Jury Still Out – Welltory: Heart Rate Monitor Review

I really really want to like this app. I’ve been using the program for a few weeks and I’m trying to stick with it. However, there’s a few issues that give me pause. One of the biggest problems is the frequency with which I’m getting low measurement accuracy. I’ve watched the video and read through the instructions on taking measurements quite a few times now, yet I somehow can’t get it right. This morning I took my measurement 4-5 separate times and couldn’t get above 55% in accuracy. It’s incredibly frustrating and makes me wonder whether I’ve wasted my money on an app that’s not going to work for me. Another big problem is what seems like a big miss on the feedback section. I’ve been doing readings for a few weeks and my numbers are almost always in the red. I’m not surprised and it’s actually quite affirming, since I have fibromyalgia and I’m almost constantly in pain. In fact, the readings led me to have a discussion with my doctors and get put on a beta blocker. Turns out, my pain is much lower when my resting heart rate drops a good 10 points. HOWEVER, it seems as though the app had been designed for people who are well and have at least a few days when their energy reserves are halfway decent. It’s disheartening to hear every day that I don’t have enough energy to do basic things. It’s also not true. The app could have recognized my baseline by now and realized that I get a lot more done in a day with poor energy/productivity scores and adjusted recommendations. Telling me to chill out everyday is exactly the opposite of what I need to be doing. The only reason my numbers have improved is because I’ve made it to yoga 4-5 times a week! I just feel like the app should be smart enough to realize when someone is chronically ill and have better recommendations for them. Again, this makes me wonder what utility it has beyond the initial readings for my purposes. And whether being measured against a standard of wellness is going to be too demoralizing to continue to use the app.
Review by Taratiarra on Welltory: Heart Rate Monitor.