ANT+ being added to all recent and new Samsung mobile devices:
Probably the single biggest bit of news that came out of the ANT+ Symposium last week was Samsung’s announcement that they’ll be releasing ANT+ to all S4 devices in the coming weeks. This built upon the previous announcement made just over a month ago when Samsung unveiled that they were adding ANT+ to the latest Galaxy Note.
But in reality that turned out to be just the beginning. Samsung has now committed to enabling ANT+ on the following devices current/new generation:
Samsung S4
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
This means that ANT+ will immediately become available on more than 20 million S4 devices that were shipped (and that’s as of July, we should get the updated FY14 Q1 numbers any day now). Further, all future Samsung mobile devices (i.e., the eventual S5) will also get ANT+ support, and will broaden beyond just the above list. Probably the most useful device on the above list being the standard Samsung S4 mobile phone (the base/most common model). Yet interestingly (and unfortunately), the Samsung S4 Active variant won’t get the ANT+ support. The Samsung S4 Active is unique in that it can go underwater with you to the pool. Which is more about not having to worry about the phone in day to day sports activity (cycling in the rain), than actually using it while snorkeling or swimming.
The update enabling ANT+ on these devices will be included as part of the Android 4.3 update – which also brings full Bluetooth Smart compatibility to these devices as well. A funny twofer that lights up both protocols equally. The timeline for this is release within the next month (at latest).
As you can see in the above development device in the first photo, the ANT+ Radio Service and ANT+ Plugins will also be installed by default on these devices – ensuring application compatibility out of the box for ANT+ connectivity.
With the addition of ANT+ you’ll be able to connect to any ANT+ sensor with apps that support it – such as ANT+ Heart Rate Straps, ANT+ Power Meter, ANT+ cycling sensors (speed/cadence), and anything else that an application wants to connect to (as you’ll see in later sections). Further, the S Health app will directly connect to a slew of sensor types immediately, and in the future even ones like the ANT+ racquet sensor.
Today, the number of Android apps that support ANT+ devices is somewhat limited. There are apps that cover the major scenarios – such as IpBike as a cycling head unit. Though I think we’ll see a nice expansion of compatible apps – hopefully ones that will also have a heavy focus on beautification of the user experience.
What’s interesting here is that I think this could serve as a bit of a catalyst for Android ANT+ apps. This is further fueled by the Garmin Monterra Android device announced this summer, which is a bit of an experimental product by Garmin aimed at the outdoor/hiking market. That device includes ANT+ support and would enable apps to run on either platform (Samsung or Garmin) and do as they please with the sensors. This means companies like Strava or Garmin could develop apps to take better advantage of sensors (right now neither really do much since it’s honestly not worth their time given low adoption numbers).
Finally, some have asked about the Samsung S3 phones and ANT+. Technically speaking, the S3 actually does have a compatible chipset in the device to be able to enable ANT+ on them. However, Samsung doesn’t currently have plans to do so. What was interesting though is it seemed as though that was a bit of a soft-barrier, and not a hard set ‘no’. Meaning, it seemed to me that they were keen on hearing if there was significant interest from S3 owners on getting it enabled.
Said another way – if having ANT+ enabled on your S3 is something of value to you, the comments section is a good place to extrapolate on your thoughts in a constructive and thought out manner.
A quick overview of the S Health App:
In addition to the core ANT+ changes coming to the Samsung device platform, there’s also the new S Health App. Now, I’m the first to generally note that there’s probably too many health and fitness apps already out there today on phones. So I was somewhat skeptical that this might be the same. And in some ways, it is. But in other ways, it’s got some very unique things that nobody else has – especially around device connectivity.
The S Health app is designed to be a bit of a central hub for fitness and health related activity on the phone. The app will be pre-loaded by default on all Samsung Note 3, S4, and S4 mini devices, and they’re looking to expand beyond those devices but don’t have specific timelines yet for that.
Diving into the app a bit, the app is segmented into a few core areas: Exercise Mate (pairing to sensors/devices), Food Tracker (food log), Walking Mate (accelerometer based activity tracker), Comfort Level (uhh…happy counter?), and Weight (weight tracking).
Starting with Exercise Mate, this allows you to record various activities such as running, cycling, or anything else other than walking (well, you can record walking, but this is more for a specific activity).
The key item here is that it leverages ANT+ to connect to a slew of sensors. You can see some of these below, both ANT+ as well as any standard Bluetooth or Bluetooth Smart sensor.
And yup, you’ll even see the newly announced Galaxy Gear in there too:
Now unfortunately, the phone I had available to take photos of didn’t have even half the devices shown earlier in the week. So instead, they’ve provided me with a list (same as earlier) of all those devices:
Weight Scales:
Tanita BC-1500 (ANT+)
Tanita BC-1100F (ANT+)
Tanita BC-1000 (ANT+)
A&D Medical UC-324ANT (ANT+)
OMRON HBF-206IT, BF-206BT (Bluetooth)
A&D Medical UC-321PBT-C (Bluetooth)
Samsung EI-HS10 (Bluetooth)
Blood Pressure Monitors:
A&D Medical UA-851ANT (ANT+)
OMRON HEM-708180IT, 708-BT, BP792IT (Bluetooth)
A&D Medical UA-767PBT-C (Bluetooth)
Heart Rate Monitors:
Garmin HR Straps (ANT+)
Wahoo HR Straps (ANT+)
Timex HR Straps (ANT+)
Adidas MiCoach HR Strap (ANT)
(Of course, really any ANT+ HR strap will work)
Samsung EI-HH10 (Bluetooth Smart)
Blood Glucose Meters
iSens CareSens N Link (Bluetooth)
Infopia HealthPro (USB)
LifeScan UltraEasy (USB)
LifeScan UltraMini (Bluetooth)
Watches:
Samsung Galaxy Gear (Bluetooth)
Of note here is that there is also connectivity to the ANT+ Fitness Equipment devices (such as treadmills and stationary bikes), but that list isn’t quite ready to be released yet. I’ve talked about these in the past in the context of connecting to Garmin watches. They automatically stream data straight from the treadmill to your device – including speed/pace/power/etc…
Today out of the gate the official ANT+ device profiles they’ll be supporting within the app itself are:
Stride Based Speed and Distance (Running Footpod), Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Weight Scale, Fitness Equipment Device (i.e. treadmills/spin bikes)
They have plans in place to further add these ANT+ profiles:
Continuous Glucose Monitoring, Bike Speed, Bike Speed and Cadence, Racquet
There are some missing, the most notable is actually power meter. Though, I think they’ll see some of the partners ask for that – and honestly, I’d have to believe there’s far greater demand for power meters over Racquets – simply looking at pure market adoption of devices.
Now, do keep in mind the above profiles have NOTHING to do with the underlying devices ability to connect to power meters. These profiles are only talking to what’s available in the Samsung-specific app they’ve developed (S Health).
Now, the irony here is that the week before Garmin announced they were ceasing support of these devices going forward with the Forerunner 220/620 running watches. Meanwhile, a week later Samsung announces support for it. I suppose where one dies off, another is reborn.
Next we’ve got weight tracking. You’ve got two options here. First is to simply manually enter in your weight.
Or next is to connect to an ANT+ enabled weight scale. Again, the ironic part here being that the week prior Garmin also cut ANT+ scales going forward from the upcoming FR220/FR620 watches.
You can see this better represented in this slide they shared, which talks to some of the devices that they’ll be supporting out of the box:
As part of the app you can then add in 3rd party services/platforms/accounts to upload exercise data. Right now, that list of apps is pretty slim – just a Samsung and Netpulse online platform. But the team noted they’re extremely active to add any partners that want to be enumerated here. For example, Training Peaks, Strava, MapMyRun, etc… all being prime candidates.
Lastly, while I have no photo of it, the Walking Mate app then records your walking activity over the course of the day – just like a FitBit or Nike Fuelband. This occurs in the background 24×7, with what the team described as “unnoticeable” battery impact. This concept isn’t new of course, other apps on both Android an iOS do this as well. And in fact the iPhone 5s takes it a step further adding a coprocessor to track and store data outside of the operating system dealing with it. I think we’ll see that trend likely continue into other platforms such as Samsung’s as well.
All of this information is then combined together in the S Health App for a holistic picture of your day to day activities. The unique aspect here being that it seems to cross both endurance sports type activities as well as daily activity tracking. Most apps out there are just one or the other.
Here you can see some of these graphs being pulled together – showing exercise, food, and walking on a single day (photos taken at 8AM, so still early in the day).
It’ll be interesting to see how this app develops. I think the key here will be adding as many partner services and devices as possible – ultimately becoming the ‘go-to’ place for getting data onto the phone and into the cloud.
And, as far as the ANT+ announcements go, this is massive for them (ANT+) as long as apps quickly move to take advantage of it. If apps don’t however, or if they languish in non-exciting user interfaces that don’t make users ‘love’ using the apps, then I think we’ll simply see interest wane. Further, I’d really like to see them (Samsung) enable ANT+ on the Active, as I think that’s a key device that crosses over to the groups of consumers that would actually use the S Health app with ANT+ devices as well as 3rd party apps.
With that – thanks for reading! And more still to come from last week at the ANT+ Symposium!
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I would be interested in having ANT+ in my S3, I do plan to use it for about 2 more years from now, so it would definately be a welcome feature.
Of course I see that there is no financial motivation to Samsung to do that. Maybe there is a chance that CyanoganMOD folks will backport that ANT+ stuff.
ANT+ is not enabled through software only. The appropriate hardware is required to support the software. In the case of the S4 it already had the hardware, but not the software support. I don’t know if the S3 has the required hardware?
I own garmin forerunner 350 and 410. I use de HR band and footpod for treadmill running. Both are ant+ enabled. I’m very interested in having the ant+ possibility.
The S3 does contain the appropriate hardware to have it enabled.
I notice that Note 2 is not mentioned anywhere. Any word on that device.
Ant+ on s3 big yes please
ANT+ on S3 would be very welcome.
