Fitness app -- complexity vs versatility?

[nicho]

Siri is intended to understand natural conversational language. Having to use specific commands is counter to that purpose.

that's just not true and i'm pretty sure most people will only use one or two ways of saying something in particular.

i just told my watch "hey siri, i fancy starting a workout for half an hour of running, could you do that for me?" - that's pretty conversational. unfortunately, perhaps it's too conversational... siri just responded, "do you?"

i think you may have missed my point entirely when you talk about using specific commands. my point was that you'd say something in your natural style and siri would remember it for future use without connecting to the internet, so next time you don't have to be on the grid.

Nope. I tried to setup the alway on Siri, and I couldn't, because it makes me say Hey Siri, and then it says, Sorry I didn't get that, and I've tried saying Hey Siri until my throat was hoarse and it never worked.

oh. that sucks, they need to work on that :/

 

[IphoneIssues]

It needs an option for weights. No question about that. As for indoor cardio equipment, what is there besides forms of the stairclimber machine and the stationary bike?

I use Gymaholic, but I don't really like it. Does not count the reps as I am slowly doing them. All I use it for now is reading my workout from the watch, so my phone can stay strapped to my arm.

 

[BarracksSi]

It needs an option for weights. No question about that.

Again, once we get into weightlifting, an app can get pretty complicated, as you already know from Gymaholic (or the app I've barely tried, FitnessBuilder). I use a different app on the phone just to remind myself which weights to pick up this week, and sometimes I think a small paper notepad would do the job just as well.

As for indoor cardio equipment, what is there besides forms of the stairclimber machine and the stationary bike?

Ellipticals, rowing machines, and treadmills, of course. I can't tell you exactly when I last used any of them, though.

I use Gymaholic, but I don't really like it. Does not count the reps as I am slowly doing them. All I use it for now is reading my workout from the watch, so my phone can stay strapped to my arm.

You should be able to input reps and weight between sets, right? I haven't tried actually using Gymaholic yet, and I'd be disappointed if it's too difficult to log just reps and weight.

 

[nicho]

Again, once we get into weightlifting, an app can get pretty complicated, as you already know from Gymaholic (or the app I've barely tried, FitnessBuilder). I use a different app on the phone just to remind myself which weights to pick up this week, and sometimes I think a small paper notepad would do the job just as well.

If there's one thing Apple are supposed to be good at its simplification.

If they tried to enter this space, though, people would complain too much. I'm not sure they'd bother, thinking about it.

 

[tomegun]

I am either doing something wrong or there is a disconnect between the Activity app and the Health app that I need to change (settings). I officiate basketball and sometimes do workouts where I either have on gloves or something that could be brushing up against my wrist. These situations aren't a good fit for the watch form factor. Also, the AW needs to be charged at night so even if it did track my sleep I would have it charging. Ignoring sleep tracking though, I do have a Jawbone Move that I have on my when officiating to track steps. That information makes it into the Health app, but not the activity app. So, if I am doing something and need to have my AW off, the activity doesn't make it to the Activity app. I don't like this at all. I feel like the AW needs a companion device that is a different form factor and that data needs to make it to the Activity app.

I there is a setting to solve this problem, I welcome direction on how to change it. I have my eye on the new Withings device since it is a similar form factor as the Jawbone Move, tracks sleep automatically and will allow me to remove an app since I already use the Withings app for the scale.

 

[IphoneIssues]

Again, once we get into weightlifting, an app can get pretty complicated, as you already know from Gymaholic (or the app I've barely tried, FitnessBuilder). I use a different app on the phone just to remind myself which weights to pick up this week, and sometimes I think a small paper notepad would do the job just as well.

I still need them to try it.

Ellipticals, rowing machines, and treadmills, of course. I can't tell you exactly when I last used any of them, though.

Only a few things. I'd think treadmills would qualify as the "indoor run" mode.

You should be able to input reps and weight between sets, right? I haven't tried actually using Gymaholic yet, and I'd be disappointed if it's too difficult to log just reps and weight.

I don't know if you can between sets.

 

[zhenya]

I am either doing something wrong or there is a disconnect between the Activity app and the Health app that I need to change (settings). I officiate basketball and sometimes do workouts where I either have on gloves or something that could be brushing up against my wrist. These situations aren't a good fit for the watch form factor. Also, the AW needs to be charged at night so even if it did track my sleep I would have it charging. Ignoring sleep tracking though, I do have a Jawbone Move that I have on my when officiating to track steps. That information makes it into the Health app, but not the activity app. So, if I am doing something and need to have my AW off, the activity doesn't make it to the Activity app. I don't like this at all. I feel like the AW needs a companion device that is a different form factor and that data needs to make it to the Activity app.

I there is a setting to solve this problem, I welcome direction on how to change it. I have my eye on the new Withings device since it is a similar form factor as the Jawbone Move, tracks sleep automatically and will allow me to remove an app since I already use the Withings app for the scale.

This is by design. The activity app on the watch is considered a discreet source that contributes to the Health app as the master dataset. I agree with you though that it's confusing and not desirable. If I go for a run with my Garmin instead of my AW, I don't get any activity credit except in the Health app.

 

[nicho]

This is by design. The activity app on the watch is considered a discreet source that contributes to the Health app as the master dataset. I agree with you though that it's confusing and not desirable. If I go for a run with my Garmin instead of my AW, I don't get any activity credit except in the Health app.

Watch OS 2.2 and iOS 9.3 seem to sow the seeds for a future change of this behaviour. I think eventually what he wanted will come.

 

[BarracksSi]

I officiate basketball and sometimes do workouts where I either have on gloves or something that could be brushing up against my wrist. These situations aren't a good fit for the watch form factor. Also, the AW needs to be charged at night so even if it did track my sleep I would have it charging.

For the first, if you're thinking about protection for the watch, you can get a pop-on rubber case for it.

Full-finger gloves might be a problem (I haven't tried). I've got a coworker who uses wrist wraps for crossfit and he just got an AW, but I haven't yet heard how he's going to manage with it.

For charging, it doesn't have to spend all night on the charger. I charge mine while we're having dessert and watching TV, and it's back to 100% by the time I put it on for bed.

 

[IphoneIssues]

I still need them to try it.



Only a few things. I'd think treadmills would qualify as the "indoor run" mode.



I don't know if you can between sets.

Looks like I was wrong, even though it looks like I didn't explicitly say what I was thinking, and I'm happy I was. I was in the gym yesterday and I see indoor cardio equipment is present in the app.

 

[BarracksSi]

Yeah, I look at those exercise options and wish I could remove them. I can't tell you the last time I really used an elliptical or rowing machine.

 

[exxxviii]

Funny, on the topic of simplicity versus complexity and the desire to remove options, I wish Apple would let us remove the apps that we will never use. The screen has such limited landscape, and yet I must have every one of their apps always on my watch. So, I have the opposite of simplicity.