Does the Aptofit actually need a phone nearby to work?

I think it still needs the phone for GPS tracking if you want maps or distance, but the step counting and basic stuff seems to work on its own. I’ve left my phone at home a few times and it still logged my steps fine when I got back. Not totally sure about the whole glucose thing though, seems like overkill for a walk 😅

I think you kind of have to bring your phone if you want the GPS maps and all that. The watch tracks steps and heart rate on its own okay, but for distance on a walk, mine doesn’t seem to save it unless the app was connected at some point. Not totally sure if that’s just my model though.

Honestly, I don’t think it has its own GPS. I just use it for step counting around the house and it logs that fine without the phone nearby.

From what I’ve seen, the Aptofit doesn’t have its own GPS. If you want distance or maps you’re tethered to the phone. Step counting works fine standalone though.

I think people are overcomplicating it a bit. I use mine without my phone all the time just for tracking steps and it does the job fine for me.

From what I gathered before buying, it doesn’t have its own GPS. You’ll need the phone if you want a route map or distance tracking. It’ll log steps and heart rate on its own fine though.

Kelly Sun's note about distance not saving unless the app connected at some point is worth taking seriously, since that's a bit different from just losing maps. My take: without GPS the watch can still estimate distance from your step count, but that's a rough number, not a route, and if it only syncs when the app connects you may not see it until you're back in range. So for Jake's walk-without-phone case, steps and heart rate are reliable, but I wouldn't count on accurate distance unless the phone comes along.