iHealth MyVitals

Positive characteristics: 1. Easy to use. No tube to worry about with a conventional monitor. I disliked having to untwist the tube between the cuff and the device. 2.) Appears accurate. Validated results with my other monitor and they are nearly identical. I’ll be doing more sampling comparing the two. 3. Bluetooth enabled. All the measurements are stored on my phone with date and time. My old one lacked that feature so I had to manually record measurements for my doctor. 3. The compact size is great…much easier to travel with than my other cuff. Not so good (which is why I gave it 4 stars): 1. Gave me a ridiculously high BP measurement one day, putting me well into the hypertensive range. I actually have to manage hypotension, with my systolic below 100 and my diastolic well below 70. A measurement with my other cuff validated the measurement was way off. I retested again and the new measurement was consistent with my other cuff. The accuracy is important since I have to take a prescription medication to elevate my BP if it’s low. The message is if you get a weird result, retest, and if you have a second cuff, compare values. 2. The cuff is pretty stiff and a little tricky to put on snugly. I’m hoping it will become more flexible over time. 3. The case is barely adequate. It really does not offer much protection to the cuff. It needs to offer padding and a semi-rigid shell. It also lacks pockets for the charging cable and the instructions which would be helpful. Bottom line: definitely more convenient than my other cuff, appears accurate (time will tell), and the Bluetooth feature is really useful. I recommend it as an alternative to conventional BP cuffs.

So compact and convenient. It’s small enough to put in my purse on my backpack or even my jacket pocket. It fits over my big arm, which is a relief and it works so smoothly. It allows me to put notes about my blood pressure and uploads to the health monitor and cardiogram for easy sharing with my doctors the only thing I wish it did is allow more than one user. However, this can be worked around by simply taking it from the machine instead of starting it vein the app and then not syncing it so the second user can manually log their Bp. Regardless of that, highly recommend this is the best liner that I’ve had in the two years I’ve needed to monitor my Home. It wasn’t the most expensive machine I’ve ever had. And again, the fact that I can easily tuck it in a pocket and carry it with me versus having a bulky machine and cuff is a huge plus.

The functionality is okay. The app mostly does what it needs to do without many issues. The one notable issue occurs when tracking my weight on the Nexus Pro HS2S body composition scale. Once connected via Bluetooth there is a screen with the data from the last reading. Upon stepping on the scale it shows that it is receiving data as expected. However, once the scale is done and the data is reported the app often, but not always, reverts to the previous reading and data. This can be confusing. In order to see the current data of the current measurement I have to go back and select the Nexus Pro device again. It will then show the last and most current data. The app started displaying adverts for iHealth products about a week prior to Saint Patrick’s Day. I am not pleased with this at all. At worst, there should be an option to disable this. Additional holiday-related adverts have appeared since then. Had I been aware of these adverts I would have made a different purchasing decision. Now, I am already invested with multiple devices from iHealth which all use this app.