Is there documentation on how to read workout effort scores from a HealthKit workout? I'm interested in reading workoutEffortScore and estimatedWorkoutEffortScore. I have not been successful trying to read them using the same method that I do other workout HKQuantityTypes (heartRate, stepCount, etc). I'm using Swift and I do have authorization for those types requested and granted. I have found documentation on setting these values (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/763539) but not reading them. Thank You

In my WatchOS app I've written the following code to check if my app has access to the user's health data: func isHealthKitAuthorized() -> Bool { let typesToRead: [HKObjectType] = [ HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .heartRate)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .activeEnergyBurned)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .appleMoveTime)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .appleExerciseTime)!, HKObjectType.workoutType() ] let typesToShare: Set<HKSampleType> = [ HKObjectType.workoutType(), HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .activeEnergyBurned)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .heartRate)! ] var isAuthorized = true for type in typesToRead { let status = healthStore.authorizationStatus(for: type) if status != .sharingAuthorized { print("Access denied to: \(type.identifier)") isAuthorized = false } } for type in typesToShare { let status = healthStore.authorizationStatus(for: type) if status != .sharingAuthorized { print("Access denied to: \(type.identifier)") isAuthorized = false } } return isAuthorized } However for the appleMoveTime and appleExerciseTime types their status is returning as 'sharingDenied' (checked by printing the status' rawValue) even though they are authorized on the Watch's settings. This happened both on the simulator and on the Watch itself. Am I doing something wrong?

In the fitness app under iOS 18, the location of all workouts is displayed on a small map. For workouts with routes, I can already successfully read out the route and thus also determine the starting point. So that works. For indoor workouts such as yoga or indoor rowing, the exact location is also displayed in the fitness app. I would now also like to read out this location for these indoor workouts in my app. Does anyone know how to do this?

Is it possible to develop the following app? The app will measure heart rate variability five times at 2-minute intervals triggered by an event and output the values.

Platform & Version: iOS Version: 18.3.1 Development Environment: Xcode 16.2, macOS 14.6.1 Description of the Issue: We're exploring ways to better integrate Apple Fitness+ workouts into our app. We've noticed that some third-party apps, such as Strava and HealthFit, now display Fitness+ workout details, including the title, trainer, and an image. I’ve been investigating how this is possible, and the only relevant change I’ve found is that HKMetadataKeyAppleFitnessPlusCatalogIdentifier is now being set for Fitness+ workouts. However, I can’t find any public API or official documentation that explains how to use these identifiers to retrieve the associated workout details. Question: Is there an official API available to fetch metadata for Fitness+ workouts using these identifiers? Or are these third-party apps potentially accessing private APIs? If no API exists, is the only option to create a manual mapping of these identifiers—something that seems impractical given the constantly evolving Fitness+ workout catalog? Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The background deliver works perfectly when the app is in the background or suspended states. However, when the app is killed (terminated state), the background task does not execute

I’m trying to associate heart rate (HR) data with a mindfulness session (HKCategoryTypeIdentifier.mindfulSession) in HealthKit, but I can’t find any documentation on how to do this. I’ve seen third-party apps (like Medito) successfully log HR within Mindful Minutes, even when the session takes place on an iPhone (not an Apple Watch). However, when I try saving HR in the metadata, it does not appear in the Health app's Mindful Minutes section. Code snippet: func logMindfulnessSession(start: Bool, heartRate: Double? = nil) { let mindfulType = HKCategoryType.categoryType(forIdentifier: .mindfulSession)! let now = Date() let endTime = now.addingTimeInterval(Double(selectedDuration)) var metadata: [String: Any]? = nil if let hr = heartRate { let heartRateUnit = HKUnit.count().unitDivided(by: HKUnit.minute()) let hrQuantity = HKQuantity(unit: heartRateUnit, doubleValue: hr) metadata = ["heartRate": hrQuantity] // ❓ Is there a correct key for HR? } let sample = HKCategorySample( type: mindfulType, value: 0, start: now, end: endTime, metadata: metadata ) healthStore.save(sample) { success, error in if let error = error { print("HealthKit session save error: \(error.localizedDescription)") } else { print("Mindfulness session saved successfully.") if let hr = heartRate { print("Saved with HR: \(hr) BPM") } } } } Questions: What is the correct metadata key for associating heart rate with a mindful session? Does HealthKit require a specific format (e.g., HKQuantitySample) for HR? 0 Are there additional permissions needed to allow HR to appear in Mindful Minutes? Does HR need to be stored separately in HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.heartRate, and if so, how do third-party apps ensure it appears in the same entry as the mindful session? thank you!

