Problems with Withings/Healthmate app

I see from other areas there are a LOT of critical comments on the healthmate app and have come to the conclusion that the users must form a group outside of the forum as it is a one-way street. We need this app sorting out and Withings are apparently shifting the to a subscription model and moving away from their own customer base. Withings need to look at the app and the web browser (where ECG's don't show in graphs) and deliver what we have paid for.

I noticed today while manually adding my blood pressure values that the heart rate wheel is going crazy as in amusement park.

I could not choose 57, the value ended up in 87, the next time 116. This is a new bug. The last time, September 20, there were no problems with this. Can't say was it before or after the 6.0. update.

Dear Withings

A bit about a possible fix I tried (NOT going to reinstall my iPhone as a new device!):

log out > delete the app > restart the phone > reinstall the app > sign in > "refreshing the data" frozen to 73%...  > kill the app > working, now loading something... and asking to activate Apple Health once again. Going thru all the positions, once again.

This time it looks like the cycling milage log was not doubled/tripled as the last time I did the re-install. However, this didn't erase the previously added doubles either. Manual job for the last two years to keep track of the total exercise km? I wish Withings could calculate monthly/yearly biking/walking/running milage. Then I didn't have to use Apple fitness to do the job.

Didn't fix the problem with HR wheel in manual BP log.

The active energy log is about double of what it should read. October 10 cycling: Apple health source/withings log 3654kcal / Withings app 7133kcal / individual sets for the day 1083+446+1950+120=3599kcal. The 55kcal difference is what I was walking around at home wearing my ScanWatch. I wish I could eat all that pizza and chocolate Withings says it's ok to eat  :) Let's see how it will be tomorrow after the circus I did today.

My Body+ doesn't find a software update for current 1651. Withings changelog claims that there is version 1661 available since March 7, 2022. I did a factory reset also because I couldn't establish BT connection with Body+

*****

Some notes and suggestions of improvements for functions:

Walking asymmetry and double support time are not shown any more. Not that it really matters. It's just funny how new things come loud and go away silent. Apple likes this too. It must be genetic for the kind of business.

Breathing disturbances (by ScanWatch) timeline not showing ANY records for the past days/quarters/years even though the lastes record I have in Measures-tab is from Oct 16. I know I also have others from the past two years but I can't find.

The heart rate (and many other HR logs like rest and sleep) has a single value. Tapping it leads to a single value. No possibility to check a graph for the past week/month/quarter. Apple health has this graph. I can see that due to my broken arm my sleep was low and my heart rate was high for two months in a row. My doctor was pleased to have the info.

My sleep apnea log jumped suddenly in one night in March from normal to moderate. My weigh is normal, my pharynx not - thus I am wearing an apnea mouth guard at night. During the 14 months of measuring I haven't really had AHI over 15 but a few nights all together. Now my AHI graph is as much yellow as green. No weight changes, no fundamental changes in sleeping trend (but somewhat improved sleep score).

Does anyone else work during weekends and rest weekdays? Why sleep quality can't show an average duration for the whole WEEK? Apple health does it - thank you Apple once again even if you are not that perfect either.

Shuffling between Withings, Apple health and Apple fitness completes the picture. Well, for accurate HR during activity and undisruptive route tracking I have to rely on Suunto app and HR belt. HR belt relies on electric sensor, ScanWatch has an optical one. It's a bummer I can't sync HR belt to Withings app. BTW, the difference of average HR is acceptable (momentary 44-189 bpm not), and they say ScanWatch 2 has an improved sensor. But should I upgrade? NOT until the app works, not until they stop releasing beta-versions which often brake the previously functioning features. This applies also to UI visual design (and the logo) that used to be close to perfect before the gradual (unfinished) rollout of "modern" colour pattern etc.

*****

I like the products in general. ScanWatch is a super cool wearable. I also believe that the quality of the products deliver a constant data quality to track the changes in health trends. I don't expect neither hospital grade apnea detection or VO2max results, nor functions of a sports tracker. Even though I bike a lot and want to keep track of my activity, I do not seriously exercise any sports. Withings idea is to track health trends, not so much performance gain. I can see that many in the community (and myself) get angry because of not understanding the technology or the logic of many measurements and the way of presenting it in the app. I try to be as objective as possible with my critique.

Whatever the reason, I wish Withings customer service got back to me to comment these problems I have. The difference of data within the app and between apps suggests that the problem is in Withings app/web app (cloud server). But perhaps there is something wrong with my iPhone 14pro max, my settings, my wrist or my throat, with my broken English, whatever... if not, I wonder if I could return all my less than 2y old devices (sleep, scale, BP, ScanWatch) to Withings and try something else? Isn't the app a necessary part of the promised functionality?

