How to set up a fitness bracelet: instructions and tips | Lesson | Gadgets, gifts and accessories

Despite the fact that wearable gadget manufacturers have been focusing more on smartwatches lately, fitness bracelets do not lose popularity. They are still affordable and convenient devices for tracking some health indicators and recording the results of training. In addition to this, many popular models have an alarm clock, timer, current weather, notification function and music control, and so on.

The fitness tracker can be used without a smartphone, but then its capabilities are limited. Source: pexels.com

Usually, after buying a gadget, you need to download an application, but if you wish, you can not connect a fitness bracelet to your phone, although the functions will be limited. Without the application, the user will be able to use the device at least as a regular wristwatch, see data on heart rate, number of steps and calories burned. However, after synchronizing with a smartphone, you can get much more useful and important information.

Let’s take a look at setting up a fitness bracelet step by step.

Turning on the device for the first time

Before you can set up a fitness bracelet, it must be charged up to 100%. The charging method may vary depending on the brand and model. For example, for Xiaomi Mi Band 4, you need to remove the capsule from the strap and insert it into the charger with the included USB cable.

To charge Mi Band 4, the capsule must be disconnected from the strap. Source: mifan.ru

But subsequent versions — Mi Band 5 and Mi Smart Band 6 received more convenient magnetic charging. Other options: a special connector is built into the body of the Huawei Band 4 bracelet, while its older version Pro and Huawei Band 5 have a separate charging port that connects with a clip. In Huawei Band 6, the port has become smaller and more convenient.

Huawei Band 6 is charged using a magnetic USB connector. Source: wear-gadget.ru

After fully charged, the gadget can be turned on: if the model has a button, you need to hold it down for a few seconds, and in other cases, just touch the touch screen.

How to set up a fitness bracelet with your phone

To synchronize a fitness bracelet with a smartphone, you must first install the application — usually its name is given in the instructions. Using the application, you can set up the bracelet, turn on the alarm clock, change the backgrounds on its display, keep statistics on training, health indicators, routes (if the gadget has a GPS module), and so on.

When connected to the app, the user gets more training and health data. Source: huawei.com

Almost all modern models are compatible with Android and iOS operating systems, so there are usually no difficulties. Some apps require you to register or fill out a profile (age, gender, height, weight). When installed, they will also ask permission to access certain data. This is necessary in order to fully use the functions of the service. The user can choose to grant or deny access.

What permissions does the fitness bracelet app usually ask for?

• Access to the location — this is necessary for calculating the distance traveled, determining routes, weather forecasts.
• Access to media on a smartphone can be allowed if the user wants to share workout photos or upload their own images to the screen of a fitness bracelet (not all devices have this option).
• Access to notifications and to the phone is needed to display messages and calls from a smartphone to a fitness bracelet.
• Access to exercise information from a smartphone: after permission, the application will display the exercise data that the phone calculates.

Permissions can also be configured on the smartphone itself in the appropriate section.

Once Bluetooth is connected, the app searches for the device. Source: 1xmatch.com

Synchronization with a fitness bracelet occurs using Bluetooth — you must turn it on on your smartphone in advance, and place the wearable gadget nearby. The application can search for a wearable gadget itself, or the user will have to go to the «Devices» menu item on the main screen and add the appropriate model: this method is implemented, for example, in «Huawei Health» for Honor and Huawei fitness bracelets.

Often, after pairing the bracelet and smartphone, a firmware update is offered, which will take some time. Both devices must be left nearby, and Bluetooth must not be turned off.

How to check for app updates

You can check for app and fitness band software updates yourself. In addition to fixing bugs, the update may bring additional features and innovations to the interface. Finding out if updates are available is easy enough. Need:

• go to the app store on your smartphone and check if the corresponding service has an «Update» button;
• open the application and go to the fitness bracelet settings section, where there should be an item related to updating the software (it can be called differently, but it is usually intuitively clear what it means);
• if there is a fresh version of the firmware, then the «Update» button will appear. By clicking it, the user will start the automatic installation of new software on the fitness bracelet.

How to set up fitness bracelet features in the app

Models of different brands and assistant applications differ from each other in some nuances, but the general setup scheme is about the same for both lesser-known and hit Xiaomi and Huawei.

Basic settings are set in the section with the name of the fitness bracelet model. Source: gadgetpage.ru

First of all, you need to go into the application and open the section with the name of the fitness bracelet: it is there that the items that can be customized to your liking are located. As a rule, this is:

• «Notifications» (they are turned on or off by the slider or the «off / on» item),
• «Health monitoring» (here the function of continuous monitoring of heart rate, sleep or blood oxygen level, warm-up reminder is activated),
• «Alarm clock» (set the time and frequency of the alarm).

Some models have the ability to set a weather report.

The user does not have to worry about how to set the time on the fitness bracelet: it is automatically synchronized with what the smartphone displays. The same happens with the date.

How to set up a Xiaomi fitness bracelet

We will pay special attention to the interesting features of Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelets, as they are considered one of the most popular in Russia. Let’s take the latest Mi Band 6 as an example.

To connect the gadget to a smartphone, you need to activate Bluetooth and download the Zepp Life app (formerly called Mi Fit). In the «Profile» tab, you must click on the «Add device» item and select the appropriate model. After the smartphone finds a new device, a check mark will appear on the screen of the fitness bracelet.

The Zepp Life application is similar in functionality to the previous Mi Git. Source: greeshan.ru

One of the important settings is «Run in the background»: it is better to activate this function so that notifications and calls come to the bracelet without the application running on the smartphone.

In the settings of the Mi Band bracelet, you can choose its location: on the right or left hand.

Another feature of the Xiaomi Band 6 fitness bracelet is the ability to activate the screen by raising the wrist in a given period of time with different response rates. You can also configure this function in the application: the corresponding item is located in the “Profile” tab → “Mi Smart Band 6 fitness bracelet”. There is also a “Night mode” item with a schedule, thanks to which the brightness of the tracker screen will automatically change in the dark.

The bracelet also supports event reminders. In the same tab, you need to find the «Events» section and click on the «Add» item. The name is entered in the top line, and using the «Repeat» button, you can select the frequency of reminders. After that, the date and time are set, and the filled data must be saved. A reminder will be displayed on the fitness bracelet at the specified time, and the gadget itself will begin to vibrate.

In the «Health Monitoring» section, the user can enable continuous monitoring of the pulse with different measurement frequencies, notifications of increased heart rate, monitoring of heart health, sleep and quality of breathing during sleep, stress. To activate these functions, just move the slider.