How to launch companion Watch App without relying on Health Kit? I need my companion watch to launch automatically in some specific cases. What I'm doing to achieve that is to call "startWatchApp" in HKHealthStore(). This worked flawlessly for well over a year but AppReview is now giving me a hard time about using HealthKit without actually using health related data. Is there a way to do the same without using HealthKit? Seems silly that this is bundled only with the HealthKit... If I don't find another solution I will probably be forced to start reading heart rate data and reporting it to the user just so that AppReview will stop saying that I have no reason to use HealthKit... But ideally I'd love to learn about a way to open the companion Watch app without HealthKit and do things the right way...

Hi y’all! This is my first post but I wanted to ask if anyone else has had this happen and fixed it. But I have lost 3 years of fitness and health data upon upgrading to iOS 26 beta 1. I have about 2 gigs of health data in iCloud which I’m praying to Tim is my data lol. But I was wondering if anyone else went through this issue on their test device and yeah.

Hi all, I’m currently running watchOS 26 beta and have been experiencing several sensor-related issues since updating: • Raise to Wake function doesn’t activate reliably or at all. • Heart rate sensor fails to measure or shows inconsistent readings. • Location services are not working properly, affecting workout tracking and apps that rely on GPS. • Blood oxygen (SpO2) measurements are failing or missing completely. I’m not sure exactly when these issues began, but they started after installing the latest beta. I’ve tried restarting and resetting but the problems persist. Has anyone else encountered similar issues? Any insights or fixes would be appreciated! Thanks!

Has anyone had success using the HKWorkoutRouteBuilder in conjunction with the new iOS support for HKLiveWorkoutBuilder? I was running my watchOS code that worked now brought over to iOS and when I call insertRouteData the function never returns. This happens for both the legacy and closure based block patterns. private var workoutSession: HKWorkoutSession? private var workoutBuilder: HKLiveWorkoutBuilder? private var serviceSession: CLServiceSession? private var workoutRouteBuilder: HKWorkoutRouteBuilder? private func startRouteBuilder() { Task { @MainActor in self.serviceSession = CLServiceSession(authorization: .whenInUse) self.workoutRouteBuilder = self.workoutBuilder?.seriesBuilder(for: .workoutRoute()) as? HKWorkoutRouteBuilder self.locationUpdateTask = Task { do { for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates(.fitness) { if let location = update.location { self.logger.notice(#function, metadata: [ "location": .stringConvertible(location) ]) try await self.workoutRouteBuilder?.insertRouteData([location]) self.logger.notice("Added location") } } } catch { self.logger.error(#function, metadata: [ "error": .stringConvertible(error.localizedDescription) ]) } } } } I did also try CLLocationManager API with delegate which is what my current watch code uses (a bit old). Same issue. Here is what I've found so far: If the workout session is not running, and if the builder hasn't started collection yet, inserting route data works just fine I've tried different swift language modes, flipped from main actor to non isolated project settings (Xcode 26) Modified Apple's sample code and added location route building to that and reproduced the error, modified sample attached to feedback This issue was identified against Xcode 26 beta 2 and iPhone 16 Pro simulator. Works as expected on my iPhone 13 Pro beta 2. FB18603581 - HealthKit: HKWorkoutRouteBuilder insert call within CLLocationUpdate task never returns

I'm using following filters to fetch swimming activities from HealthKit. For some users it fetches all workouts (pool && open water) but for other it skips some open water activities. See screenshot, all those swimming activities are not fetched by following code. let startDate = Calendar.current.date(byAdding: .month, value: -1, to: Date())! let endDate = Date() let swimmingPredicate = HKQuery.predicateForWorkouts(with: .swimming) let timePredicate = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: startDate, end: endDate, options: .strictStartDate) let predicate = NSCompoundPredicate(andPredicateWithSubpredicates: [swimmingPredicate, timePredicate]) let query = HKSampleQuery(sampleType: .workoutType(), predicate: predicate, limit: HKObjectQueryNoLimit, sortDescriptors: [.init(keyPath: \HKSample.startDate, ascending: false)], resultsHandler: { [weak self] query, samples, error in ... Could someone help with ideads what is missing in this case?

