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mananaysiempre 4 days ago

As a rule, non-LTE watches upload data over Bluetooth to the app (offline), which then relays that to whatever cloud service once there’s a connection. If you don’t want the second part, install Gadgetbridge and have your pick of the supported devices[1] (keeping in mind that that support not a boolean but rather feature-per-feature, so check the details).

[1] https://gadgetbridge.org/gadgets/wearables/

torstenvl 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

This has not been my experience. If you know of a fitness tracker or smartwatch that can sync without a cloud account or cellular data connection I would be very interested. But I have not found any devices that meet those criteria.

(And GadgetBridge does not work on iOS. It is Android-only.)

eightys3v3n 4 days ago | parent [-]

Mi Band with Notify on Android works just fine with no internet access or cloud account. You do need a cloud account at some point to get the key to access the watch though.

torstenvl 4 days ago | parent [-]

> You do need a cloud account at some point...

This is not "without a cloud account."

eightys3v3n 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

I consider it to be so because the product cannot be taken away through any form of update after you have started using it without the cloud account. At that point it's basically a purchasing account and is functionally useless after that. Though I do understand the frustration. I hope Pebble releases something that is cloud free and no-service usable.

mananaysiempre 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

It’s not, unfortunately, and that sucks. That’s why the Gadgetbridge compatibility list specifically warns about that whenever relevant. (As far as Gadgetbridge not being present on iOS, sorry, you knew what you were buying when you came into the Apple store.)

It is, however, a very mild case of cloud suckage, because the only thing the vendor learns in the process is an association between an email address and a device, after which you (delete the vendor app and) never communicate with them again. (You could in principle use a temporary email address if you’re particularly adventurous and don’t plan to resell.)

shrx a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Thanks for the GadgetBridge mention, seems to be working with my Instinct 3 Solar so I can ditch the Garmin Connect app.

4 days ago | parent | prev [-]
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