Hilo by Aktiia Reviews 

They wait until you've purchased the Hilo Core bp monitoring system before informing you it's contraindicated in people with kidney disease. Well, that would be me and now I'm getting pushed from pillar to post trying to return this heap of junk for a refund.

The band is ridiculously off range. I did 20 mesurements with an Omron medical device that were 130/80 while the Hilo was showing 150/90 with the calibration done in the same day at an average of 120/80. Its impossible to get a human answer on whatsapp or e-mail. I paid 100 EUR yearly subscription and have no way of recouperating it as it was via apple pay and Hilo doesnt want to cooperate. Stay away!

I purchased a band and cuff nearly 4 years ago and have been using them to monitor my blood pressure ever since. There has not previously been any charge other than the original, very high, cost of purchasing at circa £300. Now they require a subscription fee which has never been mentioned previously and it appears that the only way to subscribe is to purchase a new cuff and band - why, I already have them? The cost of a 12-month subscription, new band and new cuff is now £199.99. This is extortion and, presumably, Aktia are going to require similar annually going forward. I am going to revert to taking daily BP readings with my £18 Cazon cuff and recording them on Apple health as I was before. Pity that Aktia are rip-off merchants - steer well clear is my advice.

Purchased a replacement strap and recording unit, received the recording unit no band in delivered box, contacted every email I could find after using the chat and text part of customer service, typical AI automated replies no help at all and after 5 days up to now nothing totally distrust the company now as they have no customer service at all, looks like they just hope you go away without them having to do anything about any issues the customer has,

Although you have sent a free bracelet out I’m still waiting for my refund for the 1 i didn’t receive, on waiting for a further week for a reply from your customer services I asked how long will this take “7-21 days from when you have returned the item”

HOW DO I RETURN WHAT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED!

once again please sort out your customer service issues

First the good: easy to use, very convenient.
Now the bad: the band gives much higher readings than a conventional BP monitor leading to unnecessary stress. I did contact customer services but they were unhelpful, casting doubt on my other readings (I used two conventional monitors and they gave consistent readings).
So this device has limited value in that it shies a trend, but very poor at absolute values which might help inform whether medications indicated.
At this price, I expected better. I will not be renewing my subscription.

I received my Hilo today, and while it seems a good device, the strap is smaller than any other device I have ever owned.

Their website says it will fit a 140 mm–210 mm (14 to 21 cm) wrist circumference, but when I submitted a support request, their AI robot, Alex, said it ships with a medium 12–19 cm wrist circumference.

Alex also said that if I wanted a bigger one, I had to purchase one, which for me in Australia is $59.99 plus $19.99 postage (total of $79.98), a 6-day wait, or return the item.

I actually thought I might need a bigger strap and would have purchased one if the website was accurate. Hilo is a long-term relationship of $199 per year, and I have not even put it on my wrist and feel a little burnt that I have to return it.

The bracelet worked well for 18 months and then the battery needed charging more frequently, until it simply stopped charging nearly a month ago. Have been trying to get a replacement under the 2 year warranty since then, lots of hurdles put in the way to claim. Now I have a voucher code for a replacement bracelet only they are sold out, process has probably increased my blood pressure! Overall I valued the constant monitoring, but my BP is now stable and bracelet not that comfortable to wear.....

the product often struggles to measure, but recently my inflatable arm band got punctured and when trying to buy a replacement a bot answered refusing to help. Also, sleep detection is rubbish.

Update 16/08/2026: after posting this review I was contacted by actual humans and they sent me free-of-charge a replacement cuff and a coupon for a free wrist strap. In the meantime I tried to find alternatives but despite the limitations, Hilo remains the only contender in this race, and I'm happy I can use it again.

Product stopped working after a firmware update. Tried to contact customer service for a week and still not had a response other than an automated chatbot which kept repeating itself. Shocking customer service for a health product.

Second update. Love this concept, but the calibration cuff continues to read an average of 8-10 mmHg systolic high and 7-8 mmHg diastolic high. These are consistent variables measured over the last two weeks using the exact same measuring protocols against three testing monitors. I'm going to keep the device and just deduct mmHg from the readings to get a more accurate measurement. I am not alone with this issue as there are other complaints about the calibration cuff readings being too high. I wish Hilo would address this issue. I would NOT change my medications based on these readings—as you should consult your physician first. My opinions.

First update. Added a third monitor to compare results. HiLo is still reading high. Three monitors agreed on ave. of 119/78 and HiLo recorded 128/84.

