Frequently Asked Questions (for the week with the watch)

It's a Garmin Vivosmart 5, used here purely as a research sensor. For our study it records two things in the background: your child's everyday movement (how active they are, how much they sit, how they move) and their sleep (how long and how restful). Together these help us understand how the use of digital media relates to children's physical activity and sleep.

No. The watch has no microphone, no camera, and no messaging. It only records activity and sleep. (You may be asked to grant the phone app a "Location" permission, that is a technical requirement for background data transfer, not location tracking of you. See Why does the app need Location set to "Always"?)

No. We deliberately set it up to be as plain and uninteresting as possible: the screen is dim and shows only the time, it doesn't vibrate or make sounds, and there are no notifications, games or apps. There is nothing for your child to do with it, which is exactly what we want.

We need a full picture of a typical week, including both weekdays and a weekend, and both daytime activity and night-time sleep. A few full days and nights are the minimum that gives us usable data, so continuous wear matters.

The non-dominant wrist (the hand your child doesn't draw or write with), just above the wrist bone. It should be snug but comfortable, you should be able to slide a finger under the band. Too tight might irritate the skin; too loose and the sensor might not read properly.

Yes. If your child is very young, finds the wrist uncomfortable, or keeps pulling it off, the ankle works well and the important data is still captured reliably. If you switch between wrist and ankle during the week, please email us and tell us when you switched and where the watch was worn afterwards, it helps us read the data correctly.

Yes, as continuously as possible: during play, sleep, and bathing (it's water-resistant). Take it off only to charge.

You can try again the next day, children sometimes just need a little time to get used to it. If your child really doesn't want to wear it all week, that's is no problem; simply return the watch at the end of the week and we work with whatever was collected. Your participation in the rest of the study is unaffected.

Take the watch off and email us. Your child's comfort comes first, we would always rather you remove it than push through discomfort.

About every two days. With our settings the battery lasts roughly 2–3 days; charging every two days keeps it from running flat. A full charge takes about 1.5 hours, after which it can go straight back on.

Usually the evening, for example during dinner or your child's bath or bedtime routine.

Clip the small end of the cable onto the back of the watch (it only fits one way, the four contacts line up with the four pins), and plug the USB end into any charger, computer or wall adapter.

Yes, the app sends occasional charging reminders. Please don't turn the app's notifications off, or you'll miss them.

No harm done, just charge it and put it back on. 

This is a very important setting, and the one most often missed. It is not because we track your location. On iPhone, "Always" is what allows the app to stay in the background and move the watch's data to our research servers even when your phone is locked. If Location is left on "While Using the App," iOS suspends the app after a short while and uploading stops.

To set it: Settings → Avicenna → Location → Always. 

While you're there, you can also confirm Settings → Avicenna → Bluetooth → On.

No, this is the most reassuring thing to know. Two separate things are happening:

Watch → phone (syncing): the watch keeps transferring its readings to your phone over Bluetooth and also stores them on the watch itself. This keeps happening regardless.

Phone → our servers (uploading): this only runs once Location is set to "Always."

So if data hasn't appeared yet, often because Location was still on "While Using" for the first day or two, nothing is lost. It's buffered. The moment you set Location to "Always," the whole backlog (including the earlier days) uploads at once. To keep data flowing automatically after that, leave Location on "Always" for the rest of the week.

Keep everything exactly as set. After a few days iPhones sometimes ask whether to keep allowing background location, and Android sometimes offers to "pause" an app it thinks is unused. 

If you reduce any of these out of habit, especially Location, uploading to our servers stops. Please keep them on for the whole week.

The app does its work in the background, so you don't need to open it. But if you swipe it away in the app switcher (fully close it), it can no longer transfer data. Leaving it running in the background is exactly right.

Open the app and look at the device page for the timestamp of the last sync (watch icon, top right). A recent timestamp means data is flowing to your phone. You can also check the settings, there is a cloud symbol which indicates the last sync to the research servers. 

On newer Android versions the app needs Location permission to scan for the watch over Bluetooth, so the in-app list can stay empty even though your phone's own Bluetooth sees the watch. 

Fix: long-press the Avicenna app icon → App info → Permissions → Location → "Allow all the time," then reopen the app and start pairing again. If it still doesn't appear, email us.

Our app talks to the watch directly, and the Garmin Connect app interferes with that connection. If you already use a Garmin device, we asked you to uninstall Garmin Connect just for the study week, your personal Garmin data is safe on Garmin's servers and on your device, and resyncs automatically when you reinstall the app afterwards. 

If you'd rather not lose your daily Garmin sync, you can keep Garmin Connect on a second device (e.g. a tablet) and run the SWIPE app on the phone you carry day-to-day. If Garmin Connect ends up installed by accident (e.g. an automatic update), the SWIPE app shows a warning, please uninstall it again.

Check, in order: Bluetooth is on; your phone is near your child (a few metres); the app hasn't been fully closed; and on iPhone, Location is "Always." Open the app once to wake it. If it's still dropping after 24 hours, email us.

Email us and we'll walk you through a quick re-pairing (about 5 minutes), which clears most stubborn problems. The steps are:

• iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth → tap the ⓘ next to the Garmin device → Forget This Device.

• Open the Avicenna app → Settings → Sign Out completely, then sign back in.

• Re-pair the watch inside the app.

• When asked, re-enter your child's correct height, weight and date of birth (a wrong profile can cause errors).

• Confirm Location = Always and Bluetooth = On.

Tap it twice, or press the front button. If it still won't respond, and your phone isn't showing recent syncs, hold the button for about 10 seconds for a gentle restart.

Email us and we'll help you connect the watch to the new phone.

Most settings have no problem with a child wearing a small watch. If questions do come up ("Is it a smartwatch? Can it record anything?"), use the short letter we gave you at the appointment. You can hand over the printed letter, send a photo of it, or just keep it in your bag in case it comes up. The letter explains that the watch has no apps, games, camera, microphone or messaging, and only records activity and sleep passively. It's signed by the study team, and teachers are welcome to contact us directly at info@swipe-study.ch.

Not at all. The watch simply comes along. Just remember to pack the charging cable. If possible let us know during the lab visit, via E-Mail or report on it in your final "how was your week"-questionnaire on the App. 

Easiest is the prepaid return envelope you received at the appointment, postage is already paid, so just drop it in any mailbox. 

Before sealing it: wipe the watch with a soft, slightly damp cloth (water is enough), and put the watch and the cable in the envelope so nothing goes missing.

That's fine! 

Email us and we'll arrange a drop-off or coordinate it with a follow-up appointment.

No problem, email us and we'll organise a new one or an in-person return.

This happens. Just let us know at info@swipe-study.ch, your participation in the study isn't affected.

Your choice! kKeep it (handy when you take part again next year) or uninstall it. But please don't delete your account inside the app, as that removes the link to your study data. Uninstalling the app is enough; your data has already been transferred to our servers.

Yes, if you indicated interest in the diary study, we recommend leaving the SWIPE app installed for now. You may even be able to take part in the same week your child wears the watch.