A while ago I put my Apple Watch and Oura ring in a drawer and vowed my time with smart devices like them was done. I had a couple of issues with them, from accuracy, to life span, to how much they distract me, and the data they collect.

I think algorithms used by these devices are dangerous because they gather up too much information about us which is used to change our minds about … a lot of stuff.

I think even in a subtle way, using a smart device for health tracking makes a person more open to using “Science TM” to stay healthy. Things like vaccines, drugs, etc. it kind of welcomes the mindset of biohacking and biohacking is sort of a gateway drug to transhumanism. A philosophy that probably could not be more demonic if it was written by the devil himself.

On top of that, they’re really not that accurate. I have had 2 heart rate trackers tell me my heart rate was spiking to like 130bpm in the middle of the night, but my Oura ring never did. It turns out that the other two (Apple and Garmin) use an algorithm that estimates more, and can be noisier. Especially if the device moves around while you’re sleeping. Initially I had gone to my doctor and thought I was dying. He told me my only option was to do a beta blocker if I did a heart study, which he didn’t want to do because I wasn’t having other symptoms. I think this inaccuracy is dangerous, a lot of doctors probably would have just put me on the meds. (Un)fortunately I had Kaiser at the time, and their business model is to refuse every request until you find yourself in an ER. After I developed chest pain, I went to the ER and they did an EKG and told me my heart was fine – but for years I was worried about it, and it turns out it was a sensor issue not a heart issue.

Apple’s Watches are also highly invasive, have one of the most sensitive microphone arrays ever invented, keep us constantly interrupted and connected to the internet. I also think they’re allowing apps to listen for wake words and potentially also collecting data for a secret surveillance program like Prism – since they were already outed by Edward Snowden for participating in these kinds of programs. Besides all of the inaccuracies and gross spying, they’re expensive and die after a couple years.

For the Oura ring, while it’s much less invasive, it still died on me after 2-3 years. At $400 a pop, I need to get a lot more time out of a device. It just seems wasteful, especially when the Apple Watch also costs $450-$1000 and needs to be replaced just as quickly.

The Solution

I’m not alone. A lot of people hate big data / mass government spying and also don’t see any value in a device that isn’t clinically accurate and runs out of steam after 4 years when priced in these ranges.

Chinese companies like Amazfit, Colmi, and even Xiaomi make fitness trackers that don’t require subscriptions. They range in price from $20-$200 depending on the style and while maybe missing some of the spit and polish, they’re within a few percentage points in accuracy.

But don’t Chinese apps have horrible privacy policies? Yes they do! Here’s the thing, I don’t care as much if China spies on me. I don’t plan to visit China, and I don’t think they’re trading mass surveillance Intel with the US agencies. I think that’s one of the major reasons the US wants to block Chinese apps from collecting data on US residents.

On top of that, AI is getting pretty good – which means we don’t need to chain ourselves to one brand or one platform for making sense of the data these devices record.

AI can understand the issues with specific devices and the limits of sensor technology and help us get a better understanding of what these devices can tell us, far more so than some company that has drank their own Koolaid and wants to sell us some slick overhyped sci-fi vision of the here and now.

But it gets even better

Chinese companies are stamping these products out and don’t care what you do with them. An open source project called Gadget Bridge is available on Android and lets users suck the data out of these devices where it is stored only locally.

That’s right folks. YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO USE THE CHINESE APPS. We can have a pretty decent fitness tracker that is only slightly less accurate than a name brand Oura, Whoop whatever for 1/10th of the price and we can choose to not send our data to some big tech company that’s marketing our info or directly spying on users for whatever government program they’ve been recruited in to.

Obviously there are tradeoffs. One is accuracy, that as discussed is pretty nominal compared to the already inaccurate US competitors. The other is refinement. A lot of these gadgets and the stock app – aren’t going to look as finished – and they won’t put as much time into developing enhancements. With tools like gadget bridge and stand alone AI, we’ll still be able to have independent analysis of our raw health data.

Eventually these budget rings will probably get even better while the higher end ones will continue to make slightly marginal improvements.

Here’s what I’m doing:

This is the Colmi r12. It has a temperature sensor, heart rate, accelerometer, and measures steps, heart rate, sp02, sleep and activity. It was $37 shipped, with tariffs.

I ordered it because I want to mess around with Gadget Bridge before spending more money, and I got the one with the screen because I like the idea of being able to see my steps and heart rate without having to open my phone.

It looks like a normal ring when the screen is turned inside. They come in gold and silver as well but I tend to wear black or stainless steel watches.

Apparently the maker, Colmi also has a free app called QRing, and it is adequate on its own. They have android and iOS apps and it sends data to apple health, which is where I store my health data anyway.

If the experience is acceptable I’m going to also pick up an Amazfit Helio Strap. I’ll pair it to my android and pair the ring to my iPhone. The Amazfit has better accuracy and sensors, runs about $99. it’s a screenless health tracker that competes with the Whoop strap.

In September Polar, a Finnish brand is dropping their own screenless tracker that doesn’t need a subscription. Polar makes great stuff and has high resolution sensors on most of their equipment so depending on the price and app experience I may pick it up instead of the Amazfit. Polar’s products also work with Gadget Bridge.

One thing I do not like about these devices is there is no way to shut off the radios. Bluetooth has a lot of privacy implications, since most devices constantly broadcast and scan for Bluetooth IDs. This is said to be anonymized but it’s not true. This information can easily be de-anonymized through various means, and can be used for contact tracing. I don’t think it’s as big of an issue with a ring, but when you add wifi and other features like – being signed in to an apple or google account, then you’re putting a lot more data into the device.

Why I’ve Changed My Mind About Health Tracking

The data provided by health trackers is valuable, and now I’ve found a way to not share it with Big Data. For me, I almost fell into the Big Science trap, I was starting to believe that we would be able to do things like dramatically extend our lifespans and stop pandemics with new vaccines. During Covid, I had a real awakening, realizing that it’s all just hype, false promises, and optimistic thinking mixed with a little bit of elitism authoritarianism, and human cockiness. I

In some ways I find these human promises offensive. They ring of the same lies the Devil told Adam and Eve in Genesis, that humans are the masters of their own destiny, do not need to rely on God, and can determine truth for themselves.

I have decided there is a balance between being healthy and informed and veering into the realm of biohacking and transhumanism.

For health, religious, ethical, and moral reasons I want to avoid things like prescription medications, vaccines, and unnecessary treatments, which makes getting access to data that can prevent the need for these things all the more valuable. Not that all of these things are necessarily morally wrong – perscription drugs can be life saving, and I’ve used them. However to me, it’s the philosophy that goes along with relying on drugs and vaccines that can become troubling ethically and spiritually.

I want to live a natural life, I treat myself with Vitamin D, sunshine, and forest medicine, like earthing, mushrooms, and healthy foods. Wearing a tracker is antithetical to my personal health philosophy in some ways, in others it enables it to be more effective.

One thing I really appreciated was being able to monitor nightly temperature spikes which often indicated an early immune response. In several cases my Oura ring told me I was getting sick several days before a full blown fever developed.

So that is that, a long rant about why I am changing my mind again on health tracking.