Smartwatch recommendation wanted

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead Interesting. Accuracy of both the Garmin and the Apple seem to be excellent when calibrated against other devices like our bike computers.

The Vivofit does not have GPS. If u you compare a down hill walk against the up hilll return you will get different numbers.

[COcheesehead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal The Vivofit does not have GPS. If u you compare a down hill walk against the up hilll return you will get different numbers.

? I didn’t say anything about this model.

[FIYes]

Hmm, really like my Moto G6, but my Internet research is not turning up any compatible smart watches. I have only had the phone for six months. My frugal nature is not going to let me replace it at this time. I appreciate hearing that Versa works with the Samsung Galaxy S7.

[Ronstar]

I like my Garmin 235. Its going on 4 years old and just keeps on working. It has GPS - I use it for hiking, biking and running. And I monitor activities through Garmin Connect. Logs steps and shows current and resting heart rate. Shows incoming call and text info on the watch face (if I have my phone with me)

[rpguy4]

OP - have you contacted Fitbit about the problem ?
Is the Fitbit app up to date on the Moto G6 ?

[FIYes]

Yes, I have contacted Fitbit about the problem and my app is up to date. After multiple contacts the answer that I get from Fitbit is that my phone is not compatible. The most recent Moto G series phone that is compatible is from 2014!

[audreyh1]

Love my Apple Watch for so many reasons including extensive fitness and heart rate tracking.

Extremely handy just for day to day stuff.

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes Yes, I have contacted Fitbit about the problem and my app is up to date. After multiple contacts the answer that I get from Fitbit is that my phone is not compatible. The most recent Moto G series phone that is compatible is from 2014!

Drag. Sounds like you’re in between a rock and a hard place. If the Moto is there to stay for the foreseeable future then it seems that the Versa (Fitbit) has to go.

[ADDED] If it were me, I’d think first about a Garmin but make sure of compatibility and that it could be returned if found otherwise. I’m less concerned about call/text notifications (although they work, I’ve shut them off).

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes Hmm, really like my Moto G6, but my Internet research is not turning up any compatible smart watches. I have only had the phone for six months. My frugal nature is not going to let me replace it at this time. I appreciate hearing that Versa works with the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Most of the Garmin and Samsung smart watches should be compatible with the Moto G6, they work with my Moto G5 Plus. I believe most of the Samsung watches require a phone with Android 5 or above and minimum 1.5G of RAM, Garmin has similar requirements.

[FIYes]

Yep, it is a drag. If I didn’t want the text and call notifications, the Versa would be fine. I think my solution going forward will need to be a Samsung/Samsung or Apple/Apple combo. Both my Moto and my Versa are good products, they just aren’t good together.

I will want my next Smartwatch to include contactless pay. I really think that is the future. When we were in Europe, one city bus that we took would take credit cards but only if it had contactless capability. Fortunately, our Costco Visa worked just fine in that situation.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Love my Apple Watch for so many reasons including extensive fitness and heart rate tracking. Extremely handy just for day to day stuff.

I use its mini flashlight--bright enough to guide me up stairs at night--and find-my-phone almost every day

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes Yep, it is a drag. If I didn’t want the text and call notifications, the Versa would be fine. I think my solution going forward will need to be a Samsung/Samsung or Apple/Apple combo. Both my Moto and my Versa are good products, they just aren’t good together. I will want my next Smartwatch to include contactless pay. I really think that is the future. When we were in Europe, one city bus that we took would take credit cards but only if it had contactless capability. Fortunately, our Costco Visa worked just fine in that situation.

I hope you find some combination that works for you. Little things can grow more annoying over time. Funny: I've lately been thinking of reverting back to a basic cell phone setup, where the phone's primary function is to place and receive phone calls. Jury's out on that.

[FIYes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelyman I hope you find some combination that works for you. Little things can grow more annoying over time. Funny: I've lately been thinking of reverting back to a basic cell phone setup, where the phone's primary function is to place and receive phone calls. Jury's out on that.

