Smartphone oximeter, anyone tried it?

[PaulaO2]

Yeah, I have the Note 4 which works a lot like the S5, which is not compatible. I have my S3 still and could always use it instead I guess.

Can't wait to hear how it goes!

[AirSign]

Also eager to hear how it works.

Noticed on the big-momma books-n-everything-else website a comment from the sellers that they plan to release a bluetooth version later this year. So there will be no need to have your finger wired to your cellphone. Might hold off a bit and see what will happen with that. Might be a bit pricey, but, makes sense for overnight use.

[TyroneShoes]

...just tuck it under the mattress...

FWIW, every sleep app that I have ever checked out says to NEVER tuck the phone under anything, or cover it with anything. They all say that you should just lay it on the corner of the mattress, on top of the sheet.

The reasoning is that covering the phone will interfere with its natural ability to shed heat, and that the phone may overheat, which shortens component life, or worse. It's a valid point. So you may be extending your life by using xPAP and an oximeter, but you could also be shortening the life of your phone if you cover it up or tuck it in.

These sleep apps are apps that use the accelerometer in the phone to make a (weakly) educated guess about how much you are moving around, and how accurate they are is questionable. Sleep Cycle, the most popular one, will give you a beautiful graphic telling you what sleep stages you were in over the entire night, but since I left it on the nightstand one night by mistake (where it could not possibly have detected my movements), apparently the pretty graphic is a fantasy, better known as a bald-faced lie.

But an oximeter, even on a smart phone, does not use the accelerometer (I hope; movement is not an indicator of saturation level). So one should be able to extend the cord and keep the phone a little further away from you, or at least one would think.

And, BTW, why does everything techy have to start with an "i"? Aren't we over that by now? weren't we over that 5 years ago? Apple certainly is...the Apple Watch is often referred to as an "iWatch", but only mistakenly, and certainly not by Apple, who realizes that this is passe and has not used the "i" prefix anywhere on new-release products for a number of years. They probably would also like to shed that on legacy products, had it not become so iconic and engrained in the public's "i-Magination".

When I hear "i-anything" it strikes me as old school, completely derivative, totally unimaginative, and just plain lame. It's not 2010 anymore. Time to wake up and smell the propane.

[PaulaO2]

Of the dozen or more times I've done it with my S3 and my Note 4, playing music for several hours, they never got hot. The sleep apps are giving that warning as a "cover their arse" scenario.

[truetopath]

I looked at that pulse ox, but the reviews kind of deterred me. Let us know how it works for you.

[AirSign]

I used to say I was allergic to anything "Apple" or "Mac." So was pleasantly surprised when "iOximeter" included Android. Besides that it comes from a technology inncubator in Georgia, I think it's been written by some of the talented young 'uns that I'm counting on to save this planet, since my generation obviously isn't going to!

And maybe they come from the tradition that long ago carved intricate stuff like this:

Carved Puzzle Balls

Seeing those puzzle balls is also why I liked my overseas Chinese dentists!

They'll catch up with marketing trends eventually, I suppose. I just hope they can get a working bluetooth version out soon.

The Amazon reviews are mixed, at overall 3.5, but the expectations that reviewers have are for a wide variety of situations. There are not a lot of options for 12 hour recording while asleep. And not many reviews for that purpose, as far as I could see.
Also, there's been an update since some of those reviews were written.

[sleepy guy]

Does anyone know if the data from iOximeter be imported into Sleepy Head?

[Crimson Nape]

Does anyone know if the data from iOximeter be imported into Sleepy Head?

No. iOx uses its own file type that isn't supported by SleepyHead. I played with mine and put it away and went back to the CMS-50 series.

[Carbon]

Not recommended. I had one and tossed it. It was ridiculously volatile and inaccurate (out 3-4% or more either way, randomly) when comparing simultaneous readings vs a ResMed oximeter, controlled for switching sides and staying perfectly still to prevent artefact. I checked this live, since my sats normally can vary 92-99% when awake.