Late last week, Polar released their first iPhone App – Polar Beat. The app aims to bridge the gap between their dedicated devices and the phone market. Most importantly however, it’s actually the first Bluetooth Smart compatible offering from them. This is somewhat ironic in that it’s now the only offering that can take advantage of their own Polar H7 Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap via Bluetooth 4.0. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty cool first step.
I rarely ‘review’ phone apps. And this is for two specific reasons. First, the apps change near weekly. I’m sure within a few days or weeks Polar will have updated the app to do more things, thus, this post would become less relevant in than last nights dinner in my fridge. Second, there are so many apps out there that app companies get all bent out of shape that I review one app and not another.
In this case though (and in some previous cases like the Garmin FIT app) – I’m specifically looking how the app fits into their overall product offerings. And more specifically, does this app serve as a replacement for their multi-hundred dollar watches.
Installation/Pricing:
The Polar Beat app is free, no cost at all. Well, mostly. The base app itself is free, as you can see below:
However, they offer the ability to buy two additional ‘Smart Coaching’ packs, for a total of $3.99US. These packs mimic their Smart Coaching features found on their wrist watches and other cycling units – which is one of the main differentiators that Polar focuses on in their lineup when comparing their units to competitive offerings.
Both of these do require utilizing a Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap like the H7 though – since both of them focus on heart rate metrics.
Once you’ve completed the update, you’ll then see the offerings sprinkled throughout the app in either the in-activity screens or the summary screens.
Before we begin the app will ask for your location information. This is required to get speed/distance information via the GPS.
Next up is your settings. First, you can connect to your existing PolarPersonalTrainer.com account. This is like Garmin Connect (for Garmin device users). Same concept – a web based training log that their devices upload to. The app will also automatically upload your workouts to it upon completion.
You’ll also be able to set whether you see units in miles or kilometers. Additionally, you can connect to both Facebook and Twitter and authorize the app to post summary information (more on that later).
And finally, you can specify your personal settings which is fed into calorie calculation information.
With that, let’s get onto the pairing of the heart rate strap, the last piece in the settings menu.
Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Strap Compatibility
The Polar Beat app supports their H7 Bluetooth Smart strap. As I noted above, up until this point there’s actually been no Polar device that could support their own Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap (which came out last winter).
The H7 heart rate strap is different from their non-low energy Bluetooth unit in that it uses Bluetooth 4.0 instead of legacy Bluetooth. Due to this, the battery life is significantly longer – likely in the range of a year. However, that also means that it requires a Bluetooth 4.0 compatible device to connect to it. Today, on the iPhone world that means an iPhone 4s or iPhone 5. Or, one of the latest generation iPad’s. Bluetooth 4.0 is in virtually every new phone/tablet device on the market since roughly last spring, though as of today Polar has only released an iOS app.
Within the App you’ll dive into the settings menu, which allows you to pair a heart rate strap. Simply put on the HR strap and then select pairing:
You’ll then be able to select the Polar strap in question and pair to it. One interesting thing to remember about Bluetooth Smart is that you can’t pair multiple devices to a single sensor. In other words, you can’t have both a Bluetooth Smart watch (like the Metawatch) and a Bluetooth Smart app (like Polar Beat) connect to the same HR sensor at the same time.
Once paired, you’ll see the pairing show up and the option to remove the pairing down the line. Further, you’ll see the battery level displayed.
Now, that’s really interesting here though is that this is one of the first non-Motoactv times I’ve had a chance to really check cross-compatibility of the Bluetooth Smart HR straps. You may remember the Motoactv had (actually, still has on certain firmware versions) issues with different Bluetooth Smart straps.
In theory, if the app and the straps complied to Bluetooth SIG specs, they would both work together – despite me having these straps since last winter with no firmware updates since. So, I grabbed the only two Bluetooth Smart straps I had:
And then I put them both on and went into the pairing menu:
Sweet, it worked! Both showed up!
