If you need to monitor your heart rate regularly, your Apple Watch has a Heart Rate monitor that automatically tracks your heart rate before, during, and after a workout.
The monitor can show your current, resting, and walking heart rates, allowing you to compare them.
It also sends alerts if your heart rate rises significantly during inactivity.
With watchOS 7, Apple introduced new workout modes like dancing, core training, functional strength training, and cool down, all of which monitor your heart rate.
Additionally, the sleep tracker records your heart rate while you sleep.
Before starting, ensure your Apple Watch is running the latest software version.
You can check for updates by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, going to General > Software Update, and following the prompts if an update is available.
How Do You View Your Heart Rate on Apple Watch?
To view your heart rate, open the Heart Rate app from the home screen of your Apple Watch. If this is your first time using the app, you’ll see a brief introduction to its features.
Tap “Next” to continue, and you’ll be prompted to enable notifications for when your heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute after 10 minutes of inactivity.
The app will show your current heart rate, and you can swipe up to view your resting heart rate and walking heart rate for the day.
Tapping “Current” lets you see all three heart rates on a single screen.
How Can You Quickly Access the Heart Rate Monitor?
You can make accessing the Heart Rate monitor easier by switching to a watch face that includes a heart icon, such as the Activity, Breathe, Color, or Modular faces.
You can also add the Heart Rate app to any face that supports complications. Simply tap the heart icon on the watch face to check your current heart rate.
How Do You Set Heart Rate Alerts?
To set notifications for high or low heart rates, go to Settings > Heart on your Apple Watch.
For high heart rate notifications, tap the option and set a specific beats-per-minute (BPM) threshold. You can also configure low heart rate notifications in the same menu.
Once these settings are in place, your watch will notify you if your heart rate goes above or below the set limits for a 10-minute period.
How Can You Track Heart Rate During Workouts?
To monitor your heart rate during workouts, tap the Workout icon on your watch, which looks like a running figure.
Select the type of workout you’re about to do—options include Outdoor Walk, Indoor Cycle, Elliptical, and Core Training.
To set specific goals for your workout, tap the ellipsis icon next to the workout type. You can input targets like calories burned, time, or distance.
As you work out, your Apple Watch will display the elapsed time, active and total calories burned, and your heart rate.
After finishing, you’ll see your average heart rate and the range it hit during the exercise. Tap “Done” to save the workout.
How Can You View Heart Rate Data After a Workout?
You can review your heart rate and other workout data in the Fitness app on your iPhone (formerly the Activity app in iOS 14 and earlier).
The Summary section provides a daily chart, and the Workouts section lists each day you completed a workout.
For a deeper look into past workouts, tap “Show More” to view older data.
Selecting a specific workout will display its details, including your average heart rate and a chart showing how your heart rate changed throughout the session.