Apple confirms Watch OS update tweaks heart rate monitoring

By David Nield Published May 31, 2015

Apple Watch back charger — Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

If you’re an Apple Watch owner with a keen interest in your health and fitness, you might have noticed some odd changes in heart rate monitoring since the rollout of Apple Watch OS 1.0.1. Apple has confirmed that these changes are intentional, and the device is now monitoring heart rate less regularly as a deliberate feature rather than a bug.

Back in the days of Watch OS 1.0, heart rate was recorded every 10 minutes. Now — as users had noticed and Apple has now confirmed with an updated support page — readings aren’t taken as frequently if your arm is moving or your whole body is in motion. The tweak is probably aimed at eliminating erratic readings during exercise, but not all users are happy.

Recommended Videos

As Apple has already discovered, the technology behind heart rate monitoring is difficult to get right in a device as small as a smartwatch — that’s why many serious athletes invest in a separate chest strap. It’s worth noting that the Apple Watch also includes a separate Workout app, which can provide regular heart rate readings, if required.

So, if you were wondering why your Apple Watch and associated Health app have been behaving differently, now you know. The Watch OS 1.0.1 update also improves the speed of third-party apps, and is able to more accurately track activities such as walking and cycling.

We’re expecting more Apple Watch news once WWDC kicks off from June 8 as well. There might be announcements about the availability of standalone Apple Watch apps (that don’t require an accompanying iPhone app) as well as HomeKit improvements that could put the smart timepiece at the center of your connected home. We should get our first look at iOS 9 too.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

Features

Are smartwatches and fitness trackers making us more anxious?

Apple Watch 6 fitness monitor.

In a recent Apple Watch ad, one of the protagonists is shown taking an electrocardiogram (a test that can be used to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity) on his watch while riding a bus, working at the office, and even while hanging out at a kids' pool party. The commercial’s message is clear: The latest Apple Watch is so powerful that you can run advanced medical tests anywhere in seconds. The question is: Do you need to?

Although smartwatches have made health insights more accessible than ever and motivated many to adopt fitter lifestyles, their rise has come at a cost. It has sparked a wave of anxiety among users who have become pathologically fixated and prone to over-diagnosing every alert from their wearables.
The rise of smartwatch-induced anxiety
Dr. Lindsey Rosman, a clinical health psychologist and an assistant professor of cardiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says her clinic has observed a growing number of patients with concerns about the information they receive from their smartwatches.

Mobile

How to download WatchOS 8 to your Apple Watch

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple's WatchOS 8 has arrived. The new operating system was first unveiled at WWDC in June, and dropped to all Apple Watch owners on September 20. You know you want to install it, so here we show you precisely how to do it.
Compatible devices
WatchOS 8 supports all the same Apple Watch models that its predecessor supported last year. Even the older Series 3 runs the newest OS. WatchOS 8 requires an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15 or later. The following Apple Watch models can be upgraded to WatchOS 8:

Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 5
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch SE

Mobile

New Apple Watch Series 7 has a 20% larger screen that’s much brighter indoors

Surfing workout being tracked on the all new Apple Watch Series 7.

Apple's third big revelation at its September 14 "California Streaming" event was a new generation of its Apple Watch. The Series 7 is planned for release later this fall at a starting price of $399, and it will bring a host of improved features, including a larger screen with thinner borders.

The Series 7 watch runs off of the new Watch iOS8. It features a 20% larger screen with a new retina display that continues to slim down the already-skinny borders of the watch, which are now 40% thinner, clocking in at just over 1 millimeter wide.