Backlight behaviour in S5 after 2.16.28

Łukasz Szmigiel · S9PP 2.37.48

This topic is related to backlight behavior in S5 after changes introduced in firmware v2.16.28 in order to separate the discussion from general 2.16.28 thread and to focus only on the backlight issue.

What changed that especially influences S5 users who can’t adjust their backlight strenght:

Prior to 2.16.28 backlight was either on or off - via a toggle or by button press. However, with DND enabled, backlight used a very dim variant which was well suited for auto DND at night.

With 2.16.28 dim backlight is now accessible via “standby” and is no longer tied to DND. This is a good and a bad thing - it’s very useful as it improves contrast in poor light conditions without having to use full backlight (ie. overcast, tunnels, inside buildings, etc.).

I personally interpret this as an elegant way of Suunto designers and engineers finding a way to ship a feature available in S9P to an older hardware that has no light sensor. And indeed this is an elegant solution in this regard.

However, this feature would make way more sense and be way more useful if its accessibility was easier.

Right now we can easily access backlight from:
a) Middle button shortcut on main screen - super fast and easy
b) Activity screen, pre-activity and during - super fast and easy

But to access standby, one has to:

Hold middle button shortcut on main screen
Go to settings
Go to general
Go to backlight
Go to standby
Enable standby
Go back

In my opinion, standby should be accessible faster:
a) In the same manner as the backlight - via the shortcut from the main screen and the activity screen
b) Or with the same setting as the “Rise to wake” feature - “During the workout”.

Why?
I enjoy my watch because of its simplicity and that it doesn’t get in my way. I don’t think that users should be fighting the interfaces, the devices should be made for users not the other way around. Shortcuts are great, UI is great. Getting through the menus is not great - especially if you have to do it pre-workout (if you suspect that you might need some extra light) and post-workout.

Why not turn the standby on and forget about it?
The battery. I suspect it’s not much, but it’s there. Yes I can charge the battery but its lifetime degrades. More charges - faster degradation. Why consume the power if you don’t need it?

Technical limitations
We’ve heard that there are some technical limitations to how S5 handles backlight so standby doesn’t equal backlight in technical terms. However what I’m writing about is not about binding those two features together but rather adjusting their accessibility.

Tomas5

@łukasz-szmigiel for me it would be best if toogle option will return. And even better if there could be configured if toogle enable backlight or standby since standby intensity is enough for me. But we will see what suunto bring us with future updates. I was worried aboy battery life now with backlight enabled with every button press. But i looks like it is not much issue.

pikeviewer

@tomas5 I want to have toggle brought back because I only use backlight at night when indoor light is not bright enough to read the watch face. so, after sunset, I want to turn on backlight and leave it on until I go to bed.

Toggling through backlight, standby and off would be even better.

With the new firmware, I tried rise to wake but found it frustrating. The light comes on for a minute or so, then turns off and won’t come on again for a while. Feels out of control to me.

So, I have gone back to the previous firmware and will wait to see if Suunto refines the backlight/standby features.

Łukasz Szmigiel · S9PP 2.37.48

I’ve also noticed that standby doesn’t lit up the watch for as long as the display is being active (as I thought initially it works). Rather it stays lit for like 5 minutes after last activity (button press, notification, etc.) and goes dim. Which also isn’t very useful at dark.

Tomas5

@pikeviewer i used toggle only to turn on backlight for unnecessary time to check watch and than i turned it off again by toggle button. So toggle trough backlight / standby / off would be not so good for me. I would rather see old behavior. Or configurable from setting if toggle should be “backlight / off” or “standby / off”. That would be even better than it was before. At least for my usage.

pikeviewer

@tomas5 I agree. Having that choice would be ideal.

Łukasz Szmigiel · S9PP 2.37.48

Considering that we have a rainy season now in Poland (which is awesome compared to last years 35+ deg) I’ve been experimenting with standby being enabled and I really like how it amplifies the contrast during the overcast or in dim rooms. It’s hardly noticeable from distance but when actually needed - makes it possible to read the watchface during the days with less sun.

Which got me thinking about linking standby with sunset / sunrise. That would be awesome for winter when days are short. Basically switch in on during the night and off during the day. What do you think? Hot or not?

Egika

@łukasz-szmigiel said in Backlight behaviour in S5 after 2.16.28:

Which got me thinking about linking standby with sunset / sunrise. That would be awesome for winter when days are short. Basically switch in on during the night and off during the day. What do you think? Hot or not?

I think this has been suggested in one of the “new backlight” threads.
My opinion: This automatism would not be so useful in reality as it sounds from an engineer’s point of view. Like as you say, there are dark and rainy days vs bright ones. You like standby during rainy days even if the sun is up theoretically. Also indoors the lighting conditions vary a lot and independent from daylight. Like in the office it is well and bightly lit, while in my basement where I repair my bike, it is rather dim (need to change this… )

Łukasz Szmigiel · S9PP 2.37.48

@egika sure, good point.

It could be over engineered as well by linking it to weather data for example

But jokes aside, it seems rather on a simple side (not knowing how the S line firmware is arranged, that is) to link it with sunset / sunrise as those are just two variables and they are already in the watch. It won’t solve all the issues as you’ve noticed (rainy days, inside the buildings, etc.) but I believe it would be a step in a good direction to automate it and link to dark / bright to a certain extent.

So far I’d be happy to have a simple shortcut available from the main screen - the same way the backlight works right now - as a workaround. Just to avoid digging into settings like a madman.

Łukasz Szmigiel · S9PP 2.37.48

I just finished a run prior to heavy rain, with a rather dense cloud cover and I had standby turned on. This is really fantastic for readability - it makes a huge difference between seeing sky reflected on the screen and the actual screen without too much brightness that would be typical with regular backlight. It’s perfect amount of backlight to amplify the contrast just a little bit to get the glare off the glass.

I’d love to have standby easily accessible either by a shortcut or in workout settings but even now I see it’s worth digging through the settings to activate the standby light if the weather is poor.