3 ms·

You can disable all the health data stuff.

colordrops 2mo ago
then what's the point of the watch? Can you see the data without a cloud connection? Can it be uploaded to your phone without going to the cloud?
- beart 2mo ago
  Yes you can see most of your data without a cloud connection. But some features are limited and require the subscription. A google account is required though to use the app I believe. Of course, getting more than a snapshot of the data is a bit of a pain. Fitbit has a developer portal and you can create a dev app key to export your data. There is at least one open source project that pulls this data down regularly and feeds it into grafana. I'm not sure if the pixel line of watches provides a similar developer portal. EDIT: actually, you said cloud connection. I think in this case the data is still being sent to the cloud, hence the API to fetch it. But you don't have to enable sharing with other services or purchase the health subscription. So maybe the answer is still that no, you can't really do much without the cloud connection.
  - tredre3 2mo ago
    > I think in this case the data is still being sent to the cloud, hence the API to fetch it. Correct. In every case all the data is sent to the cloud. That is where the data is crunched and transformed in actual metrics. You can do the test and block the internet to the companion app. You'll see that only instantaneous data is updated (heart rate, steps), but nothing else. There is no way to use a fitbit or pixel watch without the cloud. Google eventually gets all your health information, minute by minute. Gadgetbridge can do some things, but not many (and nothing at all for most of Google/Fitbit's products). Which is fine if all you want is HR and steps and possibly notifications, but then there is no point in paying for a smart watch, just get a fitness tracker that is cheaper and has better battery.
- Marsymars 2mo ago
  I'm not saying you can disable the cloud upload (though apparently you can?), I'm saying you can disable the health tracking entirely. I've never had any use for the health tracking - I use my watch for notifications, emergency contacts, and displaying the time/sunset/sunrise/weather/UV index. Different people use their watches for different things.

then what's the point of the watch? Can you see the data without a cloud connection? Can it be uploaded to your phone without going to the cloud?

beart 2mo ago
Yes you can see most of your data without a cloud connection. But some features are limited and require the subscription. A google account is required though to use the app I believe. Of course, getting more than a snapshot of the data is a bit of a pain. Fitbit has a developer portal and you can create a dev app key to export your data. There is at least one open source project that pulls this data down regularly and feeds it into grafana. I'm not sure if the pixel line of watches provides a similar developer portal. EDIT: actually, you said cloud connection. I think in this case the data is still being sent to the cloud, hence the API to fetch it. But you don't have to enable sharing with other services or purchase the health subscription. So maybe the answer is still that no, you can't really do much without the cloud connection.
- tredre3 2mo ago
  > I think in this case the data is still being sent to the cloud, hence the API to fetch it. Correct. In every case all the data is sent to the cloud. That is where the data is crunched and transformed in actual metrics. You can do the test and block the internet to the companion app. You'll see that only instantaneous data is updated (heart rate, steps), but nothing else. There is no way to use a fitbit or pixel watch without the cloud. Google eventually gets all your health information, minute by minute. Gadgetbridge can do some things, but not many (and nothing at all for most of Google/Fitbit's products). Which is fine if all you want is HR and steps and possibly notifications, but then there is no point in paying for a smart watch, just get a fitness tracker that is cheaper and has better battery.
Marsymars 2mo ago
I'm not saying you can disable the cloud upload (though apparently you can?), I'm saying you can disable the health tracking entirely. I've never had any use for the health tracking - I use my watch for notifications, emergency contacts, and displaying the time/sunset/sunrise/weather/UV index. Different people use their watches for different things.