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To ensure the best experience and maintain a rock-solid connection during games, please follow these recommended settings and hardware tips.

1. Initial Setup & Permissions

When setting up a new watch for the field, you must complete the standard Wear OS onboarding process. This associates the watch with your account and ensures all Terms of Service are accepted so the device can run third-party apps.

  • Privacy & Permissions: If you are using the watch strictly for Relay FTW, you can safely deny permissions for calls, contacts, and SMS during the setup. The app does not require access to your personal communication data to function.
  • Account Association: Ensure the watch is signed into a Google account; this is required for the app to receive critical updates via the Play Store.

2. Essential Battery Settings

Android and Wear OS devices often try to "save power" by closing apps running in the background.

  • Turn Off Battery Optimization: On your phone/tablet, go to Settings > Apps > Relay FTW > Battery and select "Unrestricted." This is the most important step to prevent the system from "killing" the app in the dugout.
  • Disable Adaptive Battery: In your system settings, disabling "Adaptive Battery" prevents the OS from delaying signal broadcasting to save power.

3. Performance Optimization (The "Clean" Setup)

For maximum reliability and battery life, we recommend stripping the watch down to its essential functions.

  • App Management: It is best practice to uninstall or disable all non-essential applications. The fewer background processes running, the more resources the watch can dedicate to the Relay FTW Bluetooth link.
  • Modes & Routines: Open the Galaxy Wearable/Wear OS app on your phone and go to Watch Settings > Modes and Routines. Turn off "Sync modes with phone" to prevent your phone's "Do Not Disturb" or "Sleep" settings from accidentally silencing game signals.

4. Notification & Display Tuning

To keep the player's focus on the game and save power, adjust these settings in the Watch App:

  • Notification Privacy: Go to App Notifications > Advanced Settings.
    • Turn OFF "New notification indicator" on the watch face.
    • Turn OFF "Show details automatically."
  • Screen Timeout: Set the screen timeout to 1 minute of inactivity.
  • Resume App Behavior: Under Display, set "When screen turns on again, show last app" to Within 1 hour. This ensures that if the screen dims, the Relay FTW receiver is the first thing the player sees when the watch wakes up.

5. Signal & Connection Strength

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) works best when it has a clear path.

  • Device Placement: Keep your phone or watch as unobstructed as possible. Wearing a watch on the outside of the wrist provides a much stronger signal than keeping it tucked under a heavy sleeve.
  • Line of Sight: Large metal objects like chain-link fences can block signals. Try to maintain a relatively clear line of sight between the coaching device and the players.

6. Pre-Game Checklist

  • Battery Check: Start your games with at least 80% battery on all devices.
  • Connection Test: Perform a quick "signal check" before the first pitch to ensure all devices are synced.

7. Group Apps

To easily find the Relay FTW app, you can move all other applications into a folder so they are not cluttering up the screen.

Pro Tip

Setting the Battery usage to Unrestricted and configuring the watch to Show Last App (Within 1 hour) are the two most effective ways to ensure players never miss a signal.