To be honest I’ve only used this app a handful of times, after a recent purchase of a Polar H10. I wanted an accurate heart rate tracker for walking. The reviews I could find online were all for the 7 model, but those were highly favorable for accuracy. Pairing the device to the app could be easier, I’ve been walking and discovered it wasn’t paired, my heart rate wasn’t being recorded. I have learned to make sure to pair it to the app and NOT to my iPhone X. Strange, but I can live with that. The first time I used it I selected walking for the workout. I started it prior to actually being ready to leave the house, putting on sneakers, running upstairs for a tissue, and the coach’s voice told me to slow down! The next time I forgot to select the walking routine. Unbeknownst to me at the default running workout, I was disappointed not to be advised to slow down, or to receive any encouragement at all, being a humid 90 degree day and my fat little legs pumping away. I’m learning! I think the app itself is great. I want to know that I’m getting the most out of my walks, health and fat wise. I can see where my heart rate is, if I need to work harder or can slow down a bit, track my route, time, elevation, pace and fat calories burned. This app has all the bells and whistles plus dozens of types routines from mountain climbing to wheelchair activities.
I love this polar bear sensor. It gives me accurate data (I’ve tested against other sensors) and it’s pretty easy to use. I am a competitive swimmer and I’ve started to use the goggle attachment. It’s somewhat irritating with a cap on, but I can deal with it. The issue I have is with recording workout data. I turn the device on, press the button twice (initiating the recording function) and I’m all set. When I finish my workout, I press and hold the button down until I know the device is turned off. At this point the data should be recorded on the device. Sometimes however, I will follow the above steps and when I turn the device on and open the app, there is no data from the workout - as in, the app and the device did not sync. I notice that the device syncs with the app fine most of the time, but I think the water exposure must mess with the button and cause it not to register when I do my final press of it. It is VERY frustrating because I look forward to analyzing my swim data afterwards, and when it’s not there, you can imagine that I feel like it was somewhat of a waste. Besides this problem which to me is major and to some may seem minor, I love the device very much!
I like this app and I use it for every workout. When you combine it with a Polar heart rate monitor, it's much better than with third-party heart rate monitors. One thing I really wish this app had was the ability to set timers for an entire workout. For example if I want to do nine rounds of three minutes with one minute of rest between each of the work rounds, with bells or buzzers or maybe configurable sounds at the start and end of each round, it would be great to be able to set that up and save it. If I could label each round with what I wanted to do in that round that would also be awesome because then I could manage and track my workouts all in one place. As it is right now I have to print out my workout and use a separate timer, and there's no record in my workout logs of exactly what I did each round. In short, I would give the app five stars if I could plan, execute, and track my workouts all in the same app on the same device. Also, for some reason I don't understand, I can't sync directly from my iPad to Apple health, but I can sync to Apple health from my iPhone. On iPad you have to install Polar Flow. So far I have not figured out what Polar Flow is other than a way for me to sync to Apple health.
Twenty plus years of using A heart rate monitor, and I tell my friends to go Polar
I began using one last century, and they have improved. I like the Polar system best but have used multiple other systems over the years. Early on I would get a different system each time I would but one, and I have generally had a system up at three different locations I live or work at. Currently I use a Polar 7, and a 10. I just gave my 9 to a good friend when visiting the UK for her to replace a wahoo I gave her several years ago. The ten slows remote(phone at home) recording when out on an activity, although I tend to keep my phone with me so I can be reached at any time. The Polar’s are the most reliable and trouble free. I had used a different application because it was better at mapping the route, but the current Polar Application now has been upgraded to equal the best The only thing on my wish list now would be for it to measure a heart rate recovery automatically when I end my activity. That is a pretty small point, and when I talk with my friends I tell them to go Polar, as I now do after trying multiple systems.
The app is easy to use. The display is well laid out. I especially like that the app keeps the iPhone awake which is great for treadmills and other indoor workouts, and you can lock the iPhone manually which is good when in a pocket while lifting weights or jogging outside. There are a lot of sport profiles to help organize your workouts. Inexplicably though while there are profiles for obscure activities like squash, floorball, and Finnish baseball (kudos on that), there are no specific profiles for very common gym activities like elliptical and stair climber. It would be nice to be able to name custom profiles. My old Polar/hr watch allowed you to set an upper/lower limit and you’d get alarms for going out of range. I’d like to see something similar in the app. Say I want to exercise in the 145 to 155 bpm range I’d like to be able to set that range and then the app voice coach would tell me to speed up or slow down (that could kick in after a warm up period getting up to range). That functionality would be especially useful when doing certain activities like boxing (heavy bag punching) where you are wearing gloves and the phone is not immediately nearby. Overall the app is good and provides use info and feedback to effectively train.