And then I was able to pair to the Wahoo Fitness BlueHR strap just as easily:
I did notice that the Blue HR strap doesn’t transmit battery state information. Though, quite honestly since the battery lasts a year and only costs a couple dollars, I’m not terribly worried about it.
Both heart rate straps displayed HR data on the app without any apparent issues. Good deal. Also, both HR straps are interchangeable between the strap itself and the transmitter pod.
Ok, let’s get onto using the app.
Use of the app:
To start using the app, you’ll want to first select a sport. In my case, I went with running.
Then you can select a ‘target’. This is where you can select a goal for the given activity. In my case, I went with a simple distance run of 6.2 miles (10K). But, you can see the ‘Benefit Target’ option that was purchased earlier as well.
From there you’ll go ahead and hit the big start button to begin the session. It’ll give you a 5-second audible count down, and then begin recording. As it’s recording, it’ll display the below screen showing the current activity metrics:
You can tap along the top where you see Map/Running/Target to change the view. For example, pulling from a cross-town ride I did earlier in the evening with it (doing errands, hence the slow speed), you can see my map:
The one challenge with the map is that you can’t do a normal pinch, zoom and pan while actually running. Only afterwards in summary mode. While in an activity you can zoom by double tapping. This becomes a bit of a problem as you see above where I ride ‘off the map’ and I can’t pan the map to include that.
Speaking of minor things that were problematic, we’ve also got the pause/stop combination. Most times my phone is locked and the display off. Normal in a running armband or my pocket. So, after I swipe to unlock it, the app itself offers another swipe if I press the pause button. So first I get the screen below to the left, and then I get the screen below to right.
Then, after that’s done, I finally get the button to stop. But sometimes the button doesn’t stop. It just seems finicky. I understand the concept of the secondary swipe. But in execution, it’s annoying and takes too long.
Since we’re on cycling screenshots – I’ll point out that the app works just fine cycling as well. Same concept as running. It’ll record speed/distance/calories and heart rate information.
In both cycling and running you have somewhat limited options for changing data fields. For example, anytime there’s a little red corner in the lower right corner of a data field you can change the metric. See below for two examples in the lower right where I change between heart rate BPM and heart rate % Max.
Once I’ve finished up a given activity and pressed stop, the app will give me a slew of data summary pages:
I like that on the map page I can slide that little white box with my finger and highlight a different section of the heart rate profile on the course. Kinda cool nice little touch.
Once I’m done with my analysis and want to share, I simply click the ‘Share’ button to go ahead and post it to Twitter or Facebook. If you previously forgot to set up those integration aspects, it’ll walk you through it.
In the case of the above, you can see the default tweet it wants to put out for this particular workout, complete with the hash tag. And below, you can see the default Facebook post.
On my timelines they look like the below (I changed the Twitter text before posting, which you can do for both):
Twitter: |
Facebook: |
GPS Accuracy:
Last but not least, a quick look at accuracy. Accuracy of the app is based on two factors – first, the GPS sensor within the phone. And secondly (more importantly actually), how much work the development team did around GPS noise in the app.
I went out for a run with both a Polar RC3 and the app side by side (even on the same arm), and here were the results. You can see the RC3 came in at 6.26 miles, whereas the app came in at 6.34 miles. That puts them with a difference of 1.2% – which is actually pretty solid (even solid for typical GPS unit differences).
In my test I didn’t modify any WiFi or GPS settings (such as turning off WiFi) as I’m not a fan of doing that. In my view either the app deals with the GPS-A noise, or it doesn’t.
My route was actually pretty difficult for a GPS unit to follow, with numerous underpasses, bridges, overpasses, and right up against some rather big concrete buildings. So I’m fairly happy with the fact that either were close to each other.
Integration with Polar Personal Trainer:
Last but not least, the app integrates with the online PolarPersonalTrainer.com site. The app automatically will upload your workout to the site upon completion, such that it’s there waiting for you.
