Life

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Apple Maps Might Be Getting Ads Soon

There was once a time where first-party apps and experiences on Apple devices were exempt from advertisements. Other app marketplaces might happily show you ads, but not the App Store. Most news sites place ads in between every other paragraph, but Apple News was an ad-free experience. Say what you wanted about Apple and its products, but you certainly dealt with far fewer ads than on other platforms. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.

Apple has slowly made ads a part of its business model in order to boost revenue. You might have noticed them already while scrolling through stories in News, or when looking for a new game on the App Store. Even the Wallet app has blasted users with notifications when Apple TV has a new movie out. It’s an odd dichotomy: At a time when Apple’s MacBooks have never been an better overall value, the company’s software is beginning to feel less user-first than ever.

Those ads are only expanding, too. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple might be bringing more ads to its platforms “as early as next year.” If so, it seems the company will start with Apple Maps. Gurman says Apple will let restaurants and businesses pay a premium to float their results to the top of search. If you’ve searched for an app in Apple’s App Store lately, you should be familiar with this experience: When I open the search tab, for example, I see Instagram at the top of the page, with an “Ad” label beneath it, on top of two other non-advertised apps. Then, when I search for an app like Reddit, it appears second, beneath an ad placement for DuckDuckGo.

Gurman says Apple’s plan here is to make the experience better than other navigation apps that offer similar ads (I immediately think of Waze, which will show ads for restaurants and businesses whenever you stop the car) and will use AI to deliver more relevant ads to the user—though Apple’s AI tech leaves something to be desired.

I’m not sure this move will do much to push Apple Maps users towards other options. If the ads experience in Apple Maps really is on a similar level to the App Store, I imagine most users won’t pay much attention to it. They’ll either ignore any results that appear with that “Ad” label, or they’ll tap on the results that seem more relevant to their search. Plus, the most obvious alternatives have ads as well, so it’s not like someone sick of seeing ads in Apple Maps would necessarily find Google Maps or Waze more appealing.

Still, the principle of Apple adding more ads onto an inherently expensive experience leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I personally prefer other navigation apps to Apple Maps, but Apple’s app has seemed like a solid choice in recent years, especially in terms of privacy. Adding ads to the mix changes that, and not only cheapens the experience, but makes me question what Apple plans on doing with my navigation and location data here. I would hope the company that makes one of the only somewhat private streaming boxes on the market would find a way to keep Maps private while serving ads, but only time will tell.

How I Used Smart Glasses to Trick a Bartender Into Giving Me a Free Drink

I recently reviewed Even Realities G1 smart glasses (they’re very cool) and the first real-world thing I used them for was scamming someone. I told a local bartender I had an encyclopedic knowledge of film, and I would answer the hardest movie trivia question he could come up with in exchange for a drink. After a short consultation with Google, dude came back with “Who directed 1922’s Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?”

I tilted my head thoughtfully and repeated the question as if verifying I heard him right. The AI agent silently did its thing, and in about three seconds, the answer was floating before my eyes, totally invisible to everyone around me.

Even Reality G1 glasses

Credit: Stephen Johnson

“Robert Wiene?” I asked, feigning uncertainty. Boom! Free drink. It’s not the hardest trivia question, but I could have answered literally anything: the date Dr. Caligari was released, the day of the week it was, or the weather that day—all short work.

Bartenders know to be wary of bar bets, so this one was watching me like a hawk to make sure I wasn’t looking up the answer on my phone or something. He didn’t seem to suspect my glasses, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have mattered. Even inspected up close, G1s offer no indication of electronics of any kind: No USB port, no flashing light, no visible controls.

The AI agent is activated with a subtle tap behind the ear. Repeating the question sends the AI off for the answer, presented in a display that’s invisible to everyone but the wearer. You could do the same trick with a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses or audio-only smart glasses with AI.

I don’t like deceiving people, so I ended up telling the bartender what was up to and not accepting the drink, but it got me thinking about what more nefarious people than I could do (and probably already are) with AI smart glasses.

