Health & Fitness

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Explore the technical aspects of health and fitness features, including sensor data acquisition, health data processing, and integration with the HealthKit framework.

Health & Fitness Documentation

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Old HealthKit samples from WatchOS getting deleted and recreated years later
I have recently come across a couple of odd HealthKit step samples from WatchOS. They represent step data measured in 2022 by my Apple Watch, but they have a creation date ("Date Added to Health") within the past couple of days. These odd samples show a "View All Quantities" button at the bottom of the sample Details page in the Health app on iOS 26 (which I've never seen before); the button leads to a list of many small step quantities, almost as if some older, smaller samples were consolidated into these newer samples. Even weirder is that at least some of these samples seem to be getting re-created repeatedly. For example, I've seen the same sample with a "Date Added to Health" of 9/5/25, then 9/8/25, twice on 9/9/25, and twice on 9/10/25. These samples were originally created by WatchOS 9, and are not being deleted/recreated by any apps on my device. I have only observed it since I updated to the iOS 26 beta (and now the RC); my watch was still running iOS 18 the first time it happened, but it has also happened since my watch was updated to WatchOS 26 beta. I did some debug printing of the odd samples and the normal samples surrounding them for comparison. Here's a normal sample: Sample: 80AC5AC5-CBD7-4581-B275-0C2ACA35B7B4 6 count 80AC5AC5-CBD7-4581-B275-0C2ACA35B7B4, (9.0), "Watch6,1" (9.0) "Apple Watch" (2022-09-15 16:20:14 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:20:16 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x10591eee0>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:Watch6,1, operatingSystemVersion:9.0> Source: <HKSource:0x110588690 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2022-09-15 21:20:16 +0000 Days between end and add: 0 And here's one of the odd samples: Sample: 4982487F-1189-4F16-AB00-61E37818A66D 676 count 4982487F-1189-4F16-AB00-61E37818A66D, (9.0), "iPhone12,1" (16.2) "Apple Watch" metadata: { HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier = "6:38082859-D9C8-466A-8882-53443B2A2D94:684969619.25569:684970205.31182:119"; HKMetadataKeySyncVersion = 1; } (2022-09-15 16:20:19 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:30:05 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x10591ce40>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:iPhone12,1, operatingSystemVersion:16.2> Source: <HKSource:0x110588640 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2025-09-08 21:11:12 +0000 Days between end and add: 1088 Here's that same odd sample a day later, apparently recreated: Sample: 9E8B12FC-048D-4ECD-BE5B-D387AADE5130 676 count 9E8B12FC-048D-4ECD-BE5B-D387AADE5130, (9.0), "iPhone12,1" (16.2) "Apple Watch" metadata: { HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier = "6:38082859-D9C8-466A-8882-53443B2A2D94:684969619.25569:684970205.31182:119"; HKMetadataKeySyncVersion = 1; } (2022-09-15 16:20:19 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:30:05 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x12f01c4e0>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:iPhone12,1, operatingSystemVersion:16.2> Source: <HKSource:0x12f0f8230 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2025-09-09 20:53:18 +0000 Days between end and add: 1089 It's worth pointing out some differences between the "normal" and "odd" samples (besides the "View All Quantities" button in the Health app). The recreated "odd" samples have a different Source Revision - the "productType" and "operatingSystemVersion" refer to my iPhone, not the Apple Watch device that actually captured the samples. The odd samples also have metadata keys that don't exist in the other samples - HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier and HKMetadataKeySyncVersion. Questions I'm hoping someone can help with: What are these samples? Why/how do they have a "View All Quantities" button that shows sub-samples? Is this new to iOS 26? Why are some of the samples getting recreated multiple times?
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153
Sep ’25
Icon Composer - Icon not visible in Fitness App
Hi everyone, we’re developing an app that lets users export selected bike rides to the HealthKit ecosystem. We created our app icon using the Apple Icon Composer and referenced the composer file in Xcode. Everything works fine, except that the logo doesn’t appear correctly in the Fitness app. Has anyone experienced this issue or knows how to fix it?
