Source
r/GoogleFit•
RottenRedRod

Heart point distribution makes absolutely no sense

I really, really wish this app just showed me daily calories burned instead of "heart points". The way they're distributed makes absolutely no sense at all. Today I did 40 minutes on the treadmill, and kept my phone in my pocket the whole time to engage the step tracking. It measured 3,425 steps, 1.43 mi distance, 545 energy expended, 42 move minutes... And awarded me ZERO heart points.

In fact the only heart points I got today were 3 points in the evening for... Well, for nothing except having my phone in my pocket while moving around. And even then, it recorded 2 similar "morning walks", but I didn't get any points for those.

I'm about ready to just switch to another app (MyFitnessPal maybe?) that more consistently tracks things and gives me SOME sort of overall measurement daily/weekly I can actually use. This app just seems broken.

Posted Aug 5, 2021, 5:09 AM UTC

513
arfbtwn•

Heart points work based on heart rate, you really need a heart rate monitor for them to be meaningful otherwise they're just estimates.

That said, if you'd started a walking activity instead of just having your phone in your pocket to count steps you'd have accrued some, but they'd still be estimated

5
RottenRedRodOP•

If it's based on heart rate, shouldn't I always get zero points since I have no heart rate tracker? Yet I do sometimes. I don't get it.

2
ese003•

Without heart rate, Google Fit has to guess based on weight, speed, activity type, and time. Actually, I'm not sure if Google Fit actually uses activity type. It does, however, provide a slider for you to input the effort level.

Garmin does more or less the same thing. If you do not have heart rate, it guesses for calories and training effect (similar to heart points). If you change the activity in the absence of heart rate data, calories and training effect can change dramatically.

1
RottenRedRodOP•

Without heart rate, Google Fit has to guess based on weight, speed, activity type, and time.

I understand that, but it's incredibly inconsistent. I used to be getting about one heart point per minute when I used tracking, now sometimes I'll just get zero for seemingly no reason.

Edit: Actually, I'm starting to see what it is. The "treadmill run" tracking option is just straight up broken. I'm going to have to use another similar open like stationary bike that actually gives me heart points.

It does, however, provide a slider for you to input the effort level.

The slider only appears if I manually add the activity (i.e., no tracking, just specifying the time, steps, etc. myself). This is what I've had to do, which is annoying, because it basically makes the timed tracking worthless.

3
ese003•

The slider shows for any activity tracked by Google Fit, not just for manual entries. It does not show for synced activities.

Heart points have always been wildly inconsistent but it has gotten worse in the last couple of weeks on top of activities just failing to track at all.

Google Fit seems to be an eternal hobby project. New behaviors and bugs are introduced often and without notice. The only reason I use it at all is because of auto-tracking. But that has been broken recently. It has always been buggy. But not BROKEN.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
DomainDaemon•

hmm did you initiate track workout while in the treadmill?

2
RottenRedRodOP•

That's exactly what I did, yeah.

1
Motorboat_Jones•

If you'd rather disregard the heart points, do that -- just ignore them. That's why I do. I only care about the number of steps accrued.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
ese003•

Calorie estimates are wildly inaccurate and nearly worthless in every app. Heart points are only wildly inaccurate and nearly worthless in Google Fit.

1
arkaydee•

Heart points is awarded as such, when you don't have a pulse monitor:

  • 1 point for every minute with more than 100 steps/minute
  • 2 points for every minute with more than 130 steps per minute.

I'm always frustrated when a 30 minute paced walk at 135 steps/minute gives me 60 heart points, while a 30 minute jog gives me way less. 🤣

1
RottenRedRodOP•

Except when it doesn't and I get no heart points for no reason.

Anyway, I fixed the problem by using the stair climber machine setting for tracking instead of the treadmill running one.

1
soulfulgrey•

I have a HR monitor which feeds into Google Fit. But I'm also trying to figure out why some days I can do a 25 min HIIT session, average 125bpm, peaking at around 150bpm, have a high calorie expenditure, get sweaty and wasted, and have zero heart points.

Interestingly, I found when I hadn't looked my device and entered events manually, with no HR added, and no calorie info added, it always have me an estimated hear points based on activity time.

I'm really trying to figure this out. Heart points is good in principal, but the execution... Is it user error or app error?

1