Do you know is an S4 purchased in April contains the ant+ chip and only need the software update or it does not come with it and need to be replaced in order to get ant+ capabilities?
Joe – All units, regardless of purchase, include the chipset required. It’s merely a software update.
I’ve been using ANT+ on my S3 for quite some time, what does this update enable exactly – can we now use ANT+ without an OTG cable and ANT USB dongle?
It enables exactly that – usage of ANT+ without the OTG adapter.
sigh
maybe coulda shoulda been exciting. IF they had done this 2 years ago with with the S3. I have an S4 (and S2 and a few other phones). I started with Garmin 610 ant+ and Garmin Connect years ago. Then liked trainingpeaks for the better total diet + training integration. But trainingpeaks doesn’t integrate with my current stuff (e.g most bluetooth HRM sites). I now use fitbit + endomondo + myfitness pal suite of sites. Here’s my take.
1) I currently use bluetooth (both fitbit to S4 updates as well as old blueteooth HRM to S2).
2) I have a few ant+ straps around, being able to use them on my phone, for me, will mostly be a historical curiosity. I’m up to bluetooth now.
3) Samsung health app is terrible. Really really terrible. Getting diet info in is so much harder than trainingpeaks or myfitnesspal.com. The step counter on the S4 is way off from other pedometers I use.
4) I’ve got a withing scale. S4 doesn’t integrate with withings.
5) I’ve got a fitbit. S4 app doesn’t integrate with fitbit.
6) Ya, there’s an app for that …. endomondo and others monitor HRM. Fitbit, withings, etc. had native android apps. That work. And are fun.
7) For just HRM, I see little sense in ant+ in a phone that already has low power bluetooth. Maybe for power meters and other stuff ….
8) Biggest potential I see is IF this let’s folks use their smartphone + ant+ straps to easily go phone into garmin connect or trainingpeaks.
What APP I need (could be i’m only one, and S4 app is perfect for others) is an OPEN platform that allows me to integrate all of my fitness activities. S4 doesn’t do that. It’s not terribly open. It doesn’t integrate well with the sites I’m interested in.
The S4 is an awesome device with more sensors than most other phones. Samsung makes great hardware. Generally terrible software. Enable the tech, and let the app store take over.
YMMV
“Biggest potential I see is IF this let’s folks use their smartphone + ant+ straps to easily go phone into garmin connect or trainingpeaks.”
But that’s what it does. You don’t need to use the Samsung S Health app for anything. You never need to even open it.
Add me to the list of folks that would love to see the S3 enabled.
It would be awesome to enable ANT+ on the S3. I can do without the OTG cable and SUUNTO Micro ANT+ receiver.
This is great news. As soon as this is released I have to make sure it works with Move Tracker on booth S3 and S4…
You should have no problem using ANT+ sensors with your S3. H just paired mine with “Micro USB Host OTG Cable with Micro USB Power”, to connect “Suunto Movestick Mini” and an “External Battery Pack With Highlight Flashlight”, mounted to the bike with “RokForm Bike Mount for RokShield and RokBed v3 Samsung Galaxy S3 Case” and now I have a really high end bike/running computer with lot more capabilities and much better display than any Garmin cycling computer. I usually carry phone with me anyway. I use Garmin sensors, and a really cool software called IpBike. I think that Garmin should try to buy it, because it may bite them one day. The solution is very nice. Besides wide variety of ANT+ sensors (BLE is in beta), the outputs interface to many other applications. I can for example generate “Routes” on my PC on Strava, load them into the S3, ride the route with the guidance of a moving map, capture the sensors, display and plot them in myriads of ways and upload them back into Strava to share them with my friends. The author is super responsive to bug reports and feature requests. There is $8 key purchase if you run out of the million revolutions worth of trial period. I am really stoked with what I can do with the S3 now.
I also would love to have the Ant+ support for S3.
ABOUT SAMSUNG MOTIVATION:
S3 is a 2 years device, which means most of its owners will move to their next device in a year or so.
If SAMSUNG will make S3 owners feel like they got a decent support throughout the first 3 years of the S3 product, there is a chance these S3 owners will buy SAMSUNG product again. Otherwise, I can tell you I’ll switch to another brand.
I also have an S3. I currently use it to upload activities from my 910XT, using an OTG cable, a Suunto Movestick and Carlo Pescio’s “Uploader for Garmin”.
Of course if I could get rid of the cable and the USB stick it would be great.
Not sure I would use the phone as a head unit, though.
I didn’t even know that these phones were shipped with ANT+ capable hardware. Does it mean that ANT+ was already possible on them by using the ANT+ radio service availavle on google play (and showns in the DCrainmaker article on how to upload to garmin connect via android devices) without the need of an ANT+ dongle?
If this is not the case and the hardware has to be enabled somehow with a propretary driver of Samsung, how about the Samsung S4 Google edition? Those don’t have a Samsung customized ROM but a google vanilla Android.
Thanks in advance
It was an underlying firmware item, not just app software (like the Radio Service). Once enabled however, apps like those shown in that post will indeed be able to leverage it natively.
S III owner my self and also interested in having ANT+ if possible !!!!!
+1 on ANT+ support for S3!
It’s a fast changing world out there.. throw in the next generation of Samsung watch (or other 3rd party) and I’ll need my Garmin for…? maybe GPS is going the way of the camera, only the hard core go for the dedicated unit. For the rest of us amateurs a mobile is becoming all we need.. 18 months? The FR620 could be my last garmin.. just wish they’d sort the phone battery life out!
Enabling ANT+ on existing Galaxy S3 would create enormous goodwill towards Samsung. I would use it when logging data.
Great review/information – thank you!!!
As owner of a S3 I would be interested in S3-support of course. Kind regards to Samsung! :-)
S3 user as well. Hope samsung listens to its customers and enable ant+ in all capable devices not just s3.
Very good news. We (My wife and I) have been thinking about replacing our two ~3 year old phones before the end of the year. Android 4.3 was on the checklist and the S4 active/mini and HTC mini was among the most interesting. So if Samsung’s annoncement for S4 also includes the mini we have a clear winner :-)
Would have preferred the S4 active trough.
Prefer that we have the same phones so that they can use the same holder and charger in the cars.
+1 on adding ant+ compatibility to the S3 that I’m using to enter this comment.
Yupiiii!!!!!
I want ant+ in every mobile phones possible, so I can put my FR305 aside….
S3 owner here – would like to see ANT+ added.
Does this version of S Health contain all the functionality of S Health that came with the Note 3? (mostly wondering about the HR functionality that got licensed from Firstbeat: link to firstbeat.com)
I guess related to that is the S Health app one app for all samsung devices (meaning all will get updates as new features get added) or is there a branch of the app for each phone (meaning there will be fragmentation with the S4 will have one version, the Note 3 will have another, the s4 active will have another, the s5 when it comes out means the s4 development will end…) I realize the S3 doesn’t have Ant+ support so obviously if the S3’s version of S Health got updated to this version it would still lack all the Ant+ functionality but the app could still work, just with a much more limited selection of sensors.
Will there be a public API for S Health so other apps can integrate with it?
Have an SIII, just have them enable the functionality and let app developers make it all talk to each other.
I Agree that the S4 Active is a key cross-over device that should get ANT+ support and not just because I have one. It has the same guts as the standard S4. There is no need to exclude it.
+1 on the S4 Active. I would’ve thought this device would’ve been first to get the upgrade given the target market using this phone
Absolutely. I bought the S4 Active because I like to run (and sweat profusely) with my phone. Who would be more likely to use ant connectivity than people who are active users?
+1 for ant+ to S4 active!
Is there a (technical) reason why they do not intend to make ant+ available for their current outdoor phone? Also, I heard about an upcoming processor update to the S4 active (from Snapdragon S600 to S800). Will this new version of the S4 active also be excluded from ant+ support?
I was already very supprised to read that certain sensors (humidity, temperature) seem to be missing in the S4 active as opposed to the S4 and the Note 3, whereas these sensors would help to enhance air pressure based altimeter applications.
I don’t really understand their decisions when it comes to which sensors and protocols are integrated into which ones of their devices. The same goes to Sony neglecting pressure, humidity and temperature sensors in their latest waterproof and ant+ enabled phones.
Was very keen on the S4 Active when it was rumoured to come out. It was the phone I was wanting to get when I upgraded. My service provider advised that they were not going to carry the S4 Active. Was thinking of porting, but in the end decided to go for standard S4. In retrospect this was the best decision I could make. There were too many sacrifices on the S4 Active. In South Africa the S4 is covered by ADH (2 incidents of water damage or broken screen repaired free of charge, strangely enough the water resistant S4 Active is not covered). The S4 has 32GB storage vs 16GB on the Active, temperature and humidity sensors are also missing on Active. And now the ANT+ being missing. Just feels like Samsung lost the point with what could have been a great device :-(
+1 on S4 Active support. I recently changed carriers from Verizon to ATT just to get the Active. I walk, run, and cycle. I’m curious, was *any* reason given for not adding S4 Active to the mix? I am under the impression that aside from the lower-res camera and the physical casing, the S4 Active is supposed to be identical to the S4.
Current Android Ant+ apps:
link to play.google.com
And if you only want the apps certified by the Ant+ people:
link to thisisant.com
If you want to develop android apps with Ant+:
link to thisisant.com
As Claudio said, I probably wouldnt use it as a headset. But it would cool if it simplifies uploading from a proper head unit – especially on trips away from a PC/Mac. If I could run a app like Trainerroad on it and use it to control a Kickr, I would choose a S4 over a iPhone.
Oh man. Having ANT+ on my S3 would be sweet. I only bought it at the end of last year, so I’ve got another year to go on my contract before I can even contemplate a new phone.
Plllllleeeeeeeaaaaassssseeeeee Garmin!
Gah.
Damn cat.
Plllllleeeeeeeaaaaassssseeeeee It’s also another way to justify a new Garmin!
I am very interested in having ANT+ enabled on my S3. This would be quite awesome !!
Yet another S3 user who would *love* to have ANT+ available on it. While I probably wouldn’t use it as a head unit for biking, it would be great for running!!!