Interestingly, it doesn’t actually see the Polar Beat app as a ‘product’ or device in use on the left side, it just sees the other products I have.
In the middle though, you can see my uploaded workout in the activity feed:
I can go ahead and click on ‘Training Result’ to crack open the full activity:
In doing so you can look at the map data, the heart rate data (in curve), as well as the summary data along the top.
If you dive into some of the tabs like ‘data’, you can get a bit more information, though not a ton.
This is the point where the Polar Beat app becomes hamstrung by the likes of PolarPersonalTrainer.com being so far behind the technology and user interface design curve compared to virtually every other fitness tracking website. Though, that complaint of mine is nothing new.
Regrettably, there’s also no method to get the data out to any other site – like TrainingPeaks or similar.
Summary:
For a first attempt, the Polar Beat app is fairly solid. It’s got a well designed UI that looks pretty, and the functions work easily. On the free fitness app side, it’s essentially another fish in the side of hundreds of other apps. The key differentiator at this point is the Bluetooth Smart support (there are other apps that have that too though). Additionally, for the paid $4 portion, the additional Polar Smart Coaching metrics are there. For those that use the Smart Coaching metrics with their other Polar devices, this does help to give you another option to get data into your Polar web account when you don’t have a device handy.
There are areas I’d like to see improved. First, Polar routinely notes that they’re ‘all in’ when it comes to Bluetooth Smart. Thus, I’d like to see it support the Bluetooth Smart speed and cadence sensors (which are available today from Wahoo Fitness) as well as the power meter (specification essentially finalized, units trickling out now). Since it’s a phone app, there’s little risk if the specification changes, as it’s easy to update.
I recognize that Polar doesn’t yet make sensors in either of those two categories…but that’s kinda the point of ‘an open ecosystem’ and not just another propriety W.I.N.D. sensor. Plus, that would significantly differentiate it from the hundreds of apps out there (especially those with better web platforms).
Additionally, I’d like to see them introduce live tracking like we see on the Garmin Fit app. I continue to see significant interest in live tracking, and would love to see an app deliver that with Bluetooth Smart sensors like the Polar Beat.
Finally, for those that ask how I carry my phone, I just use a simple Wahoo Fitness iPhone case. I’m sure there are better ones out there (probably more durable and easier to use), but it’s just one that I picked up a couple years ago and it keeps on ticking.
Bluetooth Smart Strap Sidebar
As a brief side note, both Bluetooth Smart Straps (aka Bluetooth Low Energy aka BTLE aka BLE aka part of Bluetooth 4.0) that are out on the market today (the Polar H7 and the Wahoo Blue HR) are priced the same at $79.
A number of you have asked which one is better. And honestly, after using both of them on and off since last spring – I’m putting them both in the category of being essentially ‘the same’.
They may have tiny little pros and cons over each other. For example, you can see above earlier that the Polar H7 strap is reporting battery levels to the app. Whereas the Wahoo one isn’t. That’s not to say that it’s a Wahoo issue or a Polar issue, could be either.
Meanwhile, I know that the Wahoo folks spent considerable time removing any chance of false spikes or dropouts on their strap, which I saw in my review of it last year. And that’s awesome. But, I haven’t seen any issues in the Polar strap either.
The only catch I know of is that on the latest Motoactv firmware, the Polar H7 strap will crash the unit, whereas the Wahoo Fitness one doesn’t. Of course, that’s likely a Motoactv spec-following issue more than a Polar one.
Now, one additional benefit of the Polar strap is that it will work with older exercise equipment in gyms via 5kHz. And, some (but not all) Polar units. This is important because many of the newer Polar units – like the Polar RC3 seen above – do not receive 5kHz signals. Personally, I would have preferred the H7 strap be dual WIND/BLE than dual with 5Khz/BLE. Especially given that if you’re using a Bluetooth Smart strap, you’re at this point using it with a smart phone. And most folks take their smart phones to the gym.