In iOS 26, HKLiveWorkoutBuilder is supported, which we can use like HKWorkoutSession in watchOS - this is very exciting. However, it currently seems to have a bug in calculating calories. I tested it in my app, and for nearly 6 minutes with an average heart rate of 134, it only calculated 8 calories consumed (80 calories per hour), including basal consumption, which is obviously incorrect. (I used Powerboats Pro 2 connected to my phone, which includes heart rate data, and HKLiveWorkoutBuilder correctly collected the heart rate, which is great.) I think my code is correct. func workoutBuilder(_ workoutBuilder: HKLiveWorkoutBuilder, didCollectDataOf collectedTypes: Set<HKSampleType>) { for type in collectedTypes { guard let quantityType = type as? HKQuantityType else { return // Nothing to do. } let statistics = workoutBuilder.statistics(for: quantityType) if let statistics = statistics { switch statistics.quantityType { case HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .heartRate): /// - Tag: SetLabel let heartRateUnit = HKUnit.count().unitDivided(by: HKUnit.minute()) let value = statistics.mostRecentQuantity()?.doubleValue(for: heartRateUnit) let roundedValue = Double( round( 1 * value! ) / 1 ) if let avg = statistics.averageQuantity()?.doubleValue(for: heartRateUnit) { self.avgHeartRate = avg } self.delegate?.didUpdateHeartBeat(self, heartBeat: Int(roundedValue)) case HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .activeEnergyBurned): let energyUnit = HKUnit.kilocalorie() let value = statistics.sumQuantity()?.doubleValue(for: energyUnit) self.totalActiveEnergyBurned = Double(value!) print("didUpdate totalActiveEnergyBurned: \(self.totalActiveEnergyBurned)") self.delegate?.didUpdateEnergyBurned(self, totalEnergy: self.totalActiveEnergyBurned + self.totalBasalEneryBurned) return case HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .basalEnergyBurned): let energyUnit = HKUnit.kilocalorie() let value = statistics.sumQuantity()?.doubleValue(for: energyUnit) self.totalBasalEneryBurned = Double(value!) print("didUpdate totalBasalEneryBurned: \(self.totalBasalEneryBurned)") self.delegate?.didUpdateEnergyBurned(self, totalEnergy: self.totalActiveEnergyBurned + self.totalBasalEneryBurned) return default: print("unhandled quantityType=\(statistics.quantityType) when processing statistics") return } } I think I've found the source of the problem: let workoutConfiguration = HKWorkoutConfiguration() workoutConfiguration.activityType = .traditionalStrengthTraining //walking, running is ok workoutConfiguration.locationType = .outdoor When I set the activityType to walking or running, the calorie results are correct, showing several hundred calories per hour. However, when activityType is set to traditionalStrengthTraining or jumprope, the calculations are incorrect. PS: I'm currently using Xcode 26 beta3 and iOS 26 beta3. Hope this issue can be resolved. Thanks.

Hello, What is the best practice for sending customized workouts to the Apple Watch. For example, sending a running workout that entails: Run 1 mile at 8:00/mile Walk 2 minutes Run 2 mile at 7:00/mile ---- Walk 2 minutes ---- Repeat 2x Run 1 mile at 8:00/mile Any documentation or sample codes would be amazing. Thank you

Looking for help with our Apple HealthKit integration. We've successfully pulled steps, distance, active energy, glucose and heart rate. However, the data pulled for sleep duration is incorrect. Not sure what we're doing wrong.

Hi, My app concept features various sections; a) Personal development section: featuring exercises and guides, b) Coaches section: featuring coaching sessions offering virtual or in-person sessions related to yoga, fitness, lifestyle etc. (marketplace for coaches). c) Events section: hosting virtual or in-person events. Hence which "tax category" should I be selecting? Thanks, Gavin

I updated my watch to take advantage of the reactivated blood oxygen/O2 function, but with my iPhone on public beta 3, it still shows unavailable. Will there be an update to beta three to allow this newly reactivated Apple Watch feature to function?

If a user selects custom structured workout in the apple watch Workout app and records a run with intervals, how can my third party app pull in that data? I can obviously get the workout and health stuff like heart rate, but I cannot find how to save the intervals and the relevant data. The workout events are not seemingly helpful - segments are not obviously related to this. Is it possible? Is it only possible to have the third party app create a customworkout with metadata and then our third party app parses the interval distance/time based on our own structure? I think this stuff should be able to be accessed.

