Wyze Scale: Explanation of ranges in measurements

Yes same here just got it can’t believe they bother collecting and tracking data the user can’t interpret…am I just paying to feed some AI human biometrics?

What metric in particular do you want more info on? And what kind of info?

The protein percentage metrics for example…what is the range? is it age based? Or related to other factors? what is it actually measuring ?

There is a linear scale divided into three with numbers for the 33rd and 66th percentiles??? Is this a recommended “good” range? Is the range based on actual health data or a just average of users?

Or the visceral fat…I have 11…11 what? 11 visceral fats? it shows a bar dived in two with 12 in the middle…what does this mean? I should not need to google my way out of the app and down some deep rabbit hole to understand a metric reported here.

I could go on but I did not get it to be a tester and spend my time pointing these things out. Looks from the feed like it’s been an issue for years and is being neglected or ignored but certainly not fully addressed. Hard to say the box has been checked on this item. And it’s hardly an wish list item but pretty basic info and functionality.

Beware of iFails

The protein percentage metric is the percentage of the protein in your body. It is calculated by subtracting body water from muscle mass. The normal range for protein percentage is reported to be 16-20% for men and 14-18% for women. However, this may vary depending on things like your activity level, and health goals. The scale uses a linear scale divided into three sections to show how your protein percentage compares to the average of other users. The numbers for the 33rd and 66th percentiles indicate the lower and upper limits of the middle section, which is considered the normal range. If your protein percentage is below the 33rd percentile, it means you have less protein than most users. If it is above the 66th percentile, it means you have more protein than most users.

The visceral fat metric is a type of body fat that’s stored within the core abdominal cavity. It’s the fat that surrounds and protects your vital organs. The scale uses a scale from 1 to 59 to measure your visceral fat level. A rating from 1 to 12 indicates you have a healthy level of visceral fat, while a rating from 13 to 59 indicates you have an excess level of visceral fat. Excess visceral fat can increase the risk of various health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. The scale shows a bar divided in two with 12 in the middle to indicate the threshold between healthy and excess visceral fat. If your visceral fat level is below 12, it means you have a healthy amount of visceral fat. If it is above 12, it means you have too much visceral fat.

I hope that helps in this case. I realize you would prefer to have more detailed descriptions WITHIN the app itself. However, I don’t work for Wyze, I can simply try to help you with your questions as another knowledgeable user. Wyze does want everyone to be satisfied with their purchase, and if you aren’t, I am sure you are within the 30-day return policy. There are certainly other options which may suit your preferences better if this is intolerable for you. I will say that I have looked at many, many other scales and even the expensive ones aren’t as good as the Wyze one overall, but some of them are sure to have better explanations.

I agree that Wyze should provide more details on the scale metrics. Many people aren’t familiar with them or what they mean or what each of the bars, etc mean. It would make a lot more sense to have a way better explanation.

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These are good explanations, but I do agree with the other user that they should be made more clear in the app. I think a really big improvement would be if Wyze simply labeled the sections on the scale as “healthy”, “too much”, or “unhealthy”. Or something like this. To make it more obvious where the recommended range is.

Careful with the labels though… Smart scale body measurements are useful in tracking changes in health over time, but they aren’t definitive indicators of health status.

They don’t always account for factors that can affect your body measurements such as hydration, menstrual cycle, medication, illness or exercise. It can sometimes be difficult to calibrate for variations due to different composition norms or ranges. They don’t really provide context or and don’t capture other aspect of health like nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, mental health or medical conditions.

I think it is much better to simply report something like the 1st standard deviation with the “average/normal” being in the middle two-thirds percentile vs the lower or higher deviation. It is possible that someone outside of the average is healthy, or unhealthy, and someone inside of normal could be unhealthy depending on various other context conditions, etc. I would generally avoid using the term “healthy” and definitely avoid the shaming label of “unhealthy” for most of the metrics. It could lead people to rely on them as the sole source of information about their health without having enough context to make that decision. In theory, it could also open the company up to litigation contributing to a misunderstanding related to medical advice. I would avoid implications that could lead to changes of diet, exercise or lifestyle based on the smart scale readings. I would present them as factually as possible, rather than interpreting with labels which may not be accurate.

Having said that, I also agree with OP that the scales should have better EXPLANATIONS for what the measurement is and what is normal/average.

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Appreciate everyone’s interest in this topic! What I would love to see is something like the screen shot from the post made in April 2020. My MIL has a different scale and uses an app that shows exactly this kind of data. The green and white line that Wyze shows on their app is basically useless to me. I just want to know how my metrics land for my age compared to others in my age group. If another company can do this, I don’t see why Wyze can’t make their data more interesting and informative. At this point, I’ve had the scale a week, and it’s already losing it’s luster. :frowning:

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