Now that the Jelly Bean 4.3 update supports Bluetooth Smart for compatible devices such as the Nexus 4, does that mean that HRMs such as the Polar H7 and Wahoo Blue HR should automatically work, or will the manufacturers have to tweak the firmware and release compatible versions? I’d like to think the former but if that’s the case I can’t understand why Polar & Wahoo aren’t all over this like a rash, shouting it from the rooftops and tapping into a maHOOsive new market!

What’s the scoop…anyone know?

Some brief googling I did seemed to show the latter i.e. the device guys needed to do some firmware shizzle before it would work.

I’d have thought that the sensors wont require an update (Because they presumably just comply with a protocol) but apps will need tweaking to use newer libraries.

EDIT:

Final couple of replies in this thread seem to agree with me.

Been doing a bit of Googling myself and it seems that the device itself will transmit to the phone, but the Wahoo / Polar apps need updating…in which case, if I want to use it with Strava perhaps I’ll be OK.

Hmmm…might just order one from Amazon and see how I get on.

The device will show up on the phone as a BT device because it uses the BT protocol. It just wont be able to communicate with any applications until they are updated to use the newer APIs provided by Android 4.3 – this will apply to Strava as well.

It wont be money wasted if you buy the sensor though, it might just mean that it’ll take a while before any apps you use are updated to support it.

This is definitely a good thing though – means that we can buy a sensor and it will work across lots of different applications, rather than be forced to use a first party app.

EDIT:

This and this suggest Strava is not updated yet.

Thanks chambord, that’s the info I’m after!

I’ll wait until Strava is updated to use the 4.3 API before I buy…I’ve got a Garmin and HR so I’m not desperate.

Better late than never…beta testing info here.

Well I just wasted my lunch break (and a bit more) with lots of interwebing and it turns out that, my now rather ‘old’ S2’s hardware should actually support BT4 except it’s only got android 4.1.2 (and samsung probably won’t be updating it to 4.3 now)…

I’ve held off trying to buy a HRM to use with my phone due to various uncertainties about the Strava android App supporting certain BT devices and then just as they start working on it, it turns out I’m delayed even further by having an older version of android, Unless I root the thing and install a custom ROM, which I’m sort of hesitant to do TBH, especially if support for BT4 isn’t actually available in the apps I want to use for a while yet…

I think I may just hang on until it’s new phone time and maybe go for a Nexus 4… or 5 if I’m feeling flush, and then start looking at HRM’s again?

wahoo have a beta app for android I believe and that will upload direct to strava.

But Wahoo’s own HRM device is BT4, and I assume the Wahoo beta app only supports BT4 devices if you are running it on Android 4.3+. The BT version I can use is limited by the phone’s current Android version, as well as the available apps, that’s my real issue…

Hence I’ve been looking at rooting it and installing cyanogenmod 10.2, which in theory means the BT4 capable module in the phone would now finally work with BT4 devices only ~3 years after it was originally released…

I’m just a bit scared of rooting, and installing a new ROM on my phone and bricking it, just so I can use some BT4 devices I don’t actually own…

or just get an iphone where it just works….