More than 100 million smartwatches were shipped worldwide in 2022, yet misunderstandings about what they can and can’t do still shape buyer decisions.
Myths can affect important choices: people make health decisions based on sensor readouts, accept privacy trade-offs without checking settings, or overspend on features they won’t use. That mix of health, privacy and budget consequences is why clear information matters.
This article debunks 10 common myths about smartwatches so you can separate marketing noise from practical reality and choose—and use—your wearable with confidence.
A quick historical aside: modern wearables hit the mainstream with the Pebble kickstarter in 2012 and the first Apple Watch launch in 2015, which helped shape expectations still common today.
Below we walk through 10 specific myths grouped into three practical categories: health & fitness, privacy & security, and battery, durability & functionality.
Health & Fitness Myths
Many myths center on health claims and sensor accuracy. Consumer wearables are different from regulated medical devices: some features have legitimate clinical clearance, while most tracking is for general wellness. For example, the Apple Watch gained FDA clearance for its ECG feature in 2018. Below are four common misunderstandings and what the evidence and real-world use suggest.
1. Myth: Smartwatches are medical devices
Most smartwatches are consumer electronics, not clinical instruments. Some specific features can be FDA-cleared—Apple Watch’s ECG received clearance in 2018—but general activity, sleep, and heart-rate monitoring are treated as wellness tools rather than diagnostic devices.
An ECG alert might prompt you to seek a clinician’s evaluation if it flags a possible atrial fibrillation event, but a step count or sleep stage estimate is motivational and screening-level only. Hospitals still rely on clinical ECG machines and polysomnography for diagnosis, not wrist-worn PPG sensors.
If a wearable flags a concerning pattern—regular irregular pulses, fainting, or extreme daytime sleepiness—book a medical visit rather than self-diagnosing from the watch alone.
2. Myth: Heart-rate monitors are always accurate
Wrist-based optical heart-rate sensors can be quite accurate during steady-state activities like walking or easy jogging, but their accuracy drops during intense, irregular, or high-motion exercise.
Chest-strap monitors (Polar, Wahoo) use electrical signals and generally outperform wrist PPG devices for interval training and sprints. Research comparing wrist-worn sensors (Apple, Fitbit, Garmin) to chest straps shows good correlation at rest and steady effort, with larger errors during rapid pace changes and activities with lots of wrist motion.
For training zones, serious athletes often prefer chest straps or validated cycling power meters. For everyday fitness, wrist monitors give useful trends for heart-rate zones and recovery, but avoid relying on a wrist sensor alone for clinical arrhythmia assessment.
3. Myth: Step counts are a complete measure of fitness
Step counts are a straightforward motivator, but they capture only one dimension of activity. Intensity, resistance training and prolonged sedentary time matter just as much for health.
Public-health guidelines recommend about 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week; that metric focuses on minutes and intensity rather than steps alone. A person hitting 10,000 low-intensity steps may still miss recommended moderate-to-vigorous activity or strength training.
Combine step goals with heart-rate zones and dedicated workout logs. Runners track pace and cadence, gym-goers track sets and weights, and office workers use step reminders to reduce sitting time for a fuller picture.
4. Myth: Sleep tracking replaces a sleep study
Consumer sleep tracking estimates sleep and wake times and suggests light versus deep phases using movement and heart-rate proxies, but it cannot replace polysomnography, the clinical gold standard for diagnosing sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
Devices such as Fitbit and Apple Watch provide sleep scores and stage estimates that are useful for spotting trends—later bedtimes, more awakenings—but they don’t measure breathing effort, oxygen desaturation, or brain waves the way a sleep lab does.
Use tracker trends to improve routines, and consult a sleep clinic if you experience excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring with gasps, or consistently poor scores despite lifestyle changes.
Privacy & Security Myths
Privacy and security concerns are real but nuanced. Data practices vary by vendor, and past incidents have highlighted risks. Here we address three myths about surveillance, anonymity, and hacking, and suggest practical actions you can take to protect your information.
5. Myth: Smartwatches constantly spy on you
Smartwatches do collect sensors and usage data, but “constant spying” overstates the typical setup. Most devices capture data locally and only upload when you sync or enable cloud features.