Just imagine what I did on a bigger level: a team of hustlers at bar trivia silently tapping their temples whenever “which actor played…?” was asked would never lose. It’s pretty small stakes, but not hard to imagine. Hypothetically, a hacked pair of smart glasses could be programmed to read the cards in your poker hand and give you the probability of winning in real time, either through the display or whispered in your ear. They could, hypothetically, make counting cards in blackjack effortless and undetectable. Stretching it out further, hypothetically, glasses could scan others players for “tells” that they’re bluffing, or read micro-expressions to give a constantly updated read on opponents.

Along the same lines, imagine attending a self-help meeting, and the leader, who you have never met, says, “I’ve had a vision about you” and begins to describe something that happened in your life exactly. All it would take would be glasses that recognize your face (supposedly coming to Meta Displays) connecting to a social media feed, which is then displayed in real time to the leader. Or you could go more subtle and engineer small “serendipities” like mentioning a movie someone recently saw and having exactly their opinion. It would only take a few of these and maybe some mystical patter to convince people you are divine being they should definitely donate to.

How to spot tricky smart glasses

I could go on, but you get the idea. Luckily, there are some indications when someone is using tech hidden in their eyeglasses. The most important is a general understanding of the possibilities of this technology. If someone seems to know something they shouldn’t, ask yourself if their glasses could be the source of their power. Here are some more specific giveaways.

Look for identifiable kinds of smart glasses

Meta Ray Ban Display

Credit: Meta

The most popular display style glasses, Meta Ray-Ban Displays, are distinctive looking, with a fairly obvious camera in one of the corners and a specific look and branding. But other kinds of smart glasses, like the Even Realities G1s mentioned above, are obscure enough that most won’t recognize them, and so “normal” looking that most people wouldn’t pick them out of lineup.

Look for where the tech is hidden

Most smart glasses are still fairly bulky, so look for thick arms or frames where the wires are hidden. But again, that’s only most smart glasses; some are totally sleek, with imperceptible tech.

Look for a small glint

In most situations, the display in display glasses is not visible to anyone but the glasses wearer, but there’s still light being projected. In a dark room, you can see a green glow, and even if it’s not dark, the display windows are visible if the light hits it just right, as you can see here:

Even Reality G1

Credit: Stephen Johnson

But honestly, it’s subtle and hard to spot.

Listen for the sounds

Older styles of audio-only smart glasses can feed information to wearers, but the open-air speakers mean some sound is bleeding into the atmosphere. You can definitely hear smart glasses if you’re in a quiet room and you’re trying to. If it’s loud, operating glasses becomes problematic for the wearer.

Look for the source of control

Smart glasses have to be controlled somehow. Meta Display glasses are operated with a wrist band. G1 glasses’ AI agent is powered on by tapping on the frames behind your ear. Anyone who practices for a few hours could make these movements seem natural, but they’re there if you know what to look for.

Odd movements and speech

It doesn’t take advanced stagecraft to operate these kinds of glasses imperceptibly, but it does take something. Tells might include small glances upward to see the display, tapping on glasses, stilted speech while waiting for information to come in, and a reading-a-teleprompter style of talking. Watch for people repeating questions back. But understand, it’s hard to spot. When I was conning my bartender, I thought how I repeated the question back was obvious, but my wife said I just seemed a little odd, which suits the personality of a trivia whizz anyway.

Smart glasses are powerful tools, like a hammer or a calculator. Like any innocent tool, they can be used for nefarious things, so until manufacturers or regulators require obvious indicators, like flashing lights or visible controls, we have to protect ourselves by paying attention to these small cues and staying skeptical when someone seems to know more than they reasonably should.

Google Pixels Are Still Having Problems Calling 911

For the past few years, Google’s Pixel phones have had recurring problems with calling 911, and the issue has once again reared its ugly head. Over the past 24 hours, multiple users on Reddit have complained about being unable to call 911, while the Bell carrier in Canada issued a warning that the Pixel 6 and up was also having problems contacting emergency services on its network.

