To check your heart rate on Apple Watch, press the Digital Crown, open Heart Rate, and keep still until your BPM reading appears. Wear the watch snugly against your skin while it measures. These steps work on all current Apple Watch models, including SE, running watchOS 26 or 27.
The short version
- Check now: Open Heart Rate on your watch and keep still until a reading appears.
- Open it faster: Add a Heart Rate complication to a supported watch face.
- Review history: On iPhone with iOS 27, open Health > Browse > Heart > Heart Rate.
- Restore background readings: Turn on Wrist Detection and turn off Low Power Mode if those settings are stopping measurements.
| Method or option | Where to go | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| On-demand reading | Heart Rate on your watch | Current models with watchOS 26 or 27 |
| Electrical sensor reading | Heart Rate, with a finger on the Digital Crown | Series 4 and later or any Ultra, excluding SE |
| Watch face shortcut | A Heart Rate complication | Supported faces and positions on watchOS 26 or 27 |
| Daily graphs | Heart Rate on your watch | Review daily metrics on watchOS 27 |
| Recorded history | Health on iPhone | Choose a time period on iOS 27 |
| Individual records and sources | Show All Data or Data Sources & Access | Inspect synced data on iPhone or iPad |
| Live workout reading | Workout on your watch | Available views depend on the activity |
| Workout view customization | Views in Workout | Add supported views or metrics on watchOS 27 |
| Workout history | Fitness > Sessions on iPhone | Review a recorded Apple Watch workout |
| Live cycling display | Workout timer on the iPhone Lock Screen | Follow a cycling workout on your paired iPhone |
| Overnight readings | Vitals on your watch | watchOS 27 models supporting sleep tracking |
| Vitals on a companion device | Health > Browse > Vitals | iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 with corresponding data |
| Continuous daytime readings | Heart Rate live chart | Series 12 or Ultra 4 |
| Continuous measurement control on iPhone | Apple Watch > Apps > Heart | Series 12 or Ultra 4 running watchOS 27 |
| Daytime Vitals | Overnight Vitals button in Vitals | Series 12 or Ultra 4 running watchOS 27 |
| Measurement permission on the watch | Settings > Privacy & Security > Health | Enable Heart Rate on watchOS 27 |
| Measurement permission on iPhone | Privacy in the Apple Watch app | Enable measurement on your paired watch |
| Wrist Detection | Passcode in the iPhone Watch app | Restore background resting and walking readings |
| Low Power Mode | Settings > Battery on your watch | Restore background readings stopped by power saving |
| Reduced workout sampling | Settings > Workout | Check supported models during outdoor walking, running, or hiking |
| Deleted app restoration | App Store on your watch | Download Apple's Heart Rate app again |
| App identification | Official Heart Rate listing | Confirm that the developer is Apple |
Take a heart rate reading now
Fit your watch snugly against your skin, then press the Digital Crown to open the app screen. Tap Heart Rate and stay still until your BPM reading appears.
On Apple Watch Series 4 and later or any Ultra model, you can use the electrical sensor for faster readings. With Heart Rate open, rest a finger from your opposite hand on the Digital Crown without pressing it. Apple says this method takes a reading every second. It does not apply to SE models.
Add Heart Rate to your watch face
On watchOS 26 or 27, you can add a shortcut to a watch face with a complication position that supports Heart Rate. Touch and hold the face, tap Edit, then swipe left to the complication positions.
Tap a position, then turn the Digital Crown to Heart Rate. Press the Digital Crown to save, then tap the face to finish. After that, tap the Heart Rate complication whenever you want to open the app.
Review your daily readings and history
For daily graphs on watchOS 27, open Heart Rate and turn the Digital Crown to Range, Resting Rate, or Walking Average. Tap the Info button for an explanation of the selected metric.
To review recorded Apple Watch readings on an iPhone with iOS 27, open Health > Browse > Heart > Heart Rate. Choose a time period to inspect your history.
In the current iPhone Health app, open Show All Data from the heart-rate page to examine individual records. Open Data Sources & Access to identify which devices or apps contributed measurements. On iPad with synced Apple Watch data, open the Health sidebar, then select Heart > Heart Rate to reach those same options.
See your heart rate during a workout
Open Workout on your watch, select your activity, and tap Start. During a cardio workout, turn the Digital Crown to the Heart Rate Zone view to see your current and average heart rate, current zone, and time in that zone. Available views depend on the activity, and personalized zones require your date of birth in Health.
