Withings Health Mate gets paintjob, ScanWatch to get inactivity reminders

Withings has released into the wild the new iOS version of Health Mate. It brings a design overhaul of the smartphone app, along with full iOS 15 support. The update also makes it clear ScanWatch will soon get inactivity reminders.

The software refresh numbered 5.9.0 is making its rounds now. The headline change is the Health Mate iOS app makeover. The software has received a paintjob and redesign providing a more modern appearance. Certain app components, such as the elevation graph, have received a more significant revamp which should hopefully add to the user experience.

Essential reading: Review – Scanwatch: the best health-tracking hybrid you can buy

Withings says the app now has full iOS15 support. Nothing really to brag about considering Apple’s latest operating system has been out for the past few months!

Beyond that, a useful new feature for those with a ScanWatch comes in the form of nudges to stay active. Switch the functionality on and you’ll be notified if have been sitting on your sofa for too long.

By default, the functionality is switched off so you’ll need to head off to the settings page in the app to switch it on. But not just yet as the option is not available even after the iOS app refresh.

Perhaps it is preparation for a future update, or it requres a pending firmware refresh for Scanwatch. This is probably the reason the functionality is mentioned in the iOS app update notes, but it is not mentioned on the Withings website 5.9.0 release notes page.

Inactivity reminders are a useful thing, and a standard function of most fitness devices. So it is good that ScanWatch will soon be getting it. It is also good to see Withings adding new functionality to the device.

Withings Scanwatch is the most feature-packed hybrid around. The device comes packing ECG, Sleep Apnea detection and the typical sensors to help users track their activity day and night. Following a lengthy approval process from the FDA, Scanwatch has recently been made available for purchase in the US.

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