According to user Fabulous_Disaster730, who posted yesterday about difficulties contacting emergency services during a gas leak, her Pixel 9 Pro repeatedly prompted her to turn on wifi calling or turn off airplane mode before she could call 911, despite her having full signal on both 5G and wifi. The phone would then freeze and restart. After multiple attempts, she resorted to asking a friend to place the call for her instead.

Multiple replies mentioned facing similar problems yesterday as well, across multiple networks and models of Pixel. Bell, however, was the only carrier to issue an official notice.

Aside from the obvious danger, the problem with this bug is that it’s not consistent. Despite seemingly having had a surge yesterday, it’s been a known issue as far back as 2021. However, it doesn’t affect all users, nor is it entirely predictable when or how it will pop up. While recent reports are of calls simply not going through, one user posted two months ago that their call did go through, but they only heard screeching and static on the other end of the line. These recent reports are only the latest in an ever-evolving concern.

It’s also not clear what’s causing the problem. In 2021, the problem was attributed to Microsoft Teams, but even with that error patched up, users are still facing problems. To Google’s credit, Bell said it reached out to the company shortly after it learned about yesterday’s uptick in cases, and afterwards said that a fix had been issued. However, no other carriers have issued similar notices, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see other users making their own complaints in the future.

It’s worth noting that Bell mentioned that Pixel 6 users and up were the ones affected this time around, and that the Pixel 6 also happened to release in 2021, which is when the bug first started making news. Whatever is at the core of the problem here, I wouldn’t be surprised if it worked its way in on the Pixel 6 and just hasn’t yet been addressed.

However, given the severity of the issue, it’s something that needs looking at sooner rather than later. I’ve reached out to Google for comment on this issue, and will update if I hear back. In the meantime, it’s best to be prepared in case the worst happens. If you’re on a Pixel phone, here’s what you can do to contact 911 in an emergency:

First, try to place a 911 call

If you have time and the danger is not immediate, it’s worth trying to call 911 on your Pixel despite the issues. While users reporting problems have increased as of late, it’s still not an everyone or every time problem. It’s possible your call will still go through without issue.

You can also text 911

If, however, you are unable to call 911, it’s worth remembering that in certain jurisdictions (check this regularly updated list to see if where you live is supported), you can also contact 911 via text. This is a slower method of reaching out for help, but is still better than nothing. To text 911, open your texting app, put in 911 as the recipient, and write a concise message with your issue, your location, and any necessary specifics, like cross streets, landmarks, a specific hiding location, or whether you’re able to talk.

Use a backup phone

While I don’t expect someone who isn’t constantly reviewing tech to have multiple phones on hand, the surest method to ensure you’ll be able to call 911 if you’re on a Pixel is to keep a backup phone that isn’t a Pixel handy. This could be a landline or another cell phone. Crucially, it can be an old cell phone, even one that isn’t actively attached to a phone plan. So long as your phone is able to connect to a network, it’s legally required to be able to call 911, so if you have an old phone you’ve upgraded from and haven’t traded in laying around, it may be smart to keep it charged up in case you need it in an emergency.

ChatGPT’s AI Browser Has a Nasty Security Vulnerability

This week, OpenAI released ChatGPT Atlas, the company’s first AI web browser. Atlas lets you surf the web like any other browser, but, as you might expect, comes with ChatGPT integration. You can log into your account and tap into the assistant via the sidebar menu, which will remember not only past conversations, but your browsing history as well. Like other AI browsers—namely Perplexity Comet—the browser has an “agent mode,” which can take actions on your behalf. You can ask it to order you food through DoorDash or buy you plane tickets on Kayak instead of doing those things yourself.

While that might sound useful to ChatGPT fans, I had trouble recommending the browser to people, considering the security vulnerabilities AI browsers are currently facing. Any browser that has agentic features is vulnerable to prompt injection attacks: Bad actors can lace websites with hidden malicious prompts that the AI accepts as if they were written by the user. It might therefore take actions on behalf of the hacker, like opening a financial site or rooting through your email. Seems like a large risk just to outsource some basic internet tasks to an AI bot.

