Fossil Gen 5: Understanding Sleep Tracking Functionality

Fossil has released an update for its Gen 5 smartwatches that includes sleep tracking. The update, which is described as a Wellness app rollout, allows users to track their sleep using their Gen 5 smartwatch. The sleep tracking feature can be enabled by opening the Wellness App on the watch, scrolling down to Settings, tapping Account, selecting Tracking Preferences, and toggling Sleep Tracking on. Once it's on, your sleep metrics will be visible inside the Wellness app. If you want to see these details on your phone, you can connect the Wellness app to Google Fit.

Fossil's Wellness app

To enable sleep tracking on the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, users need to open the Wellness App, scroll down to Settings, tap Account, select Tracking Preferences, and toggle Sleep Tracking on. Once Sleep Tracking is enabled, users can view their sleep metrics inside the Wellness app.

Users can also connect the Wellness app to Google Fit to view their sleep data on their phones. To do this, they need to sign in to their Google account in the Google Fit phone app and the Google Fit watch app, ensuring that they use the same account for both. Once connected, users can also use the Google Fit app to set up the sleep monitoring feature.

In addition to tracking sleep, the Wellness app can also be used to set sleep goals. Users can set their desired sleep goal in terms of hours and minutes.

To access sleep reports on the Gen 5 smartwatch, users can add Sleep as a tile or widget, allowing them to swipe right to left on the screen to quickly access their sleep metrics. Scrolling up on this screen provides weekly, monthly, and total sleep data.

It is important to note that to accurately track sleep, users need to wear their Fossil watch while sleeping and ensure that it does not disturb their sleep by turning on Do Not Disturb Mode or Theater Mode.

Third-party apps

Fossil's Gen 5 smartwatches offer sleep tracking through third-party apps, which you can access and download from Google Play. These third-party apps can be used to track your sleep patterns and set alarms.

For Android phones, you can download the Sleep As Android app, while iPhone users can download the "Smart Alarm and Sleep Tracker for Wear OS" app. After downloading the relevant app, you will need to pair your Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch with Wear OS by Google App to take advantage of its features.

Another option is to use Fossil's Wellness app, which is built into the watch. This app allows you to track and report your sleep patterns automatically. You can then share your sleep data from the Wellness app with Google Fit and view your current and historical sleep data on your phone through the Google Fit app.

To enable the sleep tracking feature on your Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, you can follow these steps:

• Open the Wellness App on your watch.
• Scroll down to Settings.
• Tap Account.
• Select Tracking Preferences.
• Toggle Sleep Tracking on.

Once it's on, you can view your sleep metrics inside the Wellness app. To see these details on your phone, simply connect the Wellness app to Google Fit by signing in with your Google account.

Battery life

Fossil's Gen 5 Smartwatch offers a range of features, including sleep tracking, that impact the device's battery life. The watch offers four battery modes: Daily, Extended, Custom, and Time. Fossil claims that the Gen 5 can last over 24 hours on a single charge, depending on usage. In testing, reviewers were able to get about 12 hours of power with features like the always-on display and automatic heart rate readings turned on. By turning off certain features and enabling battery-saving modes, users can extend the battery life closer to 24 hours.

The watch also includes a battery-saving mode called "Extended Mode", which helps ensure a full 24 hours of battery life per charge. Additionally, users can create custom profiles for specific tasks to optimize battery usage. For example, turning off Wi-Fi, location services, and tilt-to-wake can help conserve battery power.

Some users have reported battery problems with the Gen 5 after about a year of use, with the watch sometimes entering Battery Recovery mode after 8 hours. However, others have found that even after a few years of use, the watch still provides a full day of battery life with occasional reboots to maintain optimal performance.

Compared to competitors like the Apple Watch and Fitbit's smartwatches, Fossil's update that included sleep tracking was considered more ambitious in scope, as it was implemented on older hardware. Overall, the Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch offers a range of battery modes and customization options to help users manage their battery life, with some users reporting satisfactory battery performance even after extended periods of use.

Google Fit

Fossil's Gen 5 smartwatches have sleep tracking capabilities thanks to an update released in 2020. This update added a variety of features that aren't part of the standard Wear OS, including sleep tracking and VO2 max tracking.

Sleep tracking on the Fossil Gen 5 works by utilising improved battery mode settings, allowing users to create custom profiles for specific tasks. The watch will then automatically prompt users to enable "extended mode" to ensure a full 24 hours of battery life per charge. This extended battery life is a key part of how Fossil enables sleep tracking on the Gen 5 smartwatches.

While the Google Fit app has a section for sleep, some users have reported that it does not track their sleep. It is important to note that Google Fit is not a native sleep-tracking app, and users might need to download third-party apps for sleep tracking.

To utilise sleep tracking on the Fossil Gen 5, users can download third-party sleep tracking apps from Google Play. For Android phones, the "Sleep as Android" app can be used, while iPhone users can access the "Smart Alarm and Sleep Tracker for Wear OS" app. These third-party apps can provide more detailed sleep tracking information and analysis.

Additionally, Fossil has also added an updated Phone app with a new tile for quick access to settings and features, further enhancing the sleep tracking experience on the Gen 5 smartwatches.

Wear OS

Fossil's Gen 5 smartwatches have a sleep-tracking feature that wasn't previously available on Wear OS. To access your sleep reports, you can add sleep tracking as a tile (or widget) on your watch face. This way, you can swipe right to left to quickly access your sleep metrics. By scrolling up on this screen, you can view your weekly, monthly, and total sleep data. You can also set your sleep goals in terms of hours and minutes.

To enable sleep tracking on your Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, you need to follow these steps:

• Open the Wellness App on your watch.
• Scroll down to Settings.
• Tap Account.
• Select Tracking Preferences.
• Toggle Sleep Tracking on.

Once sleep tracking is enabled, you can view your sleep metrics within the Wellness app. If you want to access this data on your phone, you can connect the Wellness app to Google Fit. Sign in to your Google account in the Google Fit phone app and the Google Fit watch app, ensuring that you use the same account for both.

It's important to note that Google Fit does not natively track sleep, so you need to use a sleep-tracking app and connect it to Google Fit to get your sleep data. Fossil recommends using its built-in Wellness app, which you can access by updating your watch if you don't see it.

To accurately track your sleep, remember to wear your Fossil watch when you go to bed and keep it on for as long as you want your sleep to be recorded. If you don't want your watch to disturb you with notifications or a bright screen during sleep, you can turn on Do Not Disturb Mode or Theater Mode.

Frequently asked questions