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Apps HeartWatch 2 Heart Rate and sleep tracker app

Pravda

Pravda

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 30, 2008
807
62
Philly
Just a heads up, finally pulled the trigger and purchased this app after reading up on it again on AppAdvice
( http://appadvice.com/appnn/2016/02/heartwatch-2-is-here-with-a-complication-and-sleep-tracking ).

Been messing with this app for about an hour and definitely dig how much data/info this app unlocks about your hear rate throughout the day. Haven't tried out the sleep tracking yet. App does have a Watch OS2 complication and it loads super quick (probably faster than a virgin on prom night).
The UI is very easy to navigate and use. Feels very smooth and natural.

The dev is also very active and quick to respond via emails, at first i wasn't aware that this app had a complication and he responded to me via email probably within 10 minutes.

For any of you guys that want to gain more info on how your ticker is doing throughout the day or night, definitely recommend this app or put it on your watch list for when it goes on sale.

Disclaimer: I have no ties to the dev or this app, I'm just a happy user that wants to send the dev some props for a great app.

iTunes link below
https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id1062745479?mt=8
 
I bought the app for the heart rate complication, but it doesn't seem to update unless I click on it. Any advice from the developer?
 
makotoisle said:
Have you tried the sleep tracking yet? How is it?
Click to expand...

Hey,
I've tried sleep tracking, seems on point but maybe a bit more "optimistic" than my real sleep.
I believed I tossed and woke up a bit more during the night than what the app showed.
I'll have to pay more attention to it, i've been sleeping without the watch lately.
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jhagg said:
I bought the app for the heart rate complication, but it doesn't seem to update unless I click on it. Any advice from the developer?
Click to expand...

I believe the complication just shows the highest HR recorded for the day?

Have you tried emailing the Dev? He was very quick with his responses when i had a few questions.
 
jhagg said:
I bought the app for the heart rate complication, but it doesn't seem to update unless I click on it. Any advice from the developer?
Click to expand...

I emailed David the developer regarding this issue and suggested expanded customization of the complications screen. He responded very quickly, explaining that: 1) The complication can only be background updated by the iPhone itself, and 2) The iPhone can only do this when unlocked. It's a restriction in place by Apple because they encrypt all health data currently. Apple's own apps cannot access the encrypted health database when the phone is locked.

So, what we are currently seeing on the complications screen is the daily average updated by either the watch app or iPhone app (solid heart) and the highest reading detected by the iPhone since the app was last opened (outline heart).

The only workaround to accomplish real-time updating is to disable Touch ID and set the passcode lock to delay by a few hours. It seems a pretty steep price to pay just to have a complication background update. I also think it's funny that a major security feature has to be disabled just to accommodate Apple's attempt at securing health data.

Hopefully this restriction will change in iOS10. Until then, it looks like we're stuck with what we currently have.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
No joke is is like the best app ever. It's exactly the type of thing about Apple Watch and HealthKit that I was always wanting/expecting, but never seemed to really happen.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Love the app and it works with Sleep Pulse so I use Sleep Pulse to track my sleep and all the information is in this app each morning. Love it.
 
BlueMoon63 said:
Agreed. Love the app and it works with Sleep Pulse so I use Sleep Pulse to track my sleep and all the information is in this app each morning. Love it.
Click to expand...
I used sleep pulse for a while, but I've gotten away from it because it was showing way too many inaccuracies in my sleep. Plus it seemed to get glitches far too frequently for something that I use when I'm at my most tired. The sleep tracking in HeartWatch has seemed to be sufficient for me at the moment, but I may try Sleep Pulse or Sleep++ again sometime in the future. I do like how you can use any sleep tracking app and it sync's it.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
I used sleep pulse for a while, but I've gotten away from it because it was showing way too many inaccuracies in my sleep. Plus it seemed to get glitches far too frequently for something that I use when I'm at my most tired. The sleep tracking in HeartWatch has seemed to be sufficient for me at the moment, but I may try Sleep Pulse or Sleep++ again sometime in the future. I do like how you can use any sleep tracking app and it sync's it.
Click to expand...
Others have said the same about sleep pulse. I finally tested all three choices for sensitivity and settled on one that seems very accurate to me.

I bet Apple adds more sensors to version to to track sleep and stair climbing and their own built in sleep tracker.

You are right - I love that this app can use data from any sleep app that apps to the health data.
 
BlueMoon63 said:
Others have said the same about sleep pulse. I finally tested all three choices for sensitivity and settled on one that seems very accurate to me.

I bet Apple adds more sensors to version to to track sleep and stair climbing and their own built in sleep tracker.

You are right - I love that this app can use data from any sleep app that apps to the health data.
Click to expand...
Add me to the list of impressed. Great app.

