Amazfit Helio Strap phone alerts are possible through a third-party app

A third-party Android app has added phone call and notification vibrations to the Amazfit Helio Strap, despite Zepp Health not offering the feature itself. It also raises a fairly obvious question, whether battery life is one reason Zeppelin Health chose not to enable it.

The Helio Strap has always had a vibration motor, but Zepp does very little with it. You get basic alerts such as pairing and low-battery warnings, but not the sort of phone notifications you would normally expect from a connected wearable.

Now we know that is not a hardware limitation. OpenStrap, an unofficial Android alternative to the Zepp app, can make the Helio Strap vibrate for incoming calls and phone notifications.

OpenStrap unlocks more than notifications

The latest version of OpenStrap does quite a bit more than simply make the Strap buzz. It can start workouts from the phone, show live heart-rate zones, use GPS for outdoor sessions and trigger haptic alerts when you move outside a target HR zone.

OpenStrap works by communicating directly with the Helio Strap over Bluetooth. The project has been built by reverse-engineering the way the tracker communicates, which has allowed the developer to access functions that Zepp Health itself does not currently offer to users.

There are some caveats. OpenStrap is an unofficial Android app. Also, users still need Zepp for the initial authentication process.

Battery life could be part of the reason

One possible explanation for Zepp Health leaving notifications out is battery life. The Helio Strap has a 232 mAh battery. This is good for up to 10 days of typical use, which is one of the device’s stronger selling points.

Using the vibration motor a few times each day for basic system alerts is one thing. Having it buzz for every call, message, email and app notification could be quite different, particularly for someone whose phone produces dozens of alerts throughout the day.

None of this proves that battery life is why Zepp Health left notifications out. Zepp Health has not publicly given that explanation, so for now it remains a plausible theory rather than a confirmed reason.

There is another explanation that is just as plausible. Zepp may simply not want the Helio Strap behaving like a smartwatch.

The company has positioned the Helio Strap around health, recovery and training rather than smartwatch features. The device works best as a passive tracker that collects health and training data in the background. Adding alerts would blur that distinction a little.

Regardless of the reason, OpenStrap has now removed the technical question from the equation. We know the Helio Strap can vibrate for phone alerts, and an independent developer has demonstrated that the hardware is capable of doing it.