Hamilton FAQ
Answered by the app and by the dog
On Android, if you have a bunch of apps and fitness monitors from different manufacturers, very few of them all talk to each other. Your data is scattered across different apps or double counted. However, most data sources write to Health Connect.
Hamilton is a dashboard of your Health Connect data with a homepage that shows your key metrics at a glance. Your choice of data source is flexible to avoid double counting, and you can overlay and offset metrics on charts to view correlations and track progress over time.
I named the app after my dog, who occasionally fetches things and is responsible for my daily step count.
Below is an FAQ, and to avoid confusion I have helpfully labelled my responses [APP] or [DOG].
1. Is Hamilton any good?
APP I think so - I use it daily.
DOG He is the absolute BEST BOY EVER
2. How much does Hamilton cost?
APP £3.59 (or local equivalent). I priced it to be approximately the same as a latte, which is my standard unit of measurement for impulse purchases.
DOG DO NOT REMIND ME. He was a lockdown puppy and I bought him at the top of the market (He's still worth every penny though)
3. Is Hamilton vibe-coded?
APP 100% yes, but human-designed to fit my needs.
DOG He wants to create an app called Rate my Vet, with ratings dependent on how they take his temperature.
4. Is that unsafe? Will Hamilton delete data on my phone?
APP Everything is a read-only view on Health Connect, and the app has no internet permission. It can't delete your Health Connect data and it can't transmit data.
DOG No, but my cat jumped on my keyboard when I was in the middle of typing an insightful LinkedIn post and made me send RUBBISH to my THOUSANDS (20) followers
5. Is Hamilton active in the background?
APP It fetches your data hourly from Health Connect if granted background access, and it works with Android battery saving rules.
DOG He's active in the background of my Zoom calls, mostly licking his bits
6. Is Hamilton tested?
APP I've been using it daily and testing and refining it for months. I realise just typing this sentence means someone will find a critical bug the first time they run it and I will look like a FOOL.
DOG Only for tapeworm and parvo virus.
7. Do you eat your own dog food?
APP I use it every day to show my steps, body comp, workout sessions etc
DOG He does, but he would far rather eat whatever it is I have on my plate.
8. Does Hamilton show all your data?
APP 30+ metrics, everything except blood sugar and reproductive health
DOG The only data he gets is from sniffing lamp posts
9. What units does Hamilton use?
APP Metric, Imperial, and you can also configure per metric group to match the strange mix we have in the UK. No furlongs though.
DOG WPM - Wags per Minute and Socks Stolen Per Day
10. Does Hamilton have any recurring costs?
APP I hate apps with subscriptions, and no internet permission means no backend costs so the app is paid once
DOG Vets are crooks, is all I will say on this.
11. Is there anything better than Hamilton?
APP There are other apps with full, backend API integration with the various fitness data sources, but some cost more per month than Hamilton does once
DOG ABSOLUTELY NOT
12. Has Hamilton won any prizes?
APP Not yet
DOG Second in the Waggiest Tail Category at the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match. He was ROBBED.
13. Are the metrics on the Play Store yours?
APP Absolutely not. I have 5% body fat, do 20,000 steps a day and have a resting heart rate of 12.
DOG Yes