Just received the H-10 chest strap HRM today! Put it on this afternoon and wore it fir hours afterwards. I was at my office and not working out but, even still, I did not find the strap around my chest obtrusive in the slightest. My Apple Watch has the heart rate app but it is just an instantaneous measurement snd difficult to get when in the midst of vigorous exercise. The app built into the iPhone 8+ for heart rate is worthless when working out and getting my pulse up in to the lower to mid 100’s—simply displays noisy signal. It is great to finally be able to see my pile rate at all times! I was concerned when I was looking for an HRM whether to buy one of the upper arm units or this H-10. The reviewers had stated that the arm unit was more comfortable over time BUT not quite as accurate. That was THE selling pint for me. I am 68 y/o and I want to know what my pulse is, not just a variable number around it. As an anesthesiologist I have used light-based pulse oximetry for almost 30 years. The technology is good but not foolproof. An HRM with electrical activity as the measurement tool is definitely the most accurate. Again, I am very pleased. Will see what happens as time goes by.
I took a few minutes before working out to explore the app. I discovered in the app Settings go to pairing then make sure you have “2 receiving BLE devices”selected. Once I adjusted this setting I have had no issues pairing with the app and my watch. 5 star app for sure. I recently purchased the newest Bluetooth heart rate sensor from Polar the H10. The sensor easily pairs to my iPhone 11 iOS 13.3.1. The sensor also pairs nicely with the +10 year old treadmill and elliptical trainers at my local gym (Vince’s). Remarkably my +15 year old heart rate monitor watch even receives the signal from the new sensor. Pairing the sensor to the Beat App is an issue. I’ve updated the app to the newest version. I usually have to close the app and unpair the sensor multiple times before the sensor pairs with the app. I would love to give this 5 stars if the bug can be fixed.
A stable and well-debugged app that syncs well with Strava, which is appreciated, but the display shows too much information at the expense of knowing your current heart rate at a quick glance. The heart rate is not even the most prominent number! Polar is all about HEART RATE, correct? I suggest a home screen that shows nothing but current heart rate, in BIG numbers, color-coded by training zone, and then let the user swipe left to see the other stuff. I do not want to hunt through all this information when I am suffering on a climb and need to immediately back off when I’m overworking. Ditto for the voice guide: make it more useful for the serious athlete: the user must be able to set his own minimum/maximum heart rates for a workout, and have the voice guide alert him when he is above or below them. Again, it is critical to be alerted quickly, so as not to overwork. That is the principal reason athletes use heart rate. We don’t want to hear “you are improving fitness,” for crying out loud! We want to hear “ping! You are over 160!” I get the feeling this app wasn’t even designed by/for serious athletes. Give the data geeks what they seem to want, but keep the home display and voice alerts SIMPLE. If it had the features I ask for above, I would give it five stars.
I think this app has some serious potential, but it needs work. I think the info it provides is great, and tops what the Apple Watch workout app provides. The thing is, there are some major downfalls when being used with the Apple Watch. The first problem is when the screen isn’t active for more than a few seconds, the app closes and most be reopened to view data during a workout. This is pretty frustrating and would be much nicer if all I had to do was glance at my watch to see the data. The second problem I’m running into is the app doesn’t fully transmit data to the Apple Watch activity app. For example, it shows that my active calories were counted, but it does not add to the daily total. This is frustrating because even with an hour workout logged with polar beat, I’m not achieving my activity goal for the day. These two problems have lead me to stop using the app altogether. If those issues were resolved, this would be my go/to 5 star app.
Stable & clean but heart rate should be larger, display should be customizable
I use a Polar heart rate monitor (“HRM”) to track my workouts’ intensity and calorie burn. I transitioned to Polar after my 5-year old Suunto HRM wouldn’t consistently connect to the MovesCount app and frequently dropped the signal mid-workout. The Polar HRM consistently connects to the app and, after 1 month, only lost signal once (I’m not sure why—signal interference, maybe). The app display is easy to start a workout, read, and add on optional “upgrades, ” which I have not explored. The app shows lots of information, and everything I want: heart rate (including a graph of heart rate over time of the work out), duration of the workout, calorie burn and % fat burn. The app could be improved by taking some cues from the Suunto Movescount app: The HRM is pretty small, and there’s no estimated EPOC. A big improvement would be to: - Arrange the info so the upper part has one large middle number display, and smaller numbers in each corner. Each display should then allow you to touch & hold to customize what the display is showing in that area. This would allow each user to pick what to display most prominently, and where to arrange the other info. Suunto’s Movescount is a good model for an excellent user interface (Movescount is not compatible with Polar’s HRM). - HRM large and in the middle - Add EPOC and training effect
Great app. I’ve used a number with changing device popularity. I like this because it’s not too complicated to use especially when your workout is focus and not figuring out an app. It has all the functions and design that is simple and easy to find and use. This is the seller. Typically company feel the need to change the look and feel for whatever reason of progress but little to they understand the effects on the user. All we care about is the data and ease of use. Don’t change it too much. Add some AI aids perhaps but leave the fundamentals intake. Let your users dictate look and feel from demand metrics. Great app love using it.