But prompt injections aren’t the only vulnerability Atlas currently faces. According to a new discovery, the browser may put the user’s clipboard at risk as well.

How Atlas’s clipboard injection vulnerability works

Android Authority spotted a post on X by the ethical hacker known as Pliny the Liberator. According to Pliny, ChatGPT Atlas is vulnerable to clipboard injection, a type of attack that allows a bad actor to access your computer’s clipboard. The idea is this: A bad actor can add a “copy to clipboard” feature to a button on their website. When you click the button, a malicious script runs in the background, which allows the bad actor to access your clipboard and add whatever they want to it. Maybe it’s a URL to a website designed to install malware on your devices; maybe it’s a URL to a site impersonating a financial site. Whatever the case, you don’t know your clipboard has been hacked, so you might open a new tab and paste what you think was the last thing you copied, falling into the trap.

The particular risk with ChatGPT Atlas is its agentic features: When in agent mode, Atlas might click a malicious button like this on its own, without you even knowing it. One moment, you’ve asked Atlas to order you lunch; the next moment, the browser accidentally set you up to be hacked.

Pliny says that OpenAI has evidently trained Atlas to recognize prompt injections, but the core “copy clipboard” function is hidden away from the AI’s sights. It’s a clever trick: The bot can hover over the button without knowing anything is wrong with it, so it “clicks” it without triggering any red flags.

For anyone that copies and pastes items frequently throughout the day, this could be quite dangerous. You might copy something in one app, then ask ChatGPT Atlas to do something on your behalf. But without knowing it, the browser clicks a malicious link that adds something to your clipboard. You then paste in your browser window, thinking you still have the original item copied, but you’re taken instead to a website that claims your banking session has expired, and you need to log in. If you’re multitasking quickly, you might “sign in” without thinking, handing over your bank credentials and 2FA codes without realizing it.

These are hypotheticals. At this time, there haven’t been documented cases of this type of malicious activity affecting ChatGPT Atlas. At the same time, ChatGPT Atlas is two days old. To me, the risk here doesn’t seem worth the execution—especially since I have no issue using the internet on my own.

What the Science Says About Red Light Therapy for Athletic Recovery (so Far)

Red light therapy devices are everywhere—from lamps, to full-body mats, to those glowing face masks flooding my social media feed. I usually see red light therapy advertised for “younger-looking skin,” but I’m not interested in these devices as a means to slow down aging—I’m interested in them as a recovery-obsessed athlete with very sore muscles.

These gadgets promise to boost athletic performance, speed muscle recovery, and reduce inflammation, all by bathing your body in specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light. But do these trendy tools live up to the hype, especially for muscle recovery?

What red light therapy advocates claim

Red light therapy devices typically emit light in the red (620-670 nanometers) and near-infrared (800-850 nanometers) spectrum. Manufacturers claim these wavelengths penetrate the skin to stimulate cellular activity, specifically targeting the mitochondria (the energy-producing powerhouses inside our cells). The purported benefits include enhanced muscle recovery, reduced inflammation, improved circulation, decreased muscle soreness, and even performance gains.

It all sounds scientific enough: the light supposedly helps mitochondria produce more ATP (cellular energy) and triggers the release of beneficial compounds like nitric oxide, which improves blood flow and activates repair processes throughout the body. But let’s dig into what these gadgets can actually do.

What the science actually says

Surprise, surprise: The science is more nuanced than marketing materials suggest. According to Dr. Wesley Buckle, a licensed naturopathic doctor, “the data on red light therapy is not definitive. Some studies show that it can help with delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle recovery. However, the evidence is mixed. Most of the studies that have found a positive benefit are small, short-term ones.”

