In the market for a smart body scale

[Bojack Horseman]

Hello all,

I'm in the market for a smart body scale, not looking for anything too fancy or expensive (under $150 or less). The main thing I want is that I'm not required to download an app for it to work, and all the data get automatically logged into Apple's Health app after each use. Does such thing exist? If not, I'll just end up buying a regular body scale. Thank you!

 

[art-fanatic]

Hey, I just purchased this one from Withings myself. There are a few main brands. For the Apple ecosystem I felt that Withings is the go-to, however there are a bunch of brands at different price points that are integrated with Apple Health. The reason I believe Withings is the go-to is that you can buy some of them in the Apple Store. My decision came down to what features I needed. In my case it was Bluetooth vs Wifi and Body Composition vs Non-Body Composition scales.

Bluetooth vs Wifi
Most cheaper smart scales I looked at were Bluetooth only. As far as I could tell, with Bluetooth scales you need to open the app every time you take a measurement. Also, the cheapest had apps that looked a little rough in my opinion. Anyway, after taking the measurement, the app then syncs the data to Apple Health. The reason I went with Withings is that they are Wifi. This means that you dont need to open the iPhone app every time you want to take a measurement. The Withings Scale talks to their server via wifi and logs the data without me needing to do anything on my iPhone. My routine is to wake up, take a measurement before I shower and then every week or so I just open the Withings app to sync the measurements to Apple. I have owned it for a month now and the integration is really good. AFAIK there is no scale that directly talks to Apple health, but in my research, Withings' wifi scales had the most automatic way to get the data into Apple Health.

Body Composition vs Non-Body Composition
If you watch some YouTube videos about home body composition scales, one thing most people say is that they are not very accurate, no matter how expensive. This is because most have electric sensors that only interact with your feet and are not strong enough to send the signal through the whole body. There are some really expensive and premium options with a handle that supposedly improves the accuracy. In addition, the Body Composition features were also not that important for me as I am just tracking my weight journey. If I want to check my body fat and other metrics, my gym has an inBody scanner that visits every 2-3 months. I can also just go to an inBody scanning studio. Some people really like having these extra features, however, in my opinion they are not worth the extra money.

TL;DR: I ended up going with the Withings Body + BMI scale, which was a little more pricey compared to some the cheaper brands on Amazon (such as RENPHO). However, as Withings has Wifi, I do not need to open my iPhone every time I take a reading and that is important to me. In addition, the premium Body Composition features are also not important and accurate enough in my opinion.

 

[ericg301]

I like the Wyze one.

 

[iGeneo]

Hey, I just purchased this one from Withings myself. There are a few main brands. For the Apple ecosystem I felt that Withings is the go-to, however there are a bunch of brands at different price points that are integrated with Apple Health. The reason I believe Withings is the go-to is that you can buy some of them in the Apple Store. My decision came down to what features I needed. In my case it was Bluetooth vs Wifi and Body Composition vs Non-Body Composition scales.

Bluetooth vs Wifi
Most cheaper smart scales I looked at were Bluetooth only. As far as I could tell, with Bluetooth scales you need to open the app every time you take a measurement. Also, the cheapest had apps that looked a little rough in my opinion. Anyway, after taking the measurement, the app then syncs the data to Apple Health. The reason I went with Withings is that they are Wifi. This means that you dont need to open the iPhone app every time you want to take a measurement. The Withings Scale talks to their server via wifi and logs the data without me needing to do anything on my iPhone. My routine is to wake up, take a measurement before I shower and then every week or so I just open the Withings app to sync the measurements to Apple. I have owned it for a month now and the integration is really good. AFAIK there is no scale that directly talks to Apple health, but in my research, Withings' wifi scales had the most automatic way to get the data into Apple Health.

Body Composition vs Non-Body Composition
If you watch some YouTube videos about home body composition scales, one thing most people say is that they are not very accurate, no matter how expensive. This is because most have electric sensors that only interact with your feet and are not strong enough to send the signal through the whole body. There are some really expensive and premium options with a handle that supposedly improves the accuracy. In addition, the Body Composition features were also not that important for me as I am just tracking my weight journey. If I want to check my body fat and other metrics, my gym has an inBody scanner that visits every 2-3 months. I can also just go to an inBody scanning studio. Some people really like having these extra features, however, in my opinion they are not worth the extra money.

TL;DR: I ended up going with the Withings Body + BMI scale, which was a little more pricey compared to some the cheaper brands on Amazon (such as RENPHO). However, as Withings has Wifi, I do not need to open my iPhone every time I take a reading and that is important to me. In addition, the premium Body Composition features are also not important and accurate enough in my opinion.

I'll have to checkout the Withings.. I really dislike having another app that I won't use. You say Withings drops directly into Apple Health? Their description shows:

• AUTOMATIC DATA SYNC - Data from every weigh-in appears automatically via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth in the Health Mate app.
  
  Perhaps I'm looking for something that doesn't exist (yet)... I'd rather not have another app to catch the data and send it to Apple Health.

After further research... all these scales require apps... the holy grail doesn't exist. I have the Wyze scale.. weights seem to fluctuate (more than I do)

Good article here: https://www.myhealthyapple.com/5-best-apple-health-smart-scales-to-consider/


Pretty much confirms the Withings as the top pick

 

[art-fanatic]

I'll have to checkout the Withings.. I really dislike having another app that I won't use. You say Withings drops directly into Apple Health? Their description shows:

• AUTOMATIC DATA SYNC - Data from every weigh-in appears automatically via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth in the Health Mate app.
  
  Perhaps I'm looking for something that doesn't exist (yet)... I'd rather not have another app to catch the data and send it to Apple Health.

After further research... all these scales require apps... the holy grail doesn't exist. I have the Wyze scale.. weights seem to fluctuate (more than I do)

Good article here: https://www.myhealthyapple.com/5-best-apple-health-smart-scales-to-consider/


Pretty much confirms the Withings as the top pick

I specifically mentioned that I have to use the Withings app every now and then to sync to apple health. AFAIK there is no smart scales that are integrated directly with Apple Health. The reason I chose Withings is because it had wifi and can save readings to the Withings server without me needing to open my iPhone. I believe for the Bluetooth scales your iPhone acts as the receiver and you will need to open the app each time you take a measurement.

 

[Bojack Horseman]

Thank you for all the replies! I guess I'll just stick with an old school bathroom scale! I suppose not everything has to be "smart".

 

[Htsi]

I had and sold the wyze one for the bluetooth app hassle.
The withing Wi-Fi scale is the one to go. Open the app any time of the day to sync is not a bad deal in my opinion