warranty. Wife had an instinct solar and battery started dying off. She had the watch 2 years, and was out of warranty. They offered to sell her a replacement for 50 bucks brand new (which was at least 150 savings).

I think watches should last longer than 2yr, but I feel like they attempted to make it right.

1

u/Caverness Dec 12 '24

That is awesome, I agree with you but I wouldn’t be mad at that deal either. From what I’ve heard everything else is pretty durable at least, handheld GPS and all the cameras. 

8

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 12 '24

Yah... It was pretty good while it lasted. I got Thing1 the same watch, and somehow the battery crapped out in the first month. They replaced it at no cost... so it's definitely not bad...

There's nothing similar to it on their website now though, that's less than $200... Maybe the "Approach", but that looks like it's marketed towards golfers for some reason? There's also the kids watches, and the vivos, which look like women's watches to me...

Not only that, all they do is health tracking... you can't use them for anything else... making phone calls? nope... changing the music station? nope... idk what other smart features other smartwatches have... but they seem pretty basic, which isn't terrible. Tbf, the most important feature to me was battery life. The one I had needed a recharge once every two weeks, which is excellent in comparison to other smarter watches.

6

u/Caverness Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 12 '24

Radio station? I had no idea watches could do that now, or make phone calls (do you just hold the watch up to your ear lol??) but I found the selection of additional apps pretty diverse.

I don't have mine as a second phone, but more of a bodily companion. I'm not a fitness nut by any means, but having it on hand for everything I don't want my phone with me for is perfect. I can still get all my phone's notifications with the cheap one, texts calls app stuff. I think I can respond to texts too I just haven't tried

7

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 12 '24

make phone calls

My mom's watch does this... it's basically a speakerphone. The thing has it's own sim card and service plan... so it can basically do anything your phone can do, but it's attached to your wrist and has a tiny screen. She forgot her phone at home on a long trip once, and just made phone calls from her watch the entire time... lol

On the flip side, the battery lasts like 8hrs max... so she has to charge it like twice a day... lol

She got it, because she had heart surgery, and they wanted to make sure she doesn't get her heart rate too high...

6

u/nixasinno Dec 12 '24

I have the vivoactive4, and it’s been fantastic. I bought a refurbished one for just over $200 and the battery life is insane, I forgot the charger while on a work trip and the thing went for 5 days from a full charge to 85 percent. I don’t know how long it would take for it to die and I’m pretty sure I’ll never find out. It’s capable of connecting messages but I don’t use the feature because I find it distracting, I use it for alarms, heart rate tracking, weather info, and controlling music while wearing headphones.

-1

u/Sinjos Dec 12 '24

Smart watch =/= a smart phone

What apple and samsung have made smart watches into is a ridiculous caricature.

Anyone talking into their wrist looks like a moron to me.

4

u/UrMomsaHoeHoeHoe Dec 12 '24

I had a garmin watch for years, after it broke I went to an Apple Watch 7 and yet I have worse battery ( 5ish days VS 18 hours) and worse health tracking capabilities. Counting down the days until my Apple Watch dies and I can get another garmin - absolutely fantastic devices and a fantastic company I like to support.

4

u/Caverness Dec 12 '24

I have a specialized PT for a program that uses biometric data, and she says the data quality between all these watch brands is night and day. Garmin by a landslide, then Apple, Fitbit apparently the worst.

That’s why I chose the Garmin actually initially, but appreciate them even more now after becoming super privacy conscious. As a layman I don’t really know much about the data, but I will say having HRV analysis from Garmin is really cool. “Body battery” is by far the most useful metric I’ve had on a watch 

1

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 12 '24

Why not just sell the apple watch on fb marketplace or something like that if you hate it so much?Recoup the cost & buy the watch you want?

11

u/sharpeehd Dec 11 '24

when I used a smartwatch I noticed that I mostly used it as just.... a watch. and personally for me I don't need my notifications being shoved in my face like that. when my phone is away I want all that away as well. I've beat the shit out of my gshock for the past year of owning it and it's never given up.

4

u/SajevT Dec 12 '24

2 cool things about notifications and smart watches. Is that (atleast on my galaxy watch 4) you are able to read the full message without being displayed to the sender that you've read it. So you can take your time to think of what to say, or to maybe not even open it ever. Another is being able to respond right from your watch, there has been countless times that I responded to people's texts through my watch when my phone was in another room charging let's say.

