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

I think that the problem was there prior to the update. I have screenshots of from May 11th that have 30, 40 minute and 50 minute gaps between readings. Noticed more recent ones on May 21st that are up to 4 hours without a reading.

TThat's exactly the point ... It is not working unless you are completely still. Mine only picks up readings while I am sleeping or maybe quietly watching TV. Otherwise it is only picking up a reading here and there while I am moving around.

I just contacted Support and the guy hadn't heard of this issue. I suggest everyone that has this issue on this thread call them up or chat with them and flood them with complaints about this. Sounds like they really don't know this is actually going on. This is a very big deal for anyone who wanted to use this watch for fitness tracking.

Here is a comparison of my HR rate during this mornings 35 mile ride. The blue line was recorded with my Garmin 800 and Wahoo Tickr chest strap, the red line with the Apple Watch. As you can see, the AW had a tough acquiring and reading my heart rate during much of the first half of the ride. It basically said "measuring" during most of the first half of the ride. You can see that where the HR drops to 0. It did seem to get better as the ride went on, but still it was terrible for about half the ride. It seemed to be much more in line with the Tickr chest strap prior to the 1.0.1 update ... I am pretty disappointed with it to say the least.

For grins .. here is a side be side comparing the HR charts on bike rides of similar distance and terrain before and after the update. Blue line is from a Wahoo Tickr chest strap, Red line is the AW. I know this is just one example, but clearly something is making the AW less accurate after the update:

Exact same issue here.

Before the Software Update

• Heart rate tracking every 10 minutes, like clockwork.
• When exercising, heart rate tracking more frequent.
• Very accurate, no false reports.

After the Software Update

• Extremely irregular heart rate tracking. Sometimes 2 or 3 times in the same minute. Sometimes every 20 or 30 minutes. Sometimes hours will go by without any tracking.
• NO tracking at all when I went on a 5 mile run this morning. Immediately after, I manually forced a heart rate check, and it gave a 41 BPM reading. (it should have been around 108)

No other variables have changed. I wear the watch the same way. Use it the same way. Watch and iPhone configuration has remained the same.

To add to all of this, I called AppleCare, and the rep told me the first thing we should try is turning the phone off and on again. If that doesn't work, completely erase/reset the phone. What is this......windows vista?!?!??! And the rep had no idea what the normal heart rate check interval should be.....said he would have to look that up.

So this is basically what I saw on the AW throughout my 2+ hour bike ride this morning. When I went back and looked at the HR data in the Health app I see many gaps of 3 minutes or longer and some minutes with just 1 or 2 readings. In workout mode the watch is supposed to take a reading every 5 seconds ... You can see by the screen grab I was in "Outdoor Cycle".

I am thoroughly disappointed in Apple .. first for messing something up that was working fine prior to the update and secondly not acknowledging that there is an issue.

Again, this behavior only began after the 1.0.1 update.

Interesting post from dc rainmaker who's been in touch with Apple specifically about HR (for those that don't know Ray runs probably the best resource online for exercise and fitness tech stuff):

"

See, there's actually two ways the Apple Watch measures your HR optically.

- The first is the one focused on resting HR, which is done with a different infrared sensor. This sensor is focused on trying to capture your resting heart rate - thus as a result if it detects significant enough movement it'll skip that measurement. They really viewed this every 10-minute measurement as a focus on resting HR, not on 'every 10 minutes no matter what'.

- The second method is during a workout, when it engages the 'more traditional' optical sensors (the green lights). This records at 5s intervals, though in my discussions they seemed open to increasing the recording rate. We had a good conversation on why that'd be useful.

Given that, I suspect what's likely happening is that something has changed in the algorithm in the first section to be more 'strict' on when it takes that every 10-minute snapshot. Why they did that...not sure."

So it sounds like it was maybe never supposed to be every ten minutes?

That's why I've mentioned that it seems like a deliberate change on my watch. If I'm sitting or otherwise at rest my HR is recorded every 10 minutes. Getting up and moving around it stops recording. Engaging a workout app it records multiple times a minute. This is very consistent and reproducible for me. So for me my watch is functioning as I would want it to.

Andy ..then it looks like everyone in Cupertino is not on the same page, as this document from Apple clearly states readings will be taken every 10 minutes.

Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support

Personally, I am much more concerned with how erratic HR measurements have become during workouts (every 5s recording).

But I am very glad to hear Ray is in contact with them and aware of the issues.

Looking at how consistent it is on my watch I'm convinced that it was a deliberate change in the software that got corrupted somehow for others. I never did check prior to the update whether the every 10 minutes regardless of activity was being recorded. But afterwards checking it's almost like clockwork, every 10 minutes but only while resting. As soon as I get up it stops. Sit back down, watch tv for a while and it starts recording again, not right away but fairly soon. And of course engaging one of the activity functions it records multiple times a minute. Because this is so consistent on mine I have to believe there was an intentional change in the function that just didn't get implemented properly on some of the devices.

I Think it's a software issue as well the further back in the readings I go. I would think that if you "moving" around more, that the hr would be detected more frequently. Wouldnt that be when you would need the readings to determine calories burned? Obviously you would be burning more calories at that point in time, yet my sensors won't read as often. So for instance, if you're out dancing all night, it would make sense for the hr sensors to really kick in to see your bpm since its determining that you're moving a lot.

Before the update it would read much more frequently. Sure, there's time gaps sometimes of 20 minutes or so, but for the most part it was very consistent whereas last night I was out all night and there were large gaps of time where it did not check bpm. One instance was 2 hours. I can't see that making sense if the purpose of checking often is to determine calories burned, etc.

I'm just hoping they address it sooner rather than later.

Mamoru16 wrote:

So for instance, if you're out dancing all night, it would make sense for the hr sensors to really kick in to see your bpm since its determining that you're moving a lot.

I'm not sure of the reasoning but I think that's what they changed, that unless you've engaged one of the fitness/activity apps it's only recording your resting/idle heart rate. That appears to be what's happening on mine. Maybe this was done with an eye towards battery usage or something else. But you're correct, if this was a deliberate change then it should have been communicated along with the option for the wearer to choose to have it recorded during whatever time period or activity you want. As for me I only really want to see what my HR was during one of my workouts which I will select when I begin. I suppose you could do the same by choosing 'Other" since there is no Dance selection.

It just smells deliberate to me and should have been explained if it was.

I am hoping it wasn't a deliberate change. I'm interested in my own personalized hr and calorie burn throughout the day. One of the coolest features was that it measured the heart rate all day, through all types of activities, and provided an individualized calorie snapshot for the user. And you could track your heart rate throughout the day in any activity you were doing (without running an exercise app). To me, when I'm still and not moving, I don't care about my heart rate then. It's going to be pretty consistent Since I'm not doing anything! If I'm out and about, that's when it's more important.

If when I'm moving it stops reading the hr and just gives general calculations of how many calories you're burning, a Fitbit does that. And that's why I disliked the way Fitbit calculated calories burned throughout the day based on just statistics derived from the general population or something.

Exactly correct. Whatever they were thinking with this change be it deliberate or not, they should explain to all of us who paid $400 or more for their latest product exactly what is going on and why things aren't working as they were, and as Apple describes the Heart Monitor's functionality in their own documentation.

Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support