I’m very impressed, and frankly a bit surprised that they would add Ant+ to their line, but kudos to them. I kinda figured that with BT Smart/4.0, plus the widening range of BT monitors, plus the Viiiiva to bridge other Ant+ items to BT4, why would a phone manufacturer spend the money to do this? I don’t get it from a business argument… but then again, I also don’t run a highly successful electronics company! So what the heck do I know! Go Samsung. I’m an iPhone user, but if I ever switch to Android, you’ll be the clear choice, hands down.
This certainly makes the iPhone vs Samsung smart phone debate much more interesting going forward. The new connectivity (wifi and bluetooth) features in the 620 (and hoped for in the 920XT maybe next year?) might lessen the draw to Samsung for me personally (as a current iPhone owner not necessarily looking to switch), but still very intriguing.
How does Garmin react to this adoption? Seems both good and bad. I don’t think smartphones will ever kill the GPS watch, but Samsung is certainly trying to get more and more of Garmin’s piece of the pie in fitness.
NOTE that current Sony handsets support ANT+ now. This includes all the Xperia products, including several waterproof and dust proof models. They are also available unlocked directly from the Sony website. Hopefully this gives ANT+ in handsets some momentum.
It´s truth that current Sony handsets support ANT+, but none has barometric sensor,
The exceptional Sony-Ericsson Xperia Active had Ant+, barometric sensor, water, dust and some shock resistance.
Unfortunately no one of current Samsung or Sony have that and Samsung S4 Active wont get the Ant+ update.
….all Sony Xperia products except MY phone the Xperia Z. Nice phone, but I really miss the ANT+ capabilities that I had in my xperia active and xperia acro s. You are right, the New xperia z1 and z ultra have ANT+. Wondering if this means that the Xperia z has the ANT+ chip and they Just haven’t bothered activating it yet??
I would be interested to see if you could upload workouts from your Garmin FR 910 directly to the cloud via the phone. Also how it would work as a bike computer with existing apps like the Garmin Fit.
Yes, using it with the existing Android ANT+ apps shown here you could: link to dcrainmaker.com
DC, I got my S4 the day it came out back in April this year, does that mean when the device gets upgraded to 4.3, that ANT+ will work without needing to plug in the ANT Stick into the phone like your article on how to upload to GC?
Correct, once the firmware is released to you, you’ll be able to ditch the ANT stick.
The timing of this is pretty good, will be looking to replace my current android phone around the end of the year. Will definitely be looking hard at which phones best support Ant+. Not rolling out to the S4 Active seems like a bit of a missed opportunity though.
If the S4 active had Ant+ and inductive charging (so you didn’t have to keep unsealing the microUSB) it’d be the obvious choice.
ANT+ on the S3 would keep me on board as a Samsung customer. Been looking to potentially switch to one of the Sony units based strictly on the ANT+ support. Getting that support on the S3 would keep me from jumping.
+1 this sentiment. I have been considering switching from my S3 to a used Sony for Ant+ (I can’t justify buying the S4, just for Ant+). Having it activated for the SGS3 would certainly keep me in Samsung’s camp for when SGS5 is released.
Ray, what was the reason given for not having ANT+ enabled on the s4 active? I would be tempted to switch from my xperia z (no ANT+) to the s4 active if they enabled ANT+ in that. For now, I’ll wait for the xperia z1 f (mini) which should be ANT + enabled and waterproof.
But, nice work by Samsung here. Bravo.
I haven’t been given a clear reason, beyond them focusing on the core model first, and planning to expand beyond that. Meaning, it’ll be on the S5 Active, but the S4 Active isn’t confirmed (things could change). In general, everything seemed very fluid about the decisions being made. Not jelly-fluid, but like water-fluid.
So there will be a S5 active? You are the 1st how mentioned this possiblity, Ray. Have they said anything in this regard during their presentation?
They’ve stated they are working on new devices, which devices those are remains to be seen. My point was they stated that it’ll be across the entire range of devices, and not just limited to the smaller subset we’ve seen here. I was using the Active as an example.
put it on S3…
For those who are like me and this entices you to buy a S4 (I currently have a S2 so the S4 would be a big improvment) just know there is a rumor the S5 will come out in January. link to news.cnet.com (and other sites)
Yes. S3 with ANT+
If only apple would get on the ANT+ team and add it to the iphone…..THAT would be amazing!
It is really difficult to understand why s4 active won’t be ant supported as well.
I have a S1 so I now have another argument to upgrade to the S4. Great news!
Damn, I just got an active when my old phone died.. As Ray said, not to go swimming with it, but so I’m not worried about sweating it out if I take it with me on the bike or run, and the slightly different camera/screen had no impact on me..
Hopefully they are waiting on the active because they are planning something extra special for us.
Why did Samsung put in the means of using the Ant+ but then leave it at that? I would really really like ant+ in my galaxy s3! Surely theres a market for it? I would also use the new app too as it looks pretty good. I could do awy with my fitbit and forerunner 610 then!
If I understand it correctly they used a chipset that supports multiple radio types. Ant+ is one of them, but they didn’t have the software in place to do anything with it at the time so they just left it inactive.
I don’t think they are building these radio chips exclusively for this phone (if they are building them at all)
That’s correct. For the most part the chipset is the same in these devices.
Another vote for the Galaxy Note II if it’s capable.
+1
I would very much like to have Ant+ added to the Note 2!
Interesting.
Do you know if samsung plan to support all the parameters from the Tanita scales, including the encrypted ones ?
The dropping of the scales by Garmin is basically the only reason stopping me wanting to upgrade. Looking at alternatives.
I don’t have clarity on that quite yet. As for scales, in general, I’d really be looking at the various WiFi scales out there. The overall ecosystem around them is just so much better.
I understand what your saying, it’s just the Tanita was/is pretty expensive here in the Uk and it works well. It doesn’t seem an ideal solution to just bin an 18 month old product and buy another. It’s a shame that Garmin have dropped it as it was their support that influenced the purchase.
Have you tried complaining to Tanita? link to tanita.com
They have to give out the encryption protocol so other apps can use it
Yes, they don’t care. I suspect they think that companies should pay to access their encrypted data (which I suspect garmin did originally). They obviously don’t realise that i is loosing them sales. (As per recent DCR ANT keynote speech). It not as if they have a decent mobile app either. Fail
I’m definitely interested in getting ANT+ enabled on my Galaxy S III.
Did Bluetooth 4.0 ever get ironed out on the S3 to enable low energy HRM straps..etc?
The ultimate combination would be Bluetooth 4.0 + ANT+ as I sometimes forget my watch(es) but always have my phone so I can still track my data.
BLE support is a part of Android 4.3. Samsung claim to have a factory 4.3 rom for the Galaxy S3 by the end of the year. They are releasing the S4 update to 4.3 first.
ANT+ would sure be a welcome feature on my S3
Yes to Ant+ on Galaxy S3. They could just release the code and I would spin it into CarbonROM.
Hey Ray,
Will the Samsung support an Ant+ and a Bluetooth device concurrently ? Ant for my speed/cadence and hr but Bluetooth for music in my headset.
+1 S3, will be upset at Samsung otherwise (as if that mattered to them :-)
Finally a mobile phone company stepping up to put in Ant+. Maybe this will push Apple to do the same in the future! :)
I wish to have ANT+ on my S3. That would be just great!
I broke the news about the Note 3 carrying ANT+ a week ago on the iPBike forum.
Also worth mentioning that the Sony Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra already have functioning ANT+.
I have used IPBike to log a few rides on all these devices.
The Ant folks have been promoting the Note 3 having Ant+ since the beginning of Sept. Wonder why they don’t mention the functionality coming to the S4
Yes, the ANT+ news for the Note 3 was announced nearly a month ago, I wrote about it then as well.
For the S4, it wasn’t “announced” until a Q&A portion of the Samsung presentation last week at the ANT+ Symposium. No other announcements beyond my tweet at the time, and this post.
The Ant+ people tweeted it on their feed too but quiet on all the Android rumor sites I looked at.
Ray, can discuss what this means with respect to controlling the Wahoo KICKR?
The built in Ant+ support will make it easier for Android apps to be written to support the KICKR. But assuming the BTLE profile is open most Android apps will go that route as the KICKR supports it and more Android phones will be supporting BLE when 4.3 comes to it.
S Health doesn’t support controlling trainers using the Ant+ profile at this time but they could add it.
The one major advantage I see with going the ANT+ route in trainers is in the gym, where ANT+’s TDMA-style protocol means a single ANT+ phone or USB stick can control/read back from tons of trainers while their still connected to head units, watches, etc.
Also the ANT+ Plugin API is pretty awesome to work with, now we just need a trainer plugin and we’re set ;)
This won’t go down well with most…
What are the privacy issues with this? Is it possible that I am letting Samsung biologically snuggle up to me now? I can not think of a more smart and perfect move…
You may be able to register and operate your phone under a fake ID/email – but your heart rate variances, delivered wattage, and burned calories fingerprint you like nothing else.
Like any other app, you can always select not to use it (or not to put it into a Cloud Service). Meaning, it’s ultimately no different than Strava, RunKeerp or Garmin Connect.
There is no technology to finger print you with heart rate and power data. Besides Strava, garmin, and lots of other sites already have all this data. If you’re that paranoid turn off Ant, guessing it will be off by default to save power anyway.
BTW tracking you is much easier by knowing the cell towers your phone is near and what wifi signals your phone is near
Sorry, long rant.
I may have not mangaged to put my point across as I am not trying to protect (e.g. “turn off ANT”) from this but rather make aware. What looks like a consumer win situation, is in fact a n:1 win for the supplier.
@Ray
It is not as any other app, as this is from the HW manufacturer and Samsung is quite a size larger than, say Strava. “Larger” as is TV’s, Computers, etc. This is real consumer data tracked down to the (real) molecular individual. Wow – that scratches at Google’s data empire. Smart move. Sure, I don’t necessarily need to use it. But do you really have control over it’s usage?
