How does Apple Watch work with Health app exactly?

I just tested this because I couldn't get my head around it.

The Activity app should monitor steps, calories, time standing, whether it's connected to a phone or not. When it has a phone in range, the data is mirrored in the Activity app on the phone

The Heart app on the watch syncs to the Health app on the phone

The Workouts app on the Watch syncs saved workouts to the Activity app on the phone and various data points (steps, distance, calories) to the Health app on the phone. This worked for me as advertised

So your experience means something's not working as it should. It may be (I'm speculating here, so don't be astonished if I'm wrong) that the issue is around GPS (yes, I know that's not relevant to tennis 🙂 ). The watch uses the phone's GPS to measure distance *and* to calibrate your stride. So maybe there's an assumption built into the software that at least the first few significant activities will be with the phone in range.

Another possibility, based on a conversation I had with an Apple guy (not an expert) is that these early versions of the apps are built for "steady state" activities, like running, walking, cycling and don't yet handle explosive burst activities, like racket sports.

Not the most satisfactory answer in the world, but I hope it helps

1. Sorry - I mean the Heart Rate app.

2. Thinking about this, it seems that the Health app on the phone records movements registered by the phone. Since the phone was stationary when you were playing tennis, it didn't record anything.

If I'm right, we have a slightly confusing model in which the Health app on the phone gets heart rate data from the watch, but keep its own record of movement, whereas the Activity app on the phone gets full data from the Workouts app on the Watch. I guess that the test (which I'll try later on) would be for me to go off on a run or whatever without the phone and see what gets recorded where after the watch and phone have synced.

Here you go:

I did a run with the phone, then dropped the phone off at home and did a walk with the watch alone, recording both with the Workouts app

The Activity app on the phone has a copy of all the data record by the Workouts app on the watch.

The Health app also has all the data from both workouts. It's in the Workouts section (Health Data, Fitness, Workouts), which I have on my Dashboard. When I tap a Show all data, and then the Walking workout (no phone) it gives me Workout Type, Duration, Calories Burbed, Distance, Date, Source, Date Added to Health. Workouts from the watch have a watch logo next to them. I also use Runkeeper (I used it on the run too) and its data is also recored as a separate Workout

Heart rate is shown in the Heart Rate section of Health (Health Data, Vitals and on my Dashboard), but only as individual readings. Average heart rate is in the Activity app.

Does that help?

I volunteer with the ambulance service, yesterday I was teaching CPR to the public and the watch classed this as exercise. I don't consider cpr as exercise however do you act knowledge it is an exhausting activitie. Doing CPR you do get movement from the waist upwards .

Also note I did not have my phone in my pocket at the time. It was in my jacket over the other side of the room.

Speaking of Runkeeper and the Workout app, is it either/or when I go for a run? If I use Runkeeper to track a run, then it won't show up in Workout, and if I use Workout, then Runkeeper won;t be able to pick it up?

You can use Runkeeper and Workout together. Results from both will show up in the Health app on the phone, under Fitness/Workouts.

Neither will pick up each other's results - so Workouts on the watch won't show RK results, and RK on the phone (or watch) won't show Workouts results.

But they don't interfere with each other and both sets of results turn up in the Health app on the phone

No apology needed. Glad it's working

If I use them both together, won't it double count my steps?

No - they keep their count separate. So, in the Health app you'll see a workout from the watch with the steps measured by the watch and a workout from Runkeeper with its own data

That's the setup I have

Gary-which activity did you select in the Workout app on the watch when you play tennis? I'm unsure.

Thanks!