Apple watch heart rate function

Do I have to bring iPhone on a run in order to use the heart rate function of the Apple Watch?

No you don't have too - The watch has an inbuilt heart rate monitor however if you want to use it with a tracker app etc you will need to have your iPhone with you.

Similar Messages

  • Apple watch workout is way off on calories

    I've used the apple watch workout app and the approximate calories burned is way off from what it should be. Is there any way to calibrate it so it will be more accurate? It shows only about half the calories burned that I know it should be.

    Hi poolmanrob,
    Yes, there is a way to calibrate your Apple Watch to improve the results shown in Workout and Activity.  By following the steps in the article linked to below, your Apple Watch will then be calibrated.
    Calibrating your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support
    I also recommend going through the best practices outlined below to ensure you get the best Workout measurement.
    Get the best measurement
    Your Apple Watch will estimate your measurements during workouts based on the information that you entered during setup, but you can further improve its accuracy using these tips:
    Wearing your Apple Watch regularly can improve the accuracy of the Activity and Workout apps.
    Choose the Workout that best matches what you’re doing. For example, if you're running on a treadmill, choose Indoor Run.
    For GPS accuracy when you walk, run, or cycle outdoors, select the appropriate Workout and bring your iPhone. This will also help calibrate the accelerometer in Apple Watch for times when you don’t have GPS, such as during treadmill workouts or when you're running outside without your phone.
    To get the most accurate heart rate measurement when you use Workout, make sure your Apple Watch fits snugly on top of your wrist. The heart rate sensor should stay close to your skin.
    You can also use another heart rate monitoring device, such as a chest strap. To pair an external heart rate monitor with your Apple Watch, tap the Settings app on the Home screen, then tap Bluetooth and select it under Health Devices. Learn more about the Apple Watch heart rate sensor, its accuracy, and its limitations.
    Use the Workout app on Apple Watch - Apple Support
    Have a good one,
    Alex H.

  • Apple Watch calorie burn

    MY Apple Watch is showing a much lower calorie burn, about half, compared to equipment at my gym and other apps such as Runkeeper. Why is this? I was expecting a difference but not that much. For example of the cross trainer I work out for 40 minutes with my heart beat over 170, the cross trainer says 55o calories, the Runkeeper app is similar and the watch was 240 calories.

    Greetings Janebi1,
    It seems you are concerned about the workout results after using your Apple Watch. The article below may help you calibrate your Apple Watch for better results:
    Calibrating your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support
    Get the best measurement
    Your Apple Watch will estimate your measurements during workouts based on the information that you entered during setup, but you can further improve its accuracy using these tips:
    Wearing your Apple Watch regularly can improve the accuracy of the Activity and Workout apps.
    Choose the Workout that best matches what you’re doing. For example, if you're running on a treadmill, choose Indoor Run.
    For GPS accuracy when you walk, run, or cycle outdoors, select the appropriate Workout and bring your iPhone. This will also help calibrate the accelerometer in Apple Watch for times when you don’t have GPS, such as during treadmill workouts or when you're running outside without your phone.
    To get the most accurate heart rate measurement when you use Workout, make sure your Apple Watch fits snugly on top of your wrist. The heart rate sensor should stay close to your skin.
    You can also use another heart rate monitoring device, such as a chest strap. To pair an external heart rate monitor with your Apple Watch, tap the Settings app on the Home screen, then tap Bluetooth and select it under Health Devices. Learn more about the Apple Watch heart rate sensor, its accuracy, and its limitations.
    I've included more resources which may help:
    Use the Workout app on Apple Watch - Apple Support
    Use Activity on Apple Watch - Apple Support
    Thank you for contributing to Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Bobby_D

  • Reports of Apple watch locking on tattooed wrists?

    HI all,
    im getting reports on UK news outlets telling me that Apple Watch looses certain functionality such as its ability to track heart rate, reliability of its tantric engine, and even locking the user out when worn on tattooed wrists.   i haven't received my 42mm stainless steel blue milanese loop yet, order still processing    so I can't test this out myself as yet, but both my wrists have tattoos on them so I'm a little bit concerned upon hearing some of these reports.   Can anyone else verify or ...please pleas please refute this rumour?
    thanks