@Eli
To be tracked by cell towers requires a gov. warrent, at least some kind of hurdle to go over. However this is delivered free, without any rules and regulations. No technology to fingerprint? “If” this device can receive ANT+ data, it can receive heart rate and wattage. This can (will?) be sent to a “cloud” service for processing. With that it is in the hands of the supplier. Ever heard of heart rate variance? Agree, Garmin and Strava already have this data.
Awareness, not paranoia.
Amazing how willing we are to give out our most intimate (biological) data. As a health-insurrance company, I’d be really interested to get your heart data. As your employer, I’d like to see when your work-out and for how long. Many other scenarios pass my mind. What keeps a supplier or their (future) hacker from selling this to them?
Do you think Samsung is just going to copy all the data received over ant+ to the cloud? If yes, then that is paranoia. If you think that heart rate and/or wattage data can be used to uniquely identify someone then that is also paranoia. Sure it could eliminate large amounts of the population like weight and height, but unique? no.
Geolocation data (where you were when your phone connected with a cell tower) is not protected by a warrant. Plus warrants only apply to when the government wants the data, not when a company develops their device to send then data. So if you’re using a gmail address guess what, google analyses all your email to help run their business (you know that google is an advertising company, right?)
Huge kudos to Samsung for making this move! The Android adoption of Ant+ and BT 4.0 has been insanely slow (I understand there have been a number of factors at play). That being said, this is very exciting news. As I’m posting this comment from my Galaxy S3, I would definitely appreciate Ant+ functionality on this device. Consider it a major move in building user loyalty and increasing the value of your devices across the market! Sony has been the only mobile platform to offer Ant+, yet they have a single phone available through ATT and none with the CDMA carriers. Enabling Ant+ gives Samsung instant credibility in the fitness market and with the backwards compatibility. .. well, the more devices you can enable, the bigger splash you’ll make! S3 please!
wtf samsung????
smart bluetooth 4.0 doesnt really work on s3 and now no update for ant+(and the hardware is comp for both)
and even (its of topic sorry) we wait for the updates 4.2.2 & 4.3 sooooooooooo long…
Bastards they want us to buy their new S4 with all means:@
I’m confused about which android phones might have hidden Ant+ capabilities and Bluetooth Smart (to work with Garmin 620) and how these get enabled.
Does the HTC ONE have both?
Are they activated by Android 4.3, or is does HTC or the carrier have to do something to activate?
It’s a chipset thing first. The reality is most phones on the market have capable chipsets to do it (iPhone included). Then it’s a decision by the handset manuf (i.e. HTC, Samsung, Apple, etc…) to provide access to that portion of the chipset (i.e. ANT+), then finally, it’s a decision to release firmware for that particular model.
In general – Step 1 (chipset in phone) is actually done across the board. It’s the second part (providing access to the chipset) that’s the sticking point right now for most handset makers.
Enable s3 please!
S3 and ant+ yes please
Would love Ant+ for my S3. I believe the eventual Android 4.3 update will take care of Bluetooth 4.0
It is cool Samsung is doing this but I’m more interested in the ANT+ profile for Continuous Glucose Monitoring! As a type 1 diabetic I have dreamed of having my blood sugar level displayed next to HR on Garmin.
I’m really surprised that has been thought of. Is there any CGMS that broadcast ANT+ ? I need to do some research… And then petition Garmin to implement :)
Thanks for info.
There are a few that have been in perpetual development – I’m not 100% sure which ones have made it to market yet (if any). It’s a bit of a chicken/egg scenario though – largely held up by a big-company such as Garmin/Timex/etc doing it. It’s funny, when Timex announced they were going to do it last year, I heard that folks at Garmin rushed to try and match. Then Timex dropped it, and as did Garmin.
Actually, two years ago (CGM). In any case, the post to it: link to dcrainmaker.com
You may want to look at link to mhealthtour.com
But as to your question it seems like they are still under development going by the forums on link to thisisant.com And the Ant+ profile is still in beta and hasn’t been released yet
I want ANTs + on my S3…
Hi all,
Great stuff as usual, almost swayed to change from Iphone, however the amount of money Ive invested thus far is the issue! Im wondering Ray have you heard whether Apple is at all going down this road???
Cheers,
CAM
Unfortunatley not on the Apple side. From what I’ve gathered from multiple folks – it’s pretty much a ‘over our dead bodies’ topic for them.
i(R.I.P)hone
I’ve also been using a Galaxy S3 with an OTG cable and Suunto ANT+ stick for months now. Works fantastically well with IpBike and a great way to have some data redundancy. The S3 phone was the first Android phone I owned where every feature worked. The GPS is reliable and all features seem to be properly integrated and well balanced in relation to the processor speed. It would be great indeed to have native Ant+ on it. Would all S3 chips worldwide have the capability?
S3 is most sold android phone currently on the market and enabling ANT+ will make millions of people happy. And if we S3 owners are happy we will upgrade to S4 or S5 in the future!
Samsung please hear your customers voice!
+1 amen!
Exactly!
I recently came across this:
link to selfloops.com
Have you heard about it ? Because if this product is really working as claimed (and if I interpreted the functionalities correctly) it simply enables ANT+ on all Android 2.3.4 and higher phones. With the added perk that it seems to charge the battery, which comes handy when using the phone GPS.
Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Its good for Android devices without USB host support. See link to thisisant.com
Yup, I’ve heard of it. It’s definitely interesting – but it’s also basically just like taking a second phone with you.
¿the “star” chip?
link to ecnmag.com
Yes I’d like Ant+ on my S3.
I would welcome ant+ for the s3 and enabling it would show that samsung cares about its customers, after all we will buy new smartphones in the future and I personally remember the after sales care a company gives its products.
I’ve also been using a Galaxy S3 with an OTG cable and Suunto ANT+ stick for months now. Works fantastically well with IpBike and a great way to have some data redundancy. The S3 phone was the first Android phone I owned where every feature worked. The GPS is reliable and all features seem to be properly integrated and well balanced in relation to the processor speed. It would be great indeed to have native Ant+ on it. Would all S3 chips worldwide have the capability, including the LTE versions?
All have the same applicable chipsets.
I want my Samsung S3 with ANT+!!!!!
Please, now I have to leave my 310xt!!!!
Do only new phones come with the ant+ chip? Does an s4 from last April only need a software update or does it need to be replaced?
All units, regardless of purchase, include the chipset required. It’s merely a software update.
Another vote for ANT+ on the S3. The S3 GPS/GLONASS and it’s barometric altimeter are both awesome recording data more accurately than my Edge 800 in side-by-side tests.
If you look at the Chipworks teardown of the S3 and S4 you don’t see a dedicated ANT+ chip. ANT+ is most likely part of the Broadcom BCM4334 (S3) and BCM4335 (S4) which are WiFi/BT combo chips. The iPhone 5 also uses the BCM4334 and the 5s uses a Murata chip compatible with the BCM4334, so it’s very likely this latent ANT+ capability is inside Apple products as well. As user’s of the Raspberry Pi have seen with their BCM2835 SoC, Broadcom doesn’t publically release full datasheets so it’s hard to be 100% sure.
I applaud Samsung for committing to enable ANT+ on some of their phones, and hopefully the S3 as well. Giving users a choice between ANT+ and BT Smart makes sense. Not having to buy all new sensors because your phone vendor has decided go out a reinvent what already exists (in a more mature and feature filled way) is a refreshing position. Given a choice of both ANT+ and BT Smart being available, I can’t think of a single reason to prefer BT Smart short of wanting to use an app which only supports BT (e.g. Wahoo) Samsung also has a pretty good history of releasing their source code in a timely fashion.
Well, these are AWSOME news.
I have been looking at the S4-mini as my next phone, as it has an amazing specs/weight ratio. At 107 grams, it is one of the lightest Android phones around, and by a big margin, in a compact package, and a decently big screen 4.3″.
The big question now is, will the S4 mini be included in this ANT+ upgrade.
I’ve just upgraded my s4 mini (GT-I9192) from 4.2.2. to 4.4.2
One of the reason for the upgrade was the small hope of ant+
But no such luck – Doesn’t even worh with an OTG Y-cable and external ant+ stick
Bluetooth smart is however working (tested with mio link)
So to be absolutely clear the firmware will be available sometime in Oct or after, which means we have from Oct onward to wait for carriers to approve it and get it on the devices. I am super interested/excited about this, but I’ve also been down this (disappointing) road before with Samsung flagship devices and getting updates out to users.
I want to believe, but I’m wary. At the very least, it’s cool there’s built-in ant chipsets for people who’ve rooted and flashed their devices.
Will be interesting to see if Samsung developed ANT+ support code stays only within the official carrier releases (and the alternate roms based off of Touchwiz like “Hyperdrive”) or additionally migrate to Android Open Software Project (AOSP) based roms like Cyanogenmod. The best thing would be to see it made part of AOSP and then broad support would naturally follow.
Update to this firmware and start believing!
link to sammobile.com
Even though it is a release candidate its sometimes best to wait for the final version. Sure it may be fine, but it may not be. For example they generally don’t test upgrading from a release candidate but do test upgrade senarios from the previous final build
Ray. You said that Garmin dropped weight scales with the 620.. Does that mean with future firmware updates on my 910 they will drop all compatibility? Are are they only dropping it on new watches and hardware. But allow the older devices to keep the ability?
Just on new hardware, you’re existing FR910XT won’t lose it.
And, it may not be dropped from future hardware either – I could certainly see scenarios with certain units may keep it. For example, triathletes that would traditionally purchase a FR910XT successor would also probably be more likely candidates for having purchased an ANT+ weight scale.
Having ant enabled on my s3 would be excellent
I have at least another 2 years wIth my S3 so I am definitely interested in making it ANT+ enabled; as others have said if only to make the transfer of info easier from my Garmin. Should that become the case I think it would behoove the folks at Sporttracks to improve the functionality of their program on mobile devices, ie an actual app instead of a website.
