FAQ

Technology has developed so rapidly that things from science fiction, such as wearable technologies like smartwatches, have now become a reality that we can use in our daily lives. Slowly, the analog mechanical watch on the wrist is being replaced by a second device that is smarter, more feature rich, and complementary to smartphones. However, for any new technology we use for the first time, we usually have a lot of confusion and questions. Okay, don't worry! Let's explore some questions you may have about smartwatches.

Q：How do smartwatches measure heart rate?

A：There are many sensors in smartwatches, and the most common one is PPG, which stands for photoplethysmography. Its working principle is to shine LED lights onto the skin and measure the changes in blood flow with each heartbeat. Then, the smartwatch uses algorithms to calculate the number of heartbeats per minute.Some smartwatches also use different types of sensors, such as ECG or electrocardiogram. These are more accurate than PPG sensors. It measures the electrical activity of the heart to calculate heart rate. Many smartwatches use a combination of PPG and ECG to improve accuracy.

Q：How does a smartwatch track steps and activity?

A：Smart watches usually use combinations of different sensors to track steps and activities according to the scene. Usually, it uses a combination of accelerometers to detect changes in motion, such as steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned. GPS is used to track outdoor activities, including running, walking, and cycling. It is also used to provide more accurate distance and speed data.In addition, smartwatches also rely on user input to detect activities. Some smartwatches allow you to manually input the type of activity they are currently engaged in. Machine learning is also an indispensable part of the entire problem. Over time, your watch will learn about you and your daily life, and it can use machine learning algorithms to automatically detect different types of activities.

Q:How to make phone calls and send text messages with a smartwatch?

A：Most smart watches can make calls and send SMS messages via the Internet after synchronization with mobile phones. Your smartwatch needs to be connected to your phone via Bluetooth or mobile network. You need a dialer and messaging application on your smartwatch.

Smart watches with built-in cellular or LTE connectivity can work independently and dial through their inherent cellular connection.

Q:Can smartwatches play games?

A:yes! Smart watches can play games. Both Android based Wear OS and Apple Watch OS smartwatches can run some games. Due to the compact screen, these games are clearly limited. These games are essentially quite basic, and most of them are 2D games.

Q:Are smartwatches safe?

A:Yes, smartwatches are perfectly safe. In fact, they are a great companion device for your smartphone and a nifty health tracking device that can tell you crucial information about your health vitals including heart rate, BP, calories, and more.Many modern-day smartwatches also have life-saving features such as fall detection or crash detection. They also have other features for outdoor activities that can potentially save your life in certain situations. There are built-in back trekking features for trekking, SOS when you are lost and can’t find any cellular connectivity.

Q:Is health data accurate?

A:Generally, the data related to your activities such as the steps you walked are more or less accurate. However, with more complex data where your smartwatch needs to be extrapolated, then it becomes a little dicey. For instance, it is known that the calories burned counter is not really accurate. Some are more inaccurate than others.Other health-related data such as sleep cycles are also accurate only to a certain degree. The same goes for heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. These are still not reliable and accurate to the point that they can be used for a clinical diagnosis. Having said that, it is still a great companion device to give you an estimate of trends in relation to your health and body rather than accurate statistics.

Q:How do smartwatches calculate calories burned?

A:To give you an estimate of how many calories you’ve burned, a smartwatch first needs to detect and track your steps and other activities. For this, it uses a combination of sensors such as a 3-axis accelerometer and GPS combined with user input and machine learning algorithms.

Now on top of this, your smartwatch constantly tracks your movements. Combined with heart rate data with information about the user’s height, gender, and weight, a smartwatch can provide an estimate of calories burned during physical activity. However, it should be noted that these numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt as they are known to be not really accurate. But gradually, these are improving.

Q:Can smartwatches be used without a phone?

A:Yes, you can use both a non-cellular as well as cellular smartwatch without a smartphone. But there are caveats that need to be aware of. Firstly, most of the features on a smartwatch are functional as long as it is connected to a stable Internet source.You need to connect to the source of Wi-Fi or you need to have built-in cellular connectivity to function independently of a phone. For this, you should have a separate smartwatch data plan.