Your heart rate is an important way to monitor how your body is doing. You can check your heart rate during a workout; see your resting, walking, workout, and post-workout heart rates, and your heart rate during a Breathe session; or take a new reading at any time.

Heart rate data is on by default, and it feeds the Heart Rate app, workouts, and Breathe and Reflect sessions. You can see graphs of your data, too.

Here’s how to check your heart rate on Apple Watch.

Note: Make sure that your wrist and your Apple Watch are clean and dry. Water and sweat can cause a poor recording.

Turn on heart rate data

Your Apple Watch monitors your heart rate by default for workouts, the Heart Rate app, and Breathe and Reflect sessions. Turning heart rate data back on is always an option if you’ve switched it off.

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap Privacy & Security and tap Health.
3. Tap Heart Rate, then turn on Heart Rate.

You can also open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Privacy, then turn on Heart Rate.

See your heart rate

Go to the Heart Rate app on your Apple Watch to view your current heart rate.

As long as you’re wearing it, your Apple Watch keeps measuring your heart rate.

On Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, you can view a chart of your heart rate measurements as it updates in real time. To turn off these measurements, go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap Apps, tap Heart, then turn off Continuous Measurements.

See a graph of your heart rate data

1. Open the Heart Rate app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to Range, Resting Rate, or Walking Average to show your heart rate throughout the day.
3. To learn more about your heart rate data, tap the Info button.

To see your heart rate data over a longer period of time, go to the Health app on your iPhone, tap Browse, tap Heart, then tap an entry. You can show heart data for the last hour, day, week, month, or year.

View your recovery heart rate variability

Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 can show your recovery heart rate variability, or HRV, which measures the overall variation in time between heart beats.

1. Open the Heart Rate app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to Heart Rate Variability to view your data.
3. To learn more, tap the Info button.

Note: The back of your Apple Watch needs skin contact for features like wrist detection, haptic notifications, blood oxygen level measurements, and the heart rate sensor. Wearing your Apple Watch with the right fit—not too tight, not too loose, and with room for your skin to breathe—keeps you comfortable and lets the sensors do their job.

See also

• Record an electrocardiogram with the ECG app on Apple Watch
• Monitor your heart health on Apple Watch

Apple Watch has an electrical heart rate sensor that, along with the ECG app, allows you to take an electrocardiogram (or ECG). It’s quick.

To use the ECG app, update your iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) to the latest version of iOS and Apple Watch to the latest version of watchOS. Then you set it up in the Health app and record from your wrist, and at the end of the recording, you receive a classification.

Note: The ECG app isn’t available on Apple Watch SE 3 or in all countries or regions.

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone and then follow the onscreen steps to set up ECG.

   If you don’t see a prompt to set up, tap Browse at the bottom-right, tap Heart, then tap Electrocardiogram (ECG).

2. Open the ECG app on your Apple Watch.
3. Rest your arm on a table or in your lap.
4. With the hand opposite your watch, hold your finger on the Digital Crown. Wait while Apple Watch records the ECG.

   You don’t need to press the Digital Crown during the session.

At the end of the recording, you receive a classification. You can then tap Add Symptoms and choose your symptoms. Tap Save to note any symptoms, then tap Done. To view your results on iPhone, go to the Health app on iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom-right, tap Heart, then tap Electrocardiograms (ECG).

Important: To ensure the best reading after swimming, showering, heavy perspiration, or washing your hands, clean and dry your Apple Watch. It may take 1 hour or more for Apple Watch to completely dry. ECG is designed to function between 32 and 95 °F (0 and 35 °C).

See also

• Check your heart rate on Apple Watch
• Heart Health

Your Apple Watch can tune in to your heart and send notifications when something out of the ordinary occurs. For example, it can notify you if your heart rate remains above or below a chosen threshold after you’ve been inactive for at least 10 minutes. You can turn on heart rate notifications when you first open the Heart Rate app, or at any time later.