1. Any simple BT headphones will link to my iPhone—minimal effort, just does. NOT w the initial connect w the H7. Required hard reboot of phone AFTER downloading Pilar app, and registering. THEN remove battery and reinsert on polar chest piece. THEN it will connect 2. This IS not detailed in the support on the website. I just played around w it until I figured it out. I DID blow about ten minutes on the website trying to troubleshoot however. Thanks for that... polar IT. 3. Call for support—“sorry, wait times are longer than you have set aside to waste in the phone service queue”. I hung up after about 8 minutes or so. 4. Polar bear—while running w the app track my you cannot pause it to quick change the voice prompt menu. It requires you end the workout to do so. Really there are other apps that I prefer to run in parallel to polar beat for my run/training data tracking and prompts BECAUSE the polar app is just not competitive w the other apps out there. Needs more data crunching ability and more flexibility—just more whistles and bells. 5. BUT...the H7 does what it supposed to do—track HR very well. That’s why I bought it and so I am not upset. MAYBE though—since apparently polar doesn’t want to put a live person I the phone for feedback—they will read this and consider polishing the product. It could be a very robust product—it just needs a little work on the rough edges.
Pairing can be an issue when Polar H10’s battery is replaced, and the pairing process is confusing. The app requests BT connection, and then the iPhone does, too. So, the device appears to be connected to both. It’s confusing because you don’t know to which device you are connected first, which is vital if you want to connect H10 to the app and an external equipment, such as Bowflex trainer. So, if you are already connected to the trainer, and then you want to connect to the second (the maximum) device, it gets infuriating to determine to which system (that is, iOS or Polar app) you are going to be connected. So you’ll just have to fiddle a lot with all those switches — turning on/off Bluetooth, unpairing H10, restarting the devices. Also, there’s still no native iPad polar app. Lastly, the app is vertical only. Which is ok, but then, the provided colored chart at the bottom is too small to be useful. So, viewing it in a landscape mode would be great.
I use a Polar H10 to track workouts. Workouts include kickboxing (drilling, sparring, bag, pads), running, strength training, and various cardio machines. This app collects very accurate data at a high sample rate, consistent with the H10’s capabilities. The interface itself is a little spartan, and generally that’s fine. It’s clear what zone you’re in, the GPS integration works well, it provides an assessment of your workout. It’s easy to tell the H10 to store the workout onboard and then sync to the app after the workout is complete. Potential improvements include: - Verbal cues are extremely limited and not particularly useful beyond fat/fit differences. If you’re looking to do more precise zone training, you’ll need to look at the screen. - The notes section has a character limit, which feels very arbitrary. My notes end up looking like I’m some sort of Linux developer as I try to abbreviate everything. - There’s not an intuitive and easy-to-interpret way to track work over time, and it’s not easy to search for and find a specific section. I port data from this app in to Health, and then into Zones for this. I figure I’m actually supposed to use Polar Flow, but was weirdly hard to get working. Probably better on a PC.
I’m not sure if it’s the app’s fault or the watches fault, but I want to train using the “M.A.F. Method” by Phil Meffetone. Which means taking 180 and subtracting your age to get your maximum heart rate, not the 220-your age, which isn’t as accurate for a athlete, but for the general public. Anyhow, I invested in the H10 chest heart rate monitor and the Polar Pacer Pro watch only to find out that the watch is set to default using the 220 method. When I tried to use the running fitness feature to calculate my maximum heart rate, it wasn’t even close. How do I adjust my heart rate training zones to train using the “M.A.F. Method “? Also, I only want a screen that will show ONLY my heart rate in real time in real big numbers as my eyesight is diminishing with age, but also keep track of everything else. Garmin has the idea, but unfortunately, they’re HRM is not as accurate as Polar’s, but everything else they’re still superior! Extremely disappointed in you Polar!