    Ghostgirll wrote:
    Yeach unfortunately both my wrists have tats and from what I can gather the heart rate sensor may not work on the inside of a wrist, not positive tho.
    so is this something Apple can fix with a mod/update do we think, or are tattooed folks up the swanny?
    Where are you reading that wearing the inside of the wrist fails - I have heard people describe that it works inside the wrist, Apple don't seem to mention that as a problem on the heart rate page. The sensors work as Apple describe on that linked page. Light passes into the skin & is absorbed by the blood. The sensor measures what is returned (which varies when the blood flows). A tattoo can stop the first part of that process.
    If you can wait Apple may be able to release a version with better support for inked arms but it seems unlikely to be a priority since it would probably alter how it works for non tattooed people and inks can behave differently (difficult to get right around the world).
    You could always show willing & get yourself hardware updated…
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo_removal
    We can't alter anything, so be patient & see if it works when it arrives

  • Apple Watch and High Heart rates

    The Watch's heart rate sensor is generally receiving positive reviews. However, I haven't seen anyone test it at high heart rates which is a common fall down area of most optical sensors.
    Now that the Watch is out there, I was wondering if any of you have worked out at say 150 - 180bpm and how the watch's on board sensor responded?

    Hi
    Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone, keep them coming. I still have until May/June for my watch so it'd be nice to get a good idea. It's going to arrive after my next pay day so I was trying to gauge if I need a chest HRM. I'm not an athlete or anything but I'm about half way through losing a fair amount of weight so I need a fairly accurate reading.
    I've seen the consumer reports report but that wasn't in depth enough for me.
    I've seen that one of the things it can have trouble with is interval training but I think that's more of a software issue - if I understand it right, Apple have made it so that the watch takes a note of your heart rate every 5 seconds or so. I also imagine the watch's fitness app will be tweaked now it's out in the real world.
    As I said, keep the answers coming!

  • Apple Watch / Health Kit - Average Heart Rate?

    Hello,
    I want to verify if (or how) to determine what my average heart rate is using the Apple Watch plus Health Kit.  The chart in health kit seems to be showing a high and a low for a time period (day/week/month), and there seems to be line within the graph which could be an average, but there is no numerical value associated with it (and it doesn't look I can monitor average heart rate over time)?
    Just wanting to see if I might be missing something?
    Thanks!

    No you don't have too - The watch has an inbuilt heart rate monitor however if you want to use it with a tracker app etc you will need to have your iPhone with you.

  • Watch keep failing heart rate detection

    Does anyone has problem with the heart rate monitor?
    I have normal skin color (light, no tattoos) and the heart rate monitor can't find my pulse. The last correct one it detected was 24 hours ago. It's been failing for more than 10 times in a row and still can't get my heart rate. I had the watch for 3 days.

    Howdy huynh van du,
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
    Congratulations on your new Apple Watch purchase!
    From what I gather, the heart rate sensor isn’t able to measure your heart rate.
    The article linked below provides a lot of great information about how the Apple Watch measures your heart rate and it also has troubleshooting tips that’ll resolve most issues related to getting that measurement.
    Resolve iOS update and restore errors in iTunes - Apple Support
    Ciao,
    -Jason

  • I wear my watch on the INSIDE of my wrist, not the OUTSIDE - Will the heart rate monitor work

    I wear my watch on the INSIDE of my wrist, not the OUTSIDE - Will the heart rate monitor work/

    hello,
    my 4s was in os6 and when os7 first released, i have updated it. during update from os6 to os7 after 98% my wifi got disconnected and then phone automatically restarted. since then my back camera is not working. front on is working perfectly. after that i reinstall os7 properly following step by step procedure but no positive result came out.
    then i tried to change the camera with a new one but still with new camera the problem is same. then they used my camera in some other 4s and it is working fine. now i dont know what to do.
    right now using os7.1.2
    please advise.
    Salman 

  • Do all functions on the apple watch function if worn by dark skinned individuals?

    I am told that the Apple watch does not work well on tattooed and dark skin...is this true? Any persons of African or Asian ethnicity, please respond. thanks!

    The prevailing theory seems to be that it works just fine regardless of your skin tone, but darker tattoo inks (which don't reflect light in the same way darker skin does) can cause some issues.
    In short: someone with darker skin won't have issues, but someone with darker tattoos may.

