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

Hello everyone, Ujjwal here, founder and CEO of a new iOS app in the mental wellness space. Our mission is to provide accessible, AI-driven support for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, and loneliness. From the very beginning, this has presented us with a unique and critical challenge: How do we effectively market an app to reach those who need it most, while upholding the absolute highest standards of user privacy? We've built our app, ThunDroid, with a "privacy-by-design" philosophy. We leverage on-device processing for our core AI features, utilize end-to-end encryption, and have proudly integrated 'Sign in with Apple' to maximize user anonymity. We believe these are not just features, but ethical obligations to our users, especially given the nature of the data they trust us with. The challenge, however, arises in marketing. This leads us to focus on mission-driven, organic marketing, but it's a slower path to reaching users who might be in immediate need of support. This brings me to my question for this knowledgeable community. What best practices or creative strategies have you found effective for marketing applications? I appreciate any insights or experiences you're willing to share as we continue to grow ThunDroid responsibly. Thank you for your time and consideration. App Store link: (would love to hear your reviews) [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/thundroid-ai-human-companion/id6746182736)

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.

I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max running iOS 26. But since iOS 18, Apple decided to remove the "Time in Bed" feature[1][2]. Is it possible to develop an app that, effectively, "brings back" this feature? It doesn't have to be that accurate. Just a gauge is fine. As a starter I would like to track the time the phone was in Sleep mode (regardless whether the phone is being used). I have a minimal programming background but have not developed an iOS app before so any help would be appreciated. I found out about HealthKit[3] which lets me access (edit?) Health data, but I don't know where to go from there. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSBeta/comments/1em8bl6/ios_181_db1_time_in_bed_via_iphone_feature_removed [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1fkjat4/apple_removed_the_iphoneonly_sleep_tracking [3] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit

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.

Hi everyone, I’m building a health app with React Native using Expo Dev Client on a real iPhone. I need to read Apple Health (HealthKit) data, but the authorization sheet never appears—so the app never gets permissions and all queries return nothing. What I’ve already done Enabled HealthKit capability for the iOS target. Added NSHealthShareUsageDescription and NSHealthUpdateUsageDescription to Info.plist. Using a custom dev build (not Expo Go). Tested fresh installs (deleted the app), rebooted device, and checked Settings → Privacy & Security → Health/Motion & Fitness. Tried both packages: react-native-health and @kingstinct/react-native-healthkit. Same behavior: no permission dialog at first use. Ask Is there a known reason why the HealthKit permission sheet would not show on modern iOS when called from a React Native bridge (with Expo Dev Client)? Are there any extra entitlements, signing, or config-plugin steps required beyond HealthKit capability + Info.plist? If you’re successfully fetching Apple Health data from React Native on recent iOS, could you share the exact steps that made the permission sheet appear and data flow (Expo config/plugin used, Xcode capability setup, profile/team settings, build type, bundle ID nuances, any Health app reset steps, etc.)? This would help me and others hitting the same “authorized call but no prompt/no data” issue. Thank you!

I am working on a cycling fitness app and I want to read the cycling power recorded using my Garmin edge from the Garmin Connect App. Currently the data is not transferred to the Health/Fitness Apps. Ideally it would be good to be able to query the power samples similar to the heart rate samples, but even the average power would suffice, as I could then calculate the Kilojoules.

I am developing a running training app that coaches can use to create interval workout plans. I can use HKWorkout to get information about Splits similar to that in Fitness app, but I can't get information about Intervals. My idea is to show interval details when users view their completed custom interval workout plans. Can I use Healthkit (or another feasible method) to get the actual distance or time of exercise in intervals workout ? (I know the workoutPlan property, but it doesn't reflect the segments of a real interval training workout.) Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hi! I have over 800 days strike in closing my move circle. However oerfect month badge is not popping up for November, we have now mid of Dec and still no update. I updated iOS to 26, did multiple resets and hard resets and still no badge. I checked many forums and post but any of given tips is working in my case. i know it sounds funny, but it’s frustrating that I’m not getting this little gold medal to keep me motivated 😅 does anyone know how to deal with it? Is it common issue?