Steelyman, you sound like my DH. He has a VERY basic flip phone and is quick to say that it is more phone than he wants. [emoji3]

I looked at Samsung smart watches today. Liked the Samsung Galaxy Active because it is smaller and less bulky than their other smart watches. However, I went home and looked up the compatibility with my G6 and it wasn’t listed as compatible. It may come down to the issue is my phone. Zinger, I see you have had good luck with your G5 and that is listed as compatible. Hey, the G4 is compatible with a Versa.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply. I know this isn’t a tech forum and I asked a tech question, but I am always impressed by the quality of responses to questions on a wide variety of topics.

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes Steelyman, you sound like my DH. He has a VERY basic flip phone and is quick to say that it is more phone than he wants. [emoji3]

Ha! Does he play steel guitar too?

Quote:

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply. I know this isn’t a tech forum and I asked a tech question, but I am always impressed by the quality of responses to questions on a wide variety of topics.

Thank you for posting it. It revived my urge to see what alternatives are available and think about what I really want from mobile devices. It’s not as simple as it may seem once you consider different use cases and scenarios. And, as you highlight, compatibility concerns.

There are tons of techies here.

[labmom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes Steelyman, you sound like my DH. He has a VERY basic flip phone and is quick to say that it is more phone than he wants. [emoji3] I looked at Samsung smart watches today. Liked the Samsung Galaxy Active because it is smaller and less bulky than their other smart watches. However, I went home and looked up the compatibility with my G6 and it wasn’t listed as compatible. It may come down to the issue is my phone. Zinger, I see you have had good luck with your G5 and that is listed as compatible. Hey, the G4 is compatible with a Versa. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply. I know this isn’t a tech forum and I asked a tech question, but I am always impressed by the quality of responses to questions on a wide variety of topics.

I have the Versa too but an Apple phone. I also have issues getting text messages, it’s hit or miss except it never delivers my DH texts -lol. I’ve called and they can’t seem to fix it or decided what the issue is. Said it’s a problem they have been working on but the watch has been out since 2018. I’m thinking of getting the Apple Watch but didn’t want to spend the money and have been with FitBit for a while- this is my 3-4 th upgrade.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes I looked at Samsung smart watches today. Liked the Samsung Galaxy Active because it is smaller and less bulky than their other smart watches. However, I went home and looked up the compatibility with my G6 and it wasn’t listed as compatible. It may come down to the issue is my phone. Zinger, I see you have had good luck with your G5 and that is listed as compatible. Hey, the G4 is compatible with a Versa.

Not sure what you're looking at. Did you read somewhere that stated your Moto G6 wouldn't work with the Samsung Galaxy Active? The Samsung compatible list is not meant to be all inclusive, it's not practical for them to test every Android phone out there. If your phone meets the minimum requirements of the Samsung Galaxy Active (Android 5 and above, >1.5G Ram) then your phone should work and I'm sure your Moto G6 meets those requirements. My Moto G5 Plus worked fine with the Samsung Gear S3 but it isn't listed on the compatible list. I decided not to keep the S3 because of other non-phone issues.

[bingybear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Love my Apple Watch for so many reasons including extensive fitness and heart rate tracking. Extremely handy just for day to day stuff.

A friend let my try his apple watch and as expected it does not read my heart rate accurately at all. I've given up on them.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingybear A friend let my try his apple watch and as expected it does not read my heart rate accurately at all. I've given up on them.

That was one of the main reasons I got rid of my Samsung Gear S3, the heart rate monitor was useless when doing any activity with movement like jogging. Every 30 seconds it would send me a message over my bluetooth headphones to slow down because my heart rate was too high, frequently it would incorrectly show over 200 bpm. My Garmin heart rate monitor is 10X better than the Samsung and also offers the ability to pair it with a chest strap if desired.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingybear A friend let my try his apple watch and as expected it does not read my heart rate accurately at all. I've given up on them.

Works great for me. I have used along with a chest heart monitor at times and it tracks very well.

I can see my heart rate graph for every workout, plus my recovery rate. It gives me daily resting rates. Extremely comprehensive and I really like that.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes A phone app to count steps will not work for me. I don’t have my phone with me at all times. One of the reasons that I want text and call notifications to work consistently is that often the phone is in one room and I am in another.

I bought a cheap pocket pedometer that counts my steps. It's amazingly accurate.