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@ApplyingAutomation@lemmy.world

Private Smartwatch?

2026-03-13 15:02 UTC

I’m a privacy focused individual, I run GrapheneOS on my phone & self-host as much of my tech stacks to avoid sharing info with. I’m looking for recommendations of smartwatches that align with the ideals of this community. What watch do you use? What do you recommend?

Replies (15)

  • Look out for devices supported by Gadgetbridge, completely frees you from any intrusive manufacturer clouds!

    Open ##633389

  • @superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-03-13 15:48

    If you want a watch the lines up with FOSS ideals you’d want something like banglejs, pinetime or pebble. If you want the best experience while still being private, I would recomended Amazfit paired with gadgetbridge. Their watches are cheap, look nice and they get great battery life. Works perfectly with gadgetbridge.

    Open ##633518

  • @Auli@lemmy.ca 2026-03-13 21:41

    Any thing that works with gadgetbridge. My huwai watch worked perfect and had a week battery life.

    Open ##635500

  • @marud@piefed.marud.fr 2026-03-13 15:23

    I'm using a [Pinetime](https://pine64.org/devices/pinetime/) It's not the best smartwatch, but for the price it's awesome. Fully open source and open hardware, it does what it has to do and does not shares a single thing with some shitty 3rd party It connects with gadgetbridge

    Open ##1097877

  • @sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2026-03-13 19:18

    ![](https://piefed.cdn.blahaj.zone/posts/Jj/6S/Jj6SttPQiVAVItg.jpg)Seriously though, one of the major smartwatch manufacturers made a smartwatch in retro style like this but it didn't sell.

    Open ##1097878

  • @ki9@lemmy.gf4.pw 2026-03-14 00:11

    I have a [BangleJS](https://banglejs.com/) and it's pretty badass.

    Open ##1097879

  • @Delascas@feddit.uk 2026-03-14 17:54

    I have both a PineTime and BangleJS . . . but I am eagerly awaiting the release of the new Pebble watches. The round looks great . . . but does not include pulse. Whereas the square one look a bit more tech . . and does include a pulse monitor. https://repebble.com/

    Open ##1097880

  • @unmagical@lemmy.ml 2026-03-13 15:20

    I've not used one of these, but they look promising: https://asteroidos.org/watches/

    Open ##1097881

  • @utopiah@lemmy.ml 2026-03-14 13:24

    Linux on desktop, self-hosting and GrapheneOS too. I have a few smart watches, namely PineTime and Watchy by SQFMI but... honestly I don't wear them anymore simply because I try to be as minimalist as possible. In fact just yesterday afternoon I was wondering if I could do without GrapheneOS because I might actually NOT need a phone. So... what do you want out of watch? I can recommend both but honestly it depends on your need.

    Open ##1097882

  • @scotmartin@feddit.org 2026-03-13 18:55

    Thanks for bringing this up. I personally switched to a Casio ABL-100WE because it counts steps and found a smartwatch too distracting (and was annoyed to have to charge it all the time). I don't miss my Google watch at all but now I'm curious about Gadgetbridge

    Open ##1097883

  • @B0NK3RS@lazysoci.al 2026-03-13 18:49

    I don't have any recommendations buy will say that my watch is one thing that I've changed over the last 2 years to be "just" a watch. I used to have a Huawei and Samsung and use it for tracking everything but I decided to get a Citizen Eco-Drive and haven't looked back since. Can't get more private than that :D

    Open ##1097884

  • @shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 2026-03-13 18:06

    I don't have any watch recommendations because I don't use one, but you might take a look at Asteroid OS, which I believe is an open source watch system.

    Open ##1097885

  • Depends on what features you need. For some people the whole idea is that you can take and make calls on your watch, as well as messaging. Sometimes the health tracking stuff requires a proprietary app instead of Gadget Bridge. The most private watches are glorified notification machines. I got my wife a Garmin Venu and she uses their app. It's not perfect but they're fairly private as far as smart watches go. She needs all the bells and whistles so that's the best I was able to find that is high end.

    Open ##1097886

  • I’ve seen some pretty cool results with DIY smartwatches… but other than that I don’t know

    Open ##1097887

  • @manuel2258@lemy.lol 2026-03-13 21:37

    I have an Amazfit GTR 2 which works well for me. The trick that I found is, you can actually use their official app to get the most features, and then just deny internet access, so that they cannot spy on you. Otherwise, it also works well with Gadgetbridge, which is a really nice app. In general I can advice to get one that works well with gadgetbridge!

    Open ##1097888