Seeking an Accessible Bathroom Weight Scale

By david s, 25 January, 2016

Forum
Smart Home Tech and Gadgets

Hello,

Can someone please recommend a good and accessable weight scale? I am looking for one that will sync with an accessable app on my iPhone. I’ve read plenty of good things about the Fitbit Aria but not sure if it’s accessable.

I ended up returning Weight Guru because it wasn’t that accessable. The app was great and accessable but the scale itself was not. For instance, you would need to point your device’s camera for it to sync. This is silly since it’s suppose to be Bluetooth. It was a hit or miss and I figured the frustration wasn’t worth it.

So if you have a bathroom scale, please tell me about it and if it’s easy to use.

Thanks for your suggestions.

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Comments

By Paul on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

Hi David

Unfortunately, I don't have experience with bathroom scales that sync via bluetooth (mainly because most of them didn't have a high enough capacity for me), but I've found the My Weigh XL550 bathroom scales easy to use after changing the units (I use kg, it defaults to lbs). It has a switch on the under side to control whether or not it speaks, and a button on the top side under the display at the front of the platform that changes units and spoken language. Unfortunately, it does not speak when changing the units (although, it will speak the units with the weight read out however). It speaks when the scales are turned on (which you do by stepping on the platform and stepping off again), when the scales are ready to weigh you, your weight measurement once the reading is stable, and when it switches off automatically afterward. I haven't had the scales long enough to know if it will say something when the batteries run low, but that is likely to be obvious anyway.

I use Apple's health app to track my weight, and just enter the readings manually. I'm sorry it's not exactly what you're looking for, but maybe someone who has had experience with bluetooth connected scales will chime in.

By Carlos Alonso on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

I bought the Withings Smart Body Analyzer when it was on sale at Best Buy a couple of months ago. Although the scale doesn't talk and the initial setup iz not accessible I like the scale a lot. It is both wireless and bluetooth. I needed sighted assistance to get thru the initial setup, you need to use bluetooth to connect to the scale and then share your wifi connection thru the Withings app. After the initial setup is complete, the scale will upload your body measurements up to the Withings server and you can access your measurements through the app, the app will also sync with many Fitness apps such as the stock Health app on IOS devices as well as other popular fitness apps. Although I'd like to hear my weight when I stand on the scale it's really no big deal to just open the app to check it later. The scale will hold up to 8 profiles, it automatically recognizes the user that gets on the scale and uploads the data to the corresponding Withings account. This scale usually costs $150 but as I mentioned earlier I got it on sale for $112. I would very much recommend this scale as long as you can have sighted help for the initial setup.
I read many reviews of other bluetooth scales and it seems they're difficult to deal with as they will not always connect, etc. After you setup the Withings scale you don't have to worry about bluetooth, you don't even need to have your phone nearby or even turned on.

By Elena Brescacin on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

Hello, let me answer you: I'd suggest you Qardio Base.
www.getqardio.com
You can manage weight and also body composition analysis; data detection is accessible itself, from the app. The only part of the app which is not accessible for now, is the goal setup, but this is a secondary function, at least for my personal opinion.
The goal is a weight measure you wish to reach, for example you currently measure 70 kilos, and you want to reach 60 with a diet, you set the targeting goal to 60, the number of weeks you wish to reach this weight, and the scale indicates to you with a smiling or sad face, if you are close or far to your goal. Yes, you'd not care about smiling face or so, but the good thing of this scale is that you can set a haptic feedback, from the app's settings, and the scale will vibrate under your feet when:
- the scale turns on;
- the weight measure has been registered
- the body composition analysis has been performed.

Now I just stop here, I'd have made a review for this hardware, but I agreed to do it when developers adjust the inaccessibility of goal setup.
But, for just a weight and body analysis tool, it's a very good accessory, I have also tried an iHealth scale but I don't like it indeed.

By david s on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

Hello,

Thanks for the suggestions.

I first thought about a talking scale but figured since I was going to get one, I might as well get one that will keep track of things with an app.

I am looking at the withing and have a couple of questions. I read there is a feature that tells you if you’re balanced or not on the scale. Is this visual or is there an audio to tell you to move left right or whatever so you are balanced? How do you know if the scale is on and is done calculating your weight and other stuff.

For the cardio, I’ve never heard of it before so I’m going to read up on it. It’s in the same price range as withing and fitbit.

From what I’ve heard, all these scales are not accessable out of the box. Having sighted assistance is a must. My only other concern is longevity. Meaning is the company going to be around five years from now? Or even three years? I thought about this because it seems like they all upload to a website. If something happens to the manufactuere and the website disappears, will the scale still work? So, if you turn off the wifi, will the scale still sync with the IOS device?

Thanks again for the suggestions.

By Carlos Alonso on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

Hi David, there is no feedback (other than visual) from the Withings to let you know when the scale has finished recording your body measurements. I usually stand on the scale for 10 to 15 seconds to make sure and this works pretty much all the time for me. If the Withings server went out of business you could setup the scale to work thru Bluetooth only, you would need of course sighted assistance for that. In browsing the Withing site it seems they are adding product lines like IP cameras and different connected health measureing devices so I'm not very concerned about them going out of business although of course you never know for sure. Another thing about the Withings scale is that it seems very well made and of high quality. My wife who is sighted says it's very sleek looking, both the physical scale and the display. I don't have experience with other brands other than reding product reviews, but I have the impression that the Withings scale is one of the better such products in both features and quality and the app gets frequent updates although the accessibility issues with the initial setup haven't been addressed.

By Peter Holdstock on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

I was really keen to purchase the Qardio scales as I already have the Qardio bloodp pressure monitor which is brilliant. The app and the device are both great quality. Unfortunately though, all the reviews I read about the Qardio scales are negative. Most comment on the fact the scales easily tip over when stepping on or off the scales, probably due to them being round. others have mentioned that the screen is in a silly place i.e. right between your feet and difficult to see. I'm totally blind so that's not an issue but so far I've not seen so many disappointed reviews for a product in a long time and will probably get the withings scales instead. I'd like to hear others thoughts.

By Ted Drake on Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 14:19

I have the <a href="http://amzn.to/1JGsWHJ">Mira</a&gt; scale that connects to my phone via bluetooth. It was easy to set up and works seamlessly. I have it connected to Apple Health, which then passes the data to MyFitnessPal.

To use it, you keep the phone within bluetooth distance, stand on the scale, and wait until your phone makes a sound that lets you know it registered the weight. It takes about 2-3 seconds from the time you step on it.

The Mira app works well with VoiceOver. The chart screen is worth skipping, but the log screen lets you quickly review the scale's history.

For families, you can create different profiles on your phone. I wasn't able to get the scale to connect to multiple phones.

For low-vision users, the scale has a large display.

I bought this on Amazon because it was less expensive than similar scales. You can buy it for about $35.

By knownoflove on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 14:19

I have a couple questions regarding this scale. As someone who is completely blind, would I be able to sync the scale with my iPhone independently? Or, would I need sighted assistance for the first-time set-up? Also, which app are you using with the scale, as the Amazon app page you referenced lists two possibilities. Thanks!