Hello - I'm wondering about the suggested apps listed by Apple in their Health app. For example, if you select the "Sleep" category there are a bunch of suggested apps like AutoSleep and Sleepzy. These are not Sleep apps that I installed on my own phone or ever shared sleep data with. Is there a way to request to have a relevant app shown there? Or is it more automatic, like you're an app that integrates with HealthKit in certain ways and Apple has a way of determining that app is suitable for the user (ex. App Store popularity, user behavior, etc.)

Health medications appearing on apple watch is still broken. After entering medications in health app with health notification on. The medications does not appear in the Apple Watch.

Hello, In my application, I need to obtain precise workout segment data from HKWorkout in order to calculate per-kilometer metrics such as heart rate and pace. My current approach is: 1.Use HKWorkout to fetch the associated HKWorkoutEvents. 2.Take the end time of one event as the start time of the next event to derive per-kilometer segment ranges. The issue I’m facing: •If a user sets Apple Watch to notify every 5 kilometers, then at 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, etc., I see overlapping event times. •From the HKWorkoutEvents data alone, I cannot distinguish between events that represent “per-kilometer splits” and those that represent “5-kilometer notifications.” •As a result, my per-kilometer heart rate and pace calculations can be inaccurate. My question is: Is there a recommended way to reliably differentiate per-kilometer splits from custom distance notifications and ensure accurate segment data retrieval? For example, should I instead reconstruct segments using HKWorkoutRoute and distance samples, rather than relying on HKWorkoutEvents? STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1.On Apple Watch, start an Outdoor Run using the Workout app. 2.In workout notifications, set distance alerts to every 5 kilometers. 3.During the run, when reaching 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, etc., the watch triggers notifications. 4.Query the corresponding HKWorkout from HealthKit and inspect its HKWorkoutEvents. 5.Notice that some event start times are duplicated, and it is unclear which events represent “per-kilometer splits” and which represent “5-kilometer notifications.” Expected Result: Be able to differentiate between per-kilometer splits and custom distance alerts, so that heart rate and pace per kilometer can be calculated accurately. Actual Result: The HKWorkoutEvents data contains duplicated event times without a way to distinguish event types, leading to inaccurate per-kilometer statistics.

Hello, I am working on a Iphone app and companion Watch app that prompts the user to go through a few activities like walk, sit, etc and collects the CoreMotion data from the Watch. The phone app coordinates the actions and sends a command to the watch to start/stop the measurement. My problem is that the Watch keeps on disconnecting after a few seconds and that is messing up the data collection. Is there a way to keep the watch awake and not sleep during the duration of these tests? I also used a HealthKit session to try and keep the watch awake and measuring.. but none of these methods are reliable.. Can you please suggest how to keep the watch and phone connected and awake during the data collection? (The whole test takes about 4-5 minutes).. I have spent many days on this problem.

Summary: Expanding HealthKit to support the full spectrum of smart scale metrics will allow Apple Health to remain the central hub for health data, align with user expectations, and future-proof the framework as body composition analysis evolves. Description: With the growing adoption of smart body composition scales (e.g. segmental impedance scanners, multi-frequency analyzers, and body pods), users are generating a wide variety of clinically relevant metrics that currently cannot be stored natively in HealthKit. At present, HealthKit supports a core set of body composition values (Body Mass, BMI, Body Fat %, Lean Mass, Height, Waist Circumference). While useful, these do not capture the full picture modern devices provide, leading to fragmentation: • Users can see dozens of metrics in the device app, but only a handful flow into Health. • Developers must resort to metadata fields, which are inconsistent across apps and not accessible in Apple’s Health app UI. This gap undermines HealthKit’s role as a central, standardized health record. ⸻ Proposed Additions: Expand HealthKit HKQuantityTypeIdentifier to include additional body composition and derived measurements commonly reported by smart scales: Core Body Composition • Visceral fat percentage / rating • Skeletal muscle mass • Segmental muscle mass (arms, legs, trunk) • Segmental fat mass (arms, legs, trunk) • Bone mineral mass • Total body water % / hydration Derived Health Metrics • Muscle-to-fat ratio • Phase angle (bioelectrical impedance) • Metabolic age • Basal metabolic rate (BMR) ⸻ Rationale: • User benefit: Health app would show a more complete health profile, not just weight and fat %. • Developer benefit: Creates standardized identifiers, eliminating the need for proprietary storage in metadata. • Industry alignment: Many leading health devices already provide these metrics; users expect them to sync into Health. • Future-proofing: As body scanning scales proliferate, HealthKit can remain the trusted central repository rather than ceding ground to siloed vendor apps. ⸻ Suggested Implementation: • Introduce new HKQuantityTypeIdentifier values for each metric. • Permit segmental values to be represented as discrete samples with metadata for body region. • Ensure values can be written by apps/devices and surfaced in Health app UI, just like existing body composition data.

