Huawei GT3 : Third Party App Ability is Reasonably Good.
If you are someone that is thinking of buying the Huawei GT3 but unsure how the device interacts with apps and third party apps?, then this article is just for you. I have waited a long time to write this article because New Zealand has finally got the Harmony OS3 updates.
With the latest updates there is a lot of changes when it comes to third party app ability, so I will provide every detail this in the article. Interacting with applications can be done in two ways, Indirect or direct ability, and I have put the devices through it’s paces through my own testing criteria. Here are the final results.
| Feature | Result |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth |
| App Stores | 2/5 |
| In Direct Ability | 5/5 |
| Direct Ability | 4/5 |
| Final Score | 11/15 |
In the end the Huawei GT3 finish’s with a very strong score and is on level par with the Huawei Watch Fit 2 in terms of third party app ability. However there is a slight difference and I will indicate these when you read through my test results.
The Huawei GT3’s real strength is with the indirect ability, which is very good for anyone that has a premium level subscription to popular apps like Strava, Komoot and Adidas running, so I will provide those results as well.
I will also provide a full test ranking table as well so you can see for your self where the device ranks in the market. Please note that this is my own testing system, so the results are purely taken from the device in my region of New Zealand, which may be different to yours.
App Stores : 2 out of 5
With the app gallery, it’s pretty good, and there is a significant difference with the new Harmony OS3 updates. Prior to the update, there was only 15 apps that are compatible with the device, now that number has expanded to 31, which is far greater than the Watch Fit 2 app gallery which only has three.
Even with the new updates the experience is still the same, and not for the better Im afraid, especially for those that own a Apple phone. I will explain this next but here is a summary of my results for this category.
| Test Criteria | Rating |
| Own app gallery | Yes |
| App manager | Yes |
| Ability to synchronise Apps | 2/5 |
Ability to synchronise Apps
Although the app gallery has expanded to 31 apps, the problem from the still remains from the last updates which is, what app can actually sync with your phone. The only way to find out is to download and install the app. Allow Huawei Health to transfer the app onto your device, and then you will know pretty soon it wont work for your device.
A lot of it comes down to the ecosystem, the Huawei GT3 works better in a like for like situation, such as a Huawei device connected to a Huawei phone. I have a android phone, and the experience isn’t the greatest because you have to allow permissions for a untrusted app to be stored onto your phone and allow the untrusted app permission to access your tracking data. So just be aware of that when downloading apps through the app manager.
Verdict : The issues I have is very generic for all Huawei devices, and the app gallery is not as stable as the Garmin connect/IQ because, the Garmin app management system can adapt to to many device Ecosystems and still operate without issue. The final score of 2 out of 5 is a fair score in this category.
In Direct Ability : 5 out of 5
If you are not familiar with the term, in direct ability is where you share your tracking data from Huawei Health via partnership with a third party application. This is very good for anyone that has a premium level subscription, so before you buy check the settings if tracking data can be shared.
In this test, I have used three apps which is Komoot, Adidas running and Strava. What I look for when testing is the length of time for your tracking data to synchronise to the third party app, once I end a workout mode from the Huawei Health App.
The end results was fantastic, and I ended a workout in two ways, firstly when my phone is within Bluetooth range, and secondly when I walk outside, then walk within Bluetooth range of my phone. Both times the device synchronised right away, and all three apps were active during the test and three synchronised at the same time. Here is a summary of my final results.
| Name of App | Type | Subscription | Result |
| Komoot | Hiking | Free | 5/5 |
| Adidas Running | Running | Free | 5/5 |
| Strava | GPS tracking | Free | 5/5 |
Verdict : In the end the Huawei GT3 deserves it’s 5 out of 5 rating for this category. I think some people prefer to run these types of apps directly off the watch. I like a more minimalistic approach, where you can use one app (Huawei Health) that can connect to multiple apps, which is like a one stop shop. I can only speak for my own preferences.
Direct Ability : 4 out of 5
In this test, results were very mixed but the end result was still very reliable enough. The apps that I chose from the app gallery were Petal maps, Watch control and home workout. Here is a quick summary of results with the apps.
Petal Maps : If you dont know what Petal maps is, it’s very similar to Google maps. In my experience this app works very well. It synced to the watch very well, adapts to more than one ecosystem (Huawei/Android) but the device must be within Bluetooth range.
Watch Control : This is a new app added from the Huawei OS3 updates, and it’s a app where you can control your Spotify account directly form your watch. It takes some time to connect to your account, but once done, the app synchronised to the watch, can only use with phone in Bluetooth range, and adapts to more than one ecosystem (Huawei/Android).
Home Gym Workout : This is a app that has a AI coach that can help you achieve your fitness goals. This device only adapts to one ecosystem (Huawei), so I could not get anywhere with this app. Not a useful app.
| Criteria | Petal Maps | Watch Control | Workout |
| Synchronise directly to watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Use without phone | No | No | No |
| Use with more than one ecosystem | Yes | Yes | No |
Verdict : This is a small group of apps tested, but based on my location here in New Zealand, not many apps were available in my region, especially the non English speaking ones, or apps specific to a specific country.
The Watch controller app was a very good, it’s a nice change to control your Spotify playlist from a Huawei device, and petal maps is very useful. In the end the Huawei GT3 deserves it’s rating of 4 out of 5 in this category.
How Does The Huawei GT3 Rank in The Market
With the new Harmony OS3 updates, the final ranking did not change at all, but still a good device in the end. In terms of it’s ranking the Huawei GT3 sits at number four, which is still a very strong showing considering the issues I raised earlier in the article.
If I was to compare the Huawei GT3 against the top ranked device which is the Garmin Forerunner 55, it really comes down to two things which is
- Apps that can adapt to multiple ecosystems
- Identify if app is available in your region.
- Ability to operate independently (operating outside phones Bluetooth range)
| Rank | Watch | Speciality | Score |
| 1 | Garmin Forerunner 55 | Multi Sport | 15 |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Smart Apps | 14 |
| 3 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & 5 | Smart Apps | 14 |
| 4 | Huawei GT3 PRO | Fitness tracking | 11 |
| 5 | Huawei GT3 Active | Fitness tracking | 11 |
| 6 | Huawei Watch Fit 2 | Fitness Tracking | 11 |
| 7 | Huawei Band 7 | Fitness Tracking | 7 |
| 8 | Fitbit Charge 5 | Health | 7 |
| 9 | Polar Ignite 3 | Fitness Tracking | 5 |
| 10 | Xiaomi S1 Active | Smart Apps | 3 |
Final Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have learnt a lot about the Huawei GT3 third party ability. With a strong score of 11 out of 15 is a pretty good overall score that is really level par against the Huawei Watch Fit 2. You would have seen that in my final rankings in comparison to other brands in the market.
The strongest category for this device is the indirect method, which is good news to anyone with a premium level subscription. If you do have one, check within the settings if a partnership can be done with the Huawei Health app.
Does it really matter, to have a strong third party app ability?, This really matters for anyone that uses a premium subscription which makes sense, but if you dont have any premium subscriptions at all then the answer is no.
The Huawei native tracking systems is good to a point, but if there is some unique tracking information that the Native Huawei system does not offer, then the third party app becomes useful. Especially if it’s a very specialised training system. Thank you for reading.
