With your finger and the Digital Crown
The Apple Watch measures your heart rate and stores it in the Health app. With the Heart Rate app and Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, you can measure your heart rate faster and more accurately. You do this through the Digital Crown. We show you how this works.
Better measure your heart rate
The Apple Watch heart rate monitor is an optical heart rate sensor that works according to photoplethysmography. The green light from the sensor is absorbed and the Apple Watch determines how much blood flows through your wrist. Since the Apple Watch Series 4, you can also measure your heart rate in a different way, namely via electrodes. This ensures a more accurate and faster measurement.
- Suitable devices
- Measure heart rate more accurately
- More heart rate tips
Suitable devices
This tip is suitable for the following Apple Watch models:
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch Series 4
So it does not apply to the Apple Watch SE.
Measure heart rate more accurately and faster with Apple Watch
The electrodes on the back of the Apple Watch Series are used with the ECG app, among other things. Since watchOS 5.1.2, the Heart Rate app on the Apple Watch Series 4 also uses the electrodes. The electrodes send electrical signals to your heart and by placing your finger on the Digital Crown, you form a closed circuit between your heart and your arms.
This makes the measurements of your heart rate more accurate. In addition, the Watch does not take a measurement every five seconds (as normally with the Heart Rate app), but every one second. You can make this faster and more accurate measurement as follows:
- Open the Heart Rate app on a compatible Apple Watch.
- Tap on Current if this screen does not appear.
- The Heart Rate app now measures your heart rate via the optical heart rate sensor. Now put your finger on the Digital Crown.
- You will notice that the measurement becomes more accurate and your heart rate is updated much more often with the new measurements.
This way, you can make better use of the heart rate sensor sensors in the latest Apple Watch models.
More heart rate tips
Would you like more tips about measuring heart rate? Then check these articles:
- You will receive a warning when the heart rate is high or low on the Apple Watch
- This is how the irregular heart rhythm notifications work on the Apple Watch
- Pair heart rate monitor with an Apple Watch
- Measure heart rate variability with Apple Watch and apps
- The best heart rate apps for your Apple Watch and iPhone
- Digital Touch: everything about sending your heart rate and drawings
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