  • My "regular guy" impressions of using the Apple Watch for a few days

    I was asked by friends to give my impressions of owning an Apple Watch. I guess it all comes down to:
    Is the Apple watch worth about a dollar a day for the first year, and free thereafter? 
    I guess that depends on how much value you put on being able to leave your phone on silent, remaining in your pocket most of the day.
    Because of the Taptic notifications, which are distinct "taps" on the wrist by the Watch for different things, I no longer have to keep my phone volume on all day (iPhone vibrations weren't strong enough in my pocket to notify me reliably) leading to a much nicer all day experience. On top of that, when I do get a notification, I can quickly flick my wrist to see what it is instead of digging my phone out. Much nicer to quickly glance at the latest 20% off offer from "YouNeedThis!.com" and dismiss it than dig the phone out, unlock it, click on mail, ...grumble.
    The ease of notifications alone makes it worth it to me. It is easy to quickly respond most of the time, too. I find myself using my phone WAY less, which is refreshing (and I am sure appreciated by those around me.)
    And the chirps, pings, whistles that used to emanate from my pocket all day are gone. Ahhhhh.
    A few other things I have found convenient:
    Actually knowing the time, date, weather etc. easily.  Sure, I could have been wearing a wrist watch for some of that, but for the last few years I have used my Smartphone for these things. They are just so much simpler on the wrist.
    Answering the phone easily when doing something.  I am not one to wear a Bluetooth headset around like a Borg, so being able to easily answer when my wife calls as I am fixing lunch for the kid is really convenient.
    Having the next thing on my daily calendar right there visible when I look at the Watch. I use the Mickey Mouse watch face normally (hey, I have an 18 month old daughter who loves pushing and seeing Mickey "dancing") and right there on the bottom it tells me the next thing on the list. I don't know how other folks do things on their phones, but I always had trouble sifting through notifications on the phone seeing what was on the agenda for the day. Yeah I could go to the calendar several times during the day on the phone, but it wasn't convenient. It is simple on the Watch seeing what is coming up during the week. And I say "week" because the Watch only shows you what is coming up in the NEAR future. To me that makes sense. Again, it is all about quick information and what works best in a glance. On the Watch it makes sense to quickly see what is coming soon. On the phone it makes sense to meander over months and make full edits in a more convenient manner.
    Setting quick timers, reminders or alarms is a breeze using Siri on the Watch.  So much more convenient than digging out the phone.
    Getting a quick overview on the Watch on how active I have been (or not been) has already spurred me to get up and move more often. Yes there are other devices that help with this (I had a Fitbit previously) but having it all self contained within the Watch is nice and (here I go again) convenient.
    A few things that are not perfect on the watch:
    The speaker is pretty quiet when trying to have a hands free "Dick Tracy" conversation. Any kind of louder noise in the room and you will have trouble.
    Apple is synonymous with consistency. Their entire platform is built on making a consistent experience for everyone that just works.  On the Watch, however, there are some inconsistent uses of actions to do certain things. For example, sometimes when I get a notification and I want to dismiss it off the watch I can "Force press" which brings up a "Clear All" button to tap. Other times I have to scroll to the bottom of the notification to "dismiss." I like the "Force press" thing... let's make it happen consistently.
    Most apps now are really pretty useless on the watch.  For one thing, the screen times out too quickly for them. For another, anything in which one needs more than a glance to get the information is MUCH easier to do on the phone. Of all the apps in the Watch App store, the only things I have downloaded and find I actually use are a quick note dictation app, a "what is nearby me" type app, and a sports scores app. That being said, I am perfectly OK with that because that is really not what the Watch is for in my opinion. We aren't SUPPOSED to be doing things on the Watch that are more easily done on the phone. Things that are designed to be quick (check time, check weather, check who just sent a message) are great on the Watch. Things like searching for the best item on Amazon are just ridiculously silly on the Watch (really, Amazon?)
    Conspicuously missing from the core apps on the Watch is Apple's "Notes" app. A perfect use for the Watch is to quickly take a note of something you need to remember later. I was forced to download a 3rd party app, Evernote, for this. The Evernote app works well, but I am very surprised that this was missed by Apple as a perfect example of what would be helpful to use the Watch to do.
    There is no way to set the "screen on" time to a custom time period. Six seconds or so is default and unchangeable. This makes the Watch worthless for anyone in a health profession. Nurses and EMTs still take pulses using their watch to time the heart rate. Often, with irregular heart rates, a full 60 seconds must be observed. One just can't do this with the Watch. This is quite surprising as the Watch has actually been marketed to health workers with apps even designed solely to assist health workers in their daily planning. Apple clearly wanted to be able to control battery life with such a quick screen off "feature" but allowing us to decide for ourselves the tradeoff of battery life vs. usability would be a much better choice.
    There are ways to make Tweets, Facebook status updates and the like on the Watch, but it really doesn't make sense to try to do it "all" socially on the Watch.  It is so much easier on the phone to actually interact socially, that it really only makes sense to do so on the Watch in more of a "one off" way. When you just have to share something quickly, but don't really have time for give and take.
    Finally, some things work a bit slow or wonky right now. I expect this to improve greatly over time with future versions of the software. Stuff like this ALWAYS gets better.
    So for me, the Watch is working as I expect it should. There are certainly improvements that Apple can and will be able to make, but it is saving me time, adding ease of use to many actions I do every day, and is kind of fun to use. I am enjoying it because I am not expecting it to do things for which ANY wearable would not be well suited. The things it is best for, it does pretty well.
    That is worth a dollar a day... to me at least.

