Wondering why your Peloton Apple Watch heart rate not working? Let’s discuss this in detail!
Connecting your Apple Watch to your Peloton is a great way to keep track of your workouts and fitness insights.
However, the trouble comes when your Apple Watch cannot read the heart rate and displays a heart with a slash icon.
Well, fear not, there are multiple ways to fix this problem.
Whenever your Apple Watch stops reading your heart rate on Peloton, check the device’s connection and reboot both instances. Next, correct the placement of the Apple Watch and enable wrist detection.
So, without any further delay, let’s dive in!
Peloton Apple Watch Heart Rate Not Working – Fixed Easily
Tip: Follow the solutions chronologically!
1. Check the Device’s Connection!
You should start by checking the connection between your Peloton appliance and Apple Watch!
As you may know, the connection between these units is established wirelessly via Bluetooth, and issues with the connection can lead to inaccurate or loss of heart rate records.
That’s why it’s essential to check the connection between your devices.
Check the following to ensure a stable connection:
- Verify that your watch is tightly placed on the top of your wrist.
- Verify that both the Bluetooth and WiFi permissions are enabled.
- Ensure that the Apple Watch and Peloton are in close proximity.
- Use the same user account on your iPhone and Apple Watch.
- Ensure your iPhone is close to your watch to avoid obstruction.
If everything is in order and correctly set up, but your heart rate is not working, don’t panic and simply move on to the next troubleshooting step.
2. Restart Peloton & Apple Watch
Sometimes, a simple bug or glitch prevents your Peloton and Apple Watch from functioning correctly.
So, restarting your devices is one obvious and effective solution that clears out all temporary issues and ensures that your devices communicate more effectively.
Here is how you can restart your devices:
How to Restart Peloton Bike/Tread?
- Locate the Power button behind the display.
- Long press the Power button for 5 seconds.
- Choose “Restart” from the on-screen prompt.
- Using the power button, turn on your Peloton.
Optional: Power cycle your Peloton appliance by unplugging it from the power!
How to Restart Your Apple Watch?
- Long press the Power button for 5 seconds.
- Then, drag the power off slider to the right side.
- Wait for 60 seconds with the watch turned off.
- Then press and hold the Power button again.
- When the Apple logo shows, release the button.
When you are done restarting both your devices, check to see if your Apple Watch is tracking your heart rate.
If the heart rate measuring problem persists, you may need to proceed further…
3. Inspect Apple Watch Placement
Wearing your Apple Watch correctly is something you cannot take for granted, especially when you have to get your heart rate readings.
If you wear your Apple Watch too tight/loose, it may automatically move around, and the heart rate sensor on the watch may lose contact with your skin.
- This can often lead to inaccurate heart rate readings or no readings at all.
Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that you wear your Apple Watch snugly but not too tightly.
Also, ensure that the heart rate sensor on the back of the watch is clean and in direct contact with the skin.
This will ensure and help you get accurate heart rate readings during a Peloton workout.
4. Look for Wrist Detection Feature
If the Peloton Apple Watch heart rate is still not working, you should check whether the “Wrist Detection” feature is enabled.
This feature helps to improve heart rate monitoring by ensuring that the watch actively measures your heart rate on Peloton when it is in contact with your skin.
Here’s how to check for the wrist detection feature:
- Wake up the Apple Watch.
- Enter the “Settings” app.
- Tap on the “Passcode.”
- Enable “Wrist Detection.”
Reminder: Check if the Peloton Apple Watch heart rate works!
5. Check the Health Permissions
The next thing you have to do is check your health permissions in the Peloton app settings.
So, you must ensure that all your health permissions are enabled for your Peloton appliance to collect and analyze your data for better fitness insights.
Here is how you can check your health permissions:
- Grab your iPhone in your hand.
- Navigate to the “Settings” app.
- Tap on “Apps” under Privacy.
- Locate and choose “Peloton.”
After that, enable all your health permissions under the “Allow Peloton to Watch” tab.
So, once you are done, restart your iPhone and launch the Peloton app to save these new settings.
Then, check to see if the heart rate from your Apple Watch is working fine. In case the issue persists, try the next step!
6. Update Your Apple Watch OS
If your setup is still using an old operating system, maybe that’s why the Apple Watch Peloton heart rate not working.
In those cases, the root cause is a compatibility issue or a software glitch, hence, updating your Apple Watch version may help ensure compatibility with Peloton.
Note: Ensure your Apple Watch is connected to the WiFi network!
Here’s how to update an Apple Watch:
- Grab your Apple Watch.
- Go to the Settings app.
- Enter the “General” tab.
- Tap “Software Update.”
If a software update is available, install and download it on your watch.
Once the downloading process ends, restart your Apple Watch, iPhone, and Peloton device, if possible.
Then, check if heart rate tracking is appropriately working.
Note: Also, check for available updates on your Peloton’s touchscreen!
7. Reset Network Settings!
When your Peloton Apple Watch heart rate is not working, network glitches can be the culprit.
In that case, resetting your iPhone’s network settings may help clear all network-related issues and establish a more stable connection, restoring the functionality of your heart rate measuring.
Here’s how to reset the network settings on your Apple device:
- Go to the “Settings” on your Apple device.
- Tap on “General” and go to the “Reset” tab.
- Next, select “Transfer or Reset [Device].”
- Tap “Reset Network Settings” and confirm.
After that, check if your Apple Watch monitors and updates your heart rate on your Peloton’s system.
If the issue persists, you must reinstall the Peloton app cleanly, so continue reading!
8. Reinstall the Peloton App!
There is a good chance that the Peloton app on your iPhone is outdated, which is why the Peloton app Apple Watch heart rate not working.
The fault is due to software glitches or corrupted cache files, so uninstall and reinstall the Peloton app for a fresh beginning.
Here’s how to remove and reinstall the Peloton app:
- First, head over to the App Store.
- Type “Peloton” in the search bar.
- Tap on the app when it shows up.
- Uninstall the application entirely.
- Press “Install” and install the app.
Once the downloading process ends, launch and log in to the app using your Peloton user account details.
After that, check for the heart rate readings on your Apple Watch and Peloton.
Info: You will be required to sign into your user account!
9. Reconnect Apple Watch to Peloton
If you have tried every step in the guide, but your heart rate is still not working, you must try reconnecting your Apple watch to your Peloton device.
This is an ideal approach to clear all conflicts and issues from your devices and set up a fresh connection.
Step #1 Disconnect Peloton From Apple Watch
- First, open the installed Peloton mobile app.
- Press three horizontal lines at the bottom.
- Tap on “Settings” and go to “Apple Health.”
- Push the toggle button to “Workout Data.”
- Confirm the choice to disconnect your Peloton.
Step #2 Reconnect Peloton to the Apple Watch
- First, open the Peloton mobile app.
- Tap on “More” from the bottom right.
- Locate “Apple Watch” under add-ons.
- Tap “Apple Watch” and then “Set Up.”
- Select “Peloton” and press “Install.”
Remember, when the app asks you to connect to the Apple Health app, choose the “Edit” option and enable all permissions.
After that, start a workout class on your iOS or Peloton device, open the Peloton App on your Apple Watch, and you are good to go!
Quick Recap:
When your Peloton Apple Watch heart rate not working, soft reset your devices and make sure your Apple Watch OS and Peloton app are updated.
Also, reinstall your Peloton app, reconnect your Peloton to your Apple Watch, and reset the network settings if necessary!
Contact Peloton Support for more assistance!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.