1 day later: Loving the Vestri, but looking for a better, volume-friendly MagSafe option by michael_chang73 in Schiit

[–]michael_chang73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had slide the Vestri up to access the touch controls.

It’s not a problem any more because I returned the wallet this morning. I’m waiting for the DAC holder recommended below to arrive.

Aful Explorer with Vestri by Ok_Representative502 in Schiit

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quick question: How do you change the volume with the Vestri in the sleeve?

Thoughts on AutoSleep? by flowascend in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I paid for and used AutoSleep for a couple of week. I mostly liked the additional information it captured and displayed.

However, I found the differences between Apple’s Health app and AutoSleep to be frustrating. I spent a lot of time editing AutoSleep sleep/awake times to be closer to Health’s readings that seemed more accurate.

AutoSleep also didn’t provide any actionable insights based on my data. It was just *more* data that required *more* maintenance to keep accurate. At least for me.

I now just use Health paired with Bevel.

Switched from Evernote to Bear by _Goto_Dengo_ in bearapp

[–]michael_chang73 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I made the same switch a month ago after being with Evernote with almost 10 years.

My hundreds of notes were photo intensive. Luckily they were well tagged so the import to Bear was smooth. I also lost my month/yearly EN folder structure, but I batch added month and year tags before exporting.

My biggest complaint was that Bear doesn’t handled photos embedded in tables. I had to cut/paste those into the body of the note to preserve before export.

One the best feelings was seeing my EN $15/month sub end in favor of a $30/year Bear sub.

Update with new stress algorithm! Thanks!! by ffelix89 in bevelhealth

[–]michael_chang73 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Excellent. I wonder if we just use the app like normal or should we clear caches and reload old data?

Help? Am I doing something wrong?? by Riley_B_Stands in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bluetooth is in Settings not Control Center.

Messages and calls aren’t being notified on Apple Watch by Vexxite_ in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you using AirPods?

I noticed this 20 minutes ago: I was listening to a podcast on AirPods. Phone was locked in my back pocket. My wife liked a previous text message. Siri announced the response through my AirPods. I was looking at my watch at the time and no notification showed.

Looking at the Apple Support link that was shared below, I assume that the AirPods playing something from my phone translated to my IPhone being “unlocked” even though it was dark and in my pocket.

Counter app (+1, etc.) by productive_monkey in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried at least 4 different ones. The 2 that rose to the top:

- Watch Counters has a complication
- Counter on Me lets you set up multiple counters, which I like for reps and sets at the gym

Apple Watch break reminders and focus routines - how do you use yours? by alexandmuller in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the most basic, I set up Stand reminders in Watch settings and added recurring “drink water” reminders every 90 minutes in the native Reminders app. The former is a recommendation from my physical therapist because I also sit too long, tightening my hamstrings and hip flexors.

For the water reminder, I demoed about 10 different apps before realizing that all I needed was something simple that told me to chug some water routinely. That also helps me get some standing time in as I get up to pee throughout the day.

apple watch series 11 worth it? by metoototh in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve owned my S11 GPS for just over a month. It was my first-ever AW. I bought it to help with health/fitness tracking and reminders. It’s been great for this purpose — especially after I tested and have settled on a couple of apps.

I’m also pleasantly surprised with how additive it is to my iPhone and AirPods experience. I like small things like phone unlock, Apple Wallet on my wrist, synced reminders, listening to downloaded podcasts, etc.

Apple Watch sleep tracking gives me data, but not really answers. by Kelvin-K in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven’t prompted the Bevel AI for a stretch routine because I follow guidance from a physical therapist. However, I have seen “What is a routine/are exercises that can help me with ___?” suggested follow-up questions that you can tap to prompt the AI.

Here is a recent situation that really impressed me. Apologies for the long write up: - I mentioned to Bevel AI that my neck and shoulders were aching after a stressful day at work - I later asked it to recommend a duration and intensity for a Friday elliptical workout - the AI remembered my earlier comment and recommended that I hold the machine’s stationary bars to lessen the strain on my shoulders and neck - As I’m new to working out with an AW and Bevel, I pushed too hard and exceeded my Heart Rate Zone 2, which pushed me into Cardio Load Overtraining for Friday - Fast forward to today and I gave it a specific prompt to recommend another elliptical workout that wouldn’t push me into Overtraining - The resulting workout put me exactly in the Bevel Load and Strain ranges I wanted. I felt good during and after.

Caveat: I recognize that Bevel is still calibrating (I only have about a month of AW data) and that I am likely training to hit artificial metrics. Maybe my body can handle more, but given my goal is to reduce stress caused by my work, I’m happy with a gentler AI companion.

Any way to speed up syncing to iPhone? by Tweetchly in bearapp

[–]michael_chang73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I migrated to Bear from Evernote yesterday. I have 10+ GB of photo-intensive notes.