So I’ve had the Polar H10 for around a year. I mainly run with some biking thrown in. The occasional Spartan Race is also in the mix for some save to sensor runs. One of my biggest complaints is that the H10 will not write to the exercise ring on my Apple Watch. This means I have to start an exercise on my watch via Apple workout or my Nike run app AND also start it on the Polar app if I hope to close my rings. I figure this is an Apple restriction but it would be nice if there were some certification program to allow additional hardware to write to Apple’s exercise ring. My next biggest complaint stems from the latest update and voice prompts. I can no longer hear the voice prompts The volume is very low and the computerized voice is very difficult to hear. While in exercise I have to bump up the volume and always miss the first part of the voice prompt and then I have to lower it way down because at that point my music is very loud. Please bring back the other voice prompt or give us a choice. It would be nice if I could control the volume of the voice prompts independent of the phone/music volume. Please give me splits. I love that the voice prompt gives me splits, but now especially since I cant hear them I want to see mile splits for my biking and my runs in the final overview. This has the potential to be a great product but so far keeps falling short.
Constantly disconnects, get an Apple Watch instead
I’ve used this heart rate monitor and app for years. I’ve replaced the battery, always wet the electrodes, have my phone 3 feet away from me, and it constantly disconnects. The app UX feels 10 years old, and I find myself having to Google things to find what I need in the app. Using both these things is so frustrating that I went to repurchase a chest strap and monitor, and discovered it was somewhere around $80, when it performs like something that is $15. I’m honestly better off just guessing my calorie count burned, because of how inaccurate this thing is. I’m a woman, so when I try to wear the strap in the correct spot, it pushes against my sports bra. Rolling up the bottom of my sports bra didn’t seem to help either. I’m writing this review so that you can find another way to track your heart rate during workouts instead of using this product and app that are extremely frustrating to use.
I have been using the Polar chest and watch heart rate monitors for the past 12 years for cycling and exercising. There was a period of 3 years when work and travel interrupted my daily/weekly routine and I could feel myself falling into poor health. I bought the H10 chest strap and kick started my regimen again. Polar has provided me with the information I need to stay healthy and evaluate my progress. I have reviewed my spreadsheet data and compared it to my previous data and can see where the lack of exercise has affected my health. It doesn’t have to be high tech in the training room, just high tech enough for me to see where I’ve been and get me to where I want to be. Thanks Polar for keeping it simple !!
I have Polar Beat on my iphone which is mounted to my bicycles handlebars and paired with an H10 chest-strap. I have over 30 hours of use wth this combo. This does a great job of acquiring accurate heartrate date as well as GPS tracking and speed data . I’ve not had a single dropout. The data summary is great too. My concerns however have to do with the display. In the real world, biking in bright sunshine any text other than white on a dark background is not visible. It is hugely annoying when my heartrate goes very high, ,and that’s when I really want to know what it is , the text transitions to red and i can no longer see it. Yes I have my iphone on max brightness. Additionally the hearate graph vs time shows plotted data in red . Not visible outdoors! Please update the app to fix this basic flaw. Lastly a feature that i think is essential for training is an alarm to signal when heartrate goes outside a selected range. Many watches have this , why not the app? Oh, and make the alarm volume controllable so it can be made loud enough to be heard in a real world outdoor biking environment. Many watch alarms are not nearly loud enough. Thanks for your attention. Regards.
I use it for cycling, and find it easy to use and concise. The metrics provided are quite sufficient to help you track progress and efficiency of the workouts/ride, particularly as it pertains to how much time on a given training zone. Although calories burned tend to be lower than what shown on other apps, such as Apple health/Runmeter, I suspect that the others might be on the higher end. I wish user had the capability to adjust the colors/brightness as red becomes hard to read under bright sunshine. Also consider moving the pause from the lower center to the right bottom corner. On IOS, it is easy to accidentally hit pause when paging between apps.
App is great, one feature I wish they would add is if you accidentally closed your session on the app while in use and in the middle of a work out, that you would have the option to open/rejoin that same session instead of it automatically closing and having to start a brand new session. I have time and time again cleared this app from my phone, accidentally swiped up, and then can’t get back into that session and have to start a new on. It would be nice if after the accidental swipe up, if the user goes right back into the app, a box popped up asking if you wanted to go back into that session or start a new one; or you could click on the session you accidentally closed out and had an option to rejoin that session. Just a thought
I’ve used this app for years and it only gets worse and worse. It never warns you of the battery is going low so when you go to your workout and it won’t work, it’s because the battery is dead! So now you can’t monitor your heart or see calories burned. When it does work, it may lose connected when your standing right next to it and then when you finish your workout, you see no line or a long flat line at the bottom. Again, this is after you start it and make sure it’s connected. It just disconnects. I shouldn’t have to stop my workout to check on it and make sure it’s working. It should just work! I’m just entirely too sick of this app. I keep buying the upgraded Bluetooth monitors they put out, for a hundred dollars, so I guess the joke is on me. I wish you worked better Polar! I’ve been a loyal user for 8 years and now I’m just over you GET IT TOGETHER!
