Amazfit Adds Activity Sync: A Garmin TrueUp Rival?

Garmin solved multi-device sync in 2023, starting its journey in 2016. Amazfit has just taken the first step onto the same ladder with its Activity Sync feature, part of the new Zepp OS6, which adds some new features but is mostly a consolidation of several recent additions.

What Multi-Device Activity Sync does

The Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra are the only watches that support OS 6 so far. When an Amazfit owner has more than one device, the Zepp app merges daily activity data across both and keeps the totals consistent. The metrics listed are steps, calories, standing, and distance. Zepp Health mysteriously adds “other activity metrics” without specifying what those cover.

The sync runs via the Zepp app, not device-to-device, a standard architecture used across the industry, pioneered by Garmin. Most features in Zepp OS 6 are consolidations of capabilities that have been rolling out to OS 5 devices over the past year. Multi-Device Activity Sync is the exception, as it is genuinely new to the platform.

What Garmin TrueUp does — and when it launched

Garmin’s sync features were the best part of 7 years in the making. A long time, considering that Garmin’s best customers owned more than one device but suffered from a fragmented, inconsistent mosaic when looking at their data.

• Garmin introduced TrueUp in November 2016. It solved the same problem that Amazfit addresses today, i.e. steps, distance, calories, stairs, and intensity minutes scattered across multiple devices. The Garmin Connect app acted as the intermediary, favouring a Preferred Activity Tracker.
• In 2018, Garmin extended the feature with Physio TrueUp, which added physiological data to the sync: VO2 max, recovery time, training load, training load focus, FTP and power zones, and heat and altitude acclimation. Thus, a cycling session on an Edge computer counted toward recovery time on a Forerunner.
• Finally, in 2023, Garmin went further with Unified Training Status, introducing Primary Training Device and Primary Wearable designations and extending ecosystem consistency for training status and load focus across the full device range.

The gap: training load and HybridCharge

Amazfit’s readiness score is the latest HybridCharge. It builds on BioCharge by adding user-reported context — stress, illness, alcohol, jet lag — alongside Rate of Perceived Exertion logged after each session. The idea is to provide a fuller picture of load and recovery than biometrics alone can.

That premise depends on HybridCharge seeing all the training. The most obvious gap is the Helio Strap. Amazfit markets the Strap as a companion sensor for gym sessions when a wrist-worn watch is impractical or inaccurate. If a Helio Strap strength session does not feed the Balance 3’s HybridCharge score, the hybrid readiness metric is wrong.

Zepp Health has not confirmed whether training load, recovery time, or HybridCharge score crosses device boundaries. Garmin closed that gap in 2018 after 2 years of work. Let’s hope Amazfit can turn it around faster than that.

What else is new in Zepp OS 6

The platform release brings several features new to the Amazfit range, as well as others already available on OS 5 devices via firmware updates over the past year.

The following are new to the platform.

HybridCharge replaces BioCharge as the primary readiness score. It adds three inputs: LifeLoad, which lets users log external stressors including illness, alcohol, and jet lag; Rate of Perceived Exertion, logged after each session; and Boundary Reminders, which alert the user when readiness drops below a personal threshold before or during a workout.

Training Library brings official Zepp Training courses directly onto the watch.

HYROX Virtual Pace extends existing HYROX support with structured templates built toward a user-specified target race time (also works for sims).

Recovery Time has been tweaked from its earlier incarnation as an indicator of the hours required to wait until readiness to a textual cue – easy, moderate, and hard readiness states.

Daily Briefing extends and replaces Morning Update with: a morning briefing covering weather, sleep, schedule, training, and recovery, and an evening review of workouts, activity, and health trends.

Three performance metrics arrive with OS 6 that have already reached some OS 5 devices via firmware. Grade-Adjusted Pace accounts for the gradient, reflecting actual effort on variable terrain. Running Lactate Threshold can be estimated via a guided test or automatic detection during supported runs. LTHR-Based Heart Rate Zones anchor the zone structure to lactate threshold rather than maximum heart rate. Assuming the LTHR detection gets a sensible value, this is a superior method.

The following are also new to the platform:

• Training Calendar: training plan and workout history in a single on-watch view
• Rowing machine connectivity: real-time distance, pace, and power from supported machines
• Indoor cycling sensor support: speed, cadence, and power sensors plus compatible smart trainers
• Gear Management: automatic mileage tracking for shoes and bikes with replacement reminders
• Motion UI: revised design language with tighter hierarchy and vertical navigation
• New Launcher: unified swipe and button patterns across watch face, workouts, apps, and notifications
• Unified Notification Management: system-level switch to silence all notifications at once

The takeout

Amazfit owners have been waiting and asking for this for some time. I suspect the initial euphoria will wear off once the realisation sets in that there are a lot more things that need to be synced to catch up with Garmin. Still, the basics are there, and Amazfit had to start somewhere. The company is pretty good at developing features quickly, so the next more meaningful update might even make its way to watches this year. Let’s see.

The strategic picture implies that a bit more urgency is needed.

Amazfit is rumoured to be releasing a Helio Strap 2 later this year, suggesting it is taking the Whoop and Fitbit Air band market very seriously. With seriousness comes the need to properly integrate the strap’s syncing capabilities with the full ecosystem. This will require syncing load and readiness.

 

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FAQ

What is Amazfit Multi-Device Activity Sync?

It is a feature in Zepp OS 6 that consolidates daily activity data — steps, calories, standing, and distance — across multiple Amazfit devices via the Zepp app. Previously, owning more than one Amazfit device meant fragmented totals. The sync resolves that by combining data from all connected devices into a single daily figure.

How does Amazfit Activity Sync compare to Garmin TrueUp?

Amazfit’s sync covers daily activity totals, which is equivalent to what Garmin’s original TrueUp did in 2016. Garmin extended that in 2018 with Physio TrueUp, which added syncing of training load, recovery time, and VO2 max across devices. Amazfit has not yet confirmed whether equivalent physiological data cross device boundaries.

Does the Helio Strap feed into HybridCharge on the Balance 3?

Zepp Health has not confirmed this. It is the key unanswered question. HybridCharge needs to see all training load to produce a credible readiness score. If a Helio Strap gym session does not feed the Balance 3’s score, the readiness metric is incomplete for users who train across both devices.

Which devices support Zepp OS 6?

At launch, only the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra will be available. Zepp Health has indicated that more devices will receive OS 6 updates over time, with the Balance 2 confirmed via Zepp’s X account.

Last Updated on 4 June 2026 by the5krunner