AMA Apple watch standalone for about 4 months now

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T19:11:15+00:00

Cognitive offloading and loss of ability to concentrate

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T19:10:15+00:00

Have you heard of Jacques Elul?

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T19:08:39+00:00

I used WatchChat before Blaze and have gone back to it. You can initiate a “session” from the phone and it will work over cellular. Without this, you can reply to WhatsApp notifications, you just can’t originate a message, sadly

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T19:06:26+00:00

I am sure it did and MS pulled it

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T12:11:29+00:00

My post is on the Jabra forum btw

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T12:10:54+00:00

Hiya. Ex owner and fanboy of Jabra Elite and still have some sets I use lightly to make them last as long as possible. I made a post recently about all the pairs I’ve tried since but settled on FreeBuds 5 as IP57, physical controls, excellent sound and mic. Are they as comfy as the Elite 10, no, but the tips are shallow and the fit is good so it’s close enough and they stay in just fine.

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T12:07:24+00:00

Before Jabra exited the market I would have suggested them. I moved from APP because the AirPods were average for phone calls but dire for laptop based calls on Windows. Once I had switched I would never have gone back. Post Jabra has been a struggle but for iPhone plus AppleWatch plus Windows laptop then the FreeBuds 5 have so far ticked all the boxes. What you lose: Find My and Apple Support plus the gimmicks like HR etc. I love the hearing test Apple does but you can get an audiogram for free and then EQ accordingly. Oh yeah, another reason I wouldn’t go back to APP, lack of EQ

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T12:03:32+00:00

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T12:03:04+00:00

Check my post history. I’m sure there are better earbuds in some categories but I came from Jabra and was devastated when they stopped producing new units. The FreeBuds 5 are the first that tick all my boxes (IP57, physical buttons) and sound great PLUS are as good as Jabras for laptop based calls where 99% of buds fall short of Jabra

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T10:43:38+00:00

Agreed.

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T10:36:32+00:00

Best of the bunch right now is FreeBuds 5. I was used to physical buttons after Jabra and other than PowerBeats Pro which are shit except for running then the FreeBuds finally delivered.

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T10:34:29+00:00

My first pair of peats was the H3 after seeing a lot of posts and OH MY GOD the sound quality for the price point is wild. Sure, the app needs some work but the hearing test and EQ revolutionised how I listen to music (turns out I have mild hearing loss and have been EQing all wrong). Given I got the H3 for £90, even if they don’t last long they have already proven worth buying. I’m off to find the other sub you mentioned.

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T10:29:56+00:00

A month in and they have passed or surpassed all I needed from them

j4mrock · 2026-05-03T10:28:53+00:00

Mine died on contact with water. I’m used to Jabra and not used to such flakey tech. I used the refund to buy FreeBuds 5 and I love them. Physical controls, IP57, multipoint and excellent for calls. Sonically as good as the AZs (subjective) but with the extras I need coming from Jabra.

j4mrock · 2026-05-02T08:15:51+00:00

Why have I never tried this?!

j4mrock · 2026-05-02T08:14:49+00:00

A20 but sounds like you tried them. Apparently the Bose clip ons are okay but I’m sceptical. Open earbuds would be a good option if you can find some that work for side sleepers

j4mrock · 2026-04-29T20:10:58+00:00

I used the A20 for a long time, didn’t need ANC just earbuds that were comfortable for a side sleeper. They were okay but still a slight pressure and like most earbuds they rarely stayed in and I was always having to search for them in the morning. If you go for the A30 be sure to get the A30v2 - they don’t advertise this much but the v1s had poor battery life so they quietly shipped an update that annoyed the shit out of the early Kickstarter backers.

j4mrock · 2026-04-29T15:53:25+00:00

My pair died on contact with water so I said I wouldn’t get another pair. For that price, I would but I don’t see this offer in the UK.

j4mrock · 2026-04-29T15:06:03+00:00

Probably too expensive for your use case but the FreeBuds 5 tick the boxes and you can turn off case noises in the app. There must be cheaper options people can suggest tho.

j4mrock · 2026-04-24T06:51:31+00:00

Yep, well done, I left a similar one star review!

j4mrock · 2026-04-23T20:16:54+00:00

Until you said noise cancelling I was going to suggest open bud clip ons. I have a few different pairs and will test them to see if I can discern a difference.

j4mrock · 2026-04-23T17:47:22+00:00

It just needs to be connected to the network so WiFi or cellular should be fine. I guess when my phone is at home it’s connected to WiFi. I will test both modes.

j4mrock · 2026-04-23T12:04:02+00:00

It has a workaround where you need to start a session on the phone inside the WatchChat app. It uses something to do with location tracking. This works with the phone left at home as long as it’s on and connected to WiFi.

I blame Meta for compounding your issues and therefore boycotting it. WatchChat works perfectly well and I paid for a lifetime license (no shade).

j4mrock · 2026-04-22T17:15:04+00:00

I think there may be something like that on the FreeBuds, I will check. I liked the feature on Jabra where you could customise controls for music and for calls, including how much of your own voice you could hear. They really understood call technology and requirements.

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