How to use wearable tech if youve got tattoos

If you’ve got tattoos and are interested in trying out wearable tech, there are a few things to consider before reaching for your wallet.

The bad news is that tattoos and wearables aren’t always compatible. It’s a known issue among wearable makers but isn’t apparent to many consumers. You can still occasionally stumble upon social media posts where tattooed folks strap on a new smartwatch only to find that the device doesn’t work well — if it works at all. In the case of the Apple Watch, for example, tattoos can interfere with wrist detection, making the device unable to recognize that you’re actually wearing it.

This is because the majority of wrist-based wearables rely on photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors. These optical sensors work...

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