I implemented this to receive updates for specific data types and keep the latest daily information up to date. However, for some reason, it only works for a while before stopping completely. Background Delivery internal func backgroundDeliveryForReadTypes(enable: Bool, types: Set<HKQuantityType>) async { do { if enable { try await statusForAuthorizationRequest(toWrite: [], toRead: types) for type in types { try await healthStore.enableBackgroundDelivery(for: type, frequency: .daily) } } else { for type in types { try await healthStore.disableBackgroundDelivery(for: type) } } } catch { debugPrint("Error enabling background delivery: \(error.localizedDescription)") } } HKQueryAnchor internal var walkingActivityQueryAnchor: HKQueryAnchor? { get { if let anchorData = UserDefaults.standard.data(forKey: "walkingActivityAnchor") { return try? NSKeyedUnarchiver.unarchivedObject(ofClass: HKQueryAnchor.self, from: anchorData) } return nil } set { if let newAnchor = newValue { let anchorData = try? NSKeyedArchiver.archivedData(withRootObject: newAnchor, requiringSecureCoding: true) UserDefaults.standard.set(anchorData, forKey: "walkingActivityAnchor") } else { UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "walkingActivityAnchor") } } } HKAnchoredObjectQuery internal func observeWalkingActivityInBackground( _ start: Bool, toRead: Set<HKQuantityType>, completion: @escaping @Sendable (Result<WalkingActivityData?, Error>) -> Void ) { if start { guard (walkingActivityQuery == nil) else { return } let predicate = getPredicate(date: Date()) let queryDescriptors = toRead.map { HKQueryDescriptor(sampleType: $0, predicate: predicate) } let handleSamples: @Sendable (HKAnchoredObjectQuery, [HKSample]?, [HKDeletedObject]?, HKQueryAnchor?, Error?) -> Void = { [weak self] _, samples, _, newAnchor, error in guard let self = self else { return } if let error = error { completion(.failure(error)) return } guard let samples = samples, !samples.isEmpty else { completion(.success(nil)) return } Task { self.walkingActivityQueryAnchor = newAnchor let activity = await self.getWalkingActivity(date: Date()) completion(.success(activity)) } } let query = HKAnchoredObjectQuery( queryDescriptors: queryDescriptors, anchor: walkingActivityQueryAnchor, limit: HKObjectQueryNoLimit, resultsHandler: handleSamples ) query.updateHandler = handleSamples healthStore.execute(query) walkingActivityQuery = query } else { if let query = walkingActivityQuery { healthStore.stop(query) walkingActivityQuery = nil } } } WalkingActivityData private func getWalkingActivity(date: Date) async -> WalkingActivityData { async let averageHeartRate = try await self.getAverageHeartRate(date: date) async let steps = try self.getStepCount(date: date) async let durationMinutes = try self.getTotalDurationInMinutes(date: date) async let distanceMeters = try self.getDistanceWalkingRunning(date: date, unit: .meter()) async let activeCalories = try self.getActiveEnergyBurned(date: date) return await WalkingActivityData( date: date, steps: try? steps, activeCalories: try? activeCalories, distanceMeters: try? distanceMeters, durationMinutes: try? durationMinutes, averageHeartRate: try? averageHeartRate ) } Example of getAverageHeartRate func getAverageHeartRate(date: Date) async throws -> Double? { let type = HKQuantityType(.heartRate) _ = try checkAuthorizationStatus(for: type) guard let heartRate = try await getDescriptor( date: date, type: type, options: .discreteAverage ).result(for: healthStore) .statistics(for: date)? .averageQuantity()?.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.count().unitDivided(by: HKUnit.minute())) else { return nil } return Double(String(format: "%.2f", heartRate)) ?? 0.0 } Descriptor & predicate internal func getPredicate(startDate: Date, endDate: Date) -> NSCompoundPredicate { let predicateForSamples = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: startDate, end: endDate) let excludeManual = NSPredicate(format: "metadata.%K != YES", HKMetadataKeyWasUserEntered) return NSCompoundPredicate(andPredicateWithSubpredicates: [predicateForSamples, excludeManual]) } internal func getDescriptor(startDate: Date, endDate: Date, type: HKQuantityType, options: HKStatisticsOptions) -> HKStatisticsCollectionQueryDescriptor { let calendar = Calendar(identifier: .gregorian) let anchorDate = calendar.date(bySetting: .hour, value: 0, of: startDate)! var interval = DateComponents() interval.day = 1 return HKStatisticsCollectionQueryDescriptor( predicate: HKSamplePredicate.quantitySample(type: type, predicate: getPredicate(startDate: startDate, endDate: endDate)), options: options, anchorDate: anchorDate, intervalComponents: interval ) } Implementation public func observeWalkingActivityInBackground(_ start: Bool, toRead: Set<HKQuantityType>, memberID: String) { observeWalkingActivityInBackground(start, toRead: toRead) { [weak self] result in guard let self = self else { return } } }