Having spent about a week before support was happy with my “ECG recordings on the right wrist display inverted” and “ECG graphs not loading on the app.withings.com website” report - to have it escalated to a higher level … I’m not comfortable with the idea of reporting more complex issues. I’m an old man and don’t have the time.

***

I’m experimenting with one-way sync from the ScanWatch to Apple Health with only what the watch knows better than the phone.
That’s currently heart rate, oxygen level, sleep and workouts. The rest is turned off in the privacy settings for Apple Health -> Withings..
Nothing from Apple Health is sync’ed to Withings.

***

I also spent a long time deleting the automatically registered walking workouts from Withings and the data it previously got from a different brand blood pressure device and smart scale via Apple Health.
That’s where I found out that bulk delete on the website does not remove data on the phone, and had to do it all again, one by one, in the app on the phone.

Automatically registered workouts is turned off completely.

***

It’s tedious work to delete duplicated or unwanted items, but it’s also possible to do in Apple Health. At the bottom of for example the blood pressure details there’s a “Show all data” leading to a list where items can be examined and deleted.

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If it’s anything like the Nokia Windows Phone days, Withings will blame Apple and Google for issues with the phones, and Apple and Google will blame Withings for issues with the app.

I’m sure both our phones are fine.

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Good idea with the *** to separate paragraphs. ;)

***

Hans

Your solution sounds like a good one. Need to consider that. Could leave the cycling route tracking to Suunto with the HR belt I already have.
The next step would be to upgrade to Apple Watch 😄

P.S.

I noticed only yesterday that Suunto HR belt feeds constant HR to automatically detected activity in Withings app. Had a 18min ride to city centre and whooops, there it was.

Hi again Mikko,

I bought the ScanWatch 2 years ago mostly for it's ECG feature and for the workout tracking. The Fitness Level score was a great motivatio during the spring and summer. It took me 3 months to improve from 33 to 34. Never mind if the number is accurate, it was consistent and improved in small fractions (and degraded after too much beer and smoke!)

It's disappointing when the ECG recordings in Withings version 6 is turned upside/down when wearing the watch on the right wrist, and to have the Fitness Level score disappear on workouts.

I'm only here because I don't like to throw things away as long it can be repaired, or as long it's "good enough".

The battery is still good for a very busy week, and the back of the watch was secured with a few drops of Loctite after the warranty expired some months ago..

(Don't try this at home unless you know what you're doing, it's sticky stuff!)

***

Regarding data and sync:

The number of Calories (actually Kilocalories) displayed on the watch and in the app, doubles as soon the watch connects to the Withings app. This is not a sync setting anywhere.

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The number of 'floors' reported by Scanwatch is way too optimistic and has nothing to do with the barometric pressure and steps(*) despite the promises in advertising and manuals. Over a year it accumulated around 10 times more altitude than an iPhone SE - The next award for me in the Withings app is a weather balloon.

(*) As an experiment I set up an "Other" workout and used it as a workout on a motorcycle ride. In one hour and 47 kilometers in almost flat terrain the watch counted 140 floors and added 424 meters "elevation" to the app.

I get similar results when walking in almost flat terrain. It's as if an amount of floors is added each kilometer regardless of the terrain. Also when walking downhill...

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The distance walked and the step count during normal use (not exercising) end up too optimistic, albeit not so dramatic. The iPhone does better on its own, even if  it doesn't count the steps from the armchair to the refrigerator and back ;)

I always have the phone in the pocket when outdoors, so this works for me.

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During the recent troubleshooting the phone had 350 MB parentless heart rate data in Apple Health (Settings -> Storage -> Apple Health). It could only be deleted by deleting Apple Health on the phone, then delete its backup in iCloud (it asks if you want to remove data on the phone too) and finally let the phone sit on a charger and Wi-Fi to create a new backup.

These historical heart rate data does not synchronise from Withings to Apple Health after a fresh install. But heart rate data from new workouts do.

There's currently a total of 72 MB "documents and data" in Apple Health with only 6 MB heart rata data.

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I've never seen any Withings workout route (a map as in Withings, I presume?) sync to Apple Health.

***

I downloaded my data in a 10MB zip from Withings that expands to more than 100 MB worth of .csv files, and the historical data of everything seems to be complete..

If it's a long and cold winter I'll try and figure out how to feed some of the memorable workouts into GpsPrune and get a more compatible format to show off ;)

***

Hans

I wonder if it would be possible to return ScanWatch under warranty because of Healthmate app not delivering exact data? Thus the watch is not functioning as promised. I still have a couple of months to do this.