Your watch can also notify you of an irregular heart rhythm that appears to be atrial fibrillation (AFib). If you have already been diagnosed with AFib, your Apple Watch can help you understand how frequently your heart is in this arrhythmia, and you can track lifestyle factors that may influence your condition.

Receive high or low heart rate notifications

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and then tap Heart.
2. Tap High Heart Rate Notifications or Low Heart Rate Notifications. Set a heart rate threshold.

You can also open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, then tap Heart. Tap High Heart Rate or Low Heart Rate, then set a threshold.

Set up irregular heart rhythm notifications (not available in all countries or regions)

You can receive a notification if Apple Watch has identified an irregular heart rhythm that appears to be atrial fibrillation (AFib).

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Tap My Watch, tap Apps, tap Heart, and then tap Set Up Irregular Rhythm Notifications in Health.
3. In the Health app, tap Set Up and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Show AFib history (not available in all countries or regions)

If you’ve been diagnosed with AFib, do the following:

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse, tap Heart, tap AFib History, tap Set Up, and follow the onscreen instructions.
3. To show your AFib history, open the Health app, tap Browse and tap Heart. Then tap AFib History.

Every Monday, if you’ve worn your watch for at least 5 of 7 days (12 hours a day), you may receive a notification with an estimate of the time you spent in AFib during the previous calendar week.

Set up low cardio fitness notifications

During an outdoor walk, run, or hike, Apple Watch can measure how hard your heart and lungs are working to provide cardio fitness estimates, and it can notify you when your cardio fitness level is low. Your cardio fitness falls into one of four ranges based on your age and sex: Low, Below Average, Above Average, or High. A cardio fitness level in the Low range brings a notification on your Apple Watch, and if it stays low, you’ll get another notification every 4 months.

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Tap My Watch, tap Apps and tap Heart. Then turn on Cardio Fitness Notifications.

Look in the Cardio Fitness section of the Health app to see your cardio fitness measurements and the range they fall into. Tap Show All Cardio Fitness Levels for more information.

See also

• Check your heart rate on Apple Watch
• Receive hypertension notifications on Apple Watch

You can wear Apple Watch to analyze your heart data, which can be used to detect signs of possible hypertension (available on supported models; not available in all countries or regions).

If your Apple Watch detects patterns of hypertension, you receive a notification to discuss with your healthcare provider. You’re also prompted to use a third-party blood pressure cuff to take measurements over a 7-day period, and you can set up reminders for the morning and evening. Then you can log your blood pressure in the Health app.

Important: Your Apple Watch is not a medical device and is not intended to replace talking with your doctor for diagnosis, treatment, or monitoring of hypertension. Apple Watch cannot detect a heart attack or identify every instance of hypertension. Hypertension notifications are not intended for use if you have diagnosed hypertension, or are under 22 years old. Hypertension notifications should also not be used during pregnancy.

Set up hypertension notifications

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap your picture or initials at the top right.
3. Tap Health Checklist, tap Set Up below Hypertension Notifications, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Set up a Blood Pressure Log

When you receive a hypertension notification, you’re prompted to get a blood pressure cuff and log your blood pressure twice a day for 7 days.

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse, tap Heart, and then tap Blood Pressure.
3. Tap Blood Pressure, tap Get Started below Blood Pressure Log, and follow the onscreen instructions.

   You’re asked to schedule reminders to log your blood pressure after you wake up and right before bedtime.

Log your blood pressure

To measure your blood pressure, put the cuff on your arm, then follow the instructions. After you measure your blood pressure, you can log it in the Health app on your iPhone.

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse, tap Heart, and then tap Blood Pressure.
3. Tap Blood Pressure and tap Add a Measurement below Blood Pressure Log.
4. Do the following:
   • Change the date and time: Tap the date and time and then make a change.
   • Enter systolic and diastolic values: Tap the text field next to Systolic and Diastolic and then enter a value.
5. When you’re finished, tap the Done button.

Turn off hypertension notifications

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap your picture or initials at the top right.
3. Tap Health Checklist, tap Hypertension Notifications, and turn Hypertension Notifications off.

See also

• Change notification settings on Apple Watch