Connect Apple Watch heart rate monitor
The Apple Watch has a built-in heart rate monitor, which allows you to continuously measure your heart rate during exercise. But sometimes you also want to connect an external heart rate monitor, for example if you have a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, or if you want to collect detailed measurements. In this tip you can read how to connect such an external heart rate monitor to the Apple Watch via Bluetooth.
Which heart rate monitor to buy?
The Apple Watch works with Bluetooth 4 and newer, so almost any Bluetooth heart rate monitor will work. However, it should work with newer models such as those from Polar, Garmin and Wahoo.
These are some suggestions:
- Polar heart rate monitors at Coolblue
- Garmin heart rate monitors at Coolblue
- Heart rate monitors at Bol.com
- Heart rate monitors at Mediamarkt
Pair heart rate monitor with Apple Watch
This is how you connect your external heart rate monitor to your Apple Watch:
- Make sure your heart rate monitor is turned on and can be found via Bluetooth.
- Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap Bluetooth.
- Wait for the heart rate monitor to appear in the list.
- Tap the name of the heart rate monitor and the connection will be established.
If pairing fails, the heart rate monitor may already be connected to the iPhone. In that case, you can temporarily disable the iPhone’s Bluetooth settings to force the heart rate monitor to connect to your Apple Watch. You can also remove the heart rate monitor on the iPhone from the list of paired devices, although this is a bit more drastic. Reconnecting is a little more work. Another thing to keep in mind: you can’t pair two heart rate monitors with the Apple Watch at the same time.
More tips about measuring heart rate with Apple Watch
Also read these tips about measuring heart rate and more:
- This is how the heart rate monitor in the Apple Watch works
- For example, you will receive a warning if your heart rate is high or low on the Apple Watch
- This way you can measure your heart rate faster and more accurately on the Apple Watch
- The best heart rate apps for your Apple Watch and iPhone
- This is how the heart rate monitor in the Apple Watch works