I like the app. It pairs instantly, and It tells me what I want to know. I do wish the past workouts could be customized to show what data you want to see on the list without having to go into the workout- for example I’d rather see my calories burned than my heart rate for that session. I also wish that it could be a bit more intelligent about what workouts I do. I’ve just been using the app for two different workouts, it’s the same two workouts, but I always have to search for them by typing out the word “rowing” and then select INDOOR, and then afterwards I always have to type out the word “walking” and be careful not no accidentally select “Nordic Walking.” I’m boring. Sure. I do the same two workouts time after time. But couldn’t we have a “favorites” or something to that effect, so I don’t have to actually type out the whole word of the exercise I’m trying to do each and every time I do it? It seems to remember my last exercise, but I always alternate, so remembering the last thing I did isn’t any help to me.
I ordered the H10 online and it arrived within two days. It’s a well-built unit and it’s as comfortable as a chest strap could be; no problems there. I paired it with my Garmin 945. My watch confirms that the heart rate sensor is connected. To start with, the instructions that come with the sensor are useless. It basically just tells you to go to the website. I watched the video and as far as I can tell I’m doing everything right but the app does not detect my heart rate. Also, despite that the map on the app clearly shows my route, both distance and heart rate say zero, both during the run and after I hit “stop”. I’ve gone on three runs with this and there is literally no data. It shouldn’t be this difficult in my opinion. I’ll work with it more and try to figure it out but if it doesn’t work I’m returning it.
This is great paired with the heart rate monitor. Personally, I use it to keep heart at max levels during workouts. It’ll let you know when you are slacking when you hear “ you are burning fat” ! Time to kick it back up. I would recommend for the people who don’t use your workout to walk around and talk more than they do lift a weight! Hold yourself accountable and this tool is great for it! Beginner to pro athletes .. Also, if you want to make sure your progress and tracking is never lost. Get the polar flow app as well and you’ll always have your “ backup” for past exercises. Just my opinion of course and this obviously depends on how serious you are of goals and progress.
Over pairing it with my Apple Watch. I like the charts and extra information this app gives me. I use it for running and it gives me a running index (which gauges running efficiency. A high index means your running form is efficient and a low one means that maybe you need to improve your running form). And it automatically detects if your run was a tempo run or a steady state run. There’s also blog posts you can read about fitness in general, kind of like MyFitnessPal. I’ve never used an app with this much useful information. I really enjoy my heart rate strap from Polar and I enjoy using this app.
A few months ago it worked great, now it constantly won’t start on my iPhone 8+ or my Apple Watch so I have to restart both devices when I’m trying to start my workout, so I have to stop, reboot everything and hope it works. Then when I finish my workout it is not transmitting the data correctly. It records everything from my heart rate monitor (H7) just fine, just not to the health app, this is extremely frustrating as a I’m in competitions for exercise goals, and I have to post and share my results and I can’t do that when it doesn’t transmit correctly. This may sound dramatic, but it is ruining my workouts, causing a ton of frustration and the worst part is I’ve paid a lot of money for all this equipment and premium plans for it not to work correctly, either refund my money or get your act together because this is unacceptable from a company like Polar.
Since he last update a couple weeks ago the app’s GPS sync never works when I start using. I also use it to sync with my heart rate monitor and I generally know how long it takes to run a mile, so I kinda just wing it when I run. And that’s only because I keep forgetting to find a new app until I get out to run. So I’m getting by, but it’s so glitchy I’m gonna drop it. And even more annoying is that it finally catches halfway thru the run so I have half-correct distance data. And now that I’ve deleted and readdded (attempting to fix) I lost all my old saved data (not a huge deal, but still nice to have). Anyway, this was a perfect app for my needs but I’m done now without some fix - and preferably one that will stick, not some multi step workaround I have to do every time I open it.
Polar H10: The more I use it the more discoveries I make
about the capabilities, functions, features, abilities and awesomeness of the POLAR H10 heart monitor. I wear it for every training session, workout, to track what, who, where I become stressed and how severely stressed I become so I can immediately start bringing my heart rate and breathing down. My doctors are thrilled I wear the chest Polar Heart Monitor to workout and to monitor those stress triggers so I can identify stressors and manage them. I’ve had chest strap Polar Heart Monitors since I started working out about 30 years ago and I’ve always trusted them and used them religiously as I use the H10. I love it!
