Polar Beat - Fitness Coach for Android
Like a fellow reviewer, since beginning of August (the last software update) I have not been able to pair the polar app with the heart monitor. I've had the polar H7 since nov. 2016, with no issues with pairing and using the app. Around August it stopped working. I've tried new batteries, uninstall and reinstall the app, turning the phone off and all the trouble shooting tips on the polar support site and online tips. I upgraded and got the polar H10, thinking that the monitor H7 was old. But it is doing the same thing with the app. Just red spinning circle, never paring.
Cool app idea (and the only way to use polar heartbeat monitors), but super buggy. Syncing happens sporadically at best. Unclear what is done in this app vs polar flow (I think both are required to sync to most places?). Syncing has to often be undone/redone.
Just changed the battery a week ago, and it's not syncing to the app? What gives? Been working fine for damn near a year and all of a sudden the battery is low. 2 stars until the app is updated. This HRM isn't a year old.
Inaccurate gps and poor customer support. I have the app automatically upload data to strava. I took a 46 mile bike ride. Polar shows it as a 14 mile ride but strava, using the same data properly shows it to be 46 miles. I contacted customer support. They told me strava uses it own calcations and left it at that. That is obvious. Strava uses the correct calculations. But polar didn't seem to be interested in fixing their calculations.
Update (8/30/17): I use this for all my strenuous activities (a couple of hours a day). I finally replaced the battery. It hadn't died, but was "low". Occasionally, it won't pair but a phone reset fixes it. I wish it had a step tracker or integrated with one. I use it with my treadmill because I found the treadmill heart rate monitor unsatisfactory. Update (3/30/17): It's actually quite good for real time heart rate monitoring (I use the H7) and calorie tracking during workouts. For H7 battery life you probably don't want to wear it except for workouts. To connect to MyFitnessPal you need to use Polar Flow. Beat syncs to Flow syncs to MFP. Workout editing could be better; you can edit distance and add a workout note. Once you've closed a session you can't edit the distance any more. You should be able to add/edit a name so you can track workouts of the same basic types but with current focus areas, e.g. Upper body vs Abs and core. Overall, this is a good app. I'm getting a NordicTrack 1750, which, as far as I know, is not compatible with Polar Beat or the H7, so I won't be using it for treadmill. I'll still use it for other workouts and hikes. And, I'll still use my Garmin vivosmarthr+ for all day tracking. It would be nice to have one solution that provided all day tracking plus accurate heart rate for workouts but I haven't found one.
It doesn't allow you to customize heart rate zones. You must buy one of their rate monitoring watches to do this, and even then, you still can't download the custom heart rate zones (available in sports profiles in their watches) to the polar beat app. I'd be willing to pay for the feature, as a pro version or something, if only they offered it... other companies app's let you customize heart rate zones, but then their total calorie count is wrong. Why can't we have both accurate calorie count and customizable heart rate zone (I.e. sport profiles) in an app from polar? Crazy that they haven't met this simple need....
Guys, please, fix the tracking issues, the app crashes when you open it after an hour. The only reason I wouldn't switch to Strava is because this app has a free heart rate monitoring function. But then again, it freezes after an hour and you don't have the full track. So after 7 years, an ugly rebranded design, crappy basic functionality you are losing a customer.
Need to logout/in to sync sessions. This issue still persists on my Galaxy S6, running Android 7.0 and Beat application 2.3.3 After every training session, I login to my Beat account on my computer and no update. So, on the phone I sign out and sign in again, and it starts syncing. It would be most useful if you could just add a manual sync button to the phone application which would save a a lot of time and effort. Otherwise it is fine. Another problem has cropped up: Stops recording distance information after 18 km. Same error on both Samsung S6 and my new LG v20. Pity, I used to enjoy this app, but now too many bugs, moving back to runkeeper.
Now I have a $300 useless watch as it won't sync to ether flow or beat app since the app update....Awake up til 2am trying to sync and reading posts on trouble shooting and so on...Are you kidding me Polar? Is this some sort of joke?....How do I get my money back on a useless watch when I have had it over a year and it doesn't work due to your appalling bugged so called updates?....Yes I would like answers as I'm sure lots of other poor people do!?? In answers to your reply....I did that and they gave me that very same generic link, which I did contact and left a message for someone to please reply and guess what!?....no reply! So please stop sending me links to nowhere offices, I would like an explanation on here please!
I've had this app for the last 6 months and used it almost daily. I like that it will map out the routes I've run or cycled and I can see my speed and heart rate at any point on my route. I don't like that when I have a rapid increase in heart rate it indicates that the rate is jumping to 200+, to 0, then back to 200+. It usually works itself out to the actual heart rate within a few minutes but at times will jump back and forth the entire workout. I have also had problems with the heart rate monitor losining connectivity with my phone on a regular basis. I would have liked to see the app provide a training load as the polarpersonaltrainer program provides.
