Any recommendations for a privacy respecting watch with basic smart features?
Any recommendations for a privacy respecting watch with basic smart features?
I'm looking for a watch that is able to do basic "smart" things like show notifications and ping my phone if I misplace it. A timer/stopwatch would also be good, and a long lasting battery.
I have no interest in an Apple watch or Galaxy watch, so I'm looking for something comparatively cheap.
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I would suggest to look at the models supported by Gadgetbridge and pick one from there. I know I can trust Gadgetbridge not to leak my data since it doesn't ask for network permission.
https://gadgetbridge.org/gadgets/
I used it for several years, through multiple gadgets (in chronological order)
- Pebble
- Pebble Steel
- Pebble Time Steel
- Mi Band 4
- Amazfit Bip
- Bangle JS2
- Casio GBD-200
I'd second the recommendation for Gadgetbridge and would add most of the Amazfit watches to the list. I have the Amazfit GTS 4 and it has run flawlessly with Gadgetbridge.
I thought about using Amazfit products but all the new ones require Huami/Xiaomi server pairing. How was that process?
I just used a throwaway email to initially sign up to get the Key, then deleted the app. Was very easy.
Alright that doesn't sound that bad. I have a Mi Band 3 and haven't upgraded to anything else due to the need to get a key with anything newer.
I miss the pebble and fsck Fitbit for killing it.
I more dissapointed that Pebble was unable to find a viable financial path forward :(
Agreed. Kinda glad I didn’t back the third watch.
How was the Bangle JS2? What made you switch away from it?
Initially the software wasn't very stable, but that was fixed over time. Overall I liked it a lot, and the available "apps" for it all filled a niche I looked for.
I switched because I wanted to go back to a more classic watch I can simply wear and forget about. I don't have all the bells and whistles from the BangleJS2, but now I have a watch to see my notifications and step counter that I don't need to recharge every week, the battery (CR2032) is said to last about 2 years in the GBD-200.