Great device (Polar H10), bloated, dysfunctional, and awful app
What do we want a HR app to do? We want it to tell us our heart rate. And we want it to tell that information as clearly and accurately as possible. We also want it to be simple and tell us more than just the number. This app gives you a link to a blog as a primary function, buries the heart rate information, makes it so the only way you can see your HR info is through specific activities. And “sitting at a desk, dying slowly” isn’t an activity. Yeah, sometimes I just want to see what the device has tracked if it’s on, not just if I’m specifically doing something. The Polar H10 monitor also appears to work better with the Apple Health app than this app. This app had a really hard time seeing the monitor, while the iOS Bluetooth picked it up immediately, and Apple Health app, too. A+ for Apple and the Polar H10, negative two stars for the Polar app. Unfortunately, the H10 appears to work excellently, but the app appears to miss the mark in big ways. Polar should reevaluate their developers to see if they would be heavy users of an app like this, or if they’re a bunch of soda sucking couch potatoes. Based on how heinously this app hits the mark, I suspect the ladder.
I have two heart rate and stride monitors. One pair I keep in my gym bag and the other stays at home. This enables me to have monitoring when I need it. There’s just one thing, every time I switch equipment I have to unpair my home devices to use my gym devices. This is not only inconvenient but the stride sensor has to be recalibrated EVERY time. Why is this? I’ve been using this setup for years and to be able to use multiple devices without re-pairing has to in the user story. Onward to looking for another fitness tracker that can handle multiple sensors of the same type and when it’s time using their devices instead of polar. Update: When are they going to refresh exercises? Where is HIIT and Elliptical categories ? I should downgrade the app rating.
UPDATE: they updated the logo but still haven’t addressed the active calorie issue. Removing another star. Now having a new issue as well - it keeps asking me to pair my h10 when it has already been paired with the app. If I pair it again, it creates a new version of the h10 in my Bluetooth settings. If I hit cancel, everything works fine, but it’s annoying to have to hit cancel every time I open the app. UPDATE: just noticed that the active calories (calories burned) does not show up in HealthKit. They show up in the individual exercise session data in HealthKit, but not in the aggregate for healthkit. Forums seem to indicate this started happening after an iOS update, so sounds like polar needs to update the app to account for this change. Taking another star off for this. How can you have exercises like badminton, Nordic walking, and biathlon as options but NOT have jump rope? Minus one star for this. Other than that, the app is solid and pairs automatically with my polar h10. The HealthKit integration is also a nice touch. In combination with elite HRV and sleep cycle I get a pretty good picture of how I am doing with regard to recovery after intense workouts.
I adore my H10 heart rate strap. I find the app works yet stuff disappears like Tge Fitbess test. It was in the app until a recent update. I guess the fitness test has been pushed out to the wrist monitors, fitness trackers and smart watches. Guess what I don’t have???? I used to have an old wrist monitor and was thrilled when the fitness test popped onto the app. I’d stopped using the wrist monitor as it was circa 2008 tech. This review is also about searching inside the app - where is there a search function? So I did an online search to find out where the fitness test is. Guess what? I don’t want to watch endless videos either. I live / hate polar. It works great yet has the dumbest interface. My old wrist monitor case was made of rubber. When every other fitness tracker had new cases / bands out in the market as replacement parts, I had to send the monitor in the mail to get a replacement case. I’m likely not going to buy a polar fitness tracker or smart watch based on these continuing annoyances. Like I said. I adore my h10 heart rate strap yet the support side of the company falls flat. I just adore my h10 strap. The app, not so much. No, I don’t want to watch a bunch of videos. It works unless you’ve taken a function away.
I use with my polar H10. Why does the calorie count form a workout include all calories active/passive. I don’t want my BMR calories included in my total calories. You ask for all the information required for a BMR calculation (age, weight, height, gender) in the app anyway.. why can’t I have an option to display only my active calories from a workout???? This makes things too complicated when exporting my data to Apple health and food tracking apps. Some people eat back a portion of calories burned during workouts, but including BMR in the workout calories gives skewed results. Apple Watch is doing it right by splitting up passive and active calories. Take note Polar, I think I’ll be switching over to Apple Watch
Wouldn’t pair! Delete & Redownload the app, it works!
The app won’t pair even when my phone is connected to my H10. Service wouldn’t even help me because I’ve had it too long for it to be serviced sooooo I bought a new H10 and it still won’t pair! It pairs with my A370 but when my watch is charging and I want to workout, I should be able to pair with the app and it just won’t happen. I’m beyond frustrated. It’s bad enough they won’t create an updated A370 and only wanna make round watches and now this. I really want to stay with polar but they are certainly making it hard to stay. UPDATE: Upon a second delete and redownload of the app, it’s working! Anyone who hasn’t tried that really should. Good luck! I STILL ONLY GIVE TWO STARS BECAUSE YOU LOSE ALL YOUR SETTINGS!
Lots of room for additional features (no premium version?)
After using this app often for a few months I’m confident to make some suggestions that could be implemented easily by good engineers and that I know people would pay for. Polar is dropping the ball by not introducing premium features and monetizing their devices better. 1) Better organization of workout history into categories. Customizable categories. 2) The option to export workout history as a spreadsheet. 3) The option to set your max heart rate manually and have the zones automatically adjust accordingly. 4) The option to set voice notifications that read custom messages (or just the HR #) when user-specified HR levels are reached.