So, essentially, I’m seeing them as the same. There just isn’t enough difference at this point to recommend one over the other (unless you want display of HR data on your treadmill/gym equipment, if supported, in which case go Polar). Otherwise, pick whichever one you think looks prettier.
You can pickup both the Polar H7 and Wahoo Fitness Blue HR via Clever Training and get the usual 10% off your entire order using those links with coupon code DCR10XBK, and in doing so you’ll support the site.
As always – thanks for reading, and feel free to drop any questions below in the comments.
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Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
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Polar H7 Bluetooth Smart & Legacy Transmission Strap
Polar H6 Bluetooth Smart Only Strap
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Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
Finally, I’ve written up a ton of helpful guides around using most of the major fitness devices, which you may find useful in getting started with the devices. These guides are all listed on this page here.
Hi there Ray,
and thanks for your review.
One addition to H7
***
Uses Bluetooth smart technology and coded 5 kHz transmission, providing ECG-accurate heart rate to any Bluetooth smart ready device and compatible Polar training computers + fitness equipment
Finally a review that spells it out thanks so much!
Good point, meant to include that. Just updated.
Thanks!
Hi – thanks for the review. Do you actually use your Motoactv much? I broke my iphone (on which I used Adidas’ Micoach with a heart rate monitor for running. I liked the various running coaching program levels and the in-ear coaching for intervals and the like) so looking for a new system. I’d read your review of it and wrote off Motoactv because it sounded like it wouldn’t last and that Google is dropping it. Perhaps I should reconsider? thanks!
Ray….take the photo with your birthday off. It is a identity fraud threat.
good post though.
Nice review. In regards to live tracking. The Endomondo.com app supports Blutooth 4.0 AND offers live tracking. Its added security if you are out on your own off the beaten path.
Also, the Polar H7 has been getting beat up in Amazon reviews. I believe this is because a.) people are trying to use it with non 4.0 compatiblae phones. b.) they are not syncing from within the app itself.
Having been burned by the 910XT erratic reporting of current-pace data, I would like to know how this app scores in current-pace stability/accuracy.
Do you know the eta of the 4iiii viiii ble+ant+ strap? I’m tempted to wait for that one…
I asked yesterday on it, pending an answer…
Big plus of this app is how fast my H7 connects, and how solid the connection is!
Massive negative is the inability to export, means I have to run two apps simultaneously. The charts are good and clear, though more detail/landscape view would be good.
Bit too much emphasis on the fat burning zone when it comes to training metrics, as most of us know this is kinda misleading just looking at % of fat burned, rather than overall calories burned, and is too simplified an approach to base your training around.
It’s a basic app for beginners in my opinion, but the interface is uncluttered and stylish and so makes it a nice addition to my ever expanding suite of apps! (most of which are god awful!!)
Refreshing to see they haven’t tried to bundle in interval training etc as so many apps have done so in a bad/incomplete way recently.
PS yes also interested in the 4iii HR strap, couldn’t find much through google…
You can export as .xml file at home via the polar website polarpersonaltrainer.com
oh and needs iphone 5 screen support!!
Ray – any experience with converting the XML that polar personal trainer does export, into TCX for garmin connect??
link to sourceforge.net
Bonjour DC
I just discovered you web site a few days ago … is it superbe (as we would say in french)
Wondering where you take all the time to do that and … trained 
Quick question … Have you tested the runtastic watch ?
link to shop.runtastic.com
I have the apps on my android phone, the apps is awesome, but what about the watch ?
Thanks a bunch
You say Bluetooth 4.0 has been in virtualy every smartphone since the spring. Unfortunatly under Android there is no direct OS support and hence no unified API to code against for 4.0. There are various propriority apis availible from different chipset vendors but that’s hardly a good situation and my understanding is that even that is not working with the most popular new phone the S3…
Indeed, it is a problem and it’s hurting the ecosystem there for sport device integration. It’s partially one of BT’s fault, partially of Google’s fault, and partially of Apple’s fault (oddly enough). Apple gets pulled in due to their virtual ownership of the BT SIG when it comes to BT4.0. All roads lead through them, and I’d be willing to be that if they pushed a bit more across the ecosystem, it might help elsewhere.