I have an S3 and no ANT+ devices. BUT, mu ancient Polar and near-ancient Garmin are ready to be streamlined into one new device. An S3 with ANT+ would help push that decision. It would also keep me in the Samsung ecosytem when it’s time to upgrade the S3…
Heck yea there is interest for ANT support on S3!
The issue with this is that in the US it is the carriers that actually deploy code upgrades for android phones. Historically they have been very slow to do so.
I have a doubt.
Which models require OTG cable and ANT+ ministick?
S3?? S4?? Will the two? None??
What would happen if I use the OTG cable and ANT + ministick other models?
(excuse my english)
As it stands now, all models except the ones listed above would require the OTG/ANT+ stick (i.e. the S3). The S4 and Note 3 would not require it, and would work natively.
The OTG option would continue to work for all Android phones that support it.
then, one more question: “the system” OTG/ANT+ stick
Will it work with my samsung galaxy mini (s-5570)??
link to samsung.com
or “the system” OTG/ANT+ stick it´s only for smartphones with the “famous” chip (BCM4334-BCM4335) or another similar chip??
The OTG option is for any android phone that supports USB OTG connections. Has nothing to do with the chipset in the phone. See:
link to en.wikipedia.org
Which phones suppiort it I don’t know. Some are listed here: link to usbhost.chainfire.eu
I am a Galaxy S3 owner who very recently purchased and OTG/ANT + stick in the hope of using my HRM with some apps I use for walking/running/cycling. I found out the hard way that my phone actually needed to be ANT+ enabled and that my OTG/ANT+ stick setup was simply useless for that purpose.
Though I really want that function it does not justify upgrading my phone since I have enough alternatives for HRM and/or connecting to my ANT+ devices (Polar 300x & Garmin Edge 800).
@Samsung – Enabling ANT+ on the S4 will not make my upgrade my phone any faster but enabling it on my current phone will make me more loyal to your brand. When the time comes to upgrade my phone I will surely be leaning more towards getting another Samsung.
And when I do upgrade being able to keep using my older S3 as sport device that I am less worried of damaging will be yet another plus. So as many have said before please do enable ANT+ on the Galaxy S3. Thank you!
I am very interested in having ANT+ enabled on my S3. Go for it !!!
+1 for adding ANT+ on the S3.
Maybe someone can make an online petition or something for Samsung to see how many people are interested in this. It would probably make me stick with Samsung for a long time and go for the S5 when it’s out there.
As many others have stated above there’s one big reason why Samsung should do it – Loyalty towards the brand.
+1 for S3 & ANT+
Update to activate the ANT+ on the S3 please
Any news regarding ANT+ on the Note 2?
I for one would be thrilled to have ANT+ on my Samsung S3. I will use this phone for the next year and a half so it will open up a world of possibilities. I currently use a Garmin Forerunner 310XT.
Side note: Ray, i have been reading your site for a couple of weeks now, and your review of the Garmin F310XT convinced me to buy it. Best buy ever. Thanks for your amazing site, I enjoy reading your race reports aswell!
ANT+ in my S3 yes please!
YES! I am so very excited for this update. ANT+ AND Bluetooth LE? Awesome! That lack of functionality was the only unpleasant surprise after purchasing my S4. Now, it will be perfect.
Another SIII owner for ANT+!! I currently use my old iPhone 3GS for running which is not all bad as it keeps me disconnected, but I’m well up for anything that increases functionality of my phone! Samsung would do well to release an ‘update’ and I’d be more inclined to buy their products again in future if they could show they care about them lasting for as long as possible (unlike Apple…)
Yes please to ant+ on the s3 was just researching adding a hrm to my workout data and ant+ compatibility will be perfect
add to S3, please….
Don’t under estimate the demand for the racquet sensosr over power meter data. The tennis market around the world is huge no it’s gigantic. It’s really an untapped market with huge potential for an ant+ sensor. I would have loved one to analyze and improve my game!!! But alas, I don’t play tennis any more and crit season starts next week.
And I have to buy a power metre.
True, the Tennis market is huge. My comment was mostly with respect to the fact that I don’t think the racquet with the sensor has actually been released to market yet (it was announced, but I’m not clear if it’s made it’s way into consumers hands).
It would be an interesting study to know whether the cyclist or tennis market is bigger. I suspect cyclist, but only at certain price points (which PM’s don’t today hit).
When the racket does come out what head unit can it connect to? No point in rushing a racket to market that can’t connect to anything but if there were lots of cell phones it could connect to….
Quick search shows 30 million tennis players in US in 2008:
link to usta.com
Yup, exactly. Right now, that’d be basically nobody (head unit side).
big YES to S3 and Note 2(if possible)
I have been using ant+ with otg and suunto mini, per the directions put together from this site. awesome functionality.
I have an xperia mini (st15) just for bike computer purposes exactly because of the ant+
Unfortunately S4 and N3 lack FM radio which is crucial for long runs/rides.
So until S5 comes along, enabling the ANT+ in S3/Note2 would be a major “we value you Mr.Customer” by Samsung.
ANT+ on the S3 would be incredible. I’m excited that the largest seller of Android products is adopting ANT+ and I hope that many of the popular fitness apps (Strava, Fitness Pal, etc.) will begin to include ANT+ compatibility. They may not put in the time to update the S3 with ANT+ capability, but at least I know that when I upgrade next, I’ll be able to use it. Bravo!
Please, enable ANT+ functionality in the Samsung Galaxy S3. We need it.
I apologize if this has been answered already. But any idea of the power drain on the phones battery when using the full ANT+ application? i.e. a 3-4 hour cycling ride would use up how much of ones phone battery life?
From what I’ve seen the power consumption of staying connected to an ANT+ device with the screen off, GPS off basically doesn’t affect the standby time. If the app has GPS On/Screen On, that’s when the battery drops fast.
phones with ant+ and the garmin connect app for android will be able to download the activities from the watch directly to the phone and consequence the internet?
Do we know when this update will be pushed? When I woke up yesterday morning, there was an Android update ready to be installed on my phone. Naturally, I was excited. However, it wasn’t the 4.3 upgrade as I’m still showing 4.2.2.
Yes, Ant+ on S3!!!
Enabled Ant+ on the S3? Are you kidding me? You have to ask?
Add me to the list. Are we there yet?
To quote Teddy who said it best
“Enabled Ant+ on the S3? Are you kidding me? You have to ask?
Add me to the list. Are we there yet?”
Also send an email to Samsung like i did.
how cn i see the blood pressure and blood glocuse? please help
Inside S Health?
its not there after the 4.3 update on s4 i9505
Looks like the 4.3 update didn’t include the S Health app:
link to androidpit.com
Maybe they will update the app outside the scope of the firmware update? I don’t know
link to sammobile.com
Good news
In the article it includes update with ant+ for galaxy s3 models
Yeeeeeeeiiiiiiiii…
““Biggest potential I see is IF this let’s folks use their smartphone + ant+ straps to easily go phone into garmin connect or trainingpeaks.”
But that’s what it does. You don’t need to use the Samsung S Health app for anything. You never need to even open it.”
DC … no, that’s the issue. I can’t currently figure out how to go from phone to trainingpeaks etc.. TP currently requires ant+ compatible devices / watch type HRMs. Even the TP android app doesn’t say it syncs with HRMs on the phone.
my hope, is that maybe, if everyone starts using ant+ devices through their samsung phones, maybe TP will finally be forced to allow syncing from phones.
Or just become irrelevant. I’ve already moved to bluetooth HRM. The samsung additons of ant+ will then allow everyone with a samsung and an “old school” ant+ HRM to move to their smartphone.
THEN the question is, what will be the training site for smartphones? Currently TP and garmin connect do NOT sync with phones ….. so then what?
I have the Samsung Note 3. The problem that I’m having is with Qalvin, Quarq’s software; it doesn’t seem to work with the latest version of Ant+ radio service. Very frustrating! I’d like to talk to my Powermeters.
Doesn’t look like sram has updated the app since 2012.
I use Note3 (3G version use Exynos samsung cpu). I try to connect ANT+, but it is not success. it look like ANT+ will support only on Note3 LTE version only ( snapdragon cpu) ,
pls you check ANT+ is support only on chip snapdragon only. some samsung model use Exynos will not support ANT+ even samsung update new firmware.
Sorry. I just test again. Note3 3G version can work with ANT very well!
I absolutely want ant+ on my s3 4g. I am disappointed it hasn’t been enabled on all phones capable of using it. I saw the thisisant email notice saying it was present on note 3. Why haven’t thisisant mentioned it is on many phones but needs firmware update. I bought suunto stick and otg for my s3 but it annoyed me in time setting up for a run or ride so went back to fr305 then bought xt310. As s3 hasn’t had software update for ages it will probably be long time before android 4.3 and firmware if samsung choose to deliver. Few of the smartphone sites I have seen mention ant+ on specs for note 3.
Yes, I REALLY WANT ANT+ on the Galaxy S3. I have 18 months more contract to run before I can replace my phone, and Samsung enabling this would make me far more likely to buy another Samsung next time round. If they don’t I’ll be all bitter and twisted! ;) I already use my S3 as my main bike computer, and I am actually already looking into whether there is a USB or bluetooth ANT+ bridge that would allow me to use ANT+ with my S3, but I don’t think it will work nicely :(
Ant+ on s3 PLEASE SAMSUNG
I just bought an ANT+ Cadence Speed Sensor to use with my Samsung s3 mini……………….must have misread the capabilities and now realise despite downloading the ANT software I need a dongle :(((((
I’m not sure it’s Samsungs market interest to unlock Ant+ in S3…
Why dont they just go and buy an S4? More profit.
official ant+ for galaxy s3 :-) link to allaboutsamsung.de
Ant+ support for Galaxy S3….great news!!
Thanks Pepe.
Wonder how long before Australia gets it
Just updated my S3 GT-I9300 to Build JSS15J.I9300XXUGMJ9 (Baseband I9300BUUGMJ3) and ANT+ support does not seem to be there. Neither IpSensorMan nor ANT+ Demo recognize any ANT+ devices (HRM/Footpod). Disappointing.