While the research shows potential, there’s a significant gap between what manufacturers claim and what the evidence actually supports, Buckle says he’s seen “claims of enhanced performance, improved circulation, and muscle recovery” that are ultimately overblown. “The evidence supports mild improvements in muscle fatigue. It doesn’t support dramatic claims of large gains and strength or performance boosts.”

This is a crucial distinction. If you’re expecting red light therapy to transform your performance or replace proper training, you’ll be disappointed. The benefits appear to be modest and supportive rather than revolutionary.

Another critical factor is device quality. McCall McPherson, a physician associate and founder at Modern Thyroid Clinic and Modern Weight Loss, says that “not all devices are created equal. The effectiveness depends heavily on the wavelengths used, power output, and build quality of the device.” It’s important to distinguish between medical-grade panels built with specific, researched wavelengths and all the cheaper consumer devices that may not deliver the necessary light intensity or correct wavelengths to produce biological effects.

There’s certainly promising research, but this research is based on specific wavelengths (typically 620-670 nm for red light and 800-850 nm for near-infrared) and specific energy doses. Many budget-friendly devices don’t meet these parameters, which means they’re unlikely to produce the results seen in clinical studies.

Should you consider red light therapy?

For the average athlete, red light therapy could be a useful addition to a recovery routine—but with important caveats. Buckle advises prioritizing the fundamentals: “Sleep, nutrition, and proper training are all extremely important. Without these things, red light therapy won’t help. It can’t replace these practices…Red light therapy could be a good supportive recovery tool for most people. However, it’s best to focus on the basics first, such as proper training.”

McPherson is more enthusiastic, saying, “I really do think red light therapy can be a great recovery tool for casual athletes when used correctly.” She notes that for best results, athletes should look for quality medical-grade devices and use them consistently right before or after workouts on the specific muscles trained. “It’s not magic,” says McPherson, “but it’s one of the most well-researched, noninvasive tools we have for reducing soreness and speeding up recovery between workouts.”

The bottom line

Red light therapy for muscle recovery isn’t pure snake oil; there’s legitimate science supporting its use as a supportive recovery tool. However, the benefits appear to be modest improvements in muscle soreness and recovery rather than dramatic performance enhancements. The evidence is still evolving, with many studies being small and short-term.

If you’re considering adding red light therapy to your recovery arsenal, remember these key points: First, nail the basics. No amount of red light will compensate for poor sleep, inadequate nutrition, or improper training. Second, invest in quality. If you decide to try red light therapy, choose a medical-grade device with the correct wavelengths and power output rather than the cheapest option on Amazon. Third, be consistent. The research shows benefits with regular use, not occasional experimentation.

Finally, manage your expectations. Think of red light therapy as a potentially helpful tool for reducing soreness and supporting recovery—not a miracle device that will dramatically transform your athletic performance.

YouTube Has a New Look on Mobile

Last week, YouTube started rolling out a new look across both the web and its various apps, promising a “more expressive and intuitive interface.” In reality, the reaction has been mixed. The TV app, for instance, no longer automatically rewinds or fast forwards when you press back or forward, instead navigating between buttons including “like” or “subscribe.” More than once while on TV, I’ve accidentally subscribed to a channel without meaning to, before realizing that I now need to press up first to get to the progress bar.

Now, the changes have reached the YouTube mobile app, as first spotted by 9to5Google. While they’re a bit more mild than you’ll see on TV, there’s still a few changes to get used to.

Bigger, chunkier icons

New icons in YouTube mobile app

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

By far, the most noticeable new change is YouTube’s new suite of icons, which all look like they’ve been hit with a “Ctrl + B.” Compared to the old look, the play, fast forward, and other buttons all look larger and bolder, with the idea being to make them more prominent.

Some of the buttons have also been consolidated. When watching a video in landscape, buttons that don’t affect playback (like, dislike, comment, etc.) all now appear together in a pill in the bottom-left corner, rather than as separate elements.

New animations

New buttons aren’t the only change YouTube has in store for you. Seeking videos also has a new animation now, and on some videos, liking now comes with a bit of extra personality.