I have had this for 1 1/2 months and have really enjoyed it. It tracks my route, speed, HB, and distance with the ability to play it back to see how I progressed at each point of my trip. You can share it with others as well. The voice part isn’t bad either. She tells me how I am doing and lets me know if I am doing better than in the past. Now, I find myself unable to pair it regularly. I even changed the battery. Some days it says it NOT ACTIVE while other days it says not paired. I spend 5-10 minutes before I start trying to connect. It’s annoying. I would avoid this product if this is the best it will perform.
I was hesitant initially to purchase the ‘OH1’, in part because I thought I would need an inexpensive wrist monitor to accompany it (it may be quite an adventure to find, owing to Bluetooth compatibility issues.). Ok, out of box things seemed extremely straightforward. The only three functions you will need are printed in the ( underside of the) armband holder. I charged it three hours to play things safe. I popped it in the band and adjusted the length so as not to pinch my arm. Use the polar app it us surprisingly good, and the graphical reports are pretty as you please. I love it!! That’s the actual review,, so please ignore the other blah blah. Peace.
The performance of this app is great and it seems to beat out the accuracy of any other app I have used, but the whole things seems to exist as a way to get you trapped into buying there sensors and watches. Like running with the app? Unlock free training plans with the purchase of a heart rate sensor. Like the training plan? You can only get it to fully integrate and sync with a watch! Want to customize a workout with intervals/heart rate zones? Not an option. We sell bike bike speed/cadence sensors, but they don’t work with the app at all even though it has cycling profiles built in. It seems like it just doesn’t need to be this way!
I first started using this app with my Polar H9 heart rate monitor and loved the design and features, but then began having issues with it. I would take a fitness test to get my VO2 max and even with a heart rate as low as 50bpm it would cut out and say the test was failed because my heart rate was too high. I tried several times to contact customer support but each time I had to wait an entire month to receive a response and that response was always an apology for the delay and asking if I still needed help. Of course by doing that, they just put me to the back of the line and ensured I would have to wait another month for another response. Save your time and money and find a brand that has an actual customer service team.
Paired Polar H10 to iPhone 8. iPhone maintains pairing with sensor without issue. However, the H10 sensor frequently cannot pair with Beats app between uses despite correctly attaching the sensor to the chest band and correctly wearing chest band. No amount of “forget device/pair device” or “reset device” cycles on both iPhone and Beats app will pair the sensor with the app. Until occasionally and apparently randomly, it does pair. Have owned the H10 for about a week and have been able to use it on only four of seven attempts because of the buggy Polar Beats app. However, on those four occasions it appeared to work well. So two stars. Unless they fix the software within the next couple of weeks, I’ll return the H10 and downgrade this app review to one star.
I had been using this product for over five years without incident. However, when I went to settings to change something in my profile I was forced to go thru a login which required me to agree to allow them to use my personal data. I tried to get around it but it was too late. The program wiped out four years of training data that I had because I used the program without ever logging in because I don’t like companies collecting personal data. There was no warning like “you’re about to lose all of your locally stored data. Are you sure you want to proceed?” This is outrageously unethical behavior. I contacted support and they said yes, if you log into their site it wipes out all your locally stored training data. The CEO of this company belongs in the Hall of Shame.
I’ve purchased several products that pair with my iPhone. They were all super simple. The Polar H10 has been a headache. I’m guessing they want other companies to support it so they downplay their own app. The app they had me download doesn’t even work with the monitor and THEY DON’T TELL YOU THAT. It took digging to realize I needed polar beat. No where in support or on the paper instructions does it tell you that. When I finally figured out how to pair the device with the app the actual pairing took well over 10 minutes even though it eventually told me that the battery was fully charged. Once it connected it shows my HR in teeny tiny numbers !!! I should have purchased a Garmin like my brother advised. Doesn’t meet my requirements at all.
Went for a couple runs so far with this app and the Bluetooth stride device and I'm not blown away. I had been using the Adidas app with their Bluetooth stride device but had to drop it because they are discontinuing it after December 2017. Tried to use the polar device with MapMyRun (the Adidas stride device worked) and it would not work so then used the PolarBeat app. The PolarBeat app does not have a feature to play music in the app like MapMyRun and it does not allow you to get voice guidance down to the quarter mile (.25). The intervals are only to the tenth of a mile (.1; .2; .3; etc.) I wish I could go back to the Adidas app but for now will give Polar a few more tries. Ken in Miami
Alright, this is legit the first review I have ever written for a phone app. I really enjoy this app between the layout, the color scheme, the function of it, and the amount of choices it gives you for types of training. The only reason I am writing this review is because I have a couple of ideas that I think would make this app even better. 1. Add a way to favorite different types of workouts such as running, circuit training, dancing, etc. That way, when changing between workout styles, they are at the top and readily available. 2. Make a separate screen screen so that you can see just heart rate and the variability. If anyone else is like me, they got this to monitor their heart rate because they don’t have a smart watch and nor do they desire to get one. This idea might be a stretch but 🤷🏼♂️. Ps. I Bochum bought the polar OH1 and so far love it! Easy to set up and connects to various running apps.
