{"id":462403,"date":"2026-02-06T14:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/462403\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T14:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:25:16","slug":"some-smartwatches-are-actually-making-up-their-readings-which-is-why-i-keep-telling-you-people-never-to-buy-cheap-unbranded-apple-watch-dupes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/462403\/","title":{"rendered":"Some smartwatches are actually making up their readings \u2013 which is why I keep telling you people never to buy cheap, unbranded Apple Watch dupes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Germany&#8217;s Federal Network Agency investigated suspicious listings of tech products, including smartwatchesMany of these products are advertising glucose monitoring featuresThere is no reliable non-invasive way of monitoring glucose, and some watches were found to simply estimate or make up readings<\/p>\n<p id=\"c27d8af2-af9f-478f-9854-d4306a96823d\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">As well as extensively testing the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/wearables\/best-smart-watches-what-s-the-best-wearable-tech-for-you-1154074\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/wearables\/best-smart-watches-what-s-the-best-wearable-tech-for-you-1154074\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/wearables\/best-smart-watches-what-s-the-best-wearable-tech-for-you-1154074\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best smartwatches<\/a>, we also occasionally test the worst products out there as well. A few years ago, I tried out the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/features\/i-tested-the-cheapest-fitness-tracker-to-see-if-it-could-match-a-top-garmin-watch\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/features\/i-tested-the-cheapest-fitness-tracker-to-see-if-it-could-match-a-top-garmin-watch\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/features\/i-tested-the-cheapest-fitness-tracker-to-see-if-it-could-match-a-top-garmin-watch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cheapest fitness tracker I could find against a Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar<\/a>, and got predictably dodgy results. After testing a few more of these brandless also-rans, I concluded that generally, they weren&#8217;t very good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">However, some people are still clearly buying them, as the likes of <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/amazon\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/amazon\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/amazon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> and Temu are swarmed with listings like &#8220;<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FAdvanced-GLUOOSE-Smartwatch-Portable-Activity-One-Color%2Fdp%2FB0D9NPD9RC%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dtrd-us-6424999613715558989-21\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Advanced-GLUOOSE-Smartwatch-Portable-Activity-One-Color\/dp\/B0D9NPD9RC\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FAdvanced-GLUOOSE-Smartwatch-Portable-Activity-One-Color%2Fdp%2FB0D9NPD9RC%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21\" data-merchant-name=\"Amazon UK\" data-merchant-id=\"1027\" data-merchant-network=\"Amazonuk\" data-merchant-url=\"amazon.co.uk\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Advanced GLUOOSE Reading Smartwatch 24\/7 Heart Rate Blood Oxygen 1.9&#8221; HD Portable Fitness Activity Tracker for Outdoor Sports<\/a>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"c27d8af2-af9f-478f-9854-d4306a96823d-2\">Unfortunately, any poor recipients of watches like these are going to be swindled, as no smartwatch can accurately measure blood glucose levels \u2013 or even &#8216;gluoose&#8217; as the listing above spells it \u2013 with LEDs alone. Continuous glucose monitors like <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/health-fitness\/i-tried-abbotts-new-cgm-lingo-for-two-weeks-and-heres-what-i-learned\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/health-fitness\/i-tried-abbotts-new-cgm-lingo-for-two-weeks-and-heres-what-i-learned\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/health-fitness\/i-tried-abbotts-new-cgm-lingo-for-two-weeks-and-heres-what-i-learned\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Abbott&#8217;s Lingo<\/a>, which involves an invasive needle attached to a Bluetooth-enabled chip, are the only commercially available smart tech able to accurately do so.<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Network Agency, a German regulatory body, investigated a lot of online listings in 2025 and found serious flaws in 7.7 million different products, and smartwatches were the worst offenders. Spotted via <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Smartwatches-fake-blood-sugar-readings-as-Germany-s-regulator-steps-in.1220765.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Smartwatches-fake-blood-sugar-readings-as-Germany-s-regulator-steps-in.1220765.0.html\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NotebookCheck<\/a>, these flaws ranged from missing CE markings to listing features like blood glucose monitoring, which were actually &#8220;simulated&#8221; \u2013 as in, the device was not actually reading the user&#8217;s blood glucose at all, merely looking like it was.<\/p>\n<p>One such smartwatch that made these claims, the Kospet iHeal 6, was actually taken off the market in 2024, but still sold in German territories, after the ruling to remove it was made.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.23%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/44jHTQsAFtr2zcERmiq5Fh.jpg\" alt=\"Viido fitness tracker vs Garmin\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/44jHTQsAFtr2zcERmiq5Fh.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/44jHTQsAFtr2zcERmiq5Fh.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Matt Evans)<\/p>\n<p id=\"bbcc21e7-707d-48d0-8f60-1723df871029\">Smartwatches provide information about your health, but not legally protected health information, and as such their features aren&#8217;t subject to legislation such as HIPAA in the US, or required to be classed as fit for use in a medical setting. Most serious smartwatch manufacturers such as <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/apple\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/apple\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/apple\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Apple<\/a> seek US FDA approval for features such as hypertension detection.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re just looking to flood the market with cheap smartwatch clones, however, no such stringent legislation need apply. Simply make an app that looks like it&#8217;s doing what it&#8217;s actually supposed to be doing, and bang the device on Amazon for $50 \/ \u00a340 \/ AU$65 or less.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.<\/p>\n<p>When I reviewed the cheap Viido fitness tracker against the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/garmin\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/garmin\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/tag\/garmin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Garmin<\/a> watch in the link above, everything was wrong, from its step count and heart rate tracker being wildly swingy, to its app looking like a dodgy piece of malware. These devices aren&#8217;t reliable and there&#8217;s no point buying them.<\/p>\n<p>If platforms like Amazon won&#8217;t halt their sale, it&#8217;s up to us to be diligent, responsible consumers and do a bit of research before pulling the trigger. Might I direct you to our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/best-cheap-smartwatch\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/best-cheap-smartwatch\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/best-cheap-smartwatch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best cheap smartwatches<\/a> guide, to start?<\/p>\n<p id=\"ae07a8ab-917d-48ee-95cf-47d3ac615eec\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJsWTJoeVlXUmhjaTVqYjIwb0FBUAE?hl=en-GB&amp;gl=GB&amp;ceid=GB%3Aen\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJsWTJoeVlXUmhjaTVqYjIwb0FBUAE?hl=en-GB&amp;gl=GB&amp;ceid=GB%3Aen\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Follow TechRadar on Google News<\/a> and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=techradar.com\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=techradar.com\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!<\/p>\n<p>And of course you can also <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@techradar\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@techradar\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">follow TechRadar on TikTok<\/a> for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Va6HybZ9RZAY7pIUK12h\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Va6HybZ9RZAY7pIUK12h\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a> too.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Germany&#8217;s Federal Network Agency investigated suspicious listings of tech products, including smartwatchesMany of these products are advertising glucose&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[64,63,213,105],"class_list":["post-462403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gadgets","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-gadgets","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}