Your Smartwatch May Not Track Your Heart Rate Right If You're A Person Of Color

Since smartwatches and fitness trackers made their debut, we have seen a lot of them on people’s wrists. According to Smartwatch Total Market Report, up to February 2019, Samsung, Apple, and Fitbit accounted for 88 percent of 2018’s smartwatch unit sales. However, a Wednesday findings report published by Stat pointed out that these devices may work less effectively for people of color or those that have tattoos.

In particular, there have been complaints from users on Reddit and the Fitbit forums that the smartwatches have troubles giving readings for users that have darker skin. The company gave its reply in the community forum, saying the Charge HR tracks your heart rate regarding all complexions and directing users to a support article.

Samsung, Fitbit watches, Garmin devices as well as other wearables rely on green lights to take readings, and using these green lights is cheaper than using infrared lights. As stated in Stat’s report, green light features a shorter wavelength and can be absorbed by melanin more easily. As a result, it’s harder to give precise readings to users with darker skin.

A spokesperson from Fitbit told Stat that the company boosted the current to address the problem with the use of green light. The spokesperson also said that Fibit values the accuracy and the company conduct continuous studies to test their products' accuracy.

Meanwhile, Apple told Stat that the company also makes use of green lights for continuous monitoring, but uses infrared light for taking readings after every five minutes. All the companies mentioned, including Garmin, Samsung, Fitbit, and Apple, did not respond immediately to comment requests.