Google Health Services
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This post is primarily aimed at developers, but also anyone who may know more about this.
So Google recently released the ‘Health Services’ app. (Relevant 9TO5Google article) It is described as,
"*This component provides core functionality like managing sensors, tracking workouts, and providing metrics like heart rate, step count, calories, distance, etc.
Health Services helps apps improve battery performance and establish consistent, higher quality health and fitness tracking."*
In developer documentation, Google explains that wearable apps previously “had to connect to one or multiple sensors, configure each of them appropriately, receive raw sensor data, and use their own algorithms to derive meaningful information.” This new approach helps developers by giving them a one-stop intermediary that provides access to “powerful algorithms running natively on the platform,” and ensures data consistency across apps. It also allows for “activity-aware experiences.”
Is this something that will benefit the Suunto 7?
I have already downloaded it onto my S7 and will report if I see any significant changes (battery life etc).
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@olymay said in Google Health Services:
Is this something that will benefit the Suunto 7?
Well, it will probably benefit us in terms of 3rd party app developers having easier access to this kind of data. Easier app development might mean better/more apps. Given that those developers continue to support WearOS 2 that is (I see Strava won’t for instance).
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@aleksander-h said in Google Health Services:
@olymay said in Google Health Services:
Is this something that will benefit the Suunto 7?
Well, it will probably benefit us in terms of 3rd party app developers having easier access to this kind of data. Easier app development might mean better/more apps. Given that those developers continue to support WearOS 2 that is (I see Strava won’t for instance).
As Suunto is a 3rd party developer, it could have an impact. Although if it does I think it will be small on the S7, as Suunto seem to have already done an amazing job regarding battery optimisation
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@olymay said in Google Health Services:
As Suunto is a 3rd party developer, it could have an impact. Although if it does I think it will be small on the S7, as Suunto seem to have already done an amazing job regarding battery optimisation
Yeah, they must have done some impressive low level work to get things such as continues 24/7 HR reading running with such a minimal impact on battery. I don’t think anyone else has done that on WearOS 2.
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@olymay this was largely what Wear 3.0 was about - giving wear os the same functionality that suunto provided on the S7.
And I have a feeling that this is what will eventually replace Google Fit (or what google fit will merge with).
Earlier reports showed it providing a lot more health metrics - effectively giving it the ability to provide all the health metrics that the GW4 can provide (I suspect that in time samsung might roll their health app into this one). -
@aleksander-h said in Google Health Services:
@olymay said in Google Health Services:
As Suunto is a 3rd party developer, it could have an impact. Although if it does I think it will be small on the S7, as Suunto seem to have already done an amazing job regarding battery optimisation
Yeah, they must have done some impressive low level work to get things such as continues 24/7 HR reading running with such a minimal impact on battery. I don’t think anyone else has done that on WearOS 2.
Agreed, Suunto really have done an outstanding job, no other manufacturer has even come close.
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@jamie-bg said in Google Health Services:
@olymay this was largely what Wear 3.0 was about - giving wear os the same functionality that suunto provided on the S7.
And I have a feeling that this is what will eventually replace Google Fit (or what google fit will merge with).
Earlier reports showed it providing a lot more health metrics - effectively giving it the ability to provide all the health metrics that the GW4 can provide (I suspect that in time samsung might roll their health app into this one).Yeah, I think I agree with you about the direction WearOS 3 and Google Fit are likely to be going.
Although I disagree that Samsung might roll their health app into this one. One thing you can count on Samsung doing is creating their own version of an already established app that it identical in many ways yet also inferior. And then pre-installing this on every device and not allowing you to remove it. This is one of the main reasons why I now despise Samsung devices. Amazing hardware, terrible bloatware that you can’t get rid of. F*** you Samsung!
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@olymay and making it super awkward to use.
Had one of their phones and never again. Don’t get me wrong great heardware, but almost as awkward and clunky to use as an iPhone. -
@jamie-bg said in Google Health Services:
Had one of their phones and never again. Don’t get me wrong great heardware, but almost as awkward and clunky to use as an iPhone.
I have an S21. I just deactivated most of the bundled apps so I don’t see them or get notifications from them. Works well in my opinion.
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@aleksander-h - as I said - its clunky, and yes it possible to get around it, or you could just buy a oneplus at 2/3rds of the price, get hardware almost as good, don’t have the issues around having to uninstall apps you will never use.
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@jamie-bg said in Google Health Services:
@aleksander-h - as I said - its clunky, and yes it possible to get around it, or you could just buy a oneplus at 2/3rds of the price, get hardware almost as good, don’t have the issues around having to uninstall apps you will never use.
But even OnePlus are heading in a similar direction to Samsung now. They have their own skin in Oxygen and whereas they used to be almost stock Android, they are essentially merging with Oppo and it will soon be almost unrecognisable as Android. Oneplus also have one of the worst update records (although still not as bad as Motorola) and that is the main reason I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone anymore (I used to love OnePlus and have had three of them over the years).