Again, just my two cents.
Hi Ray
Just seen your post on the polar beat app, just tried it and i think its great, i used a polar ht7 watch and loved it but didn’t like the fact that the transmitter showed my heart beat on other peoples machines in the gym so took it back to the shop, this app is perfect for me with the wahoo blu hr strap that i have, anyway just to let you know that my heart rate transmitter is v2.1 and this shows how much battery is remaining in the app
Apple has been a greater supporter of Bluetooth in the SIG and done a lot of good things for SMART.
The main reason for the slow coming is long road maps and it takes a the time to do OS API development. During the coming years most platforms will get Bluetooth SMART support. It normally takes 2-3 years from a core spec release to become main stream. In this case the SIG is launching a new ecosystem with new radio and new set of protocols and this is even more complex and slow compared to a minor update. All major players are silently talking about supporting. RIM announced support last week. Microsoft windows 8 already has it and Windows Phone is coming at some point. iOS and MAC OS both support SMART. The only question is when Android will support SMART.
Hi .. I just bought a Polar H7 which works with the Iphone 5 but my Polar RCX5 doesn’t get the signal. I tried seeting it up as new sensor unders settings this didn’t work either. Is there something I am doing wrong ??
Thanks,
NL
The H7 isn’t compatible with the RCX5. It only broadcasts BTLE and the older standard, it doesn’t broadcast WIND.
Yes, confusing, I know.
Hi Rainmaker … yes now I am confused. Could you please take a look at this link from Polar where they state that the H7 heart rate sensor is compatible with it … or am I missreading something ?
Thank you,
NL
link to polar.fi
Hmm, odd.
I’ll dig up my strap in the morning (can’t seem to remember where I stashed it in the last few days), and grab the RCX5 and test it out!
Thank you … I will be awaiting anxiously
P.S. even when you read comments about the Polar H7 on Amazon people are using it with Polar RCX5. It’s just me that is unable to make it work.
Just wanted to know if the Polar Beat up support training plans. Individual one which you put up into ppt.com and ones you customize yourself.
For example I would like to have an App which I can say. I want to do an Marathon in 3.30h – Train me! And then it takes me to a fitness test using HR and GPS and analyses me. Afterwards it sets up a 3 Month standard training plan and adjusts it to my current training if I’m not allowing it to have more time.
In short I would like to have an all-inclusive!
Thanks,
Jan.
Hi Anon-
RE: RCX5 & H7
Ok, tested it – and indeed, it does work as advertised. Sorry for the confusion above. For others that are curious though, I couldn’t get it to pair with the RCX3 though (RCX5 = Good, RCX3 = Not good).
Hi, just a heads up. In the personal trainer site, if you go to list view, you can export your training.
Thanks for a nice review! I have a short question to
which I can’t find a short and simple answer:
does adidas miCoach app on iPhone 4S support H7?
Neither Polar nor Adidas is able to answer to this question which is frustrating…
Yup, just tried it out for fun. Tried both the Polar H7 and the Wahoo Blue HR, both on the iPhone 4S, and both with miCoach. Work great.
Screenshot: link to sites.google.com
Thank you for quick reply and test! I hope it will work
with miCoach flawlessly – HR based training plans for e.g. marathon look very promising!
So I’m buying H7 and starting training plan
Best regards
Mac
Does the app allow you to customize your sport zones like the watches?
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the comprehensive reviews!
I was wondering if you could tell me whether the app when used with the H7 Bluetooth Smart strap actually uses the HR data from the strap in its forumla for energy burned in a workout? Or is energy burned just calculated based on distance and speed?
Also, what do you think of the app and bluetooth strap for use indoors to track strength/weight traning?
