Privacy respecting smart watches for android (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by Arxir@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Recently got a Galaxy 4 smart watch gifted, but I am continuously getting barraged with (repeated) permission requests and hit with restrictions on features due to not granting certain permissions.

Is there an alternative that fulfills the following requirements:

respects my privacy by both, not storing my data on their servers and not selling my data, both health and identity data.
works with Android, i.e. Is not restricted in use by using Android as the Galaxy 4 apparently is.

I mainly want to use the watch to track sport sessions, basically just for running.

Are there any tips on how to keep my peace of mind when dealing with smart watches? Things to keep in mind, etc?

Thanks in advance!

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[-] smotherlove@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 year ago

PineTime is a great option. I wear mine every day. The firmware is licensed under the GPLv3 and the companion app Gadgetbridge is under the AGPLv3.

The firmware codebase (Infinitime) is pretty simple C++, I was able to make a lot of cool customizations to my watch by hacking at it. Good fun if you like doing that sort of thing. Kind of reminds me of Pebble Time a little bit back when it had its moment.

[-] vikingtons@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Plus one for pine time, really cute little device that's cheap as chips and works well with gadgetbridge for various bits and pieces.

I'm not sure how good it is for activity tracking, though. Step counting is reliable in my experience but I don't know how well it can account for running and other strenuous activity.

Wouldn't use any other smart watch, mind you.

[-] akrot@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Does accurate sensors?

[-] smotherlove@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

The sensors are good enough for my needs.

this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023

73 points (98.7% liked)

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