79,613 Reviews| KardiaMobile 1-Lead Personal EKG Monitor – Record EKGs at Home – Detects AFib and Irregular Arrhythmias – Instant Results in 30 Seconds – Easy to Use – Works with Most Smartphones – FSA/HSA Eligible

Works as described. It was reasonably priced and the size is good. It is convenient and easy to use.

Like a lot of people, when I first saw the commercial for this device I questioned how anything at this price point and size could provide accurate results for an EKG – something that I’ve always had to be hooked up with leads at my doctor’s office to get. I haven’t been to my cardiologist since purchasing the monitor, so I can’t comment on its accuracy from a medical perspective just yet. (I will update the review with this information when I have it.) The remainder of my review will focus on its features and getting things up and running “out of the box”.Initial device setupTake it out of the box, and remove the plastic from around the battery on the bottom of the device. The physical part of the setup is that simple. There are no on or off buttons (or buttons of any kind) on the device itself – it’s about as simple as you can get. This is definitely a plus for a device like this. After all, if someone is experiencing an incident and trying to take an EKG the last thing one wants to do is fumble with buttons and switches. Kudos on the design!App setup and useThe app was fairly easy as well – download it from the App Store and create your account in it. The app guides you through taking your first EKG as well, which leads to the only “surprise” that I got out of the whole process: after taking your first EKG, it must be submitted to Alivecor for a medical review. This review must be completed by them (well, a medical professional through them) before you can do anything else with the device. The message in their app says it typically takes up to 24 hours to complete this review (mine was completed in around 20 hours). Until that’s complete, the device is essentially a paperweight (albeit a cool looking one).Initial EKGAs mentioned earlier, your first EKG must be reviewed by one of Alivecor’s medical professionals before you can continue using the device. The app states that this is an FDA requirement. The device is regulated by the FDA so the statement is logical – plus it just makes sense from both a quality control and legal perspective. This, however, is one thing that they do not advertise enough prior to purchase. They do state it on their website – but it’s buried in the Frequently Asked Questions section. This wasn’t a big deal to me, and in fact was a benefit. (Who wouldn’t want a board certified cardiologist to look at an EKG and provide an interpretation for free?) However, those who expect to get the monitor and “jump right in” taking recording after recording on the first day will be disappointed that they can’t.Subsequent EKGsIt’s simple to take an EKG, and only takes about a minute to complete. Sit down with a solid flat surface in front of you. Get as comfortable as you can. Open the app, and place the phone as close as you can to the monitor. The instructions say within 12 inches, and they provide an attachment plate that will attach the device to your phone. (I haven’t used the attachment plate, so I can’t comment on it.) Click on the “Record Now” button. Place the index and middle fingers from both hands on the plates on the device and sit still and relax for 30 seconds. Afterward, the app will ask whether the EKG was of you or someone else. That’s it – easier and quicker than getting hooked up with all those pads from your doctor’s EKG machine.An instant analysis will indicate if the EKG was normal, abnormal, or unclassified. Normal is, of course, what you want to hear. There are a number of reasons that the EKG could be unclassified that are listed under the Frequently Asked Questions section of Alivecor’s website. One of mine came back unclassified when my heart rate was over 90 – so I’d recommend not using this to take an EKG immediately after exercising. (I did this as a test to see what the EKG monitor could do.)The App – Premium FeaturesWhile the device is simple and well designed, it’s useless without its companion app, which works well on my iPhone 7 Plus. While the app is fairly easy to navigate and includes some good features, those who bought the EKG monitor with the expectation of getting more than a simple “record and store one result” experience without purchasing a subscription will be disappointed.When creating your account in the app, you’re given the option of starting a free 30 day trial of Alivecor’s premium service. My recommendation is to try it out. This adds some features to the app that are handy – a place to record resting heart rate, medications taken for the day, blood pressure from an Omron cuff, and a weight diary. While all those features and useful and good, the main reason to consider a premium subscription is storage of multiple EKG test results. (Without a premium subscription, only the last result is stored.)This subscription is available for $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually, and payment information must be entered manually through the app. This is primarily what prevents my review for this device from being 5 stars. In my opinion, $10 per month is too expensive for a subscription price, unless someone has cardiac issues which require frequent monitoring. $4.99 per month or even less for the casual user would provide better value. I also think that the EKG journal feature (which saves more than just the most recent EKG reading) should be part of the basic (free) plan. Lastly, the app doesn’t accept ApplePay for subscription fees.ConclusionThe device is simple to use, and so is the app. This has great potential, and I’d recommend that those who wish to do more than monitor their heart rate and blood pressure consider buying this EKG monitor. Just be prepared to pay more than the purchase price of the equipment in service fees annually to make the monitor as useful as it can be.