Hi all, I'm developing fitness app and I use healthkit to track user's "STEPS" count and "Heart Rate" from their iphone devices. I have been receiving this rejection and can't seem to get past this: Guideline 2.5.1 - Performance - Software Requirements The app uses the HealthKit or CareKit APIs but does not clearly identify the HealthKit and CareKit functionality in the app's user interface. Apps using these APIs should be clearly indicated to provide transparency and valuable information to users. Next Steps To resolve this issue, it would appropriate to clearly identify the HealthKit and CareKit functionality in the app's user interface. Resources Learn more about software requirements in guideline 2.5.1. How I tried to Resolve the Issue I have modified my app: adding user permission prompt, adding healthkit notification, adding healthkit indicator in the UI **1. Added a "Permission Primer" Screen (Pre-Alert) ** When a user taps "Connect Apple Health," they are now shown a dedicated explanation screen before the system permission prompt appears. This screen clearly states: "[App] integrates with HealthKit to read your Heart Rate and Steps... to calculate physical exertion." (Please see the "Connect" flow in the Session Detail view). **2. Added Explicit Source Attribution ** I have added a permanent text label reading "Health data sourced from Apple Health" directly below the heart rate and steps statistics on the Session Detail dashboard. This ensures that users always identify the source of the displayed metrics. 3. Deployment Target Correction I identified a configuration error where the Deployment Target was set to a future OS version. I have corrected this to the currently shipping iOS 18 to ensure full compliance with software requirements. 4. App Description Update I have updated the App Store description to explicitly mention the HealthKit integration and its specific purpose (tracking match intensity). However doing the above, I still continue to receive the same review message. When I asked the reviewer what else could be done to satisfy the requirement, I only get boiler plate message above. Anyone know what they really looking for? Any insights is appreciated. Thanks!

Hello Apple Developer Community, I'm developing a cross-platform app using Flutter and the flutter_beacon library to handle iBeacon detection on iOS. My goal is to wake up the app in the background when it's in a killed/terminated state upon entering/exiting beacon regions, allowing for BLE communication (e.g., ranging or connecting to beacons). I've configured the necessary Info.plist keys for always location access and background location modes, and it works partially for single regions, but I have some specific questions/issues regarding reliability and limitations: Background Execution Time After Wake-Up: When the app is woken in the background by a region monitoring event (enter/exit) from a killed state, approximately how much time (in seconds) does iOS allocate for the app to run before suspending it again? Is this sufficient for performing BLE operations like ranging beacons or establishing a short connection, or are there stricter limits in terminated wake-ups compared to standard background modes? Monitoring Multiple iBeacons with Unique Identifiers: I need to monitor multiple iBeacon devices, each with potentially different UUIDs, majors, and minors. Can I add and monitor up to 20 regions simultaneously, each with a unique string identifier? If multiple beacons (from different regions) enter their respective ranges at around the same time, will the app receive separate callbacks for each region/identifier, or is there coalescing/prioritization that might cause only the last-added identifier to trigger notifications/events? Reliability in Killed State: In a fully killed state (e.g., force-quit via app switcher), does iOS reliably relaunch the app in the background for region monitoring events? Are there any known caveats, such as requiring specific hardware (e.g., iPhone models with certain Bluetooth chips) or iOS versions (targeting iOS 14+), and how does this interact with Flutter's background execution handling via the flutter_beacon library?

We recently ran into an issue where our submission was rejected due to references to an API that we are not using but that was present in the code. Guideline 2.5.1 - Performance - Software Requirements Issue Description The app uses the Clinical Health Records API but the app does not appear to include any primary features that require the Clinical Health Records API. Next Steps To resolve this issue, please remove the Clinical Health Records API from the app, as well as any references to this app’s interactivity with Clinical Health Records from the app or its metadata. And as it turns out, we actually did have references to that API that we had missed and did have to remove them. Usually, I would recommend to just resubmit the new build and see if it gets accepted, then hold it until the powers that be approve it for publication. For this client, though, their QA team forces us into more of a waterfall-ish approach, where we are not allowed to submit production builds ahead of time (i.e. until after all manual testing has concluded, test evidence has been filed and the required documents have been updated and approved). And if after resubmission we find something else that needs to be fixed, we get to restart the process all over again. That's ... slower. We do have a workaround in place where we submit a development build for review and check whether that would get accepted, then retract that version and submit the production build once we are allowed to. But that means more work for Apple (the App has to be reviewed twice) and more risk for us (if the submission team accidentally publishes a development build, the consequences would be severe). Is there a tool that allows us to check for guideline violations without having to submit a build to the App Store Connect? I'm not looking for a "yes, this will get approved" kind of guarantee, just a "well, the review team may find something else to question / reject, but as far as automated checks go, this looks ready for submission".

My current app is a smoking cessation app and it is desgined to help people quit smoking for good. Currently users of the app are expected to set a quit date and then remain quit from cigarettes for 12 weeks. The app helps with this by using badges, notifications and even live chats to stop smoking professionals (depending on your area). The app "frequently" mentions smoking and tobacco, but it never promotes it. It does the opposite. By mentioning the harms of smoking and the benefits of stopping. The app also mentions (and can provide, depending on your area, medical history and a professionals final opinion) about nicotine replacement therapy, which users who are quitting smoking may be interested in. Currently the app is rated 18+ as I have to tick "frequent" mention of drugs/tobacco/alcohol in the age rating questionnaire. Though it does not mention recreational drugs or alcohol. We will soon be adding a large update to the app to add vaping support. The app will change largely in the fact smoking content and vaping content will be siloed from each other. So a user can either be on a smoking support journey (and see stop smoking content), or a vape support journey (and only see vaping content). We need the app to be 13+ on the store and we will enforce age restrictions using the declared age range API as part of the account creation process. If the user is aged 13 - 17, they will only see vape related content, if they are 18+ they can see vaping OR smoking. How negotiable is the age rating certificate, can we change it to 13+ if we implement age restrictions in the app and protect stop smoking related content behind it?