Many thanks in advance for your advice!
Josie.
I just purchased a Polar FT7 watch with a normal Wearlink transmitter. But I also downloaded the Polar Beat app to my iPhone 4s. I love the app (so far) but now I know I have to buy the H7 transmitter. So if I do, would I really still need the Polar watch? And would I really need the Flowlink data transmitter to upload my workout’s to the mypolarfittness.com website?
Also, I swim on my off days. I have tested the FT7 watch and the Wearlink transmitter in the water and they seem to work. If I do buy the H7 transmitter, I wonder if the transmitter will still “connect” to Polar Beat (which I will leave on deck, of course) while I am in the water?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
I love the reviews first of all!, and think they are great for newbies like myself who are trying to figure out what to buy. My question is this: would you recommend a RCX5 base unit & transmitter combo or the reviewed bluetooth transmitter coupled with an iphone 5?
Hmm, that’s a bit tough. Mostly because they’re entirely different. That said, I’d go with the BT strap for now, and see what shakes loose form the Polar tree early next year – specifically since they’ve hinted at a replacement for the RCX5 with GPS.
Thanks for the detailed review. I am taking my fitness to the next level and want to start tracking my heart rate. I have seen a lot of different reviews on using watches, bands, and bluetooth, that are mixed. This has confused me and kept me questioning the best root to go. The last time I looked into wireless technology ANT+ was the standard, but now I am intrigued by the H7 or Wahoo Bluetooth straps. I like the fact that the Polar H7 can work with equipment and I can add a watch, but can I do the same thing with the Wahoo strap? I am in my second month of P90 and will start riding my bike this spring. Would the Wahoo strap be the best choice for exercising at home? Any feedback, suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
No, the Wahoo strap is purely BLE, and not legacy compatible.
For exercising at home, either strap is good – since you’d be pairing it to a phone. And same goes for outside, presuming that you pair both to a phone.
If you’re in a gym and pairing it to equipment, than the Polar strap is better.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for another brilliant review. I bought a Garmin Edge 210 on sale for running and I ‘m quite happy with it. I thought of using an app on my iphone 5 paired with the H7 or with Wahoo strap but I just can see myself running everytime with my iphone on my arm. When your phone is on your upper arm it s impossible to see your data or how do people solve this? I often run when it s raining so I guess this is not the best condition to run in with a phone. But the biggest problem for me is that there is no bluetooth footpod on the market for running indoors or am I wrong? Thanks for your answer
For me, I tend to use the app more to record data than visually see it (as you noted, being on an armband is tough). However, I do use audible alerts in the apps that support it. So for example, tonight on my long run I was using an app that announced each mile my pace for that mile. Most apps do that, and are pretty customizable.
It was raining/slushing/snowing/icing tonight on my run, and I just use a little case that protects it. Works well.
On the footpod, nothing on the market today. There are numerous companies working on them, but the limiter is actually the BLE Profile (lack thereof). Which, reminds me, I need to hit up the head of the Bluetooth SIG for Sports and Fitness and find out when that’s ready…
Thanks Ray! Does the polar app has audible alert? Which app do you use the most?
Cheers!
I primarily use the Wahoo Fitness app (which works with the H7), simply because it has the most diverse set of data export options (they partner with everyone).
Just one more thing on using a phone on your arm paired with the H7. What s the use of recording your heart rate if you can t see it while running or is the polar app telling you when your in your training zone? Can you run intervals with the polar app? Thanks
Yes, most apps do. The Polar Beat app will announce your average heart rate (along with pace/distance), based on preset intervals (as little as .1 miles). Most apps work roughly the same way – though the Polar app has probably less customization of audio alerts than some apps.
Hi Ray
Do you know how to add in the distance for a treadmill run (Other Indoor/No GPS actvity) to the app activity. Can update the data on the website but it doesn’t update the app activity. Can’t get the indoor history to display distance.