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I am an RN, interpreting Telemetry and EKGs for over 20 years. This gives good strip with only one lead (I) that can show sinus rhythm, bradycardia, sinus tach. So far I was able to get lead II by placing on left knee and right hand. I am able to identify PVCs, PACs, run of pSVT, afib.Cons–weak transmission, had to put item directly on phone to get reading. Any muscle tremors cause a lot of interference so MUST be complete relaxed to get good reading.- item interpretation limited. Sometimes will state “Normal sinus rhythm” implying the person’s heart s “normal” I fear untrained people will not seek evaluation when they need it based on the work “normal” I person has frequent PVCs, PACs, short runs of Vtach or SVT they will not understand that these are present and not necessarily “normal” So if you are not well trained in interpretation and feel you need this device GO SEE A PHYSICIAN and show them the rhythms. IMO if anyone is using this they should have the rhythms interpreted by a live human well trained. Item itself is VERY limited in it’s ability to interpret the rhythm. It does a good job identifying afib as apposed to sinus rhythm.PROS- inexpensive way to capture rhythm irregularities when it occurs. Sometime people must undergo expensive 14 or 48 hour Telemetry to capture irregularities that come and go- can save rhythms and bring to physician fir interpretation. Very useful.-small and portable able to bring with you everywhere. Hard case protectors are available separately.

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My cardiologist says it’s not as accurate as a professional . It does give you a pretty good idea.