Hi, I'm having the same issue described in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/690974?page=2. When connected to Xcode or when the app is in the foreground, HKObserverQuery fires correctly and my app processes step updates. But once disconnected from Xcode, background delivery stops completely and the observer callback is never called. My setup: com.apple.developer.healthkit.background-delivery entitlement is present and in the provisioning profile enableBackgroundDelivery(for: .stepCount, frequency: .immediate) returns success = true HKObserverQuery is registered on every launch including background launches I also have CMPedometer.startEventUpdates running as a supplemental trigger Background Modes includes "Background fetch" and "Background processing" Device: iPhone, iOS 17.4+ App type: App uses Screen Time / Family Controls (ManagedSettings) to block apps until a step goal is met Has anyone found a reliable fix? Any feedback from Apple engineers would be appreciated.

In the last few weeks 5 users have reported my workout watch app being unable to read health data despite the permissions being enabled in the iPhone Settings app. This has been a common complaint over the years and is usually fixed by disabling the permissions; rebooting both devices; and then enabling them again. This usually nudges iOS into sending the permissions to watchOS. However that procedure doesn't work for these users, all of whom are using watchOS 10.6.2. They are using various versions of iOS 18 or 26 so it seems to be a problem with that version of watchOS, which users are usually limited to because their hardware won't support anything more up to date. It seems that unpairing and re-pairing the watch can fix the problem but not always. I looked around and it seems that other apps are having the same problem: https://www.reddit.com/r/runna/comments/1rhhs2n/runna_wont_start_an_outdoor_run_on_apple_watch/ Does anyone know a way to fix this? My current advice is to repeatedly unpair / re-pair until it works, which isn't really practical! Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I'm building a coaching app for runners on top of WorkoutKit and would like to confirm a missing API — or learn that I overlooked something. The gap IntervalStep transitions deliver a haptic at T0 of the next step. The available alerts (HeartRateRangeAlert, SpeedRangeAlert, PaceRangeAlert, PowerRangeAlert, CadenceRangeAlert) are reactive — they activate when the measured value leaves the target range, not ahead of a planned step. There is no API for a "pre-roll" haptic at, say, T-15s before a high- effort step. On watchOS today, the only signal arrives exactly at step start. What I checked The WorkoutAlert protocol and concrete types — all metric-driven, no scheduling primitive. IntervalStep initializer — (.work, step: WorkoutStep). No leadTime, warning, countdown, or prepareDuration parameter. CustomWorkout — no per-step pre-roll knob. WorkoutScheduler and the rest of the surface in iOS/watchOS 26.4 SDK. If I missed something obvious, please point me at it. Filed with Apple Feedback ID: FB22708659 Has anyone here found a cleaner workaround, or seen any signal from the WorkoutKit team about pre-roll cues being on the roadmap? Thanks!

For some reason since watchOS 26.5 my workout app can no longer receive action button presses during a workout unless the action button is configured to start a specified activity type. If the action button is configured to just open the app but not start an activity then at the start of a workout the app donates a StartWorkoutIntent. The result parameter is set to a 'NextButtonPress' intent so that the app is notified when the action button is pressed. This has been working fine since the action button first appeared back in 2022, but has suddenly stopped working with watchOS 26.5. Now when the app tries to donate the intent then it fails with the following error: The operation couldn’t be completed. (LNTranscriptErrorDomain error 1003.) Does anyone know what has changed and how I can get around it? Thanks.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for guidance from developers who have dealt with App Review for health-related apps. I have an app that presents users with a questionnaire using images and multiple-choice answers. Based on the responses, the app categorizes the user into a general diabetes risk category. A few important points about the app: The app does NOT provide a diagnosis. The app clearly states that it is informational/advisory only. We added disclaimers throughout the app. We included references to published research papers the methodology is based on. The app does not connect to medical devices or Apple Health. No treatment or medication recommendations are provided. However, the app keeps getting rejected during App Review. Apple is asking us to provide documentation/approval from health regulatory authorities for every country where the app will be distributed. This is where I’m confused: Is this actually required for apps like this? Are reviewers classifying this as a regulated medical device? How are similar diabetes risk / health risk apps on the App Store handling this? Is there a recommended way to position the app as wellness/educational instead of diagnostic? We’ve already tried: strengthening disclaimers, clarifying that it is not a diagnosis, removing strong medical claims, submitting from both personal and organization accounts. Still receiving the same type of rejection. Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully navigated this type of review process. Thanks!

I created an app that connects to HealthKit and also to Clinical Health Records and in my review I am told to get the regulatory approval. I am not looking to get into that rabbit hole so was wondering how can I strip my app so that that I do not have to get the regulatory approvals. If anyone has any idea about that please let me know.