Using with a H7 hrm and my Galaxy S7 and Sun's quickly and had no dropouts. Can't fault it, it may save me buying a smart watch
I have a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5, and this app on this device will not pair with my H10 HR monitor. The H10 is NOT connected to the phone in the bluetooth settings and i have made sure that the app is the latest version (so Polar support, please do not suggest checking either of these). When attempting to pair within the Beat app directly, the red circle just continues to spin. It's been a month now and there seems to be no solution to the issue from Polar. My phone will pair with every other bluetoothdevice I have (ex. Speakers, fitbit, car handsfree system, etc), just not the Polar device. Needless to say, I am completely fed up at this point. I purchased the monitor through Amazon, so lucky for me I am able to send it back for a full refund (Amazon has a better return policy than Polar). I am actually going to submit my return with Amazon as soon as I am done writing this review. I am also going to speak negative about Polar to anyone who is potentially in the market for a new HR monitor. Thanks have a great day
Neither does it sync custom HR zones with PolarFlow, nor am I able to configure them manually for sport profiles! Max/min limits is NOT enough to set! I got CUSTOM thresholds for EACH zone, it can be set in Polar Flow, but is not possible in Beat. Default auto calc based just on min/max that you offer is too approx and is not accurate!
So far so good. I like the coach function of pear sports so I wish polar beats had that feature. However so far polar has not stopped readings HR mid exercise or crashed. Unlike pear.
Hands down best investment as far as heart rate tracking I have the h10 chest strap and the m430 watch the chest strap is so accurate where as the watch struggles to read accurately during bench press or pushups or anything that causes the wrist to flex and move. So happy with the chest strap I wish I would've gotten it way sooner!
Keeps cutting out when blutooth music on. Tried 3-4 different sensors.
Edited 31/08/2017. First time the app has been updated in 2 years and it still can't record a full session. ---------------------------- Absolutely awful. Starts recording sessions and away you go. However it just stops recording at any random moment. On my 10k run this morning it recorded 4.3km then stopped. I then made sure that it is whitelisted in Sony Xperia stamina mode and started recording again. This time 3.2km and it stopped. The only reason I'm not giving it 1 star and uninstalling is I need it to start and sync a session on my H10. This is totally useless otherwise. Edit 1/8/17: H10 paired with Strava app works perfectly. This is how Polar Beat should work.
App is great. The h7 hr monitor pairs well with samsung s7 to give great input to the app. Loving the real time graph. Elliptical training isn't a specified training type but I think its one of the "other" categories. Love the walking map ut creates via gps
This thing doesn't sync to Polar flow. I tried the force sync as Polar told me to do, After they read my original review on flow. Because I thought that was the problem. It worked yesterday. Today it did not work. I had to sign out then back in to sync with flow. Still ridiculous.
Downloading saved sessions usually does not work, it always says to connect to the same phone and polar beat even though that's what I've done
GPS disconnects many times or not at all connects. No Favorite Activities option, need to scroll and search every time to get to my sport.
There no consistency on my heart rate anymore! It's either showing my max or nothing at all! Using Samsung galaxy S8
I have the polar H10 heart rate monitor linked to this app. Polar Beat is super easy to use, it saves your workouts for later viewing, and it gives a summary if everything improved during your session.
Purchased the upgrade. Always fail or can't read the heart rate when fitness test. Need to frequently improve this app.
Works great with heart rate sensor but will no longer pair with app if upgrade due. My heart rate sensor no longer works with apo now.
Flow and beat doesn't sync up with phased training, nothing shows up in sessions/events
App crashes unless kept in foreground, calorie count is lost. No response from devs.
The app does not accurately track my training especially when used with other products incl NRC.
After I tested other well known brands in the market, I can confirm that only Polar products/applications, successfuly combined accuracy, ease of use and affordability.
Works great with my Mio heart rate watch. Tells me how I'm doing creates a map of where I rode I love it
Doesn't pair with my polar heart rate sensor.
Doesn't appear to work with my older Polar Bluetooth HR monitor which works fine with other apps. This is a deal killer for me.
Tracks my heartrate, but doesn't track how many calories I burn. So it's only 50% useful
Great app, tells me everything I need to know and has a very nice design.
Doesn't have landscape mode. Doesn't seem to sync with Polar Flow. No workout option for elliptical, only treadmill.
It's ok but i miss he auto-pause option and the sync with strava is poor
If they could add a continuous heart rate average over the duration of the workout. That would be great.
Pretty good, though I wish you could resume a session if you accidentally close the app.
Have always preferred Polar to other brands. It's the sport scientist in me
by U####:
I like this app, works well with my Moto G4 and H7. Is there an option to share a CSV file of GPS and heart rate data from a training session? I couldn't find one, but I would like to export this into another, more specialised database. I'd pay for this facility, but GPS would need to log at max rate, 1hz.