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230
Nov ’25
HKLiveWorkoutBuilder begincollection freezes in WatchOS simulator
The second time i start a workout session, the beginCollection instance method on HKLiveWorkoutBuilder freezes. To recreate run the Apple Sample Project Building a multidevice workout app. It looks like a bug with the HealthKit SDK and not the code but i could be wrong. The only workaround i found was erasing the simulator and reinstalling the app.
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116
Dec ’25
Perfect month award fitness app on iPhone
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?
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106
Dec ’25
Bug apple Health
Hello everyone, I’m experiencing a visual issue when dismissing a sheet on iOS 26. I’m using the same implementation shown in the official Apple documentation. While testing, I noticed that some apps do not exhibit this behavior. However, when running this code on iOS 26, the issue consistently occurs. Issue description: The sheet dismisses abruptly A white screen briefly appears for a few milliseconds and then disappears This results in a noticeable visual glitch and a poor user experience I tested the exact same code on iOS 18, where the sheet dismisses smoothly and behaves as expected, without any visual artifacts. Has anyone else encountered this issue on iOS 26? Is this a known bug, or is there a recommended workaround? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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265
Dec ’25
How to detect when Apple Watch is removed from wrist during active workout session?
I'm currently collecting real-time heart rate data using HKWorkoutSession. I want to track when the Apple Watch is physically removed from the user's wrist during an active workout. However, I've noticed that workoutBuilder(_:didCollectDataOf:) continues to be called even after the watch is removed from the wrist. Is there a way to detect when the Apple Watch is removed from the wrist during an active HKWorkoutSession? Or is this tracking not possible through the HealthKit framework? Any guidance or alternative approaches would be appreciated.
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146
2w
Treadmill integration and weighted vest with HealthKit
I don't understand why elevation data is not stored in the sample using a standard length unit. Why is it stored in HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.flightsClimbed (which is 10 feet)? Surely it is not a memory usage issue. Treadmill GATT provides elevation in meters. Using HKMetadataKeyElevationAscended for the total elevation gain throws away a lot of data. Why is there no support for weighted vest or backpack? Changing body weight is not the same and provides incorrect energy. Users want to compare workouts with different weights. I don't see any metadata key for carried weight.
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74
1w
HKObserverQuery not working in background
I'm developing a single target watchOS app that obtains HealthKit information. I have the "Background Delivery" option checked under "Signing &amp; Capabilities" for the watch target. The app does HKObserverQueries in the foreground that work as I would expect. But when I click the Digital Crown to return to clock face, the HKObserverQuery activity stops. I'm using Xcode 15.4, on Mac 14.5 and a Apple Watch Series 4 running 10.5.
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830
Mar ’25
incomplete route data in Apple Health
When we upload workout data to HealthKit the route information with the workout detailed data is incomplete: just a few dots. When we select "Show all workout routes" the route data for the same workout shows correctly. We use the HKWorkoutBuilder to store the workout data, and add the location data with the HKWorkoutRouteBuilder to the workout with Is this an Apple Health issue, or do we have to change something in the way we store the location data to the workout?
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337
1w
App's domain being blocked/rerouted by Apple
I have a strange situation and I'm not sure where else to post this. Our app's domain (or at least its API hostname in the domain) resolves to something different only inside of Apple's network. I was able to get an Apple employee to verify this by resolving the API hostname while on Apple's corporate network and it resolves to an IP that is in Apple's 17.0.0.0/8 network, but everywhere else resolves to the normal IPs. Our domain's DNS is provided by Cloudflare and they are not doing anything special for Apple's network. This is causing problems during App Review because the app is trying to reach our API to log in and instead is being routed to an IP in Apple's network, so it fails SSL validation and presents an error dialog. App Review is then claiming our app doesn't work and rejecting it. This is an app that has been in the App Store for over a decade and gone through countless app reviews. App Review was of no help resolving this and I don't know where else to turn. How can I find out why our domain is being rerouted inside of Apple and get this fixed?
