Which screenless trackers work with the KINETIQ patch?
KINETIQ is not a one-size-fits-all armband. Every screenless tracker has a different sensor housing, a different charging method and a different curve against the skin, so each patch is built for one model at a time. The list below shows where we are with each one.
How we decide a tracker is compatible
Three things have to line up before a model gets its own patch. First, the sensor has to be screenless, with a flat or gently curved back that can sit flush against the skin — a display or a raised crown leaves a gap the patch cannot close. Second, the housing has to be small enough to sit on the outside of the bicep without overhanging the adhesive edge, because an unsupported corner lifts first. Third, you have to be able to take the sensor off and click it back in without peeling the patch away, so it can be charged while the patch stays on your arm for its full wear time. We test each candidate on the arm over several sessions, including sweaty ones, before it goes on the list.
Trackers on our list
- Amazfit Helioin development
The Helio is small and light, so the cradle can stay close to the sensor footprint. Adhesive tests over sweaty sessions are running now.
Screenless optical heart rate and body temperature sensor
- Garmin CIRQA™ Smart Bandin development
The CIRQA band housing is being measured so the cradle keeps the sensor flat against the outer bicep without lifting at the edges.
Smart band with optical heart rate sensor
- Google Fitbit Airplanned
The Air housing is being measured so the cradle keeps the sensor flat against the outer bicep without lifting at the edges.
Smart band with optical heart rate sensor
- POLAR Loopin development
The Loop housing is being measured so the cradle keeps the sensor flat against the outer bicep without lifting at the edges.
Smart band with optical heart rate sensor
- WHOOP 5.0ready at launch
The patch version for the WHOOP 5.0 is first in line. The sensor housing clicks into the cradle and comes out for charging while the patch stays on the arm.
Screenless optical heart rate and skin temperature sensor, charged off the arm
Patch or band — what actually changes
A band works by tension: it wraps around the limb and keeps the sensor pressed down. That is fine for a workout, but worn all day it leaves a mark, it moves when you sweat, and it is the reason most people take their tracker off at some point. The patch works by adhesion instead. The sensor moves to the outer bicep, where the surface is rounder and out of the way of your grip, your watch and your sleeve, and it stays in the same spot for the full wear time — which also means your heart rate trace is not disturbed by the sensor sliding around mid-session.
If your model is not on the list yet
Models we have not confirmed are not a no — they are simply not measured yet. Join the waitlist, name the tracker you wear, and we will write to you as soon as a version for it is ready. You can also send us a message if you want to ask about a specific model before then, or read more about how the patch is made.