    To put the iPod into forced disk mode, this is what you should be doing.
    Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons for at least 6 seconds until the Apple logo appears.
    When the Apple logo appears, release the Menu and Select buttons and immediately press and hold the Select and the Play/Pause buttons until the Disk Mode screen appears.
    Have you also seen this?
    iPod shows only an Apple logo and doesn't start up.

  • IOS8 8.0.2 Bluetooth will not connect to Heart rate Monitor H7

    I have just switched over to the iPhone 6 and it is running the 8.0.2 IOS 8 version but it will not pick up or pair with my Heart rate Monitor. We saw the same issue when Updating to 8.0.2 on the iPhone 5. It looks like when you update to the new IOS it will break the Bluetooth connecting option to the drive that worked on IOS 7 or before.
    I thought this would be an issue with the HR monitor but it works fine on any device until yu update to IOS 8. I would say this is a backwards compatibility issue with IOS 8 not connecting to devices that iPhone used to connect to in Earlier IOS versions.
    Are there any plans to fix this bug in IOS 8 to allow for being able to use Devices that worked in previous IOS versions?

    If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data, then reinstall the OS.* You don't need to erase the startup volume, and you won't need the backup unless something goes wrong. If the system was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you may need the Apple ID and password you used.
    If you use FileVault 2, then before running the Installer you must launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the FileVault startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) It will be nested below another icon with the same name. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar and enter your login password when prompted. Then quit Disk Utility to be returned to the main Recovery screen.
    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.
    If you installed the Java runtime distributed by Apple and still need it, you'll have to reinstall it. The same goes for Xcode. All other data will be preserved.
    *The linked support article refers to OS X 10.10 ("Yosemite"), but the procedure is the same for OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later.

  • Apple Watch - Body Temperature Monitoring

    How does Apple Watch monitor body temperature? And does Apple Watch require an additional accessory to monitor body temperature during workout mode?

    DJ5hannon wrote:
    How does Apple Watch monitor body temperature?
    It doesn't. It monitors heart rate and movement.

  • Can you use apple watch on the inside wrist?

    I Am wondering if you can use Apple watch on the inside wrist Instead of facing outwards, it's just the way I've always worn a watch, and wondering if I have to change?

    Boy loz wrote:
    I Am wondering if you can use Apple watch on the inside wrist Instead of facing outwards, it's just the way I've always worn a watch, and wondering if I have to change?
    The manual says that the heart rate monitoring wouldn't be as accurate if worn on the inside. However, other people have posted that it works fine.
    Both my mother and my brother have always worn watches on the inside of their wrists. I've never figured out how they (and you) don't bang them up on desks and edges of keyboards. But I'm sure it would be as annoying to you to change to wearing a watch on the outside as it would be for me to change to the inside.

  • Apple watch activity

    i just got the apple watch and the main reason i got it was for the fitness and activity features….unfortunately i am disappointed.  first of all, i woke up at 7:30 and for the first hour i stood in kitchen making breakfast for my 3 kids and lunches and then stood and waited for them to get on bus.  (didn't sit at all for first hour) then i went up stairs got dressed, got my baby dressed and went for a 3 mile very hilly  walk.  after the walk i went upstairs got dressed, got my baby dressed and went to target where i walked around store for 45 minutes and bagged my food etc.  it is now 1:30 and watch is saying i stood 4 minutes out of the 6 hours I've been up.  not only did i stand 95 percent of my day its saying i sat idle for 2 hours? 
    second issue is during my walk i also wore my polar fitness watch with chest strap and it said i burned 375 calories and my watch said i burned 180 calories??  i alos double checked all my stats were correct and went on several webistes to calculate calories burned and they also said close to 400 based on my heart rate.  the confusing thing is, the heart rate seemed accurate.  anyway, I'm hoping i am doing something wrong because i want to like it but if the activity features aren't going to be accurate its just not worth it.  