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581
Feb ’25
HKHealthStore().execute(query) will block main thread
HKHealthStore().execute(query) run in main thread it cost 3.5s here is my code print("execute begin:(Date().timeIntervalSince1970)") HKHealthStore().execute(query) print("execute end:(Date().timeIntervalSince1970)") query.predicate like this (startDate >= CAST(0.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(0.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(0.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(60.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(60.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(60.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(120.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(120.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(120.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(180.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(180.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(180.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(240.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(240.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(240.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(300.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(300.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(300.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(360.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(360.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(360.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(420.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(420.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(420.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(480.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(480.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(480.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(540.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(540.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(540.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(600.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(600.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(600.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(660.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(660.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(660.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(720.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(720.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(720.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(780.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(780.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(780.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(840.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(840.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(840.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(900.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(900.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(900.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(960.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(960.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(960.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1020.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1020.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1020.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1080.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1080.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1080.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1140.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1140.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1140.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1200.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1200.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1200.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1260.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1260.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1260.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1320.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1320.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1320.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1380.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1380.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1380.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1440.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1440.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST(1440.100000, "NSDate")) OR (startDate >= CAST(1500.000000, "NSDate") AND endDate < CAST(1500.100000, "NSDate") AND startDate < CAST( Log execute begin:1739958803.531026 execute end:1739958807.0448961
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679
Feb ’25
Recording a HeartbeatSeries
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.
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136
Mar ’25
How to run HKWorkoutSession on watch without affecting activity rings?
My research group is using watch sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) to track wrist motion to detect and measure eating. https://cecas.clemson.edu/ahoover/bite-counter/ We are running an HKWorkoutSession on the watch so that the app can run for an extended period of time (up to 12 hr) and continue to sense and process motion data. Our app is adding to the activity rings, making it look like the user is exercising the entire time our app is running. Is there a method to prevent our app from contributing to the activity ring measures?
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186
Apr ’25
HealthKit Authorization Requests Immediately Denied in iOS 18.5 - No Permission Dialog Shown
I am experiencing a critical issue with HealthKit authorization in iOS 18.5 where requestAuthorization() calls are immediately denied without showing the user permission dialog. Problem Description: HealthKit authorization requests immediately return .sharingDenied status No system permission dialog is displayed to the user Authorization status changes from .notDetermined to .sharingDenied in <0.1 seconds This occurs for all HealthKit data types (step count, heart rate, sleep analysis, etc.) Technical Details: iOS Version: 18.5 (22F76) Xcode Version: 16F6 Device: iPhone (tested on both simulator and physical device) Bundle IDs tested: com.hereforyou.test2024, com.hereforyou.app Entitlements: com.apple.developer.healthkit = true Code Implementation: let healthStore = HKHealthStore() let stepType = HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .stepCount)! // Status before request: .notDetermined try await healthStore.requestAuthorization(toShare: [], read: [stepType]) // Status after request: .sharingDenied (immediate, <0.1 seconds) Evidence this is not a code issue: Other HealthKit apps from App Store work correctly on the same device Proper entitlements are configured and verified HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() returns true Same code worked in previous iOS versions Multiple Bundle IDs tested with same result Expected Behavior: System should display HealthKit permission dialog allowing user to grant/deny access Actual Behavior: Authorization is immediately denied without user interaction Steps to Reproduce: Create new iOS app with HealthKit entitlements Call requestAuthorization() for any HealthKit data type Observe immediate denial without permission dialog Is this a known issue in iOS 18.5? Are there any workarounds or timeline for a fix? Best regards
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131
Jun ’25
HealthKit on macOS
HealthKit is currently not supported on macOS nor tvOS, despite being supported by visionOS. Support for macOS was last asked about[1] here in 2018. My goal is to display interactive data visualisations over workouts collected in HealthKit on macOS. Will this be possible to do in the near future using HealthKit directly? If not, can I somehow read the information from an iPhone and display it on the mac? Cheers, Rodrigo [1] https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/94937
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475
Nov ’25
Sleep Score API access
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).
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329
Sep ’25
How to accurately query HKWorkout segment data
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.
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156
Oct ’25
Apple Watch Ultra exercise app and activity rings won’t connect after charging
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.
3
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157
Oct ’25