Smart Watch Questions—Apple, Fitbit, & etc.

[sophie]

I know this is a long ways from being a gun forum question, but I need some information on Smart Watches. I bought a FitBit Charge 5 Smart Watch a couple of months ago and regardless of the adjustments in settings that I change to correct, this dang FitBit shows about 2 1/2 times the steps and miles that I walk in a days time. These figures being compared to my iPhone Health app, Pedometer app, and a separate older Omron Belt Pedometer. I am considering the new Apple Smart Watch Series 8 because of the FitBit inaccuracy. I’ve done everything I can think of on the FitBit Smart Watch according to instructions and research, still records way too many steps and miles. If anyone out there that has an Apple Smart Watch, older or not, or has the New Apple Series 8 Smart Watch, I would like to hear how you like it.
I’m thinking seriously about the new Apple Series 8 Smart Watch. Tell me what you think.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Ruthie has a Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch V with the medical apps. A computing marvel.

Dick Tracy would be astonished.

 

[sophie]

Looks like the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatches will pair with iPhones iOS systems, all except the Galaxy 4 as per searches. I’ll check into that. Thanks

 

[Jeff423]

My wife, daughter, two sisters and I all have Apple watches of various ages and really like them. They all use the health and fitness apps and are very happy with the way they work. I think the newest of these is a 7.

 

[Narragansett]

Not something I would consider fooling with. Map off a walking path on the odometer of your car. Close enough. Check cell phone as needed to see what time it is, no charging involved. Use bathroom scale to check weight lost. Eat properly. Do something nice with money saved.

 

[Tom S.]

I have a smart watch and a FitBit. I too found the FitBit was inaccurate for measuring footsteps - until I bought a leg band and started wearing it on my ankle. It's spot on now.

 

[Farmer17]

I bought an Apple watch because everyone at the gym had one but I never cared how many steps I walked or calories I burn because I enjoy it not because I have to. I stopped wearing the watch after a few months but I did burn 2700 calories when I hiked 10-1/2 hours to get to the top of Pikes Peak at 13,300 ft from 6000 feet. Man, that was hard! Especially since I had just flown in from Oklahoma City at 900 feet elevation the previous afternoon.

 

[Onomea]

If the main reason you are considering a smart watch is for tracking your walking performance — distance, time, elevation, etc. — there are a bunch of apps for that. Just choose one and put it in your phone:

15 Best Walking Apps for 2023 - Free Apps to Track Steps

If you find a smartphone too cumbersome when out walking, or, you want to track your entire day's activities — how many steps while vacuuming, etc. — a smartwatch probably makes sense.

My exercise is near daily walks. I find a walking/running app helpful.

If counting steps is your thing, I'd just get a pedometer.

If you want to plot how long you walked, or how long you will walk, by route, this website is useful: How far did I run? - Create running maps with On The Go Map

 

[Rustyt1953]

Ruthie keeps her watch on at night as it monitors her sleep pattern, her heart rate, her temperature, her O2 level and it also has an ECG app.

Go science!

 

[Rustyt1953]

PS: her watch indicates that she walks 6 miles during an 8 hr shift and 8 miles during an 12 hr shift.

 

[soFlaNative]

I wore a digital pedometer at work for a short time. It registered a 30 step flight of stairs as 50, a bit more coming back down.

 

[snubbyfan]

I got my wife a $10 step counter watch from Aldi's seems to work pretty good. counts steps by arm swings. The issue is that she's Italian and talks with her hands a lot.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I upgraded from an Apple Watch 4 to 8 a few months ago.

I really like it. Does more than the 4 and the battery life is at least 4 times better.

And I really like being able to accept or decline calls using my watch instead of digging my phone out of my pocket.

And the step counter seems to be accurate.

 

[Heinz]

I have two apple watches, mine and my late wife's. I find them to be very accurate both on steps and distance. If you carry your iPhone with you they are even better because they tap into the iPhone GPS. Another feature I like is, if you forget to start the exercise , it will remind you "it looks like you are walkin. Do you want to record it?" It usually loses a 1/4 mile but it gets the calorie burn right.

 

[Golddollar]

The trouble with me having a smart watch would be its dumb owner.

 

[prairieviper]

My wife is pretty happy with her Garmin Venu. Her only complaint is that it doesn't always count all of her stairs. According to her, everything else it is supposed to do it does very well. As you have likely already surmised, I do not own a smartwatch.

 

[Heinz]

The trouble with me having a smart watch would be its dumb owner.

Golddollar, my watches smarts are severely impaired by my dumbs

 

[Ranger17]

All adults in our fam have various Apple watch models; for one we all have iPhones to tie to (emails/texts/apps) and each of us enjoy different watch features. Our daughter has had heart concerns (SVT) and likes having the heart monitor options on her watch. I like the workout modes when biking and yep even playing pickleball lol. And so on….
I had fitbits for several years and for just “steps and heartrate” they were fine. But I love the Apple watch.