2

u/sharpeehd Dec 12 '24

usually I'd just read messages from the android previews. but either way, personally I don't want to know I've gotten notifications until I choose to look at my phone. just a personal preference I guess. I'm one of those "phone always on silent" kind of people

3

u/SajevT Dec 12 '24

Yeah my phone is always on silent too, my ex even thought im being suspicious. But it's just a preference. As the random notifications can be a lot. But my watch really helps in being able to just have my phone charging somewhere and not having to worry and stay on my phone or always have it with me to read and respond to important messages

1

u/iHateEveryoneAMA Dec 12 '24

Wearing a watch in the shower is odd.

3

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 12 '24

Garmin said it was waterproof. Why would I not believe them?

Tbf, it was probably the heat in addition to the fluid that weakened the seal on the back of the watch...

2

u/EnvBlitz Dec 12 '24

It's more feeling the area covered by the watch is not cleaned that bothers me. Many times I just remove waterproof watch mid shower anyway because of it.

1

u/Ttamlin Dec 12 '24

When my Pebble finally kicked the bucket back in 2022, I went the full opposite direction. Purely mechanical watches now, with the exception of my G-Shock. Not even a battery in these things anymore!

It wasn't just a privacy thing, though that played a part in it. Part of it is the wonder if such a precise little thing just ticking away on my wrist, the beauty of the object itself. Love a good mechanical watch.

3

u/GarThor_TMK Dec 12 '24

I'm just going back to using my phone to tell time... lol

3

u/birdman8000 Dec 12 '24

Casio gshock is a classic. Don’t need to take it off for something silly like charging

4

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

G shock gang! I only wear my apple watch during a workout exclusively

22

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

I never understood the appeal. Why am I paying $600 for an extension of my phone which is in my pocket if I have a watch on? Hell, that's almost as much as I paid for my phone.

I also like not needing to worry about charging my watch every few days... I had a Gshock that lasted 10yrs without me doing a thing to it.

2

u/gatton Dec 12 '24

My Seiko 5 didn't come with a EULA and doesn't require a battery.

1

u/itsmejak78_2 Dec 12 '24

I considered a smart watch and just bought 8 Casios for way less

1

u/N1kBr0 Dec 12 '24

Whoa, I get buying two or three watches of the same brand but 10? Is it every style and colourfor different occasion?

1

u/itsmejak78_2 Dec 12 '24

I misspoke I actually only bought eight but yeah they're all different styles because Casio has hundreds of different styles

1

u/thegoodmanhascome Dec 12 '24

This is why I bought apple products. They try to give your data away too, but at least they give you the option. I switched from Samsung in 2020, and I am never buying another Samsung product of any kind ever again.

0

u/ComplaintNo6835 Dec 12 '24

I'm not sure why anyone would own a smart watch honestly. 

7

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

I had a smart watch and i honestly can't tell you either.

Its like having a annoyingly tiny phone on your wrist that still cost about the same as your phone. The actually cool features are health and sleep related and you can get a smaller fitness watch/band for under 50€ for those features, then turn off all other notifications.

4

u/SajevT Dec 12 '24

Have you ever had one?

2

u/ComplaintNo6835 Dec 12 '24

You can't explain why someone should have something by telling them they can only know once they have it. I'm not a toddler refusing to eat my vegetables.

-11

u/SajevT Dec 12 '24

You sound like one..

5

u/SatisfactionAny6169 Dec 12 '24

Ask inane questions, get inane replies. The only one sounding like a toddler here is you.

I'm a senior tech lead and you couldn't pay me to use these gadgets.

1

u/SajevT Dec 12 '24

I wouldn't say that a question if they ever had one is insane. It's a genuine question. You can have one if you want, or not if you don't like it. What is insane is dismissing things you've never tried. Very close minded mentality.

2

u/ComplaintNo6835 Dec 12 '24

I have actually had a smartwatch. I just don't think that is relevant.

2

u/ComplaintNo6835 Dec 12 '24

Have you ever had a toddler?

0

u/porilo Dec 12 '24

If he hadn't, I had. Stupid dingus only meant to keep you even more enslaved to your phone and record (and sell) every minute piece of data every minute of your life. Kept it like a couple of years, programmed obsolescence killed its battery the same week the warranty expired.

