If you've ever wondered why today's figures sometimes jump forward in lumps, this article explains where the numbers come from and what makes them refresh.
The tracker does the measuring
Activity, steps, distance, calories, sleep and barking are all measured by your pet's collar — not by your phone. Your phone only displays them.
That's also why walks you record on your phone don't add to these numbers. See "Do walks count toward my pet's activity goals?" for the reasoning.
Two ways the data reaches the app
| Route | How it works |
|---|---|
| Over the mobile network | The collar sends its readings in on its own, wherever your pet is |
| Over Bluetooth | When your phone is connected to the collar and the Ask A Vet app is open, the data comes straight across |
How fresh the numbers are
With your phone near the collar and the app open, Ask A Vet asks the tracker for new readings every 5 seconds, so the current hour stays close to live. When new data arrives, an open Activity & stats screen refreshes itself.
If your phone has never connected to that collar before, opening the screen may also prompt you for Bluetooth permission — that's expected.
Tip: Simply opening Activity & stats makes your phone try to connect to your pet's collar over Bluetooth and pull the latest data. If you want today's figures as current as possible, stand next to your pet and open the screen.
Which day a reading lands on
Figures are filed against calendar days using the pet owner's time zone — and the ranges on the dashboard are worked out against that same calendar, so a family member in another time zone sees the owner's days rather than their own. A reading right on the boundary between two days can occasionally land on the neighbouring day, so don't be surprised by a small shift late at night or very early in the morning.
Hourly detail depends on the collar
The Insights chart on a stat's detail screen breaks the day into hours. Those hourly buckets come from the collar too, so a day can have totals without an hour-by-hour breakdown. When that happens the app says Hourly breakdown not available rather than showing made-up bars.
Please note: [CONFIRM: any accuracy statement the team is comfortable publishing for steps, distance and calories, and how calories are derived]
Please note: [CONFIRM: battery impact of keeping the app connected to the collar over Bluetooth]
Related articles - What is the Activity & stats screen? - Activity & stats is empty, shows zeros, or says "Hourly breakdown not available" - Do walks count toward my pet's activity goals? - How to read your pet's Activity & stats dashboard