Vendors document data flows in privacy policies and many offer encryption for health data—Apple, for example, encrypts Health data in backups. You can disable cloud sync or limit permissions for location, microphone, and health sharing within companion apps.
If you don’t want location or activity uploaded, turn off background syncing and avoid optional cloud backups. That limits many secondary uses while keeping core features available on the device itself.
6. Myth: Data is automatically anonymous and safe
Anonymization is useful but not foolproof; aggregated datasets can be re-identified under certain circumstances. The 2018 Strava heatmap incident showed how public activity maps exposed sensitive locations, including military bases.
Companies often describe data as “de-identified” in policy text, but patterns of movement and timing can reveal individuals or places. That matters for people in sensitive roles and for anyone who posts public activities.
Use private modes, avoid making activities public, and review app privacy settings if you are concerned about revealing home locations, commute routes, or workplace patterns.
7. Myth: Smartwatches are easily hacked and therefore unusable
Vulnerabilities have been found in many connected devices, but manufacturers release security patches and most attacks target outdated software or poorly secured companion phones. With basic hygiene, the average user remains reasonably safe.
Follow vendor advisories, apply firmware and app updates promptly, enable a strong lock on your phone, and avoid pairing with untrusted devices. Don’t sideload apps or use unofficial companion software that bypasses protections.
Enable two-factor authentication on your account and review paired-device lists periodically. Those steps reduce risk far more than abandoning wearables altogether.
Battery, Durability & Functionality Myths
Expectations often cluster around battery life, ruggedness, and cross-device compatibility. Different watch classes prioritize different trade-offs: rich features and an always-on display shorten runtime, while basic trackers lean toward multi-day battery life. Below are three common assumptions to rethink.
8. Myth: All smartwatches need daily charging
Battery life varies widely by model and usage. Apple has marketed the Watch around an 18-hour typical day, while many Fitbit models and some Garmin devices promise multiple days or even weeks on a charge.
If you use GPS, continuous heart-rate sampling, and an always-on display, expect much shorter battery life. Conversely, if your priority is long runtime for multi-day trips, choose a device marketed for extended battery life and disable power-hungry features.
Match battery expectations to your use-case: daily chargers suit heavy smartphone users who want tight integration, while multi-day trackers fit travelers and minimalists.
9. Myth: Smartwatches are fragile and not truly water-resistant
Durability varies, but many modern watches carry real water-resistance and toughness ratings. Learn the basics: IP ratings cover dust and water ingress tests, while ATM ratings describe pressure resistance; 5 ATM generally means safe for swimming up to 50 meters.
Manufacturers also post care instructions: avoid hot baths, saunas, and high-pressure water jets even with a 5 ATM rating, and rinse saltwater off after ocean swims. Rugged models from Garmin and Casio go further with MIL-STD styling for shocks and extreme temperatures.
Follow the care guidance to keep seals and buttons functioning, and replace bands or seals if you notice damage after heavy exposure to moisture or chemicals.
10. Myth: More features always mean better performance or compatibility
A long spec sheet doesn’t guarantee a better real-world experience. Ecosystem fit and practical needs matter: some advanced features work only on certain phone platforms, and running many services drains the battery and complicates use.
Apple Watch offers its full feature set only when paired with an iPhone. Samsung Galaxy Watch capabilities are reduced on iOS compared with Android. Standalone LTE watches add flexibility but may require carrier activation and an extra monthly plan.
Pick features that match how you live: prioritize ecosystem compatibility, battery life, or specific medical features rather than buying a feature-packed model you won’t use.
Summary
- Wearables are useful tools but not replacements for clinical devices; look for regulated features (for example, Apple Watch’s 2018 ECG clearance) when you need diagnostic-grade results.
- Sensor accuracy varies by activity and sensor type—chest straps often beat wrist PPG for interval training, and step counts miss intensity and strength work.
- Privacy risks exist (remember the 2018 Strava heatmap) but are manageable: review app permissions, use private modes, and disable cloud sync if needed.
- Match your purchase to priorities: daily charging and rich features suit some users, multi-day battery and ruggedness suit others; standalone LTE models can add cost and carrier requirements.
Check privacy settings after setup, match device battery and feature trade-offs to how you live, and consult clinicians when your wearable flags potential medical issues rather than relying on the watch alone.
