Heart Rate monitor and workouts

Question

Level 1

14 points

Heart Rate monitor and workouts

Watch = Series 4

OS = latest 6.0.1

Phone = XS, iOS = 13.1.2

Since the latest iOS 13 update, my Watch has stopped (initially) recording Heart Rate during workout modes. Monitor works well under regular conditions, but the minute I start a workout, it stops responding. I have made sure the "low power" mode is OFF in the watch app. I usually can get the heart rate monitor to respond by (sometimes) just selecting the Heart Rate complication manually and forcing it to activate AND/OR using the watch app to toggle the low power mode ON and then back OFF. Some combination of these two things seems to get the monitor to work again. I assume this is a bug (I have restarted everything several times)?

Apple Watch

Posted on Oct 9, 2019 11:11 AM

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Answer 1

DeanMBP Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 25, 2019 11:48 AM in response to DeanMBP

Well.... still broken. Heart Rate monitor generally fails doruring workout. Here's the fix (each time during a workout (in my case, withe INDOOR or OUTDOOR walk):

Start workout
Wait a few minutes
Open watch app
Toggle "Workout Power Saving mode" from OFF to ON and back to OFF
exit workout app (not quit) by hitting crown
go to watch face that has a Heart Rate complication
enter a manual Heart Rate measurement. If that works, exit app and back to workout app.

Usually fixes the problem for that workout.

Bug?

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Answer 2

DeanMBP Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 21, 2019 10:58 AM in response to DeanMBP

Well.... seems to have cropped up intermittently, again. Start a workout (both indoor and outdoor walks), heart rate monitor may or may not start. Even if it starts, it may drop off. Usually, if I do a manual reading (from a complication) it kickstarts the monitor and it will (most times) last the rest of the workout. But not always.

I have done a hard reset a few times. Also, have toggled power saving mode with in watch app. This seems like a software bug (monitor always reacts to a manual sample AND functions well during normal use). Possible?

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Answer 3

MarkPek

Level 2

222 points

Oct 25, 2019 2:02 PM in response to DeanMBP

I have basically the same problem. The heart rate monitor works perfectly during elliptical-trainer workouts and never during "outdoor walks." I was thinking it might be the fit of the watch (not snug enough), but haven't tested that yet.

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Answer 4

Oct 25, 2019 7:34 PM in response to DeanMBP

I have just been at the genius bar trying to resolve a new issue with my outdoor run workout that may be connected to your issue. I went from having about a dozen metrics, including heart rate, to having only 5 measures reporting. The genius bar concluded that the newest update now allows you to only include 5 of the 12 available metrics. If you aren't already aware of this, you can check it out on your phone watch ap. Open it and scroll down to Workout Ap, then workout view (mine says multiple metrics), then you can choose whichever workout(s) you use and see the metrics available and not available. You can switch out one for another, but can't add as many as you want. I've registered my displeasure at apple feedback. Hopefully many will do the same.

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Answer 5

DeanMBP Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 26, 2019 8:22 AM in response to Live_it_up

Thanks for your suggestions.

First, I think, in my case, the fit is fine. Thus is the second watch I've owned, and 98% of the time before this last update, everything worked great.

Live_it_up: Interesting suggestion. I looked at my settings and I only had 5 for each one. But to test, I deleted one and tried the workout this morning. Same results. I can kickstart the workout measurements of my heart rate, but it diocesan.t seem to get going by itself. Again, once it does get going, seems to function well.

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Answer 6

MarkPek

Level 2

222 points

Oct 26, 2019 9:15 AM in response to DeanMBP

Live_it_up, that’s a very interesting find. I wonder why Apple would downgrade us like that. That doesn’t appear to be my problem though, and I’m having all kinds of other difficulties lately. My biggest problem is that I’ve had my watch for 2 years, I’ve done more or less the same elliptical trainer workout every day, and suddenly I’m getting a lot less calorie “credit” for the workout. It’s a bummer.

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Answer 7

DeanMBP Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 7, 2019 10:40 AM in response to DeanMBP

UPDATE: I unpaired / repaired and restored from a backup. The first time I did an indoor walk, everything worked perfectly! Today, though, same old problem is there.

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