Please don't disable HR Sensor in water

[SunsetRunner]

I understand that water getting between skin and sensor, or subtle changes in skin color and/or altered surface properties due to pool chemicals (or whatever) makes optical HR measurement unreliable under water. Nevertheless, I suggest the HR sensor not be disabled while in water (swimming). At least not with the API.

Add a caveat or disclaimer to the API documentation and require app developers to include this disclaimer with their app description too, but ultimately let developers decide whether and how to use this sensor in water or not.

Estimating workout results with some approximation of HR is always better than without any. Even more so since it could probably be resonably corrected using statistical data collected with more appropriate equipment (e.g. chest belt).

Me for example, I do biking, archery and swimming. If swimming is not properly accounted for with the daily stats, the Ionic is pretty useless for me, which is a shame.

Although this is mainly a request for a firmware enhancement, I posted this request here because I believe the SDK team is closer to the Ionic firmware devs than your marketing and support staff, but I may be wrong.

What exactly is it anway that makes HR measurement under water so difficult? If it's only the water, have you considered adding a small rubber ring of sorts around the sensor that would keep water out from between the sensor and the skin, if the watch is worn tightly enough?

[Gondwana]

If you select the 'workout' exercise, the HR sensor will continue to operate while swimming. I've found that the results are very credible. Of course, you lose the swimming-specific data (lap counts, etc), but to my mind the HR info is a better indicator of exercise effort anyway.

Given the difficulty I have getting swimming goggles to work, I doubt that water could be excluded from the Fitbit HR sensor satisfactorily. Moreover, wearing the watch very tightly restricts blood flow within the vessels it's trying to monitor, resulting in inaccurate data.

[JonFitbit]

The HR readings from the API aren't disabled during swimming, but the quality of the readings may be affected by water. I believe that the Exercise app does disable HRM during swim mode.

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks. As said, primarily my suggestion was about the Exercise app to consider HR data in swimming mode nevertheless, even if it involed some statistical correction, for a better approximation of daily activity. After all, the Ionic being waterproof is a major selling point.

By any chance, do you know how exactly water impacts the measurement? Doesn't sweat have a similar impact during regular workouts?

[Gondwana]

There's info about the technical problems in various online articles. Search engine around a bit. IIRC, refraction interferes with the light.