Privacy @lemmy.ml 🦄🦄🦄 @feddit.de 7 mo. ago

[Solved] Looking for a privacy oriented fitness tracker

Hi other privacy people :)

I am currently looking for a fitness tracker that at least doesn't need a proprietary app to get the data out of it. Haven't really found any recent articles that look into that aspect of fitness trackers, any advice?

I know about the bangle.js but wanted to know if there is more. Also, if you have this device and use it to track your running, I would be happy to read your review!

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Solution for me was to adjust the settings of opentracks. Before it recorded only every 10 metres. Additionally I ordered a chest strap for my heart rate. Brand is Polar, they seem to be good about not needing their own app to get your data.

29 comments

Look into Gadgetbridge, as that allows the bypass of proprietary apps for some trackers
- Good to know thanks!
- +1 for Gadgetbridge. It is amazing
- Another +1 for GadgetBridge. Looking at their supported devices may also be of interest even if you don't us GadgetBridge itself.
- But I reckon there's not that much support for most trackers, and most need to first be registered with the official app, defeating the privacy. Is there a reasonably good product that works on gadgetbridge without vendor registration?
  
  Personally I don't mind initial registration, so long as they don't continue to get data, so I'm not sure. There is some development for Garmin connectivity that I'm hoping comes to fruition.
  
  I did like the old amazfit bip and that could be used without registration using the Notify for Amazfit & Zepp app, from what I can remember. I never used it with Gadgetbridge though, and it didn't last for very long before dying (cheap build quality). It isn't much of a fitness tracker either.
Garmin watch will track you with it's own GPS and doesn't need to sync with a phone.
Mozilla privacy not included seems to like Garmin products. I'm sure you need to use their proprietary app but figured I'd just throw that out there
What kind of fitness tracker?

Running? Opentracks.
- Already using opentracks but my smartphone is really not great for recording the gps track and it can't sense my heart rate I'm afraid.
  
  Polar smart watches seem to be fairly privacy conscious. Maybe the Pine time watch is more of what you’re looking for though. Or the HealthyPi Move.
  
  I've used a Bluetooth heart monitor worn around the chest (was around 20 $ ten years ago) to measure the heart rate before. It works well with open tracks and should be more reliable compared to a device worn around the wrist. I am not sure the gps tracker on a watch works be better than the one on your phone anyways. It might be a problem with your phone killing background apps like opentracks. Check https://dontkillmyapp.com before pulling the plug on a new device.
Some of these suggestions are the over the top for what you need. Just get a Garmin Forerunner and don't sync it with your phone. They are easy to find secondhand if you want to save money and can be connected to a PC via USB without the need for a Garmin account.
Garmin, but you need to get one of their watches. The good thing is that they supposedly don't sell your data.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a Garmin watch? Alternatively, since the battery is on its last legs, I am probably overdue to buy a new watch if anyone has any FOSS-friendly suggestions (either out the box or after disabling certain sync functionality outside of my local lan)
- Bangle.js watch is probably the closest thing, but I'm not sure how good it is compared to Garmin.
  
  Garmin is pretty much gold standard when it comes to sports tracking. Most other brands are a step down, and I imagine a FOSS watch like the bangle.js is a significant step down from Garmin watches WRT sports tracking.
- I have a Garmin venu 3, it's positioned as the most smart watch / lifestyle focused of the Garmin lineup. I like it for measuring sleep, body battery, steps, playing golf, and reading notifications without pulling out my phone. The gentle reminders to get steps in for the day, weekly active minutes, and sleep quality have genuinely improved my health.
  
  That said it annoys me that they offer no OS or feature upgrades throughout the life of the watch. They do some bug fixes but that's it.
- Fucking love my instinct solar 2
A notebook
I think the others didn't get it, but possibly it's just me, so let's make it clear: are you searching for fitness tracker hardware, like a smartwatch/band/whatever, or for software that interacts with that device?

For the former, I don't have any recommendations.
For the latter, try out gadgetbridge and fitotrack. Both are on f-droid
- I am indeed looking for the hardware :D thx tho
I do it the old school way and just use stopwatches. Especially with running, it's easy to just go by time and record it manually.
- Trackers can do so much more than just take time for running. Cadance, ground contact time, recovery, suggestions. My garmin watch has upped my training game considerably. Its a bit like having an online personal trainer.
I'm not sure to get it, sorry if it is not what you've been looking for but would this https://github.com/SamR1/FitTrackee work ?
While this may not be what you're looking for, it's worth mentioning that a good ol' pencil and paper does wonders. It won't have everything you need, but you can time how long you ran for with a stopwatch, count how many pushups you do, manually measure your pulse, etc. If you're good with data processing you can stick the data in a spreadsheet and process it to see your progress. The bonus is you'll learn a lot more about health through doing it yourself. Besides that, I've never used a smart watch or fitness tracker. I've just exercised until I get tired.
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