Yesterday my Body Smart scales arrived and I’ve setup the app. I’ve shared my Garmin Fenix data with the Apple Health App so that it can cross sync into the Withings App so I can keep most of the data together but I have no idea where the Withings app is getting its step data from - it doesn’t match either the Garmin Connect Data OR the Apple Data and is wildly out and higher so it’s not that it’s missing any information. I was considering getting the Scanwatch 2 to replace my ageing Fenix 5 but this episode has completely put me off - including the data issues also being reported in the Scanwatch forum. How hard can it be????

Withings app 6.1.0. is out!
They promise to have fixed several bugs etc so fingers crossed!

mail

Did you check if your steps data is synced from Apple Health to Withings app?
If the source is both Fenix AND iPhone you may get more steps because one or other is filling in the gaps in total count when only one device is with you: one on the table and another with you when you are moving around the house.

6.1. Seems to be futile update.
Most of the problems still exist and some new appeared.
Withings can’t control the quality of their dev team.
☹️

What is going on?

I rarely go into the app, fired it up and 100% of my screen is now NOTIFICATION. Why? Is that why I fired up the app? This is a health app. I want my health. If you're gonna make massive UI changes, put a setting in.

The font is smaller, the top has a non-dismissible notification panel that stays there, taking up space with no notifications (why not just use a bell like everyone else? stop hiring Apple rejects). Now data no longer firs on screen. Top notch design choice. I also like that you put my pic at the top, in case I forget what I look like.

As for measurements, it has always been weird and a bit inconsistent, but it's getting ridiculous. I fired up my GF's app to see the sleep cause she was tired and stressed. I felt her tossing and turning all night. Open the app, sleep score is 100.

100!

I looked at the BPM and she jumps from 47-51 to 78, 80, 76. Not an event. Tossed and turned. Not an event. Clearly not into deep sleep. Not an event.

Already altimeter is a joke. Already you stop recording GPS data for like 30 mins for no reason. Already steps need to be heavy to be recorded. Already it's annoying that I can't use the app while in exercise mode. Already I can't see steps while working out. Now sleep doesn't work?

Look, I like Withings. I do. I was courting a sleep sensor but holy moly, 150 euro for extra sensors for you to ignore? Looked around the forum, people are frustrated for a year over the scale, with no resolution. The scale is almost twice the scanwatch in price.

Am I gonna buy it and then 3 months in it will have notifications on the display and I have to login with 3 factor to dismiss it?

You have a direction issue. Not an app issue, not a bug issue. A _direction_ issue, where nobody is at the wheel. Why is there nobody with an overall vision of where this needs to be? Why is the app simplifying AND adding things? Why are you making the font smaller to fit more data AND adding things on my screen? Why is a passive device on my wrist trying to be an active, competitive device? WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOING?

Get an old man with anger issues (I volunteer). Give him a gun. Any change in the app must be explained to the old man and if you can't explain it, the old man kneecaps whoever tried to ruin a perfectly good app.

- Hi, I added a new bottom tab system
- Why, all the data is on a single tab?
- One of the tabs has achievements in it. 
*gunshot* achievements and games are secondary to user data and should never be intrusive
- And it has a red dot that never goes away.
*second gunshot* we already have a notification system, use it. If it's bad, make it good. If everything needs attention, nothing gets attention. Learn to design.

- I added a top panel before all the user data
*gunshot* space is at a premium on a mobile device. Use it to its fullest. You aren't 5 and you're not trying to impress mommy. Simple, clear, clean. Why is the app design language dissonant from the product design language?
- what is a design language
*gunshot*

- I added mandatory tutorials
*gunshot* I know you work on features one by one, but anyone installing this app is gonna be bombarded with every thought you ever had. You don't need tutorials for good design. Make it so it's intuitive. This isn't rocket science, it's a simple app. Make it simpler.

- I interrupted the user to-
*gunshot* never interrupt the user. The user will forget positive interactions and fixate on the negative. Annoy the user every day and he will one star your app. Even if it's 99% positive. Do. Not. The user.

- I sorted the data by the newest
*gunshot* what weight have you given to the effort the user puts to learn an ever-changing UI? What have you gained after sacrificing familiarity with a branded experience?

I'm joking, of course. And if you DO decide to give me a gun, I promise not to shoot whoever made the email only login system not have a regular login option. I just want to talk. I also want a word with the guy who doesn't let you choose the forum name.

All the above (withings! :-) perhaps edit gunshot for PAYCUT? They've never read "A smile in the mind"

I'm not sure Withings can take the loss of human resources a paycut would bring. Any more paycuts and I'll log on tomorrow to find hand drawn image of an app in Paint and a link to a .doc on how to make your own app.