New seek animation on YouTube

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

The first is a pretty minor change. Now, when you double tap the screen to either go forward or back 10 seconds, the video will just automatically jump to the new spot and display a big “-10” or “+10,” rather than showing a quick animation of three arrows disappearing into each other with a smaller “-10 seconds” or “+10 seconds” below them.

New like interaction on YouTube

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

The second is a bit cuter. On certain videos, tapping the “like” button will now play a custom animation, rather than simply putting some sparkles around a thumbs up. For instance, on a music video, you’ll now briefly see a musical note replacing the thumbs up.

Pausing no longer darkens your background

It used to be that pausing a video would darken the background until you unpaused it, kind of like lights being lowered on a stage. That’s no longer the case. While you’ll still see the lights go slightly down while you have controls open, a paused video will now display as normal if you tap again to dismiss the controls. It’s a small tweak, but could prove useful for taking screenshots. At the same time, though, I do worry that it might make it easy to think a video has frozen, if you’re not paying attention.

Nested comments and easier bookmarks

Finally, Google has removed a few steps to saving and commenting on videos.

Now, hitting the bookmark icon to save a video to a playlist has fewer steps, no longer requiring you to navigate multiple pages. Instead, it’ll just pause the video and open a list of your playlists for you, where you can quickly tap the playlist you want to save your video to.

YouTube nested comments

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Additionally, comments are threaded now, easily showing who is replying to which comment. It’s a great way to keep track of the flow of the conversation, although it does make each comment take up a bit of extra space.

Can you get rid of the new YouTube UI?

Ultimately, I’m a little torn on the new YouTube app. Certain new features, like threaded comments, just make sense to me. But the chunkier buttons do feel like they get in the way a bit to me, and I can’t help but think of Fisher-Price when I see them.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do if you don’t like the new YouTube mobile interface. It’s still rolling out, so it’s possible you might not see every change yet. But because it’s server-side, once it hits you, that’s it. Even the web player is getting these changes, so leaving the app behind isn’t a viable option.

That said, if you’re on desktop, users on both Reddit and YouTube itself are putting together extension lists that you can mix and match to customize your experience. Technically, there are browsers for mobile that will allow you to play with these as well, with Firefox being the big one these days. However, I found that most of the suggested extensions no longer worked for me or weren’t available for mobile.

In that case, if you’re sick of how YouTube looks now, you might want to consider an alternate player app instead, like Play. It still relies on embedded videos, so it won’t save you from every change, but its overall minimalist style could offer welcome relief from YouTube’s increasingly busy design language.

The Massive 75-inch ‘The Frame’ TV Is $1,100 Off Right Now

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I’ve been seeing a lot more interior design content on my feed lately, likely because I moved to a new home this year. Most of the content advising on living rooms talks about the furniture revolving around the TV. If you’re looking to wow your next guests, a TV that doubles are art will look much better than a big black rectangle. The 75-inch Samsung The Frame is the original canvas TV, and it’s $1,100 off right now, currently $1,797.99 (originally $2,997.99). This is matching the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools

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Samsung’s The Frame smart TVs have come a long way since their 2017 release. Launched to appeal to the crowd that wants a big TV but doesn’t want that TV to dominate their decor, one of the newer features, released last year, introduced an anti-reflection matte display that took the “framed artwork” aspect to new levels—and with 4K picture quality. As the name implies, the allure of this TV is that it can double as a digital art frame, with its anti-glare matte display and customizable frame.

I first saw the 2022 version up close when it was released, admittedly having been fooled by my brother into thinking it was an actual painting (it really does look like one). The matte screen does a good job of making the TV seem like a painting, and it’s great for bright rooms that might otherwise get a lot of glare from the screen. This version had an “average” review from PCMag due mainly to poor contrast and price. However, the new 2024 version is the latest generation of this series and has notable improvements.