For sleep, I do prefer Sleep++
 
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Mad Mac Maniac said:
No joke is is like the best app ever. It's exactly the type of thing about Apple Watch and HealthKit that I was always wanting/expecting, but never seemed to really happen.
Click to expand...

Totally agree, about time we've got a useable app, great gui, information recorded and displayed. I haven't tried the sleep function yet either. The rate monitor got it wrong during a workout, but I'm guessing it's a fudge with the watch monitor rather than the app itself.
 
ekwipt said:
Totally agree, about time we've got a useable app, great gui, information recorded and displayed. I haven't tried the sleep function yet either. The rate monitor got it wrong during a workout, but I'm guessing it's a fudge with the watch monitor rather than the app itself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I always have had HR monitor issues (with Apple Watch) when doing anything with weights. Running and biking it works just fine. I'm guessing it has something to do with the type of movement or the action of gripping the weights.

Regarding the sleep, you can really use any sleep app and this app will still give you all the same data (which aggregates it in a way that I actually find more appealing than the dedicated sleep apps). Personally I'd recommend just using HeartWatch itself because

1) it's pretty simple/easy to use and I have not experienced any bugs (something I definitely can't say about Sleep Pulse)

2) If you care about calculating your "waking" HR it does a great job of immediately asking you if you want to get a reading. This gives much more consistency as opposed to waiting until AW decides to check your HR (at which point you could have already been up and moving around for 10 minutes).
 
I found on waking this morning my heartbeat was at 130BPM, normally my resting is around 80bpm, i wonder if the jolt of the alarm had something to it, or moire irregular heart tracking? Will test more
 
ekwipt said:
I found on waking this morning my heartbeat was at 130BPM, normally my resting is around 80bpm, i wonder if the jolt of the alarm had something to it, or moire irregular heart tracking? Will test more
Click to expand...
yikes! Yeah I sometimes feel like my HR is pounding a bit as my alarm goes off and my body tries to suddenly wake up. For that I would suggest a couple things.

1) Try an alarm on the Apple Watch since you'll be wearing it anyway. I always have the sound turned off so I wake up to taps on the wrist which I find less jolting than a blasting alarm.

2) If you use the HeartWatch app to sleep track, upon waking it seems to use a kind of "workout" trick to continuously monitor HR until you stop it. Then it automatically takes the LOWEST HR it calculates during that time. So if I feel my heart is pounding a bit, I'll just lay there motionless with my eyes closed for about a minute or however long it takes for my heart to feel normal.
 
I'm not sure where the problem lies, but i also use Under Armours Record for workouts etc, does any one else use this in conjunction with Heartwatch 2, it doesn't seem to share the sleep data with UA Record?
 
ekwipt said:
I'm not sure where the problem lies, but i also use Under Armours Record for workouts etc, does any one else use this in conjunction with Heartwatch 2, it doesn't seem to share the sleep data with UA Record?
Click to expand...

I haven't used UA Record, but in my experience HeartWatch can READ sleep data from any app (used sleep++ and sleep pulse), but Sleep++ and sleep pulse are unable to read sleep data from any of the other apps. UA record might be the same. If you use that app a lot I'd recommend tracking your sleep with that one because (I'm assuming) HeartWatch should be able to read it just find.

Question: Has anyone experienced unusual HR spikes when sleeping? I've a very healthy person so generally my resting HR is in the 60's and during sleep it's often in the 40's (with my normal waking HR in the low 40's). However without fail it seems like every night I get at least a couple of spikes over 100, sometimes even into the 120's. Normally it's only 2 or 3 times, but on a few occasions it's been over 10 times, all the way up to 17 times! I wonder if it's inaccurate readings, if it's normal behavior, or if I have something I should be concerned about. For what it's worth, I usually sleep pretty soundly.
 
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i'll look through my data, but have to say loving the app, i wish there was something similar for workouts, (i've looked through a lot and nothing is as perfect)
 
OK.... not thrilled..... I decided to give the sleep tracking a try the last two nights... and there's NO data??????

yesterday it just kept saying my data would show up... then that went away and NOTHING... and not today the same thing.... "your sleep data will arrive shortly"
 
ekwipt said:
i'll look through my data, but have to say loving the app, i wish there was something similar for workouts, (i've looked through a lot and nothing is as perfect)
Click to expand...
Try exercise pulse. Probably the equivalent to this app for exercising. It graphs and shows your workout. I like it.
 
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caligurl said:
OK.... not thrilled..... I decided to give the sleep tracking a try the last two nights... and there's NO data??????

yesterday it just kept saying my data would show up... then that went away and NOTHING... and not today the same thing.... "your sleep data will arrive shortly"
Click to expand...
I haven't had any issues. I'd suggest deleting and reinstalling the app maybe. Are you only having issues with the sleep portion? Maybe reach out to the dev
 
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