greggfromphoenix
Level 1 (4 points)
Apple Watch

Q: heart rate alarm

My search for this question resulted in answers for the original watch/OS from 2015 so I wanted to ask again to see if anything has changed with the new series 2 and latest OS.

 

I'm looking for an alarm feature on the apple watch that will alert me if my heart rate goes over a certain level.  This could be native to the OS, or a 3rd party app that runs on the watch (so it will work without my phone).  It seems like such a useful feature for both physical training and medical emergencies that I'd be surprised someone hasn't implemented it... but my searches haven't yielded anything.

Apple Watch, watchOS 2.2.2

Posted on Sep 10, 2016 3:12 PM

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greggfromphoenix

Q: heart rate alarm

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Jonathan UK,Helpful

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 11, 2016 1:51 PM in response to greggfromphoenix
    Level 7 (31,490 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 11, 2016 1:51 PM in response to greggfromphoenix

    Hi

     

    Heart rate alerts are not presently available as built-in feature of iOS or watchOS.

     

    Note also that Apple Watch, the heart rate sensor and the included Apple Watch 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.

     

    You may find the following third-party app (for example) of interest:

     

    • HeartWatch
      • The developer advises:
        • "NOTIFICATIONS: You can configure notifications for the following scenarios: When heart rate exceeds a bpm value, When heart rate drops below a bpm value."
        • "NOTE: Due to your iPhone's Health Store being encrypted, notifications can only be delivered when your iPhone is unlocked. This will happen in the background whenever you are using your iPhone in an unlocked state for any purpose, so in practice, you will be alerted as long as you regularly use your iPhone."
      • https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heartwatch.-view-get-notified/id1062745479?mt=8
      • http://heartwatch.tantsissa.com/home

     

    More information (under Not a medical device):

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

  • by greggfromphoenix,

    greggfromphoenix greggfromphoenix Sep 11, 2016 2:01 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 11, 2016 2:01 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    Thanks! This was very helpful, but sadly it doesn't look like it can do what I want it to.  I want to run with just the watch and not the phone.  Even if I have the phone while running, keeping it unlocked would involve a lot of unintended buttons being pushed.

     

    I'm training my heart to beat slower when I run so I need to be alerted when it goes over a certain BPM so I can slow down.  Nothing life or death, just a handy training tool.

     

    Looks like my only hope is that the Apple developers think it's a useful enough feature to add natively.