Using watch to control camera function on phone

Mike Wood

On Apple watches you can control remotely control the camera shutter on an iPhone. In other words, you can set your phone several feet away from you to take a selfie, and then click the ten second timer on your watch to take the photo. This works great for those times when it would take a lot more than ten seconds to get into position. Is there any way to do this on a Suunto watch with an Android phone. Alternatively, is there anyway to coax Suunto to add this type of software update to the watch? Thanks.

sartoric

@Mike-Wood
No way to do it atm … and I guess never.

Do you really need this in a sportwatch ? I’m just curious

Brad_Olwin

@Mike-Wood This may be possible with the S7, it is an Android smart watch but not the S9.

Mike Wood

@sartoric It would be a great function to have in the middle of a group run. You’re on top of a peak and you prop the phone 20’ away, then climb up on a tricky crag…

Saketo Nemo

forgive me for being obvious, but you could simply make up for it with a camera timer.
What is certain is that with Suunto 9 it cannot be done.

Fenr1r

@Saketo-Nemo In my experience, the larger the group and the less transparent the wait (i.e., timed vs “Smile!”), the worse the picture. People, especially speedy people, like a quick pic or most will be snapped looking at their watches, saying: “How long did you set it for?”

Not a bad idea for a phone app, tho’: a short, say 2- or 5-second timer that recognises a gesture and then takes the picture. Something distinctive like sign language. Or falling off that tricky crag.

Saketo Nemo

the short answer recommended the timer, but the cameras of virtually any cell phone allow you to shoot with voice commands “hellooooo”, “cheeeeeese” or waving to the lens. Have you checked there isn’t something in yours?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like it would hurt to have it in your watch, but I think it’s one of those garmin style features that complicate the life and software of the watch. And honestly, I love him the way he is. Simple and essential, with only sport feature.

Jamie BG

@Brad_Olwin yes - its built in natively with a Pixel phone. With other android phones you would need to download a 3rd party app to enable this functionality. But yes it is possible

Brad_Olwin

@Jamie-BG I have an iPhone so I wasn’t sure it would work.

olymay

@Jamie-BG & @Brad_Olwin I have both a Suunto 7 and a Pixel 5 and I can confirm that by downloading the Google Camera app on the watch you can use it to not only control the camera (Google Camera) on the phone, but also open it remotely and use it as a remove viewfinder (complete with zoom control!).

There are third party options for other phones but I have not used any of those. Nor do I know if a non-WearOS watch can do this, but I would have to say I doubt it.

Check out this ‘watch-ception’ photo as proof.

pavel.samokha

Wear Camera app works fine with S7 and Samsung S10e

Mike Wood

@Saketo-Nemo Voice command is a great idea. I’ll check into that. Thanks