Amazon announced that its AirPods competitor, Echo Buds, is getting a new update that brings fitness tracking features. Notably, it will help you keep track of your workouts.
FYI, Amazon was testing this fitness tracking feature for its Echo Buds earphones for about a year. The feature is now finally making its way to the Echo Buds.
According to a report by CNBC, Amazon will roll out the new Echo Buds fitness tracking feature over the next couple of days.
With the new update, Echo Buds now gets the ability to track walks, runs, and various other workouts. Users can start all these tracking features using Alexa voice commands.
It can measure the number of calories you have burned, act as a step counter, and also measure how fast or far you walk or run. Users can ask Alexa about the pace and other details using voice commands.
Echo Buds is not seen as a robust fitness tracking equipment. Still, the new fitness tracking feature for the device makes it a good option for those who do not have a smartwatch that can do all that tracking.
Echo Buds fitness tracking feature makes use of the accelerometer to measure steps
As per the source, the Echo Buds rely on accelerometers for tracking steps. This is used in tandem with the personal stats entered by the user in their workout profile within the Alexa app.
Apparently, Alexa makes use of personal data like height and weight, later uses this data in combination with the steps tracked by the accelerometer in the Echo Buds.
Then the Echo Buds will count the calories you have burned, the distance of your runs and walks. Your pace is estimated by duration and distance. Here duration is calculated using timestamps.
If you own the Amazon Echo Buds, then all you have to do is open the Alexa app on your phone. Tap ‘More’ at the bottom of the screen>Settings>Account Settings>Workouts. Here you have to select ‘Create Workout profile.’
You need to fill in all the required details, along with your personal stats, and save it. Once you are done with the aforementioned steps, you are all set for a workout.
After a workout, Echo Buds users can view the stats like the number of calories you have burned, act as a step counter, and also measure how fast or far you walked.
All you gotta do is open the Alexa app>Devices>Echo & Alexa>Echo Buds. From here tap ‘Workouts’ to view your stats.
Echo Buds users can start a workout by saying, “Alexa, start my run.” Similarly, you can ask Alexa to pause or stop a workout or even request an update on your walking pace.