I need to be able to create and store a HeartbeatSeries for a given time-period from an Apple Watch, to then retrieve that data from HealthKit to be processed. I have working code which allows me to begin a workout session, which is being used to determine how long a session has been running for. I also have working code for retrieving HeartbeatSeries data from HealthKit. The issue is that no HeartbeatSeries data is being stored into HealthKit as a result of the workout session running. Whether that session is running for as little as 30 seconds or as long as 20 minutes, nothing is stored. However, when I use the the Apple "Meditation" app (formerly known as "Breathe"), I can query HealthKit afterwards and retrieve a list of individual heartbeat timings during that 2 minute period. Therefore, it IS possible to store a HeartbeatSeries from within an app on the Apple Watch. What I would like to know is, how can I use the pulse sensor built-in to the Apple Watch to be able to record a HeartbeatSeries similar to how the Meditation app does it.

Hi, I’m currently working on an app that utilizes sleep data from HealthKit to provide users with meaningful insights about their sleep. To ensure a smooth user experience, I’d like to understand when sleep data collected by the Apple Watch is saved to the HealthKit store and when it gets synced to the iPhone. Ideally, I want to fetch sleep data right after the user wakes up and opens our app. However, to do this reliably, I need to know the timing of how and when this data becomes available in the iPhone’s HealthKit store. I’ve looked through the official documentation and relevant WWDC sessions but couldn’t find clear information on this topic. If anyone has insights or experience with how and when the Apple Watch syncs HealthKit data—especially sleep records—to the iPhone, I’d greatly appreciate your input. Thanks!

Hi, i'm trying to get the number of step counts a person has taken. I decided to pull the data from health kit and the number of steps are incorrect. Come to find out apple health recommends an app called pedometer++ for the number of steps counted and after testing I realized that they are getting the correct number of steps a person is taking. How can I pull the correct number of steps a person has taken? I want to be able to merge the data from watch and phone to make sure we are getting the correct number of steps but not double counting the steps either. any guidance on this would be appreciated! Here's the code snippet that i'm using right now: permissions: { read: [AppleHealthKit.Constants.Permissions.StepCount], write: [], }, }; AppleHealthKit.initHealthKit(permissions, error => { if (error) { console.log('Error initializing HealthKit: ', error); return; } else { dispatch(setAllowHealthKit(true)); getHealthKitData(); console.log('HealthKit initialized successfully'); } }); const getHealthKitData = async () => { try { const today = new Date(); const options = { startDate: new Date(today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0)).toISOString(), endDate: new Date().toISOString(), }; const steps = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => { AppleHealthKit.getStepCount(options, (error, results) => { if (error) reject(error); resolve(results?.value); }); }); setStepsCount(steps); } catch (error) { console.error('Error fetching HealthKit data:', error); } };

When I set the distanceFilter = 5 (5 meters) in the GPS CLLocationManager I can't display the workout routes in the Apple Fitness app after writing the recorded GPS data to HealthKit via HKWorkoutRouteBuilder. The smaller distanceFilter, Fitness will displays the route. Should I consider setting up a small distanceFilter when developing a workout app on watchOS?

