Why Doesn't Apple Health Report Hydrow Calorie Count Correctly?

Question

Why Doesn't Apple Health Report Hydrow Calorie Count Correctly?

I have a Hydrow. The app on my phone exports its data to Apple Health. When I do a workout, Apple Health's Active Energy for that time period is significantly lower than what Hydrow reports.

But, what's really strange about this is that Apple Health has received full reports from Hydrow. I see it in two places:

On the Active Energy screen, I select Show All Data: There I see an entry for every single calorie burned according to Hydrow. That is, every time the Hydrow thinks I have burned a calorie, it has sent a record to Apple Health saying so. Apple Health has included some of Hydrow's calorie count, but only slightly more than 40% even though it has all that data.
In Apple Health, I go to Sharing/Apps/Hydrow/Data from Hydrow/Workouts. There I see the workouts done on the Hydrow. In each of those records, I see Hydrow's reported Total Active Energy at the bottom of the screen.

So, Apple Health has the work that Hydrow thinks I've done in two different ways. My guess is that Hydrow knows more about the effort I have put in. Does anyone have any idea why Apple Health under-reports it?

Thanks!

iPhone XS

Posted on Jan 2, 2023 11:25 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 3, 2023 2:48 PM in response to Jaym_8

Thanks Jaym_8

I don't think this is an issue with the watch. In fact, I don't even have one.

My Hydrow is the indoor rowing machine equivalent of a Peloton. It has its own way to track calories burned and feeds that through its iPhone app to Apple Health.

The problem may be that Apple Health is doing its own calculation based on what Hydrow has sent it, even though the Hydrow has delivered its calorie burn count. Health may be reducing the count because Hydrow is not sending heart rate info (I lost my monitor and am waiting for another to be delivered).

But, that just seems weird to me. If an app is involved in the actual experience of the exercise, it "knows" more than Health. It seems to me that its data should be respected, not significantly revised.

Gary

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Answer 2

Eric_G1

Community Specialist

Jan 3, 2023 3:06 PM in response to Gary Beberman

Gary Beberman,

You may try reaching out to the Apple Support Advisors that specialize in the Health app for guidance here: Get Support

It may also be helpful to try reaching out the developer of the app for guidance as well. This page can help out with steps for contacting an app's developer: How to contact an app developer

Cheers.

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Answer 3

Sean_B1

Community Specialist

Jan 8, 2023 7:10 PM in response to Gary Beberman

Hello Gary Beberman,

Just sign in at the top of that page and follow links for Health Support. You can also call us directly with the steps in this link: Contacting Apple

Cheers!

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Answer 4

Jaym_8

Community Specialist

Jan 3, 2023 2:31 PM in response to Gary Beberman

Hello Gary Beberman,

Depending on the workout you're doing, the accuracy may be different. An Apple Watch is using data like your heart rate, movement and GPS to calculate the data. When you're doing things like an outdoor workout, you'll generally have more accurate results since there is a precise data point (GPS) the watch uses to calculate your movement and heart rate against.

If you're doing an indoor workout, or a workout on gym equipment the results may be slightly less accurate since the watch only has the heart rate and accelerometer movement data to use to calculate data.

You can try calibrating the watch which may help to further improve accuracy: Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy

If the equipment you're using is compatible with Apple Watch, you can also connect the watch to it which will give you the most accurate results since it's combining data from the watch as well as data from the actual machine.

Use gym equipment with Apple Watch

Cheers!

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Answer 5

Jan 8, 2023 4:42 PM in response to Eric_G1

Thanks, Eric. I wrote the app developer right away. I figured they were more vested in getting it right than Apple is.

I did file a bug report with Apple at https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting, pointing out how the data fed to Health does not sync with what is being published. I have not heard anything from them. Not even a Feedback Assistant ID.

I tried your Get Support link. But, it wasn't obvious to me how to reach the iHealth specialists through it. If you have suggestions on the path I should take, please share.

Thanks again,

Gary

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Why Doesn't Apple Health Report Hydrow Calorie Count Correctly?

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