Only the i9305 supports ant+.
Just wanted to share my experience with Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505 LTE international version. When I first upgraded to official Samsung Android 4.3 I had several issues with WiFi (couldn’t enable it). Therefore I tried a couple of custom ROMs (AOKP 4.3.1 and SlimBean 4.3build2) – the both of two worked fine, but obviously didn’t have ANT+ support built into the kernel. A a few days ago DjeMBeY contributed a fix for the Galaxy i9505 LTE and now WiFi and other stuff finally works on Galaxy i9505 LTE with Android 4.3 stock official Samsung ROM! You can get the fix here: link to d-h.st. I tested the ANT+ Demo application and it detects the internal built-in ANT+ hardware. Now I have to get an ANT+ device (I’m about to buy Garmin Premium Heart Strap) and when I get it I’ll let you know if all works as expected (I’m planning to use it with the Endomondo Sports Tracker app).
I just got an S4 and am looking at sensors. My question is, can I buy any cadence/speed snesor that is compatible with an app like IPBike and have it connect to my S4? I havent been able to find a clear answer on “my” question yet.
Yes, any sensor as long as it says ANT+ or has the ANT+ logo on it. You wouldn’t be able to use generic wireless bike speed/cadence sensors that are sometimes found for the low-end Cateye type computers.
Typically the cheapest ANT+ bike speed/cadence sensor is the Garmin GSC-10, usually around $30.
Thanks for the prompt reply! Ive been bashing my head against a wall for the last 2 days! I have Android 4.2 now, with an expected update on the 18th of this month to 4.3. I did install the IPBike IPSensor app and it told me my device wasnt compatible with ANT+, that I would need the USB stick or use Bluetooth. Will this change with the updated Android ?
I re-read the article and it answered my questions about the Android update. Ive bookmarked your site and really appreciate all the hard work you do for us!
Yup, it’ll all start working as soon as the update hits. Enjoy!
I have the 4.3 update on my S4 and tried the connection to my Tanita BC-1000 scales from the S Health app. It worked fine, but only showed weight, none of the body fat stuff. I hope Samsung adds that soon. In the meantime, does anyone know of an Android app that works with these scales, and can ideally update a tracking website? I use the German FR610 to do that today, to Garmin Connect, but would like to upgrade to the FR620, for the better GPU acquisition (I live in Central London and struggle with getting the watch to lock). However, the FR620 doesn’t support scales…
I use Ipbike on my Samsung S3 phone with a USB ANT+ sensor attached. I would like Samsung to enable ANT+ on the S3 so I no longer need the USB device. I plan on using this phone for at least 2 more years and this would be a nice feature.
Has anyone got the update on the S3 and tested it with a heart rate strap and speed/cadence sensor? I saw one report somewhere saying that the ANT+ didn’t seem to work at all on the update, but no confirmation of this, so want to know if that was user error? Waiting for the update with anticipation! Oh and also, are the reports of a 5 second delay between pressing the power button and the screen turning on on the S3 true after the 4.3 update? :(
I’ve just installed 4.3 update on my S III, Ant+ Radio Services, Ant+ Plugins, SelfLoops and IpBike and both apps report that my phone doesnt support ant+
I agree with the above. Despite several sources saying ant+ will be supported on the s3 with 4.13, I have had no joy. Tried installing the various ant+ apps but no apps even recognise that my phone is ant enabled. I think if it was ant enabled those ant+ apps would have been pre installed. If i’m doing something wrong i’d be grateful for some tips.
I have just got the 4.3 update, and can confirm the above. IPSensorMan and ANT+ Demo both seem to think ANT+ is not supported by the device without the ANT+ USB dongle. This is very frustrating and disappointing. Is there a glimmer of hope that these apps just need updating to reflect that the hardware is now enabled?!
Also, I noted on the brief changelog displayed prior to 4.3 update install that ANT+ wasn’t mentioned, although there was a generic “extra features” or something similar. Galaxy Gear was mentioned specifically.
I just emailed ANT+ using the contact address on their website, and got confirmation that the S4 on 4.3 supports ANT+ and the S3 on 4.3 doesn’t :(
Boo to Samsung :(
Those bastards
Samsung, please enable Ant+ for my Galaxy S3!
It’s bad enough you took away the FM radio in the new devices :(
Also, this new version eats a lot of battery. My S3 barely lasts 8 hours when it usually had juice for 15-16h. And it has serious lag (2-3 secs) when the screen is off and I press the on/off button. Previous version was almost instant on.
And if I change the language in s voice settings, then press the back button and go to settings again it hasn’t changed.
So, I don’t recommend to update . :(
And I’m taking note for my next phone .. grrrr
Does anyone have news on a potential Android 4.3 & ant+ update of the Galaxy 4 active?
Samsung s3 ant+ yes please! But considering how long it took to get Bluetooth le on it even though it was marketed as having it my confidence is low that this will happen. If not I may go back to an iPhone
Haven’t tested yet, but custom rom on S3 have reached to grab ant+ layer on s4 and bring to s3:
link to forum.xda-developers.com
What about ANT+ in Samsung Galaxy S4 MINI ? Is it supported or not.
Like a few people mentioned before: the Android 4.3 doesn’t have ANT+ support, none of the apps detect the hardware. I can’t try the fix above as I’ve got the LTE version, but I’m hoping for some custom ROM support shortly.
On a good note: BTLE support works fine, so I can connect to my KICKR without issues – yay!
To clarify, 4.3 does have ANT+ support on the devices that support it (i.e. S4).
My bad, meant to say that this was for the S3 LTE.
Android 4.3 itself (the release from google) knows nothing and cares nothing about Ant+ so there is no built in support for Ant+. Samsung added the needed firmware/drivers to the release of 4.3 they created for the S4. So nothing special about 4.3, just was the easy release to bundle the other change with everything else
Ive not gotten the 4.3 update yet for my S4, so im waiting….patiently :-)
Just to experiment, I went into the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S3(AT&T version), and saw that the ANT Service app CAN be installed under Android 4.1.2. It may be something along the lines of “it doesn’t come with it, but will work if you install it yourself”. I will have to wait until Friday to test if it will actually pair with an ANT+ device with that service installed since I don’t own any ANT+ devices just yet.
It’s there to allow you to connect an ANT+ USB stick via an OTG adapter, so it’ll install on any device.
Ok, so it looks like I was a bit premature in my post. It may require the Android 4.3 update before we can use ANT+ without a hardware dongle. Ah well, lets hope it comes out soon!
That would only be true if you had the S4, the S3 doesn’t gain Ant+ with 4.3
For anyone unlucky enough to have received the 4.3 update for the S3 in the futile hope of getting ANT+ working (like me,) and who are trying to cope with the terrible battery life until they bring out a fix (not holding my breath!) I have found that turning off WiFi considerably lengthens battery life. (it didn’t used to make much difference before this terribly buggy update.)
For more details on the issues with this update, see:
link to bbc.co.uk
link to crave.cnet.co.uk
link to androidcentral.com
The other serious issues include taking 5-10 seconds for the lock screen to appear (if at all – this requires pulling the battery) when you press the power button, which is a major pain when trying to answer an incoming call!
Just to repeat (lots of people evidently haven’t read the comments above) that the S3 4.3 update DOES NOT contain ANT+, contrary to many reports before it was first rolled out. I have confirmed this with ANT+ by email, and I have tried it myself.
Ugh… I was so hopeful that the GSIII would get ANT+. I wonder if the absence has to do with there being two different yet major hardware profiles(N.American vs International)? Hopefully the ROM cookers will be able to figure it out.
Just a quick update on Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505 LTE international version … today I received my Garmin 610 with GARMIN HEART RATE MONITOR HRM HRM1G (got it for only $260 including shipping) … S4 connected heard rate monitor without any issues and I can confirm that ANT+ works OK with S4 i9505 LTE … I also tested concurrent connection to HRM with Garmin 610 and S4 and they both displayed exactly the same heart rate. Cool!
Is there an ANT+ dongle for Android smartphones without built-in hardware support for ANT+? If there are multiple options, which would you recommend?
Yup, see here: link to dcrainmaker.com
T-Mobile started releasing the 4.3 uodate yesterday (11/26/2013) for GS4: link to m.androidcentral.com
+1 on the s3 ant+ support
I would buy a S3 mini if it was capable of Ant+
Ant+ support for s3 please please please!
Ant+ for the S3 would be amazing
Will S4 mini support Ant+ after the 4.3 update?
thx
So, an update on the S3 4.3 update. I received the new (second) 4.3 update yesterday (build JSS15J.I9300XXUGMK6, my S3 is UK unlocked).
The lag issue with the lockscreen is much better. It still could turn on faster (0.3 seconds maybe) but there’s no major issue now.
I’m not sure about the battery life. It still doesn’t seem great and the battery history never shows the phone sleeping properly like it used to (the blue stripe under the graph is always on) but I think it is perhaps a little improved, but it’s impossible to tell for sure without a repeatable test.
The bad news, and that most relevant to this article, is that there is, of course, no more sign of ANT+ than the first, catastrophically buggy release of 4.3 for the S3. I suppose there was a glimmer of very optimistic hope that they might have reconsidered while fixing the bugs, but that would have been a very long shot indeed!
I have a Samsung S III and Garmin FR 70 & 610 and an edge 500 & 810, with all 3 bikes with ANT+ sensors… so yes I’d like my S III to have ANT + turned on please!!! How about my Tab 2 10 that would be nice while on my bikes on my trainer.
I have just updated 2 of my friends S3s, one on AT&T, the other with TO BILE networks. It’s out there, you won’t get any notification. If you need to know how to update kb9mnm at Gmail dot com.
Found a use for ant+ on the Galaxy S4.
Normally I use an old android phone and a bluetooth HRM, so as to not risk the S4 to the rigors of the gym. BUT. The blutooth HRM was out of charge SO, broke out an old timex ant+ HRM and the S4, fired up endomondo and it worked perfectly.
WOOT.