Edit: I am removing one-star because they oddly do not offer a one-month trial of their service for customers who purchase both the this device and the band for the Apple watch. The one-month trial is one per customer, not one per product, and the Apple watch band fails to work unless you pay for the subscription. It’s an odd way to honor customer loyalty.——————-This is a truly amazing, one-of-a-kind device. For certain individuals, this could be a literal lifesaver. Why just 4 stars, then? I think there’s a little room for improvement, particularly on the Android side of things. The quality of the reading is very dependent on the particular model of phone, because it communicates with the phone, not by WiFi or Bluetooth, but by ultrasonic tones. Phone microphones are not necessarily optimized to receive sounds in this range.On many phones I tested it works well enough to distinguish between most cases of atrial fibrillation and normal sinus rhythm (but, then, so does just taking a radial pulse). But for more subtle abnormalities, such as differentiating atrial fibrillation from multifocal atrial tachycardia, it is essential to be able to discern P waves and determine if there is an isoelectric baseline. Consequently, a good recording, versus a slightly noisy one, can make all the difference.I am an Android user and did not have an iPhone until after I purchased this device. I was disappointed to see the latest generation of Android phones were not included on the official list of manufacturer-approved phones. (Just because you can download the app from Google Play on your phone, doesn’t mean that it will necessarily work well, or even at all, on that phone.)The following are the phones I tested and the results, in case it is helpful to others:OnePlus 5T – This had been my current phone, a great Android device that I very much love. KardiaMobile does not really work at all with this phone, unfortunately. Initially there was mainly a “no signal” indication with a rare “weak signal” being reported by the app. After multiple attempts, with my fingers moistened and the KardiaMobile sitting on a desk, I was able to get a shaky, noisy, and artifact-ridden baseline read completed. I sent it in for “human” review of the initial read. It (somewhat surprisingly) passed muster as normal sinus rhythm and allowed me to then begin using the app and take additional recordings. I subsequently discovered that if the device is placed on the back side of the phone (noting that a mount is provided) I could get a half-way decent reading, but I still was not confident about it. Not surprisingly, it is not on the list of approved phones.Samsung Galaxy S7 – This was the phone I used before my OnePlus 5T. I still had it in my closet but was loathe to go back to it because it grew laggy, battery life significantly shortened over time, and I hate the TouchWiz complications that Samsung layers on to Android. In fact, it may be no exaggeration to say that I’d rather have a stroke than go back to this phone–just kidding. Nevertheless, of all the phones I tested, this one works the best, with a consistently strong signal and clear recording, rivaling or even exceeding an iPhone X, which I eventually settled upon (because the old S7 was simply not an option for me). My findings were consistent with it being listed as an approved phone by the manufacturer.My initial preference was for a Google Pixel 2 or 2XL, which are on display at Best Buy. However, in demo mode, the app could not be installed. Sure, I could ask people I know to test KardiaMobile out on the various phones they own, but I don’t really want to go into a long explanation of my motives for doing and concern them with potential health issues.Samsung Galaxy S9+ – I tried two different samples at Best Buy. Surprisingly, I was able to install the app in the demo mode at the store. The first device was connected to the charging/anti-theft cord and the salesman would not allow me to unplug it. However, he did graciously allow me to try out his personal Galaxy S9+, unplugged it so that I could be sure it was free of 60hz or other electrical interference from charging. The recordings were similar on both units: Although the signal was reported as strong, there was a high frequency, very fine and regular interference pattern (similar or worse to recordings on other units when the “enhance” option in the app was switched off). Strike that one off the list. I did not try taking a reading with the device fixed to the back of the phone, nor did I test a Galaxy S9.LG G7 ThinQ – I tested this at a T-Mobile store. It was connected to the charging/anti-theft display. Again, I was surprised I could install the app in demo mode and also surprised that the salesman wouldn’t disconnect it for me, even though I informed him I’d buy it outright on the spot if it worked well. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well and was borderline acceptable. In a quieter room, disconnected from external power, without me performing contortions to keep the phone from retracting onto its anti-theft tether while holding the KardiaMobile, it may even be entirely acceptable. However, I wasn’t willing to take that risk and struck it off the list.Huawei Mate 10 (not the Mate 10 Pro) – This phone is on the approved list. It was not available to try at any local retailer, so I ordered it from Amazon. I was disappointed with the phone both as an Android device and its specific use with KardiaMobile. It was as bad or worse than the Galaxy S9+. I don’t know how it passed testing from KardiaMobile’s manufacturer, unless I happened to get a faulty unit.So, at that point, really the only semi-current Android device was the Galaxy S 8/8+. I didn’t try either because I couldn’t imagine spending a lot of money on a device that was already one generation-old (and I’m also not a fan of Samsung’s implementation of Android). I also called the KardiaMobile manufacturer technical support. They were easy to reach but had no updates on any newly approved Android phones. I was therefore resigned to switch to an iPhone.I went to an Apple Store. They would not let me install an app on a phone, so I had to purchase a phone as an article of faith, given that virtually all reasonably recent iPhone models are listed as working by the KardiaMobile maker. Fortunately, they have a generous 2-week no-strings return policy (or at least that’s what they say). I am pleased to say that the device works well on an iPhone X. In contrast to my experience with the OnePlus 5T, there seems to be a better recording when the KardiaMobile is placed on a desk, rather than the back of the phone. The iOS app also seems a little more robust than the corresponding Android app.The KardiaMobile will be useless if I don’t have it with me. That was my main reason for not using with my old Galaxy S7. I simply could not imagine carrying around two phones (with the S7 only being used for KardiaMobile, but not as a phone), using two different types of cables to charge them. I wish that the KardiaMobile manufacturer made a case that could incorporate the device on the back of iPhone X, but they only do so for the iPhone 7/8 (and both of those were too small for me for the basic phone functionality I needed). Additionally, as noted, I felt that the device worked better when placed alongside, rather than on the back of the iPhone X.For the time-being, I am carrying the KardiaMobile, encased in the separately purchased manufacturer’s felt case, in a K.So minimalist stretchy, fabric wallet, where it fits quite well, alongside my usual credit cards, cash, and driver’s license.I still miss my OnePlus 5T. I feel that Android is a better OS (or at least I prefer it) and that the OnePlus 5T is, in many regards, superior to an iPhone (with the exception of the camera). Nevertheless, for me, it s a compromise worth making. There is also the possibility of adding the KardiaMobile band to an Apple watch, whereas there is no similar watch-based solution for the Android platform.

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