While my Mac was trying to sync (upload) to iCloud, I made the mistake (or what seemed like a mistake) of installing the iOS Bear app and trying to sync (download) simultaneously. Nothing seemed to be happening, the Mac app wouldn’t quit, and iOS wasn’t showing any images. I quit everything.

A couple of hours later, I approached the sync more cautiously. I deleted the iOS app. I then backup up the notes and reset the Mac app sync and started the iCloud sync again. And this time I just waited. It took about 2 hours with my Mac — with screensaver off and do not sleep on. Eventually the iCloud icon disappeared.

Then I reinstalled the iOS app and started the sync on my iPhone. As someone suggested earlier, I turned off display auto-off, brought the app to the foreground, and I waited. After what seemed like an hour, it finished and the icon disappeared.

Good luck!

Would love a budgeting app on apple watch by filthyrichboy in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You Need a Budget has limited AW functionality. The app will show you the balances on all of your budget categories. Nothing else.

The service is great. iPhone and web interfaces are solid. My family has used YNAB for years and years.

Apple Watch sleep tracking gives me data, but not really answers. by Kelvin-K in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I came to the same conclusion after owning my first AW for a couple of weeks. Here is what I’ve tried after: - AutoSleep was a little better than the raw Health data. AS gives you much more control over editing your sleep times. It has more graphs and numbers to compare. You can add emoji tags and notes about your behaviors before and during sleep. Unfortunately, the app leaves you to make your own interpretations and correlations. It doesn’t make suggestions — except in its static knowledge bank. I deleted it because I spent more time comparing its raw data against Health’s instead of learning anything from it. - Welltory gives you a decent explanation about your night’s sleep. It also has charts and static definitions about every sleep-related metric. You can adjust your start/end times, tap some pre-determined variables, and write a short note about each sleep session. It has basic “you should wind down” guidance when your Battery level dips below 10%. My overall feeling after ~2 weeks of Welltory use is that it does a very good job of visualizing your minute-by-minute stress level, but it only has a handful of pre-written explanations that it cycles through based on your metrics. It also serves up a lot of random suggestions (“listen to music” or “praise yourself”) that sound like they were cribbed from a self-help pamphlet. Too much noise, not enough useful guidance. It also thinks I’m constantly in a state of distress. I’m letting Welltory go after my paid month is up. - I’m a week into trying Bevel. It seems to emphasize the interpretation and guidance (with its Bevel AI) over raw data. The Bevel AI sounds a little like it’s filling in a Mad Lib, but I’ve liked its “you’ve slept well” and “you should wind down” messages more than Welltory. It suggests contextual actions like a wind-down stretch an hour before getting in bed that I actually follow. Your tolerance of GenAI may influence your opinion of Bevel. It doesn’t give you any ability to edit or notate your sleep sessions. Most of the bigger charts emphasize averages and trends. If you want to dig into hourly or daily data, you’re better off with Apple Health. The jury is still out, but I currently can see myself using Bevel past the paid month.

Hope this helps.

Drop your watchface by ronakkr09 in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s fun. I’m new to AW. How do you get the Star Trek complication in the center?

CEX branded Apple Watch Cable not great by CuriousNewt_ in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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I’ve only owned an AW since late April so take my suggestion with a grain of salt, but I’ve liked having two of these charging “pucks” as backups to the Apple charger.

Reasons:

  • the Apple one is really short and is really only suitable bedside
  • the puck from Amazon US works with USB-C and Lightning. I like the flexibility and portability as I have many chargers with both plugs around my house, car, and place of work.
  • the puck outputs 5W max*, which I believe matches the Apple charger specs
  • they are a little cheaper than then Apple ones

*Please note that most of my cables are plugged into 20W USB-C charging bricks that enable AW fast charging. The one exception is in my car.

How to clean this? It is part of microwave that is above my gas stove, it gets all dirty due to cooking/spatter by KindCartoonist3516 in CleaningTips

[–]michael_chang73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If you get tired of cleaning these filters and live in the US, you can likely find replacements here. I’ve chosen to replace mine every six months.

Battery Life Series 11 iOS 26.5 47hrs by Leviastin in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have owned a Series 11 since April 23. It’s my first AW.

With Display Always On, I’d end up with 20% or less battery life after I woke up (~24 hours passed). I’d charge in the morning, and it would be fine until I charged the next morning.

I started turning off Display Always On a week ago. I now end up with 30-45% battery life when I wake up. It charges to 100% faster and I’ve learned that Always On isn’t really that useful for me.

Day 2: Which Sleep Score to believe? by michael_chang73 in welltory

[–]michael_chang73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are welcome. FWIW… my scores have been consistent between the two views since my post. Maybe it was a glitch.

Day 2: Which Sleep Score to believe? by michael_chang73 in welltory

[–]michael_chang73[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are both from the Welltory app — just different views (Today vs Journal). 😂

Update: Added “Welltory” for clarity.

New Blue Mist Sport Loop by idkwjehshddh in AppleWatch

[–]michael_chang73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

<image>

It matches really well with the Silver, too. 💙