GoQii Band Review: 4 Years Later (Updated)

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goqii band six months review
A wearable device that tracks your every move

It’s 2019 and it still works!

Read on, for the original article.

 

There’s no better feeling than getting paid to walk. Also, it gets even better when there is a fitness coach that motivates you to keep moving forward and fills you up with healthy food choices.

GoQii introduced their only product a few years back offering as many features as what any expensive Fitbit would.

The GoQii band has many features which transform it into a serious competitor in the fitness technology segment.

I have used the fitness tracker for six months and here’s the outcome.

Does the GoQii band still work?

Fitness trackers were the craze from the beginning of 2016. They served the basic purpose of tracking the number of steps and estimating calories burned. Some of them could be connected to smartphones and had quite a lot of advanced options.

While the more expensive gadgets had heart-rate monitors, most of the devices in the mid-segment were trash. They boasted many useless features.

The GoQii band captured my attention mainly because of its price tag. I was a bit sceptical of wandering into the low-cost territory. One week into using the product and it changed my opinion. Here are the main reasons why.

Simple Display

goqii band
The rubber strap just got a bit dusty but it still works wonders

The GoQii band has a responsive touch OLED display. The digits are pretty clear and not too bright. The interface is quite easy to understand. The first screen tells you the date & time.

A single tap on the display slides down the next screen where it shows the number of steps. The count is highly accurate and updates in real-time ninety percent of the time.

The third screen tells you the total time spent walking and the following two are estimates of the distance walked or ran, and the calories burned.

The final screen shows the accumulated Karma points (abbreviated as KR) with a yin-yang symbol below it. However, the reward points are a twist which will be mentioned in a later section.

A well-lit display and an easy-to-use interface. The glass appears to be impervious to scratches and shock-resistant. I can assure this because it has been to many places. Bonus points for GoQii!

Fitness Application

The application is available for iOS and Android. It is worthy enough to get an exclusive review. The users are referred to as “players” and require the app to be installed on their smart devices for complete functionality of the GoQii band.

The app has to be synced with the band. A subscription is automatically active for six months on purchase of the GoQii band.

There are many experienced coaches you can choose from.  They monitor daily progress and suggest changes to your lifestyle based on the data being collected. Data includes logs which users can input when they eat meals, snacks, or drink fluids.

There is a mini-social media platform in the app where different users can share their secret recipes, blogs and participate in other discussions within the community.

I had a one-on-one session with my coach over the phone after we scheduled it. It feels great when you know that there’s somebody out there wanting you to improve your healthy habits and keeps motivating you in different ways. The personal coach was very friendly. I would occasionally ask her different tips about exercising and healthy eating.

Remember the Karma points I mentioned earlier? There’s a simple formula which equates the number of steps to Karma points. 1KR = 390 steps.

Here’s what it does: each of these points is equivalent to an unspecified amount of dollars sponsored by third-party donors for charitable purposes. Different users pool together to donate their Karma points for charity causes.

The community game is strong here.

There is another service which I did not avail called the GoQii Doctor and Health Locker. I remember taking a health assessment which is sort of a questionnaire and it shows a detailed report with a score of 100.

It lets you book a consultation with a qualified physician for therapy or medical help. Then, the doctor pairs up with your coach to determine the next steps you should take. This has to be easily the most useful feature out of the bunch.

The GoQii band shows SMS alerts & WhatsApp notifications after enabling the option in the app. Additionally, you can schedule alarms to remind you to shop for groceries, go for a walk, and wake you up after a nap with its vibrating hum module. I only had to update the app just once. I hate updates!

Axis Active Rewards

This is about getting paid for walking. Well, you literally do not earn money for meeting your daily goals. But, if you happen to have an account registered with Axis Bank, you are automatically eligible for the Axis eDGE reward points.

So this is how it works. You are required to walk 70,000 steps a week to get 500 reward points. Axis Bank partners with GoQii for this cheerful initiative. Unfortunately, this feature only works for those who have accounts in Axis Bank.

Let’s do a bit of simple math, shall we? 500 points are equivalent to about 1.7$. I managed to earn 6500 reward points in 13 weeks (out of 24). That would be approximately 22$. The GoQii band (with 6 months of the subscription) cost me 30$. Not bad at all.

Had I walked more, the band would have been free!

A Fitness Tracker with Great Functionality and an even Greater Purpose

goqii band charging
Charging to full battery takes roughly fifteen minutes.

The GoQii band is an all-in-one package that you can get at an affordable price. It doubles up as a watch as well as a wallet. Nope, I didn’t type the wrong word.

The module can be used to settle payments with just a swipe against the NFC terminals. However, the GoQii app has to be linked to the savings account via the Axis Bank app.

Moreover, the dedicated app works well with a very user-friendly interface along with daily doses of guidance from a personal fitness coach. I prefer using the GoQii band over a normal watch because it’s light and surprisingly durable.

Additionally, the battery life is excellent. It lasts an entire week easily and has enough juice for a couple more days. Charging is as easy as plugging into any USB slot.

The only downside is that once the subscription ends, the app fails to sync with the band and the rewards end there. I’m considering renewing the subscription mainly because of all the added extras.

A must-have for the philosophical optimist or the occasional Pokemon GO player!


Update:

It still works but sadly, the features are a bit outdated and there are better products launched, as of 2019.

I recommend the GoQii heart care tracker with 6 months of personal coaching because it’s a total bargain, and as a bonus, tracks your vitals. Moreover, the GoQii platform has been revamped and you can gain access to it by installing the app.

Just don’t stop walking.

What fitness tracker do you use? Leave a comment below.


Update:

It has ceased functioning after repeated contact with water, rain, etc. But hey, it lasted for 4 years so is it worth buying?

Kind of, and it’s quite compact too. So, if you’re looking for a minimal tracker that measures the steps and helps you gain access to the Goqii community, definitely go for it.


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