Cheers
Wayne
Just replying to own question. I have found in the Polar forums that you can’t add indoor distances. It also doesn’t send sport zone info to PPT. Can’t add distance into PPT and have it sync back to Polar Beat. People have raised some of these issues with Polar since last year but still no app updates.
I am also not able to pair the H7 with my rcx5 been trying now for 2 weeks it pairs okay with iPhone but not rcx5
Does anyone have any good ideas since I lost my original transmitter
Hi. I was out on my bike for the first time today. I had bluetooth and locations (gps) switched on my iPhone using the polar beat app but the battery on my phone lasted only 40 minutes? Anyone else had battery life problems and any advice? Thanks
Bought my Polar H7 last week, went to try it yesterday, and either I don’t have a heartbeat, the 6 apps I tried to sync with it, my iPhone4s with full updates, the 3 different batteries I used, the master reset I done, and the 2 different straps I tried also, if NONE OF THOSE WORK, then I may have a defective device. Very disappointed in this, will be sending mine back and not getting another.
Hi Reed-
Have you tried the Polar Beat app?
I only ask because apps must be specifically coded to work with Bluetooth Smart straps – and many older apps aren’t.
I had the same first experience, until I pored plenty of water on the strap. Polar Beat connected immediately.
Hi Ray,
I have a question. You mentioned that “you can’t have both a Bluetooth Smart watch (like the Metawatch) and a Bluetooth Smart app (like Polar Beat) connect to the same HR sensor at the same time.”. Since I have a Polar FT40 watch which is not Bluetooth and is compatible with the H7, does that mean I can pair both my watch and iPhone 5 to the H7 at the time same time (I’m assuming that’s what you did to compare the app results to your watch)? I like the features the Polar Beat app has to offer but I also like how easy it is to look at my watch to see my results at any given moment. If you could let me know I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks!
I realize the Polar Beats is an iOS only app. But will the H7 work with an Android device? And some other Android apps? Does the device HAVE to be BT4.0? I thought BT4.0 is backwards compatible with BT3.0?
Lastly, will it sync with Polar Beats (on iOS) and my FT7 at the same time? I’d like use the APP for the bells and whistles but just be able to glance at my FT7 to get my HR and Calories without having to whip out my phone.
Thanks,
Mike
I’ve been doing some research trying to find ANY app that works on Android with a Bluetooth Smart HR strap (i.e. the H7 or Wahoo Fitness Blue HR). At present, I can’t find any. This is mostly a platform issue, and will soon be resolved. But it’s not clear if that’ll be next week or next month.
But yes, the device HAS to be BT4.0. The catch is that Bluetooth Smart devices (which is what the H7 is), is a subset of the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, and not available with BT3.0. Stuff like Jawbones and the like are legacy BT2/3 devices, and work upstream to BT4.
I checked with the Polar guys and they confirmed that both the FT7 and FT40 will work with the H7, concurrently, while the Bluetooth Smart portion is also running.
Enjoy!
I have the same question as Sandra and Mike.
Same question as Sandra, Mike and Charlie!
Hi, thanks for very nice review.
This morning I also started with Polar Beat Fitness test. However all it shows was just a “level”, not max heart rate or whatsoever. Too bad for 3 euro.
I very much liked your review. I don’t know if you noticed but using the Polar Beat App, I couldn’t find the zone information transferred to PolarPersonlTrainer.com. It’s on the iPhone but doesn’t get transferred to PPT.com. For several years I have kept my workout history on the PPT website rather than fill up the watch, or, now with the Beat app, my iPhone5. I called the customer service folks at Polar and they explained that was the design plan. I don’t know about others but I’m a bit disappointed at this.
What’s your take on this?
Jim C.
As of Feb 25 2013 (whatever the current Polar Beat app version on iPhone), sensor pairing page has been redesigned and it no longer shows battery level. There appears to be no other way on the app to see this useful bit of info.
