Apple Watch provides highly accurate measurements of heart rate and step count, but according to the meta-analysis of a new colleague reviewed by researchers, their estimates of calories burnt calories may be far away. University of Mississippi (Through Senate,
The study reviewed 56 previously published studies to evaluate the performance of Apple Watch against gold-standard clinical equipment in three main areas: heart rate monitoring, step calculation tracking and energy expenditure estimate.
Researchers reported a common metric (a normal metric) and 8.17% for the step calculation to assess the measurement accuracy of 4.43% for heart rate. These fall within the threshold that are generally considered acceptable for consumer-grade fitness devices. In contrast, the average error for energy expenditure was 27.96%, the margin for accurate measurement is considered more than three times acceptable.
The analysis included many Apple Watch models and data from studies spread to user groups. The high error margin in calorie assessment was consistent in all colleagues and forms of physical activity.
These devices are great for keeping an eye on habits and being motivated. But do not take every number as 100% truth, especially calories. Think of it as an auxiliary guide, not a clinical equipment. It is useful but not correct.
Conclusions align with previous independent evaluation that have expressed concern about the reliability of calorie burn estimates from consumer-grade wearable devices such as apple watches.
While Apple Watch has made continuous generational improvements since its introduction in 2015, researchers said that new models also show a lot of error in calories estimates. However, the study inspected a trend towards better accuracy in more recent models:
Although we cannot say that every update is a major jump, over time is a noticeable tendency to be noted. This indicates that Apple is refining the technique over time.
Researchers emphasized that their analysis is not aimed at defaming the utility of wearbals, but to clarify their boundaries and to inform both consumers and smartwatch manufacturers.
By showing where the weaknesses are, we can help developers to get real response. If they know what is needed to be decided, they can design better sensors or algorithms. Our findings can guide improvement and help these devices more useful for both everyday users and health care providers.
Apple Apple Watch does not publish algorithms used in fitness tracking, nor claims that the device provides clinical-grade energy expenditure measurement. The company has consistently deployed Apple Watch as a common wellness tool instead of medical diagnostic devices, although it has introduced many advanced health facilities in recent years, such as body temperature monitoring and sleep apnea detection.
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