To adjust workout views on watchOS 27, open Workout, turn the Digital Crown to an activity, and tap Views. Tap Include beside the view you want. To replace an individual metric, tap Edit in Metrics or Metrics 2, tap a metric, and choose its replacement. Editable views and metrics depend on the workout.
After recording a workout, open Fitness on iPhone and select Sessions. Choose the workout, then tap Show More beside Heart Rate to review its graph.
For live cycling metrics on your paired iPhone, open Workout on the watch, select Outdoor Cycle or Indoor Cycle, and tap Start. On your iPhone, tap the workout timer on the Lock Screen to expand the live metrics, including heart rate.
Check your overnight heart rate
On watchOS 27 models that support sleep tracking, wear your watch during sleep to collect overnight measurements. Open Vitals, turn the Digital Crown to the heart-rate metric, and tap it for details. Tap the Calendar button to review the last seven days.
You can also review the corresponding Apple Watch Vitals data on an iPhone with iOS 27 or an iPad with iPadOS 27. Open Health > Browse > Vitals, then tap the heart-rate metric.
Use continuous measurements on supported models
On Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, open Heart Rate to see the live chart of your continuous daytime measurements. On the watch, open Settings > Heart > Continuous Measurements and leave the setting enabled for this feature.
With those models running watchOS 27, you can also control continuous measurements from your iPhone. Open Apple Watch > Apps > Heart, then use Continuous Measurements.
For daytime readings in Vitals on Series 12 or Ultra 4 running watchOS 27, open the app and tap Overnight Vitals to switch to daytime metrics. Turn the Digital Crown to heart rate and tap the metric for details. Tap the Calendar button to review the last seven days.
Restore missing readings or the Heart Rate app
If a reading is not appearing, keep the watch snug against your skin and stay still while Heart Rate measures. Check that measurement is enabled by opening Settings > Privacy & Security > Health > Heart Rate on watchOS 27. Turn on Heart Rate.
You can also enable measurement from your paired iPhone. Open the Apple Watch app, tap My Watch, open Privacy, and turn on Heart Rate.
If background resting and walking readings are missing, open the Watch app on iPhone, tap My Watch, and select Passcode. Turn on Wrist Detection. Apple says those background readings are not taken when this setting is off.
Low Power Mode disables background heart-rate readings and high, low, and irregular-rhythm notifications, although workout heart-rate measurement can continue. On the watch, open Settings > Battery and turn off Low Power Mode. Alternatively, press the side button, tap the battery percentage, and turn off Low Power Mode. Also check Settings > Workout > Low Power Mode if workouts automatically enable it.
An additional sampling reduction can affect outdoor walking, running, and hiking while Low Power Mode is active. This applies to Series 8 and later, SE 2 and later, and Ultra models running watchOS 9.1 or later. To avoid that reduction, open Settings > Workout and turn off Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings.
If you deleted the app, open App Store on your watch and search for Heart Rate. Select Apple's app, tap Redownload, then open Heart Rate again. Use the official Heart Rate listing to identify the genuine app by its developer, Apple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Apple Watch alert you to a high or low heart rate?
You can enable these alerts on Series 1 and later if you are age 13 or older. On the watch, open Settings > Heart, choose High Heart Rate Notifications or Low Heart Rate Notifications, and select a threshold. These alerts concern sustained rates during inactivity rather than an on-demand measurement. To configure them on iPhone, open Watch, tap My Watch, then open Heart and choose High Heart Rate or Low Heart Rate.
Can you check your heart rate after a breathing session?
Open Mindfulness, tap Breathe, and complete the session to see your heart rate on the Summary screen. Alternatively, tap Reflect, read the theme, and tap Begin, then review your heart rate when the session finishes. To review recorded session data on iPhone, open Health > Browse > Heart > Heart Rate > Show More Heart Rate Data, swipe up, and tap Breathe.
Can you use a Bluetooth chest strap with Apple Watch?
You can pair a compatible Bluetooth heart-rate monitor, such as a chest strap, for your workout. Put the monitor into pairing mode, open Settings > Bluetooth on your watch, and select it. Then use it with your workout. The external monitor supplies the measurement.
Is heart rate variability the same as your heart rate?
Heart rate variability measures variation between beats rather than heart rate in BPM. On Series 12 and Ultra 4, open Heart Rate, turn the Digital Crown to view your recovery heart rate variability (HRV), and tap the Info button for details.