Can I use my Samsung watch in Standalone mode, without the phone?

Modified on Wed, 4 Sep at 1:24 PM

Can I use the Golf Pad app on my Samsung watch without the phone, and rely on the watch's built-in GPS sensor?


PLEASE NOTE: Samsung ended support for Tizen-based smartwatches in December 2023, so Golf Pad cannot issue any updates or fixes for them. Standalone feature may be unstable, and unfortunately we have no control over this. We recommend using Wear OS 3 or newer watches for the app to work properly.



Standalone mode is available for Samsung watches running Tizen OS and Wear OS 3. In this mode you can leave the phone behind after starting a golf round. See rangefinder distances, track shots and change current hole right on your watch. Scores will sync to the phone when it is back in range. 


1. To start using standalone mode, verify you have the latest version of the Golf Pad phone app (15.0 or higher) and watch app (4.1.1 or higher) and GPS is enabled in watch settings. For Wear OS, you need watch app v. 23 or later and phone app v. 15.80 or later. For Tizen OS, enable 'Standalone' mode under Golf Pad preferences / Smartwatch sync. 


2. Start a round while the watch and the phone are connected and confirm you are getting rangefinder distances on the watch, you can then put the phone away. If you run into any issues, please review the troubleshooting steps


3. For best accuracy, disconnect the phone and the watch after starting the round. We recommend to use airplane mode on the watch, but you can alternatively disable Bluetooth on either device. Learn why this is important. 

Turn off the airplane mode on the watch and wait until the watch connects to the phone before you finish a round in the phone app. It's required for data sync.


NOTE 1: Standalone functionality is available on Tizen 4 devices or newer, including Gear S3, Gear Sport, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch 2, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Active series (1-3). Standalone is available for Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Active based on Wear OS 3, refer to this article to learn more.  


NOTE 2: Smartwatch sync is a part of Golf Pad Premium upgrade, along with several other features like extended statistics and intelligent club recommendations. Learn more about Premium
here.  

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