    that is actually funny because i did the same thing….tried staying still, tried walking with arms down..  the funny thing is, the first day i had the watch it didn't register any standing at all (impossible with 3 kids lol) the second day which was yesterday the day strted off bad by not registering but as the day went on it registered my stand for every hour.  now today since i have been up it registered all 3 hours so far.  on one of the videos i watched, it said that the watch gets
    more and more accurate as it gets to know you?? (sounds funny but you never know?) my biggest issue now is the calories they are estimating i am burning.  i am actually very impressed with the accurate heart rate, i really wasnt expecting that to be accurate…..but if that is accurate then the calories burned should be too!! ( i need that to be accurate, i base my food intake on that LOL) hopefully i will get more infer after my phone appt with apple today.

  • Apple Watch running accuracy

    Curious to hear about other's early day experience with Apple Watch while running.  Results for me, relative to what I've seen using other devices or apps, are a bit all over the place.
    For example, for a 7 mile run in 60 minutes for a 41-yr old male, 6'0 185 lbs:
    - Strava:             ~1000-1050 calories burned, avg heart rate ~ 140-150bpm (outdoors)
    - Life Fitness:     ~1000 calories burned (on a treadmill)
    - Nike+:              ~ 900-950 calories burned (outdoors)
    - Apple Watch:     690 calories burned, avg heart rate 190-210bpm (this is on a 'Run Outside' setting)
    As an aside, I also tried it with Insanity for a 42-minute Plyo workout and only burned around 350 calories, which I could just about do walking (and break a much lighter sweat).
    What are others seeing, and are there tricks to improve accuracy?  Thanks.

    It is possible you are comparing apples to oranges. The “Workout” app reports active calories burned. The “Activity” app displays both the active and resting calories burned during the workout. The total calories burned during the workout will include both the resting and active calories. It's likely that the other devices you used include both. I assume the 690 calories you report are just the Active calories.
    One example: I walked a 5.1 mile route at 4.3 mph and the workout app says I have burned 451 calories, but the Activity app also includes 130 calories of resting, for a total of 581 calories. I used an online calculator that uses my height, weight and age and it estimates I should burn 517 calories. The online calculator doesn’t use my heart rate or the elevation change during the walk, so it should be less accurate. The walk has an elevation gain of 600’, so it is logical that my calorie burn should be more than the online calculator. The watch appears to be fairly accurate in this example.
    I have made this same walk four times using the watch and it has been within 6 calories each time… very precise!  My walking speed ranged from 4.1 to 4.3 mph on the four walks. I also have made two 6.3 mile hikes (with a 1300’ elevation change) and the watch calculated a total (resting plus active) of 850 and 828 calories (also quite close). The 850 burn was at a faster pace with a 128 bpm heart rate, compared to 115 bpm for the lower calorie burn, so the difference in the calories seems about right.
    I put your statistics in the same calculator and it estimated a 966 calorie burn for your run (again, no heart rate info). I assume the 690 calories you report are just the Active calories, so that would require 276 resting calories to make up the difference. I am about the same height/weight as you and my resting calories for an hour would be a little over 100 calories, so 276 seems a little high. However, I am over 20 years older than you with a 50 bpm resting heart rate, so your resting calories would likely be higher due to your younger age (and possibly a higher resting heart rate). Given all this, I would say the watch may be slightly low in your case (assuming the online calculator is accurate), but the watch still seems more accurate than the other devices (assuming the 690 is only the active calories).
    The only other thing that seems odd is the heart rate during the run… it seems very high. Do you think it is accurate? Are you using the “Power Saving Mode” in the Workout app? You can check this on the Watch app (on the iPhone) and look under the Workout app settings. The Power Saving Mode still measures your heart rate, but is less accurate than the default mode.
    The most accurate way to measure calorie burn requires measuring your oxygen consumption, which has a direct relationship to calories. The Watch/iPhone (and all your other devices) use indirect methods to estimate calories. In general, a device that use heart rate, distance and elevation should be better than a device that only counts steps. However, I don’t really care if the results are completely accurate, as long as they are consistent. I simply want to be able to compare one workout with another. The Apple Watch has proven to be VERY consistent in my experience so far.
    Dave

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