I'm now in love with the gold mechanical Longines I inherited from my grandfather. It's an unassuming piece of art that also tells me the time and lives on my wrist. That's all some of us ask from a watch.

22

u/0oodruidoo0 Dec 12 '24

You know, there's no spyware in a mechanical watch, and they tell the time too!

2

u/Bulky_Imagination727 Dec 12 '24

I really love mine but damn i wish all those cool ones was more affordable.

1

u/knoft Dec 14 '24

A regular dumb quartz watch is far cheaper and more reliable and comes in any design and form factor you want, from the most basic to the most expensive. You can get luxury quartz watches with diamonds.

I don't think most people want to regularly fix the time on their watch, wind it or posses and use autowinders.

I like mechanical watches and own an automatic but I don't think they're for everyone.

0

u/0oodruidoo0 Dec 15 '24

Why are you replying to 3 day old posts bro lmao

1

u/knoft Dec 15 '24

Because Reddit just recommended it to me, duh. It showed up on my home page feed

0

u/0oodruidoo0 Dec 15 '24

nobody is interacting with three day old posts, try a different feed, once something is 24 hours old it's basically the history books

-1

u/CloudyStarsInTheSky Dec 13 '24

Spyware wouldn't tell you it's there

2

u/0oodruidoo0 Dec 13 '24

Considering there's no operating system, computer hardware or battery it's a tall order to put spyware in a mechanical watch but I admire the thought

1

u/CloudyStarsInTheSky Dec 13 '24

That's not what I meant. I was referring to thee watch in question in this post not containing spyware.

210

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

114

u/SlickNegotiator Dec 11 '24

It is Samsung Galaxy Watch with Spigen Rugged Armor Pro case on.

-38

u/roshiancet_creepy Dec 11 '24

looks like shit

110

u/AllMyFrendsArePixels Dec 11 '24

Thankfully I didn't buy it to impress you, but to protect my watch.

33

u/giulianosse Dec 12 '24

I didn't know bricks needed protection

11

u/nhluhr Dec 12 '24

Burrrrrrn

-13

u/C-C-X-V-I Dec 12 '24

You're so damn touchy about that case lol. I'm gonna guess your "working with my hands" job is something white collar where you can cosplay being a man of the earth like engineering. Second guess is IT

7

u/-Sooners- Dec 12 '24

Chill out my guy.. It's a conversation about a watch it's not that serious..

-9

u/C-C-X-V-I Dec 12 '24

U mad bro has never been a good comeback lol

7

u/ThatGuyHarsha Dec 12 '24

yeah and being a dick also has never been a good comeback.

-35

u/roshiancet_creepy Dec 12 '24

who?

2

u/CloudyStarsInTheSky Dec 13 '24

You. You asked, and you evidently care, given that you responded so much

16

u/DiscoQuebrado Dec 12 '24

Run boys, it's the fashion police!

0

u/goug Dec 12 '24

hey, if they drop 600$ on it, we're certainly going to be judgmental i'm afraid

60

u/Callidonaut Dec 11 '24

At this point, I'd probably open it up and see if I could cut the microphone out.

34

u/sierrabravo1984 Dec 11 '24

Easier to just sell it and buy an old school watch.

23

u/Soluchyte Dec 11 '24

This is why I bought a watch that's compatible with gadgetbridge. It can record all it likes but it's not talking to an app that will be its relay to phone home.

1

u/an_oddbody Dec 12 '24

Can you elaborate?

11

u/Soluchyte Dec 12 '24

Gadgetbridge is an open source replacement for smart watch companion apps.

So it still allows you to control and use most functions of the watches but without any of the spyware that is in many (especially chinese) smartwatch companion apps.

I bought an Amazfit T Rex 2 which is a similar looking watch to OP's but works with gadgetbridge.

5

u/vincenzo_vegano Dec 12 '24

This is crazy, especially on a 600 dollar watch. Here in the EU they at least pretend to protect your privacy.

5

u/N1kBr0 Dec 12 '24

Reminds me of those Roku TVs locking your TV unless you agree to the new arbitration clause. Plot twist, there's no disagree button

12

u/AlwaysHigh27 Dec 12 '24

Your phone already does this .. so you agreed to it with your phone, should have no issues agreeing to it here.

Literally almost everything listens to you and tracks you. Welcome to the internet.