I was wondering which is the preferred way to send a lot of data from sensors of the apple watch to server. It is preferred to send small chucks to iphone and then to server or directly send bulk data to server from watch. How does it affect battery and resources from watch ? Are there any triggers that I can use to ensure best data stream. I need to send at least once a day. Can I do it in background or do I need the user to have my app in the foreground ? Thank you in advance

Has anyone seen the workout buddy options on watch OS yet? I am not able to get it on my watch. My setup is an iPhone 16 and Watch Ultra 1 with the 26 OS I am currently using beta 3. English US language on both and US as region. I am located in Germany though. I restarted both devices multiple times without any changes. Hopefully someone can help.

According to the WWDC25 Presentation Track workouts with HealthKit on iOS and iPadOS, there is supposed to be a new property for restoring an active workout after a crash on iOS/iPadOS. The developer documentation also supports this. However, this property does not seem to exist in the latest Xcode 26 beta, even in projects targeting iOS 26.0 as the minimum version. Am I missing something? Has this property not been made available yet? It is actually looking like all of the new iOS 26.0 properties are missing UIScene.ConnectionOptions on my system.

Hello, everyone! I'm seeking some guidance on the App Store review process and technical best practices for a watchOS app. My goal is to create an app that uses HealthKit to continuously monitor a user's heart rate in the background for sessions lasting between 30 minutes and 3 hours. This app would not be a fitness or workout tracker. My primary question is about the best way to achieve this reliably while staying within the App Store Review Guidelines. Is it advisable to use the WorkoutKit framework to start a custom, non-fitness "session" for the purpose of continuous background monitoring? Are there any other recommended APIs or frameworks for this kind of background data collection on watchOS that I should be aware of? What are the key review considerations I should be mindful of, particularly regarding Guideline 4.1 (Design) and the intended use of APIs? My app's core functionality would require this kind of data for a beneficial purpose. I want to ensure my approach is technically sound and has the best chance of a successful review. Any insights or advice from developers who have experience with similar use cases would be incredibly helpful! Thank you!

New in iOS 26 and WatchOS 26 is a Sleep Score calculation for users based on Duration, Bedtime and Interruptions. Unfortunately I can't find any APIs for developers to tap into this metric. Yes, in theory it's all created off the same Sleep Analysis data already available with HealthKit but that makes it very hard to recreate in our apps. If the numbers don't match up exactly, users will understandably complain. Can anyone confirm that this is the case and I've not missed a Sleep Score API? I'll then file feedback. Hopefully this doesn't go the way of Heart Rate Zones where the Apple Watch iPhone app has generated them for years and provided no way for third party apps to access these values (yes many feedbacks provided previously).

