![](/static/66c60d9f/assets/icons/icon-96x96.png)
![](https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/h1ChnLuBHr.png)
I’ve used a Bluetooth heart monitor worn around the chest (was around 20 $ ten years ago) to measure the heart rate before. It works well with open tracks and should be more reliable compared to a device worn around the wrist. I am not sure the gps tracker on a watch works be better than the one on your phone anyways. It might be a problem with your phone killing background apps like opentracks. Check https://dontkillmyapp.com before pulling the plug on a new device.
I’ve been using xmpp for several years now. Even running my own server for family and friends. It’s a great feeling to be fully independent imho.