I've been seriously thinking about buying a smart scale, both for the extra data it can store and for autonomy, as I wouldn't need any sighted help to know the metrics.
But how accessible are them, both the device itself and it's respective app / other app I can use to track it's data? Xiaomi and Onron called my attention for their prices, but I have no idea how their apps actually perform with the smart scale.
By WellF, 27 February, 2021
Forum
Hardware and Accessories
Comments
I suppose you mean smart …
I suppose you mean smart bathroom scales. I have the Taotronic Body Scale and it has an accessible app. The app has not been updated for a while. Maximum weight is 180KG and I got it from Amazon for £27.
Thanks
I'll search for this one on online stores.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2
I use Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2. It requires Mi Fit app, which is accessible. The app syncs weight and BMI data to Apple Health. The scale has bright display with large digits. Measuring is about 15 seconds and there is no sound or notification when it's done. To view your current weight, you must open Mi Fit app.
Thank you!
the Xiaomi smart scales are the cheapest here, some others cost the double, even the triple of them in some cases. As MiFit seems to work well with voiceover and connect with Health, this seems like the perfect solution.
What about the other data? MiFit will only sync weight and BMI?
Re: Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2
With my model it syncs only weight and BMI.
Hi, Do you need sighted help…
Hi,
Do you need sighted help to set up any of these scales for the first time? I'd prefer not to have to have any sighted help setting whichever one I get up for privacy reasons,☺️
Also, are the scales mentioned in the above post rechargeable?
What I know
As far as I have read not for the xiaomi ones. It seems you can setup them without any sighted assistance.
For the Taotronic scale, it…
For the Taotronic scale, it does not need any sighted help, you need to step on the scale to enable pairing to the app. Also it provides lots of data, like BMI, fat and bone mass etc. Bear in mind that such data are not actual, rather the scale provides it based on several factors such as you age, current weight, hight, sex etc that you enter during the initial setup. So in actual world of fitness you do not rely on them as that are provided based on pre-saved data.
Qardio FTW
The Qardio's app is very accessible which makes their blood pressure and smart scale, the Qardio Base, very accessible. Even better is the Qardio Base has haptic features so you feel when it knows you are on it when its done taking your measurements. Setup is easy and just requires you to flip a switch in the micro USB charger flap to turn on, then its just a matter of opening the Qardio app and syncing it with your phone.
re: Qardio FTW
Hi,
I googled the Qardio scale, and with the haptic feedback, that sounds like what I want. I'm down the basement (that's where my room is), and the wi-fi is crappy, and very sporratic down here, so does this scale absolutely need wi-fi, or can it be used solely with bluetooth?
Thanks for all the help
I’m amazed at how much opinions I got on this subject. I’ll probably buy a Xiaomi scale, not because it is better than the others, but because it’s way cheaper than the other models you talked aboud and has almost the same features. I hope this thread stay informative to all who need a smart scale which they can use independently.
Still Accessible?
I haven't seen any new scale posts in a while. Anyone know if the Qardio and Withings apps are still accessible? Considering purchasing one. Thanks!
Meditive is another
This connects to the FitDays app and is accessible
Late to jump on this thread…
Late to jump on this thread but the Active Era smart scales work pretty well and have healthkit intagration. The app is a little buggy and sometimes needs screen recognition turned on, but it does body fat, muscle mass etc too which are useful metrics.
It also doesn't require any pairing, you just turn it on, open the app and it starts measuring.
Hope this helps.
I'm trying the Xiaomi Mi
I just placed an order and hope to try it out next week. Under $40 from Amazon in the US. I downloaded the Mi Fit app, which is now called Zepp Life. It does nothing without the scale, of course. But I've already experienced it reading the name of an image file for a button. I'll use a sighted friend and graphic-label anything that needs it. Enough for now. Full report after the scale arrives.
Xiaomi Mi results
I bought the Xiaomi Mi body composition scale 2. The Mi Fit app has been replaced, the new app is called Zepp Life.
Initially, I had problems getting the scale to pair with the app. I was using old batteries. Fresh batteries fixed the problem. The only indication of low batteries is visual. It's a flashing L on the scale display, and if someone sighted can tell you that, then you can consult the online manual.
I had hoped for an app that would simply display my weight when I stepped on the scale. No such luck. The app is cumbersome and cluttered. But, once I navigate past all the sleep data and heart rate data that it's not collecting because I don't have a smart watch, and past all the unlabeled buttons or buttons that VoiceOver announces by reading the name of their image file, I am able to eventually get VoiceOver to announce my weight.
Conclusion. The scale works. The app works. Do I wish it were better? Yes. If anyone has a better smart scale / app solution, please let me know.