Sterzo Smart Almost never connects the first time

That’s a head-scratcher, then.
Regarding the Zwift app, you should see the version number on the very first login screen (pre-pairing), at the bottom righthand corner. Latest is 1.22.4: What are the latest Zwift Game and Zwift Companion app version numbers?. But if you’ve updated recently you should have that already.
It might be worth creating a new thread about this in the Android section and asking for others using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 if they have the same experience.
Sorry not to be able to help more, myself.