+1 for s4 active! Any news about android 4.3 and ant+ support for s4 active? Perhaps same custom ROM will do the job? BTW kudos for the Author – your site is really my favorite since few years!! Plenty of helpfull info….
I’d really love to have ANT+ on my S3. Not enough money for S4. Maybe Sony Xperia acro S as alternative…
When you go to CES in January, will you be talking to Samsung about activating the ANT+ chip on the S3?
I’m sure we’ll discuss it, but honestly, the time has likely passed there. They did confirm they strangely the Ireland folks got it, but with the S5 around the corner, and with the S3 getting what is likely the last major update (including BLE), I suspect things might be closed up there.
Any update from Samsung on more models added to the ant+ list? I’ve received a great galaxy express for xmas and I’d be very interested in fitting it to my bike. Cheers
Nothing new, though, I’m confirmed for the Samsung event at CES, so I’ll see what information I can gather then (honestly, it can be tough getting the right folks there though).
Thanks Ray
CES would be a great opportunity to relay our wishes, as expressed here.
There is talk of SIII/Note2 getting the 4.4 kit kat flavor in spring 2014.
That, albeit rather late, would be an opportunity for Sammy to reaffirm it’s commitment to devoted customers.
There is a tide of capable chinandroids reaching western shores in 2014.
No established brand would want to be caught underdelivering amidst waves of rival offerings.
As I think most of what we see is made by foxconn, Apples are, my s3 was, I think my wife’s s2 is I don’t care if my next android, ant+ is non korean and no name brand. My s3 works very well as does my wife’s s2. I can’t wait for my 4 core or 8 core lte 3gb ram 32gb rom plus microsdxc, ant+, btle, unlocked phone for $200 from somebody I have never heard. But it is just as likely to be a huge brand in China. Zte, huawei, meizu. My first g3 was zte, second huawei, both great as is my 3rd, samsung(+lte). I can’t wait to see my 4th. Just as likely to be huawei, meizu, or zte as samsung or lg.
I just bought a S4 mini with Android 4.2.2. I also have a Trek bike which can be fitted with a very nice little cadence sensor integrated into the frame. Its ANT+ compatible and it would be very neat if I could connect the two! Will it work as it is? Do I need to wait for an update to Android 4.3? Will that be available? Please Samsung, help me to get a nice set up without leads or connection trouble. Just the integrated sensor and the Samsung S4 mini fitted to the handlebar.
/Thomas
While it might be too late for the S3 I hope it isn’t for the Active. However, we still don’t have our 4.3 update yet, with or without ANT+. And I’m seeing less support for the Active as apparently they no longer claim it is waterproof.
I’m on AT&T and the original timeline said 12/24 but we haven’t seen an update yet, nor a new timeline.
Ray if you do get a chance to talk to them about the ANT support on existing devices ask about the Active for us. My wife and I both have Actives, and it would be a step in the right direction.
Yup, I’ll definitely ask about the Active, if I’m able to ask about the S3.
Like I noted above, with such a huge event and more importantly, such a huge company, it can be difficult to know if the exact right folks (over the ANT+ pieces) will be there at the press event. Either way, I’ll hit up the ANT+ folks, who might know as well (though, Samsung tends to keep them in the dark as well, which sorta makes sense, since even Samsung couldn’t keep the S3 ANT+ releases straight between countries, which is how Ireland ended up getting it).
I have gone to 4.3 android, on my Samsung S3 (Canada), but I don’t have the S-Health App… should I have it?
No, none of the S3 4.3 updates have included ANT+ (contrary to incorrect reports) so there would be no point having the s health app.
follow up Dave; yes I understand it lacks ant+ (although I’d love it to be added later) on my S3, but I thought you could manually add data such as my weight, blood pressure into the S-Health App?
No, actually, Ireland did get ANT+ support. I confirmed that with the ANT+ folks as well.
I found s-health app and installed it on my S3 (my phone is from Bell Canada) and it works fine to add data, like weight and blood pressure, manually. Just need ANT+ added and I’ll be a happy guy.
This question is probably beyond your area of expertise. But if Ireland’s S3 4.3 update got the ANT+ update (that everyone wants), is there a way for users in other countries to download this build and manually update their S3. I am assuming the carrier in Ireland that got the update is Vodafone.
There are forums with folks that have broken stuff to make it work. But I haven’t spent any time looking into it. Sorry!
I don’t think that the Ireland update did include ANT+. I got the same update in the UK as I have an unlocked phone, and the build number was the same, and I definitely didn’t get ANT+.
If you go to the ANT+ website (link to thisisant.com) you will see that the S3 is not listed as a compatible device. The S4 is (with 4.3 update).
I emailed Samsung UK through their website, asking for ANT+ support and got the following response:
“Regarding your query, it the ANT + support has not been announced for the S3. I will request to the engineers to add this to the S3 and if there is enough people requesting it they may add it to the S3.”
So, everyone that would like it, please email Samsung and ask for ANT+ on the S3, perhaps they will add it…
Here is the UK page: link to samsung.com click “Email Product & Customer Support” and enter your device details.
You won’t see either ANT+ nor Samsung admit on a public page it occurred. That said, they have confirmed to me that it did occur for Ireland, merely due to an internal ‘left hand not talking to the right hand’ mistake.
A also have a S3, and would definetly like the ANT+ support, mostly because i have the HR straps and would like to use my phone as a GPS/HR/music device when i run.
But lets face it, ANT+ and phone connectivity may be yesterdays needs?
The S3 is in its 3.year since launching (thats old in the phone industry), several new devices are coming with Bluetooth low energy, Stages…KICKR etc.
I think that the phone connectivity will be driven by Bluetooth in the future, removing the need for an ANT+ protocoll.
With that said, does the S3 with Android 4.3 support BLE HR straps?
I just bought a heart rate monitor which only connects with the use of ANT+. Before i purchased this item i made sure it was compatible with android phones and found out that much inferior android smartphones was able to do so. So i naturally assumed that my Samsung Galaxy S3 would be able to do the job, but no. It’s one of the few Android phones which cannot perform this task. I can’t really express how disappointed i am.
Ant+ for the S3 would be amazing
ANT+ support for S3, Please !!!
For s3 lte GT-i9305 with 2 gb ram is the same?
Thanks Marco
Would a petition be of any use? This would be such an awesome update to such a great phone.
Would love to have ANT+ enabled on my Galaxy S3!
Is it really a possibility?
I would love to have ANT+ enabled on my Galaxy S3!
Please add ANT+ to my Galaxy S3. I’ve spent hours trying to find a way around for hooking up my Garmin GSC 10 to it for indoor cycling.
As per my comment above, please email Samsung via their website and ask for it!
For indoor cycling, you might be ok getting one of the USB OTG dongles that let you use the ANT+ radio service on the S3 (if you can find one). However, for outdoor cycling this solution is impractical; due to the poorly engineered (IMHO) micro-usb connector which falls out or gets bent far to easily to use while on a bike.
What’s a good email address to get to the correct department?
You’ll need to go to their website for your country, find the “contact us” section, enter your device details, and send a message from there.
For the UK, the page with the “email product and customer support” link is:
link to samsung.com
Now that 4.3 has rolled out on the S3, is ANT+ internally enabled?
No, not for the S3.
Wasn’t it supposed to be?
No. It was being discussed, and Samsung was taking feedback, but ultimately they decided against rolling out the build which has it enabled for the S3 in 4.3.
Are they considering enabling it in S3 in the future?
They haven’t stated.
it seems that AT&T in the US is pushing out Android 4.3 for the Galaxy S4 Active.
It would be really great if a AT&T customer with the S4 Active could confirm whether the update includes Ant+ or not?
Many thanks in advance!
I am patiently waiting for S5! Rumors say that it is coming in next couple of weeks! Is so?
I want Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring, although I don’t want it on my smart-phone. What I really want is for my insulin pump (which already receives the wireless CGM data from my CGM transmitter, or alternately a separate unit like the Dexcom that receives the data) to be able to send the data to my Garmin unit while riding my bike. It would be amazing to be able to see my current blood glucose level and arrow(s) indicating the rise or fall rate while riding my bike.
Anyone from Medtronic or Dexcom reading this?
Honestly, it’s not really a Dexcom/Medtronic thing. It’s actually more of a Garmin thing. Garmin has yet to adopt the CGM ANT+ profile, which would enable companies like Dexcom and others to transmit to it.
Timex had actually demo’d it in a Run Trainer 1.0 unit back some two years ago now, but it never made it to production.
Can’t get garmin hrm to connect to ant+ s4? Very strange. It sees it but ha go.
new rumors about 4.4 update for S3/Note 2 in March
link to sammobile.com
let’s keep on hoping for ant+
Hi, I have a Galaxy Note and the 2.5.5 S Health version installed but I can´t see all of the accessories at the photo above to the Exercise Mate. I can only see Samsung acessories. I live in Brazil and the Smartphone is from Europe.
I´m interested in Heart Rate Monitors from Garmin HR Straps (ANT+). Does anyone know how to synchronize Garmin HR ans Note 3 S health? Is so please help.
Hi Ray,
do u know if the nexus 5 smartphone is ant+ compatible/enable? S4 is still out of budget for me (mostly because hte version i’m looking for is the ‘active’)
thx al lot
It is not.
Yes, you would need to root the phone and install the patch.
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.z2software.antplus
Enable ANT+ radio for Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 device Android 4.4 KitKat.
Please make S3 ANT+ capable!!!
Living in Norway the 4.3 update did not enable ant+ on my Samsung Galaxy S4… As far as I can tell only phones in certain regions (North America and China are the main regions) will have ant+. Very dissapointed… :-( Now wondering if the upcoming S5 will have ant+ here?…
Found this list of Samsung S4 ant+ enabled phones, which does not seem to include any of the European S4s.. link to thisisant.com
WHY?… :-(
In the Samsung Gear Fit Announcement today it announced ANT+ in the S5
link to cnettv.cnet.com
its at the end of the video 2:52
For those curious, I go hands on with Samsung’s new waterproof S5 phone, full color touch screen wrist activity tracker and Gear2 smart watches–all with built-in heart rate sensors and tons more: link to dcrainmaker.com
We can’t trust samsung. The S4 was supposed to have ant+ from the beginning :(
And S3 was supposed to have it after 4.3 update and still nothing at least globally.
