HT204666: Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it.

Learn about Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it.
Bob Bracalente

Q: Resting heart rate accuracy

How accurate is the new apple watch at recording resting heart rate?  This will be my primary application for the watch.

Posted on Sep 8, 2016 8:22 AM

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Q: Resting heart rate accuracy

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Jonathan UK,Helpful

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 9, 2016 5:02 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 7 (30,763 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 9, 2016 5:02 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    Hi

     

    Consumer Reports tested the Apple Watch heart rate sensor against their highest-rated dedicated heart rate monitor and found  "no significant differences" between their readings:

     

    http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/04/27/apple-watch-performs-well-in-consumer-re ports-tests/

     

    However, note that Apple Watch, the heart rate sensor and the included apps are not medical devices and are intended for fitness purposes only. They are not designed or intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

     

    More information:

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

    https://help.apple.com/watch/#/apdcf2ff54e9

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Sep 8, 2016 8:33 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 9 (58,397 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 8, 2016 8:33 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    By resting heart rate, do you mean first thing in the morning before you get out of bed? If so, the fact that you have to take the watch off the charger, strap it on, wait for it to read might not make it the ideal device for that. You'll probably have raised your HR several beats by the time you're done. I much prefer my Jawbone UP3 for that (yeah, I have a wearable on each wrist).

     

    Do you also want a watch? It just seems as if that's an awful lot of money to spend if that's the only thing you want it for. Look at an app like Instant Heartrate which uses your phone's camera. I used if for a couple of years before the Watch came out for recording my HR first thing in the morning.

  • by nick101,

    nick101 nick101 Sep 8, 2016 8:42 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 5 (5,103 points)
    Sep 8, 2016 8:42 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    No-one has experience of the Series 2 device yet - it's not available until next week.

     

    Jonathan's reply describes accurately the current watch.

  • by Bob Bracalente,

    Bob Bracalente Bob Bracalente Sep 9, 2016 5:04 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 2 (199 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 9, 2016 5:04 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    By resting heart rate, I mean...my heart rate at rest. As in sitting still. That's a thing these days. Why would I take it off at night, anyway?  Hopefully the battery life exceeds one day of wear?  I already have two devices that I have to ritually plug in every night.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 9, 2016 5:09 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 7 (30,763 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 9, 2016 5:09 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    Bob Bracalente wrote:

     

    .. Hopefully the battery life exceeds one day of wear? ..

     

    In tests, Apple achieved 18 hours of battery life based on an overnight charge followed by: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 30-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 18 hours.

     

    You may find it convenient to charge your watch nightly, overnight. Charging stops automatically when the battery is fully charged and will resume if and when required due to ongoing battery usage.

     

    You may also wish to use Nightstand mode. When charging your watch overnight, this enables it to be used as a bedside clock with optional alarm.

     

    More information:

    http://www.apple.com/watch/battery.html

    Use Nightstand mode on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Sep 9, 2016 5:13 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 9 (58,397 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 9, 2016 5:13 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    Bob Bracalente wrote:

     

    By resting heart rate, I mean...my heart rate at rest. As in sitting still. That's a thing these days. Why would I take it off at night, anyway?  Hopefully the battery life exceeds one day of wear?

    Not generally. Some people who use their watch for sleep tracking will charge it up in the evening, before bed. It only takes a couple of hours.

     

    "Resting Heart Rate" can have a specific meaning so I was just checking on that.

  • by nick101,

    nick101 nick101 Sep 9, 2016 6:01 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 5 (5,103 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 6:01 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    Bob Bracalente wrote:

     

    Hopefully the battery life exceeds one day of wear?

    My personal experience in the 16 months or so that I've used the Watch is that 18 hours is about right. If you want to wear the watch overnight to trace heart rate while sleeping, you should assume that you'll have to charge it for a while before you go to bed. Watch charging doesn't take very long.

     

    Nothing in the information available on Series 2 indicates that battery life is substantially longer; such indications as there are (not many and not necessarily reliable) suggest it's about the same.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 9, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Bob Bracalente
    Level 7 (30,763 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 9, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Bob Bracalente

    nick101 wrote:

     

    .. such indications as there are (not many and not necessarily reliable) ..

     

    The battery life results referenced in my earlier reply were performed by Apple using Apple Watch Series 2, Series 1 and Edition preproduction models.

  • by nick101,

    nick101 nick101 Sep 9, 2016 12:02 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 5 (5,103 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 12:02 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    Jonathan UK wrote:

     

    nick101 wrote:

     

    .. such indications as there are (not many and not necessarily reliable) ..

     

    The battery life results referenced in my earlier reply were performed by Apple using Apple Watch Series 2, Series 1 and Edition preproduction models.

    Yes, I know that, because I can read.

     

    However, as you know, individual experiences vary widely, whatever any manufacturer finds in formal testing. I find it very useful to get feedback from people who have actually used the devices themselves, and I would like to think that the OP would appreciate it too.

     

    Otherwise, a forum set up for users to exchange their experiences and knowledge comes nothing more than a list of links to support articles. Such links have value in themselves, of course, but they do not represent user to user experience.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 9, 2016 1:01 PM in response to nick101
    Level 7 (30,763 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 9, 2016 1:01 PM in response to nick101

    nick101 wrote:

     

    Yes, I know that, because I can read.

     

    My reply was not addressed to you.

     

    nick101 wrote:

     

    .. I find it very useful to get feedback from people who have actually used the devices themselves, and I would like to think that the OP would appreciate it too. ..

     

    The question concerns the "new apple watch".

     

    No users yet have any experience of having "actually used" Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2 or the new Edition model.

  • by nick101,

    nick101 nick101 Sep 9, 2016 2:51 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 5 (5,103 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 2:51 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    I replied to the OP. You replied to me. I replied to you.

     

    You do good work here, but I've never been able to understand why it is that you're so concerned to take issue with other contributors. However, dealing with that seems to have become the price of doing business here.

  • by nick101,

    nick101 nick101 Sep 9, 2016 2:52 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 5 (5,103 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 2:52 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    Jonathan UK wrote:

    ".

     

    No users yet have any experience of having "actually used" Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2 or the new Edition model.

    I already noted that no-one has experience of the Series 2 - does that mean you shouldn't have posted this? Or do different rules apply to you?