Sorry Polar, this app now glitches all the time. My HR drops out and comes back in to the point where I no longer trust the data. I replaced the battery on my H10 once already. I disconnected and reconnected to Bluetooth and the H10 multiple times. When I went with a new app, all my problems disappeared! For that reason, this app is now one star. Original post: Keep it simple! A streamlined app that gives you the data you need without fluff, hype, or product sell. What more can you ask? It was only used once but it the first time of many more to come. With out a monitor I might grow bored, but this app seems perfectly paired to work with one. No interference issues and no loss of signal. Flawless performance, thanks Polar!
Good app and solid analysis. Need 2 improvements: 1) Need to improve visualizations - red on red isnt the best color choice. Also more context sensitive help/ definitions would be greatly appreciated. 2) rather than just telling me fat/fit info, please allow me to set my desired HR range and tell me if I’m low/high. Some of my training requires specific HR % of Max, while others are for specific zones. Both would be appreciated so I dont need to visually check whilst trying to get the best from my training. I guess one other thing... provide the opportunity for in-app feedback.
It’s a good app for monitoring effort during a workout. I did find a minor bug though. If you fail to hit the “Done” button on the top left of the screen after a workout, the calories burned is not transferred to IOS Health for cross app data sharing. Had this happen when I closed the app prior to hitting done and once when app crashed. Workout is still shown within polar app when reopened but data is not transferred at that point. Minor inconvenience when you use calorie burned data to adjust for calorie consumption on another app.
I love the app when it works, but half the time I can’t get it to pair with my heart rate sensor, or it will say that the sensor is not active, even though I have the heart rate sensor on and it has been wet with water to make it work. My heart rate sensor works with my old Polar watch so I know the heart rate sensor is working, but then I look at the app and it says that the heart rate sensor is not active, or it won’t pair with the app, it’s so frustrating. I have a H9 sensor that is new, and I have an older H10 sensor which is updated with the current version, so it should work fine.
Using this product for years and this app. I’m 60 now. Came across a question this morning. I was using set distance feature, never used it before, and I was expecting the timer to stop so I could see my time. It did not. I don’t see the need for the distance setting of timer doesn’t stop. I was carrying a 24kg kettlebell making it a challenge to hit stop button. I was able to go back through the run and see what time was when I hit my mark, but a function showing target distance time would’ve been nice. Kevo
Turn your phone into a fitness tracker with Polar Beat, the ultimate free fitness, running, and workout app. Train with real-time voice guidance, use GPS to track your route and distance, and share your achievements with your friends. PLAN, TRAIN, ANALYZE, SHARE. All in one place. FEATURES » Sign in to unlock 100+ sport profiles » Maintain a comprehensive training log using the different sport profiles » Map your route with GPS » Get voice guidance while you train » See your personal bests » Set training targets and reach your goals » Track distance, pace, and route » Connect to Apple Health » Share your training on Facebook and Twitter » Connect with Apple Watch PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock the full Polar Beat experience with a Polar heart rate sensor. [+] See your live heart rate with a Polar heart rate sensor and train at the right intensity for maximum results [+] See how many calories you burned [+] See what you achieved with each workout: improved endurance, increased strength, or burned fat [+] Understand the impact of your workout at different intensity levels [+] Polar Fitness Test – Measure your fitness level while you lie down and relax [+] Polar Running Index – See how your running performance is developing [+] Polar EnergyPointer – See the main effect of your workout in real time - whether you’re burning fat or improving fitness [+] Polar Benefit Target – Set specific training targets - like boosting recovery or improving endurance, and get guidance to achieve it DOWNLOAD Polar Beat now and turn your phone into a personal trainer. FOLLOW Polar Fitness at https://www.instagram.com/polarglobalfitness FOLLOW Polar at http://instagram.com/polarglobal LIKE Polar at http://facebook.com/polarglobal FOLLOW Polar at http://twitter.com/polarglobal SUBSCRIBE at https://www.youtube.com/polar READ all things Polar at https://www.polar.com/blog Note: Continuous use of GPS can dramatically decrease your phone’s battery life.