I won’t believe S5 has ant+ until I see it. Reading in a review it has ANT+ won’t do it anymore for me, because it seems some features are universally announced but only implemented in some markets.
Unfortunately, all three of those statements are untrue.
1) The S4 was not supposed to have it from the beginning, it was not even announced until October – long after the S4 was introduced.
2) The S3 was not supposed to have it after 4.3 update – if you read the post, it was something that was potentially open to them being swayed.
3) The S5 does have it, you can see it running on the units.
I’m still a bit confused regarding S4 and ANT+ (see my comment above) – does the S4 have ant+ in ALL geographic regions (assuming 4.3 update)?
thanks
With all due respect:
– I stand corrected on the S4 ant+ launch support.
– But S3 4.3 update was supposed to enable ANT+. It was everywhere in the “official” change list.
Now it seems, as per your own post, it is only enabled in irish market.
Maybe you had insider info and you knew it really wasn’t included, but I read it everywhere and updated to 4.3 on the first day only to be greeted with the most buggiest official ROM I’ve ever tried. Maybe now we all know it’s not included, but it wasn’t like that when the 4.3 announcement came out.
– I didn’t say S5 it doesn’t have it enabled, I said I won’t believe it until I see it live because of past Samsung history.
So 1/3 untrue ;-P
I reckon I’ve a bitter feeling with my S3.
Where was it in any official S3 4.3 change list (link)? I’ve never seen it listed anywhere there in an official capacity. If so, I’d be happy to try and fight the good fight.
Mmm. Not fair because surely they have corrected any misinformation by this time.
But it was on sammobile and in every other website (engadget, gsmarena, …) I looked at (and I’m not sure but I think it was even on their facebook page).
For example:
link to web.archive.org
That article has been corrected and the ANT+ support has been removed.
Surely all those sites didn’t invent that changelist. Where could it came from if not from samsung?
Yeah, to me it looks like someone took the S4 sheet and simply assumed it would be there for the S3.
I guess it’s one thing if it was corrected a few hours (or at worst, days) later – simple human error. It’s another if it was months later. Ultimately, in talking with the team that owns it, it was never a sure or committed thing. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles a bit.
I’d like to see ant+ on the S3 too. It may not be as popular a model now but is still available on cheaper conracts and PAYG tariffs in the UK. Also if the 4.3 update available in Ireland does contain ant+ support am I right in thinking that it should be straightforward to port this into all other regional updates for the s3?
Hey have the note 2 and it has ant+ so does the s3, s4 and note 10.1 if you want to check if your phone has ant+ search ant+ on the play store.
Not quite correct: you can install ANT+ software for use with a usb dongle (see above). This doesnt mean yhat the ANT+ hardware in the phone has been enabled.
What about Galaxy s 4 mini and ANT+ connectivity? I didn’t read anything about any future upgrade and ANT+.
Please,Samsung put s4 mini into the list of devices for full ANT+ compatibility,so i can use my bike in full with my Galaxy s4 mini!!!
Hi Ray,
In this article you mentioned:
“Today out of the gate the official ANT+ device profiles they’ll be supporting within the app itself are:
Stride Based Speed and Distance (Running Footpod), Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Weight Scale, Fitness Equipment Device (i.e. treadmills/spin bikes)
They have plans in place to further add these ANT+ profiles:
Continuous Glucose Monitoring, Bike Speed, Bike Speed and Cadence, Racquet”
Do you have by chance any news on supported Ant+ profiles by S-Health 3.0 (most notably regarding bike, speed, cadence, speed & cadence, power)?
Hmm, I’d have to check, I haven’t heard of any additional ones coming yet from them.
Thx !
I would love having ant+ compatibility in my S3 too.
Thanks
Out of curiosity – can ANT+ enabled Samsung devices be used as a substitute for ANT+ USB sticks? Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere. Thanks.
Yes, to a degree. For example, it’ll work with all the stuff I describe here: link to dcrainmaker.com
ant+ on my s3 mini would be great. I am a software dev, not on phones, but would like to get into it; well I have an s3 mini and a garmin…
In addition if it is possible to add ant+ to the s3, and ‘they’ don’t do it, well that is not very friendly.
ANT + with Samsung Galaxy S III would be nice but Samsung has problem with Bluetooth 4.0 in Galaxy S III – simply it doesn’t work
there is an app called “ant+ enabler” than enables ant+ support for nexus 5, 10, htc one and lg g2.
link to play.google.com
maybe there can be a 3 party answer to our quest.
Just bought a Galaxy s3 4g phone. I use a Garmin 310XT and it has just quit on me. I would pay for getting ANT+ working on my phone. Any development btw??? I see that this is af pretty old article….
At this point it’s just not going to happen for the S3 natively. However, for a couple dollars + your existing ANT+ USB stick, you can be in business. Details here: link to dcrainmaker.com
I did as ray suggested and was unhappy. Another idea is to buy a new device. At the time after ray’s idea bought a 310xt to replace my 305. Now however clever training has 910s on sale. So if my wife’s going to say yes that is how it will go. She just said yes so I will now order. Next edition of gear may be usable while exercising. Hopefully talk her into that next year.
+ for Ant+ on s3
ant+ for S3!!!!
I am an galaxy s3 user who really wish he had the ability to connect to ant+ device’s.
I have a Galaxy S3 and really need ANT+ for this phone. The dongle isn’t an option because all the cables and adapter won’t fit in the armband I use when running. This capability would let me integrate a heart rate monitor into my training.
Well, Samsung, I gave up on you adding ANT+ to my S3, so I bought a Garmin. I now have no reason to upgrade to an S5, and you’ve lost my goodwill.
I’ve given up with my S3 as well and gone back to using an older iPhone. It hasn’t really worked well since the last software update, music playback was stuttering and the whole thing was very laggy. I’ll not be buying another Samsung.
Ant+ for i9300!!
A very long time ago Ray said they had it wrong when some over zealous guy wrote the s3 was ant+ capable. You whiners/complainers/badmouths should read the whole thread before you buy anything or condemn anyone. The amount of stupidity in the world astounds me. In this thread even more so as most dcrainmaker readers are smart. I bought an ant+ dongle tried to use it but stopped very soon and went back to my 305 and 310xt. Which I stated earlier in this thread. I am astounded you guys are too stupid to read the whole thread, pay attention and not do what doesn’t work. Then whine and badmouth when you buy a garmin after your failure as the s3 didn’t do what you have been told it won’t do. You guys are amazing.
Mike, assuming you aren’t just trolling, I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. The number of media outlets saying that the S3 4.3 update WOULD include ANT+ capability strongly suggests Samsung put out misleading information. I understand that the initial Irish release even did include ANT+ functionality, so it may have been a late decision not to include it. Samsung also majorly stuffed up the initial 4.3 release (including those not incorporating ANT+) making phones unusuable in some respects (eg answering calls). Putting these two together left a lot of us a bit hacked off. They could easily have restored goodwill by re-implementing it in the update they had to release to fix all the severe bugs but they chose not to.
It isnt the case that everyone “whining”/”badmouthing” has failed to understand the situation.
Sure some people clearly haven’t read the thread but to be fair it is long.
As I wrote, read the thread. Ray was of the belief it would be enabled. He lost that belief. It appears people read the beginning of the thread and jump to the end to write a comment. Before reading it won’t be enabled. I joined this thread october 30th last year. According to you, unless there are 2 david e on this thread. You wrote “David E
November 11, 2013 at 5:30 pm #204
I just emailed ANT+ using the contact address on their website, and got confirmation that the S4 on 4.3 supports ANT+ and the S3 on 4.3 doesn’t :(” end of your quote. So you have believed it won’t work since November last year.
Ray wrote “Rainmaker replied
February 26, 2014 at 5:31 am #297
Yeah, to me it looks like someone took the S4 sheet and simply assumed it would be there for the S3.
I guess it’s one thing if it was corrected a few hours (or at worst, days) later – simple human error. It’s another if it was months later. Ultimately, in talking with the team that owns it, it was never a sure or committed thing. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles a bit.” end of Ray’s quote. He had also written it January 14th. My s3 is in a drawer. I use my note 3 lte which is ant+ enabled. But don’t use that capability I wear my 310xt or 305. I like to see my heart rate easily. I haven’t looked at all ant+ android software yet but what I have tried hasn’t been good enough. I believe bluetooth lte will probably overtake ant+ soon anyway. I have a feeling garmin does too.
I think this thread has outlived its usefulness as people still come here expecting the s3 to work with ant+ and it just won’t without a dongle. I think the thread should be closed. Ofcourse that is after your likely reply David :-).
Haha,yeah I agree thread should be locked. Perhaps you misunderstood the my posts (or I didn’t make myself very clear). Yes, I checked with ANT+ and they confirmed Samsung had decided not to support ANT+ without dongle on S3 in the initial 4.3 update. However from info from across the web it seems fairly clear to me that it is a firmware choice not a hardware limitation, and Samsung seems to have changed their mind just before release. (Eg from firmware released in Eire which I read in a couple of places had been found to support ANT+ natively so although I agree it’s possible that someone just used the S3 sheet, it’s not the explanation I think most likely.) Samsung could have reversed that decision after causing S3 owners a lot of hassle to do them a favour as lots of people on here and other places were asking them to. My follow up about buying a garmin was saying that in the light of the fact they clearly weren’t going to do that, I’d given up on using the S3 as a bike computer, and finally got round to buying something else. I was implying, as you are, that others mught want to do likewise. I guess i still don’t see how hat makes me an idiot :) As for badmouthing, well, after the 4.3 update they put out, Samsung deserve some stick, so lkng as it’s accurate ;)
I think we’re basically saying the same thing except for the bit about people’s intelligence :)