My H7 worked great for 3 months. I had ~40 hours of recorded workouts, mainly with DigiFit.
Then the bluetooth died.
The 5K frequency still works fine with gym equipment , so I don’t think it is a battery issue. I tried 2 other phones ( 5 and 4S) and still nothing. The Amazon reviews are full of similar issues.
I also own a Wahoo BlueHR. It works fine. At first I thought my H7 problems were due to some kind of battle between the Wahoo and the Polar. I think I ruled this out when the Polar would not work with other iphones that had never been paired to the Wahoo.
I looked at the Amazon reviews for the Wahoo strap. They were even worse, but it looked primarily like DOA’s rather than late failures. I guess it goes with the early adopter territory. A lot of the Polar poor reviews were from people expecting it to work with iphone 4 and androids.
Got my H7 back from Polar Warranty Service. Quick Service. Works fine. The description of the problem was that the H7 needed a “reset”. After more reading, I think that a “reset” is just removing the battery and attaching the pod to the belt, allowing it to fully discharge. I have seen some descriptions of using a paper clip after battery removal, but I think just attaching the unit to the belt will accomplish the same thing. The Polar Warranty people also threw in a new belt.
Would you recommend digifit or polar beat? I am new to heart rate training and am looking for the best app to instruct me on how to get the best aerobic base training.
Well, it depends what you do.
For cycling and cyclotrainer Digifit is absolute winner, you can plan interval and heart based training easily (after purchasing in-app additions),
While basic PolarBeat can track your training on elliptical or martial arts, as mine does.
There is still long things to implement in PB, before it competes with such sophisticated apps as Runtastic or Digifit
Hi there, I have an HTC one-X phone. Can I use the bluetooth sensor and pick it up on my phone? As well, I have an older Polar watch (M32). Is it compatible?
No, unfortunately not. There aren’t any Android apps today that support the Bluetooth Smart heart rate profile. It’s coming, but that’s been said for months now. :-/
Can you use the h7 when swimming?
I just confirmed with Polar that the H7 will indeed connect via the Polar side of the frequency (non-Bluetooth) to those units that support it (i.e. RCX5).
I didn’t see it, but does it allow you to just set alarms for going outside a preset heart rate zone? e.g. above 160, below 40?
If not, do you know of any apps do that?
That was a very thorough review, thanks!
No, I don’t see it either. The Wahoo App does this (free), with either the Polar H6, H7, or the Wahoo Blue HR strap.
Hi, thanks for the great review, as well as for all the other great reviews
I was wondering if somebody has tryed the H7 with Suunto X6HR. The old Suunto is using the 5 kHz standard, and I suppose they should be compatible. Anyway, any help will be greatly appreciated!
D.K.
Unfortunately I don’t have the older Suunto watch – otherwise I’d test it out. Sorry!
I’ve been looking for the battery status indicator, and I just learned from the comments above that the indicator no longer exists in the Polar Beat app. Does anybody know what the minimum voltage is for the Polar H7 HRsensor to work correctly? The battery that came with the H7 already dropped to 2.97V out of the box, while a set of spare batteries measured 3.2V. Just wondering…
Hi, Do you know of any aps that give a realtime updated “time-in-zone” accumulation for heart rate data.
Have you tried the Wahoo Fitness app? I thought it does.
Thank you for your review – it is really helpful. I am debating between purchasing a new Polar Watch (RCx3 or other) vs. the H7 strap and using my iphone. Do you think this iphone app is an OK replacement for a watch? I plan to use it for monitoring heart rate, calories burned, etc while running/working out at home and possibly for cycling. I appreciate your advice. Thanks,
It just depends a bit on whether you prefer to monitor the workout mid-run/ride, or mostly for post-ride/run. In which case, the app isn’t bad. The good news with the H7 strap (or any Bluetooth Smart strap) is that you can mix and match apps. So if you find a different app you like better (for any number of reasons), it only costs $0 (or maybe $1).