I have been anticipating this watch for years both for personal use and to recommend as an EMS professional.

Unfortunately, the product did not work for me. These are my own opinions and others uses have reported outcomes move favorable than mine.

The main problem for me was the accuracy of main cuff used to calibrate the wristband. The averaged readings were shocking, ranging from +20mm Hg systolic to +15mm Hg diastolic. During the initial calibration readings. All correct measuring protocols were used.

I immediately re-checked my blood pressure using two separate calibrated devices that use a separate cuff. Both of these units measured readings that were, -20 and -15 lower than the Hilo cuff. The measurements were conducted using the exact same protocols without adding any additional factors to alter the readings. On the second day, the Hilo provided an alarming rate of 155/94! Again, I checked it against the two other monitors and the readings were 30mm Hg / 10mm Hg lower.

My theory (not based on fact) is that the Hilo cuff is similar to the self-contained "wrist" and "arm" cuffs which are known for inaccurate readings. I might suggest that Hilo consider offering a pressure cuff with a separate receiver. Very few clinical settings use self contained devices, most use a separate cuff. I would rather pay an extra $50.00 for a calibration cuff that worked for me. My theory is that the weight and/or rigidity of self contained devices alter readings when compared to separate, flexible cuffs.

I will go though the last two calibrations and see what happens, but the baseline data is already skewed by bad readings and although I'm confident about my own blood pressure (which was recently checked by my physician), I can only assume some people will freak out if they get similar readings. As medical professional, I would strongly urge anyone who records unusually high readings to consult a physician before making any drastic (+/-) changes to medications.

Overall, I am very disappointed and will be returning this device. I would have given the device one star but after dealing with their irritating AI chat bot, a live representative did reach out to me.

I should note, that after an Internet search, others have reported the same issue with high calibration issues.

Again, my opinions and experiences only. Other users have reported good results.

Non intrusive band thar records and stores data independent of my cell phone. Wrist band syncs well with phone app.

Would love to be able to take a reading on demand without having to use cuff.

Seems to be very accurate when I check it against my omron cuff apparatus.

Mostly excellent but there’s a lack of things that I’d expect. Heart rate variation is one measure that should be well within their compass; another would be the ability to trigger a measurement on demand from the cuff. Apart from these, it does what it says on the tin….

I like knowing my blood pressure and heart rate throughout the 24 hour day. The changes I make in rest, diet and exercise are obvious over a relatively short period of time. Sometimes difficult to sinc to my iPhone and often have to shut off my Bluetooth and reboot to get it to sinc and that’s a bit of a pain.

Very good product very accurate readings

An easy way to measure your blood pressure. It is accurate, and removes the anxiety of BP measurements by professionals which causes false results. I had a few problems setting it up, but being elderly am not techy savvy! I am glad I bought it as it has solved a huge problem for me. My 'white coat anxiety' made a proper reading impossible, and I was able to liase with my doctor to get the correct medication.

Overall I am very happy with the Hilo band so far. Simply to use and calibrate. Two observations that to me would be improvements. Firstly, the strap - needs to be longer. I do not have particularly thick wrists, yet I only have one hole (the last one) that I can use and in hot weather the strap gets tighter then I would like. Secondly on the strap theme, there should be other/more options available. The other observation is, could we have a charger that does not have a cable attached and is simply a USB-C female charging point that any USB-C cable can be used to provide the necessary power? Otherwise, a really good solution for keep tabs on your blood pressure.

It's a great product and provides much reassurance. The reporting is excellent, and it allows me to avoid doctor demands for measurements, which are always subject to white coat elevation.

My only complaint is that I had to replace the silicone strap, as it was irritating my wrist, and the (much better) nylon one was ridiculously expensive.

**UPDATE**
After leaving my initial review, Hilo reached out to me and offered me a second strap without charge, which is the kind of thing I've come to expect from their customer service. I feel slightly embarrassed for having mentioned it now! Once again, the Hilo is an excellent product - I wouldn't be without it now.

Much better than a cuff. I can monitor my BP and provide up to date stats at any time.

I can keep tabs on my bp all time and now steps have been added even better I can improve my activity

Hilo is a wearable wrist band which keeps track of one's blood pressure, pulse rate, daily step count and hours of sleep. Apart from the amount of sleep, which does not keep track of waking up during the night, it does what it says on the box. Moreover, the downloadable app works well and is complete. I have no reservations about recommending the device.