You’ll get an improved refresh rate of 120Hz, the same QLED display, and 4K resolution with a Quantum 4K processor. You can buy frames separately to your taste, and even design them with a Harry Potter theme, like this guy did on TikTok.

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Why a Chest Strap Is the Best Way to Track Your Heart Rate During Exercise

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Pretty much every fitness tracker and smartwatch has an optical heart rate sensor, but they’re not always perfectly accurate. Not only can you get better accuracy by wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor, you can even use a chest strap without a fitness watch—just connect it to your phone. Chest straps don’t break the bank, either; my favorite is around 30 bucks.

CooSpo H808S Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor

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Why chest straps are more accurate than watches

Chest straps come in two varieties: electrical and optical. When I say a chest strap is more accurate than a watch, I’m talking about the electrical kind. These use electrodes that contact your skin, and sometimes you may need to wait until you’ve worked up a bit of a sweat before they get a good connection (although I haven’t found that to be an issue in my workouts).

That makes them far more accurate than optical sensors, which are the type you’ll see on the back of a smartwatch. Optical sensors are also on armbands like the Polar Verity Sense, and on some chest straps. Most chest straps are the electrical type, including the Polar H10, the Wahoo TRACKR, and the Coospo I mentioned above. You can tell an electrical sensor because it has metal connectors or contact points instead of a green light.

The optical sensors in watches use a green light, and they pick up your heart rate by detecting the light that bounces off your blood vessels as the blood pulses through. Relying on light means that they don’t always work as well through tattoos and may struggle with accuracy on darker skin tones. They can also be confused by outside light, which is why they aren’t as accurate if your watch is worn loosely or is too large to get a good fit. Runners sometimes experience “cadence lock,” where the cadence of their footsteps (170 steps per minute, let’s say) causes the watch to think your heart is beating at exactly that rhythm. If your app reports a heart rate that is the same as your cadence, there’s a good chance it wasn’t measuring your heart rate at all.

You can sidestep all of those issues by wearing a chest strap. As I’ve found in my device reviews, even the most accurate watches won’t always record your heart rate perfectly 100% of the time. If you care a lot about your heart rate in training, just get the chest strap.

Why the Coospo is my favorite

I’ve been wearing a cheap Coospo heart rate monitor for years. I didn’t borrow it for a review, I just bought one because I wanted a cheap and easy way to track my heart rate without a watch. (I was doing a lot of kettlebell workouts, and the kettlebell rests gently on your wrist during overhead exercises, where a watch would be in the way.

I’ve kept using it since then. It’s been happily paired with an iPhone, a Peloton, an Apple Watch, a series of Garmins, and probably a bunch of others I’ve forgotten about. When I write the “accuracy” section in my fitness watch comparisons and reviews, I use the Coospo (either paired to my phone or to a third watch) to get a gold-standard heart rate graph to see how the tested devices stack up.

The Coospo heart rate monitor I have is a slightly older version of the one linked above (since I’ve had it so long). It uses Bluetooth and also supports ANT+, and it gets its power from a coin cell battery that I have to change out roughly once a year. It doesn’t have any on-device storage space, which I don’t need, because it beams the data directly to the connected watch or phone. It’s comfortable and easy to adjust. The device pops off so I can wash the strap. And even though there are more expensive straps out there (like the $100 Polar H10, which I’ve heard is great), I cannot think of a single chest strap feature I could possibly care about that I don’t already have.

How to use a chest strap without a watch

On my iPhone, I found the simplest way was to download the Polar Beat app (free on iOS and Android), which pairs with my strap over Bluetooth. If you’re going for a run or a bike ride while carrying your phone, it can also use your phone’s GPS to track your pace and record where you went on a map.

I tend to use mine for indoor cycling, though, and for kettlebell workouts (which I log as “other indoor”). Using a strap without a watch is especially handy with kettlebells, since the bell otherwise knocks into the watch in certain positions. But if you have a fitness watch and you like using it, most models will allow you to pair the watch with a chest strap directly. That way you can get the most accurate readings, and be able to check the numbers from your wrist.