Hi! I am using the HKAnchoredObjectQuery to first get a snapshot of the initial results, and then trigger an updateHandler. I need to handle the initial results and the updates separately, which is why I implemented two completions. When I test the code, it works for a while. New and deleted samples trigger the updateHandler. However, after a while there appears an error: [connection] nw_read_request_report [C2] Receive failed with error "Software caused connection abort" Followingly, the updateHandler will stop getting triggered when I add updates in Apple health. Anyone have experience with this? func getMostRecentSample(for sampleType: HKSampleType, anchorKey: String, completion: @escaping (HKQuantitySample?, Error?) -> Swift.Void, updateHandler: @escaping (HKQuantitySample, Error?) -> Swift.Void) {     // If it is the first initialization, anchor is passed as nil     var anchor: HKQueryAnchor? = nil // Check for previous saved anchor in userdefaults     if UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: anchorKey) != nil {       let data = UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: anchorKey) as! Data       do {         guard let newAnchor = try NSKeyedUnarchiver.unarchivedObject(ofClass: HKQueryAnchor.self, from: data) else {           print("Could not parse anchor to HKQueryAnchor type")           return         }         anchor = newAnchor       } catch {         print("Error retreiving anchor from UserDefaults")       }     }     let query = HKAnchoredObjectQuery(type: sampleType,                      predicate: nil,                      anchor: anchor,                      limit: HKObjectQueryNoLimit                       ) { (query, samplesOrNil, _, newAnchor, errorOrNil) in       guard let samples = samplesOrNil as? [HKQuantitySample] else {         fatalError("*** An error occurred during the initial query: \(errorOrNil!.localizedDescription) ***")       }       if let anchor = newAnchor {         do {           let data = try NSKeyedArchiver.archivedData(withRootObject: anchor as Any, requiringSecureCoding: false)           UserDefaults.standard.set(data, forKey: anchorKey)         } catch {           print("Error retreiving anchor from UserDefaults")         }       }       completion(samples.last, nil)     }           // Setting up long-running query     query.updateHandler = { (query, samplesOrNil, _, newAnchor, errorOrNil) in       guard let samples = samplesOrNil as? [HKQuantitySample] else {         fatalError("*** An error occurred during an update: \(errorOrNil!.localizedDescription) ***")       }       if let anchor = newAnchor {         do {           let data = try NSKeyedArchiver.archivedData(withRootObject: anchor as Any, requiringSecureCoding: false)           UserDefaults.standard.set(data, forKey: anchorKey)         } catch {           print("Error retreiving anchor from UserDefaults")         }       }       if let sample = samples.last {         updateHandler(sample, nil)       }     }     self.healthStore.execute(query)   }

When a workout session is being recovered, if it is paused, the elapsed time will be incorrect. It will seem like that workout never was paused. The recovery works fine if the workout was never paused. Steps to reproduce: Implement recoverActiveWorkoutSession Start workout Pause session and print the elapsed time Stop simulator / cause crash When recoverActiveWorkoutSession is called the elapsed time will not equal the elapsed time when the session was paused. Here is my implementation. I haven't seen any examples online. guard let recovered = try? await healthStore.recoverActiveWorkoutSession() else {return} self.session = recovered self.builder = recovered.associatedWorkoutBuilder() self.session?.delegate = self self.builder?.delegate = self self.builder?.dataSource = HKLiveWorkoutDataSource(healthStore: healthStore, workoutConfiguration: recovered.workoutConfiguration) self.sessionState = recovered.state

I am encountering issues on my device running iOS 18 that fetching heart rate samples associated to a given workout is very slow. Like 10+ seconds slow. This is unacceptable and unexpected. In producing a video to attach to a feedback, I also observed that Apple Health app displays incorrect information if a workout effort score is associated to a workout. In this image, you can see the Health app bug: Total Resting Energy != Estimated Workout Effort Score Here is the same workout after I delete the workout effort score using the Apple Health app: Can anyone else see if attempting to view 'heart rate' data within the workout summary in Apple Health is unbearably slow if that workout also has an effort score associated? My steps: Record workout (Apple Activity app on watchOS) Associate effort score View the workout on Apple Health (iOS) Attempt to view it's heart rate samples Observe very slow loading times Observe the incorrect cell label and value and disappearance of resting energy cell data Remove/disassociate the effort score from the workout by tapping the workout effort row, and swipe to delete the value. Navigate back, navigate back, and then go into the workout detail again At this time the UI fixes itself, but the loading of heart rate data is still super slow FB15269657 - HealthKit: Sample query to fetch heart rate samples associated to a workout is taking over 10 seconds - computing 'time in heart rate zone' FB15278790 - Health: Workout summary 'Total Resting Energy' label has value of 'Estimated Workout Effort Score' for a value, pushed view shows empty