After the Apple Watch 1.0.1 Update, Heart Rate stopped working...

Well here it is folks .. they've finally updated the document on the heart rate monitor function.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204666

Now it "attempts" to measure your heart rate every 10 minutes, but won't record it if you are in motion? Huh???

One would think that is when you would want to record it to gauge calor burn.

Not according to the geniuses at Apple though.

This is quite surprising, especially because that's not how it initially worked. My guess is that they found that the sensor was not reliable enough - look at all of us who have problems with readings often being very high or very low - and figured it was better to just turn it off except when at rest, or during workouts.

If anyone wants to compare the new text with the original document, I grabbed a screenshot of a cached page from May 9, and included it in an article on my website:

http://www.mcelhearn.com/apple-updates-technical-document-to-explain-apple-watch -heart-rate-sensor-errors/

Hahaha. FFS apple. This is why we can't have nice things.

IVe got friends who's watches are still working every 10minutes. I'd say the article update was a coverall. Later down that same article it says every 10 minutes. So theyve still no idea whats going on.

This is not acceptable. They have sold us watches that implied calorie calculation was based on HR and later they noticed wasn't working reliable so they pretty much turned it of and using the accelerometer for calorie calculation.

Every 10 minutes would not be enough to calculate calories.

It was only using heart rate to calculate calories during a workout.

This is just a change in what gets recorded to HealthKit and it effectively just eliminated incorrect readings.

As the original document said, they use the heart rate, along with other data, to calculate calories. Also, I'm still seeing lots of incorrect readings when doing workouts. If it doesn't work when you're moving, how can it work when you're moving in a workout?

I guess Apple will honour the flood of returns outside the 14 day limit considering everybody who was interested in the fitness aspect of the watch has been mis-sold.

I don't understand this. Before the update, the Workout app was great. I weight train and do indoor cycling. I use "other" for weight training and indoor cycling accordingly. Both readings were fine. Now after the update (as the apple link is stating) the HR monitor doesn't take readings while in motion? Why are they programming it like this? I really need Apple to change it back (At least for the other category). So far if it's not in motion, it works fine (however, the other category always gives inaccurate readings). Otherwise, I really do like the apple watch. They just have to quickly fix this one feature or revert to the original workout configuration that shipped with the watch. Please, Apple. SMH

If this isn't changed next update I will ask for a refund as we should all be in our rights to do so as the product no longer works as advertised. For me this was one of the main reasons I got the Apple watch is to monitor heart rate WHILE MOVING! its always pretty similar when resting so what's the point?

You can also find a copy of the original Apple page on the Internet Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20150528003254/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204 666

Is the original page "gone"? If so, that's BS. A little integrity right now with your "ealry adopters" would go along way Mr. Cook. Let's have some transparency on this! A formal statement is due at a minimum.

All the sleep tracking app developers may as well throw their work in the bin right now.

I totally agree with immediate and transparent response. I don't mind being an early adopter for what I think is gonna be great tech in the future. But sneak changing your ad after a bunch of users are complaining its not working as advertised previously is wrong. If Apple can communicate that this issue will be fixed, I can deal with that. I will not accept that the HR monitor doesn't work when in motion, when it clearly worked before the 1.0.1 update. Apple needs to respond to this.

I think Apple will only respond if forced too be bad press, not user complaints. That is why they responded to the wrist tattoo issue, and the text message crashing iPhones issue. It is probably why they changed the document on how the HR monitor functions in the wee hours of Saturday morning when it's less likely to get picked up by the Tech/Apple blogs. You can help by asking the blogs to report on this and letting them know of your dissatisfaction with the change.

Lord Commander wrote:

I totally agree with immediate and transparent response. I don't mind being an early adopter for what I think is gonna be great tech in the future. But sneak changing your ad after a bunch of users are complaining its not working as advertised previously is wrong. If Apple can communicate that this issue will be fixed, I can deal with that. I will not accept that the HR monitor doesn't work when in motion, when it clearly worked before the 1.0.1 update. Apple needs to respond to this.

I've written about it here:

Apple Updates Technical Document to Explain Apple Watch Heart Rate Sensor Errors

I'm hoping some other websites will pick it up from my article. I've also pitched an article to Macworld - where I'm a senior contributor - discussing this and other issues with the Apple Watch's fitness tracking.