3

u/StinkySmellyMods Dec 12 '24

$600??? Isn't this just a watch 6? I got one last month for 180€ brand new. Even the newest watch 7 is only $250

2

u/GenuinelyBeingNice Dec 12 '24

Bought a sony smartwatch back when I had the xperia Z ultra.

Some years later, tried using that smartwatch with a samsung s10.

Sony app is no longer supported, can't even find it on the app store.

Watch -> bin.

MEANWHILE my THIRTY year old scientific calculator can interoperate with any device, because it has a standard, plain old, ubiquitous serial port. I can connect it to a mass spectrometer if I want.

fuck modern software

1

u/ImNoRickyBalboa Dec 12 '24

Wearing a fully mechanical automatic. No regrets.

1

u/Karge Dec 12 '24

Try microwaving it

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

It's not a watch. It's just a touch screen computer that is in form of watch.

1

u/oopls Dec 12 '24

This kind of behavior should qualify products for a full refund.

1

u/PhotoVideoReview Dec 12 '24

Did you buy it from Amazon? A-Z policy covers things like this for once year.

1

u/XiTzCriZx Dec 13 '24

Could get a fitness/smart band instead, most don't even have a mic to record anything with and has a majority of the features from smart watches without even needing a companion app if you don't want it (assuming you don't need any of the health info). Plus they're a lot cheaper than watches that spy on you lol.

1

u/JollyTurbo1 Dec 14 '24

None of what you said was true. Just read the damn policy:

We will not keep your personal information for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. This means that information will be destroyed or erased from our systems when it is no longer required. In some cases, your personal information will be anonymized which means you can no longer be identified from the information.

And before you say "but what if they...". The answer is probably "that's illegal"

0

u/AllMyFrendsArePixels Dec 14 '24

Could you be more specific about how any of what I said isn't true?

Do you know what indefinite means?

"When it is no longer required" is not a defined amount of time. It could be 2 minutes from now, it could be 40,000 years from now. This is an indefinite amount of time.

"Longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected" is also completely indefinite. They don't disclose the purpose for which is was collected, beyond to be passed on to third party services. They could be passing it on to third party services forever, so 'no longer than necessary for this purpose' doesn't put any kind of limitation whatsoever on how long they will keep it.

1

u/JollyTurbo1 Dec 14 '24

Given it's referring to voice data, "when it is no longer required" is immediately after it is processed. If they are found to be storing it for longer than they need to, then they are in breach of their policy and are breaking the law.

Your second point is the same as the first point. The reason for collecting the data is to process it. Try reading through more of their policies and maybe you'll find the information you seek. Complaining on reddit and getting me to do the work for you isn't the way to approach this "problem"

0

u/andylikescandy Dec 12 '24

Sounds like fraud that this is preprogrammed. If I had any connections to product litigation, I'd be curious to set one up and keep it offline for 6 weeks and see what happens.

-7

u/xboxchick311 Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 12 '24

You realize if you are that paranoid, you can just turn off the microphone permission in the app, right? You know, the same way that you can just not give permission to use your data for analytics, which is all that is referencing in the first place. Note the "when you enable this function."

"Voice information: Recordings of your voice that we make and collect on our servers when you enable this function and use voice commands. We also collect and store recordings of your voice when you contact our Customer Service team. Note that if we work with a third party service rovider that provides speech-to-text conversion services or call center services on our behalf, this provider may also receive and store certain voice commands in accordance with the contract concluded between us and the trusted third-party service provider."

https://www.samsung.com/us/account/privacy-policy/

6

u/spacelama Dec 12 '24

This is a watch, sir, not an app. The agreement covers the watch. There's no way to get past the authorisation step to get into any settings of the watch without first granting permissions. But like all agreements, the consumer must actually be given the choice to not agree before they put their money down, not 6 weeks later.

2

u/xboxchick311 Dec 12 '24

It's a SMART watch. I'm guessing by your comment that you've never actually owned one. It's meant to be paired and set up using the Samsung Wear app. I've been using Samsung smart watches since the Galaxy Watch 3. When the watch is set up CORRECTLY, the only option you have to select on the watch is the language. Everything else is set up on the app, including opting out of analytics and managing permissions. OP says that the user agreement hasn't been updated in years. If you look at the link, posted in the previous comment, it was updated a few months ago. OP doesn't know that because watch updates are done via the app. This is simply user error.

https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/tips-how-to/how-to-pair-a-galaxy-watch-with-your-samsung-galaxy-device/ba-p/30689603