Cardio Fitness doesn't have Apple Watch as a data source

I'm having the same problem with the Health cardio fit NO DATA.....and my iphone 11 +iwatch 6...so with what I've read, it takes up to. or more than 24 hours for the data to appear or sync .....so does this mean that the info goes to apple servers to be computed?..why can't the apple watch do it immediately?

Roughly how long after doing the work did it show up? I’ve tried everything - resetting calibration data, going for a walk with maps on. EVERYTHING, but still can’t get it to work. I’ve been on multiple walks over 20 mins with a decent pace but still no data. Also in the cardio fitness my watch doesn’t even show up as an available source

First of all, I'm not sure what you mean by "magically started working." What exactly is the difference between magically started and just started? Anyway, what you are describing is not what most people are asking about here which is why the cardio fitness data is not showing up with their new Watch whereas you have had two watches with almost no data.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the workout you describe is pretty low intensity particularly if you are a relatively young person. I doubt that a heart rate average of 92 would have triggered any VO2 Max readings under the old system So if all your workouts were at that intensity level I'm not surprised you had no data. However, with the latest iOS version, the intensity levels are much less demanding so I assume you should have data by now.

Before going any further it would be helpful to know if it's true that your exercise intensity levels were consistently so low because that would mean there was no reason to think your older watch was defective and we can focus on the new one.

Thanks for the advice. Resetting me phone as a new phone is something I have already done, in addition to doing the same with my watch (numerous time). I think I am going to give up on this feature. Thanks again.

Have you ever tried to get an estimate of your VO2 Max in any other way? For example, the Polar fitness test does that And I would think as. an endurance athlete you would already have or would want to have a heart strap:

https://www.polar.com/us-en/smart-coaching/fitness-test

They are not very expensive and once you got the estimate you might get an idea of what the issue was. I don't think it's impossible that your VO2 Max is over 60 which is the upper limit I believe for apples algorithm.

I’ve used various Polar (beginning when they first came out in the 1980s) and later Garmin HRM devices (always with the chest strap). I don’t compete any more and liked the idea of NOT having to use a chest strap. Overall I am happy with the exercise metrics I get from the Apple Watch and generally am much more satisfied with it than with any device that requires a chest strap. I just wish that I would have gotten more VO2Max/Cardio Fitness data from the Apple Watch than just that one mysterious day in 2019 when it actually recorded data. I was outside for a 7 mile run today (just over an hour, 105bpm average with134bpm max) and still no Cardio Fitness data. Either the algorithm doesn’t like me, or there is a software issue. I have read every entry in this particular blog, as well as other blogs in the Apple Community pages, and elsewhere on the Internet. I see other people having similar issues and I have tried every suggestion I can find that others say worked for them, but nothing seems to work for me. I am just so confused by the fact that it DID work, ONCE, but not before or since, and with two different watches. Oh well. As I said, I will just forget the fact that Apple advertises this feature and present that it does not exist.

I am going to try this one more time in case I wasn't clear. I am NOT suggesting you use the polar heart strap for running but only for the one-time fitness test. All you need to do is wear it for I think about five minutes while lying down and it gives you a predicted VO2 Max. If it's over 60 then you have your answer. A five minute investment to get an insight into a months long problem does not seem excessive. Did you look at the link I gave you?

https://www.polar.com/us-en/smart-coaching/fitness-test

https://www.polar.com/blog/lets-talk-polar-polar-fitness-test/

"All other data tracks except Cardio Fitness."

What does that mean exactly. Is this a new watch or one you have been using for a while. If it is one you've been using for a while did you get VO2 Max readings before the update which incorporated "Cardio Fitness?"

Just to be clear, according to Apple’s press release dated December 14, 2020:

“watchOS 7 also allows Apple Watch to take cardio fitness measurements as users walk throughout the day, whether or not they are tracking a workout.”

This clearly isn’t happening for me. It would be nice to hear from someone at Apple regarding this.

It would be helpful if you could provide a bit more information such as:

• Is this a new watch or a watch you have had before the cardio fitness update?

• When you say "symptoms", what do you mean exactly?

• When you say "recorded again" do you mean you previously had measurements?

• Is this a new watch or a watch you have had before the cardio fitness update?

Its a older Watch4

• When you say "symptoms", what do you mean exactly?

Just I was not able to get the V2Omax data displayed, did enough runs, outdoor, gps enabled, maps app installed, restarts, latest updates etc.

I saw 3x same watchname in data source, that why I tried to rename the watch.

• When you say "recorded again" do you mean you previously had measurement

The VO2max data was displayed until 31 december, after that it stopped.

For another reason I had to reconnect the watch on 1st Jan, after that, there was no V2Omax Data until I renamed the watch and went out for a run.

Hi swapnil303. Glad you got it to work. I do have a question regarding your post. If you had “same issue, no data source etc”, how did you make your watch the “primary data source”. My watch is not listed as a data source VO2Max/Cardio Fitness, so I cannot make it the “primary source” without it first being a “source”. If you know of a way to get the watch to show up as a data source, please share your method. Thanks in advance!

This one piece of data seems extraordinarily important to you even though the reliability of VO2Max with wrist sensors is questionable:

https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a20856601/can-your-watch-estimate-your-vo2-max/

For me, if it was that important I would be pursuing more reliable ways getting the data then with the Apple Watch. Yes, the AW is interesting it not something that is proven to be reliable enough for serious use.

So, again, I’m not sure why you want to spend this much time and energy but that’s a personal decision of course. I am interested in what Apple comes up with if anything so do keep us posted.

After all my initial issues which I described and my solution, here is an update. I have done daily indoor workouts, getting my cardio and strength training. None of that gets recorded. I just took a ten minute walk outside and it wrote that data. So really this feature isn’t very useful to me if it only records an outdoor walk or run. I don’t get it.

"So really this feature isn’t very useful to me if it only records an outdoor walk or run. I don’t get it. "

Clearly Apple believes that it's algorithm is most valid when it has reliable distance measurements. Assuming you get measurements when you do walk or run outside why do you conclude it is of no use? The point is that you get an estimate of your cardio fitness. Does it matter if that estimate is derived from outdoor or indoor exercise? I think you are confused about the role of cardio fitness. It is not to give you a metric that is attached to every exercise that you do but to give you an estimate of, well, cardio fitness. Unless you stay inside 100% of the time you will get measurements. So what is the issue?