Since upgrading to iOS 26 beta on my Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max, my exercise app and activity rings have sporadically not connected after charging. Several recent mornings, when I’ve put my watch on, the activity rings are grayed out and when I click on them, they will show no activity, even though I have been active. Similarly, when I attempt to select the activity app, it will open, but when I select an activity, it will not start the workout. I’ve tried starting and restarting the watch and phone. I’ve checked permissions, and both the watch and phone are running the latest iOS. The only fix seems to be unpairing and repairing the watch and phone which is an absolute pain. Any assistance on how to permanently fix this would be greatly appreciated.

We are developing a health app that relies on HKObserverQuery and BackgroundDelivery to monitor Heart Rate data. On watchOS 10.6 and 11.6 , these data updates are typically delivered reliably every 8–12 minutes, occasionally exceeding 12 minutes, but generally not longer than 15 minutes. This frequency has been sufficient for the real-time data requirements of our app. However, after adapting our app to watchOS 26, we noticed that HKObserverQuery triggers much less frequently, with longer and very inconsistent intervals. This issue has had a major impact on our product: data collection for essential features is unreliable, resulting in a greatly diminished user experience on watchOS 26 and making the app essentially useless from the user’s perspective. Observed Behavior: HKObserverQuery and BackgroundDelivery are extremely unstable, with trigger intervals frequently exceeding 15 minutes, and sometimes even 20 minutes. When the user is sedentary, intervals become even longer; there are cases where no heart rate or active energy updates are delivered for 30 minutes, or even over 1 hour. Request for Support and Guidance: Have there been any changes to the HKObserverQuery background delivery mechanism on watchOS 26, specifically for Heart Rate and Active Energy data? If these changes are intentional system optimizations, could you provide guidance or recommended practices to ensure our app can reliably retrieve updates and maintain a smooth experience for users? Thank you for your support.

Hello, My watchOS app has been performing fine by requesting background app refresh and then requesting any new data from health kit in the background so that the widget can be updated. However, on watchos26 I have been unable to read data in the background, with any query returning zero results. That same data is clearly read just fine while in the foreground. Can anyone assist?

Hello, I’m developing a HealthKit-based fitness app in React Native that observes step count changes and uploads the latest totals to a remote server. I’m currently using HKObserverQuery with background delivery enabled (enableBackgroundDelivery(for:frequency:.immediate)), and the behavior works correctly while the app is running in the background or foreground. Whenever new step data is written to HealthKit, the app wakes up, reads the latest data, and sends it to my HTTPS endpoint using URLSession.shared.dataTask inside the observer callback. However, I’ve noticed the following issue: 1. If the user swipes up (force-quits) the app from the app switcher, the observer queries stop firing entirely. 2. In this state, even though HealthKit continues collecting step data from the device or Apple Watch, my app no longer receives those background deliveries until the user opens the app again. What I would like to achieve is: When the app is terminated (swiped up), and there are new step count updates in HealthKit, my app should still be able to receive those updates or be relaunched to handle them — similar to how some health companion apps continue syncing data and sending notifications even after being force-quit. So I have a few questions: Is this limitation expected — i.e., does iOS intentionally block HKObserverQuery background deliveries after a user force-quits the app? 2. Are there any special entitlements, background modes, or Apple-approved mechanisms that allow a health or medical app to continue receiving HealthKit changes even after a force-quit? 3. If not, what is the recommended architecture for apps that need to process HealthKit data continuously and send it to a backend server? For example, should such apps rely on server-side push notifications or CloudKit sync once the user reopens the app? My current goal is to ensure step count changes are uploaded reliably even if the app is killed, but I want to stay within the system’s supported behaviors and privacy constraints. Any clarification or guidance from Apple engineers or others who have implemented continuous HealthKit sync (like companion or medical apps) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.