So, for the past year I’ve been using an Apple TV, connecting my power, cadence and HRM through Zwift Companion on my iPhone. Lately, it stopped recognizing my HRM which was working fine with all other devices and other software on my phone. After making sure everything was updated and still not getting any joy, on a lark I tried connecting to bluetooth, rather than connecting to phone, on the Zwift pairing screen. Lo and behold, all three devices connected, apparently with the Apple TV rather than with Companion. Since the Apple TV remote was also working, it would seem I had 4 devices connected, which I thought exceeded the limit for Apple TV. Did Apple update the firmware to allow more bluetooth devices? Or is something else going on? And why wouldn’t Companion recognize the HRM?
Is cadence coming from your trainer? Depending on the trainer that’s often sent via the same connection as the power so you get both sets of data from one connection. I also use AppleTV and get power/cadence together, HRM and the remote = 3 devices.
Power and cadence are coming from the same device, but, previously, I was not able to connect the HRM directly to the Zwift app on Apple TV. The odd thing is the situation has switched, with Companion not accepting the third connection while Apple TV does.
Could it be something like your HRM connecting directly to your phone’s BT and not via ZC? Sometimes weird stuff happens. I can still pair my trainer (power, cadence, resistance), my HRM and my Play controllers to ZC on my phone to bridge to my ATV.
Thanks for the responses. I think it’s probably a combination of your suggestions - ZC isn’t pairing with the HRM because the HRM has paired with something else (although I’m not sure what) and ATV is now taking my power and cadence as coming from one device (although I’m not sure why this would have changed).
Be sure to force close any app on your phone that you have connected your HRM to in the past including the companion app. Be sure to start Zwift on your ATV and connect before starting the companion app. You can also try temporarily turning off Bluetooth on your phone and see if the HRM will connect to the ATV.
One other trick is to remove the battery from your HRM and reinstall it flipped over for a few seconds. This will reset the HRM (at least some brands).
Thanks - it’s actually not a problem since everything is pairing nicely with the ATV now. I was just curious why things would have changed so that I don’t need to pair through Companion anymore.
I also recently discovered that my Kickr V5 doesn’t need the companion app when I use the AppleTV. I now have power, cadence, heart rate (from my Tickr chest strap) and the ATV remote all working without my phone.
I’ve been curious about this and searched to find a news item declaring the PITA workaround to be no longer necessary, but your post is all I have seen.
Now for DirCon to allow ethernet cable straight into the ATV, rather than all the way back to router…
Sounds like the Kickr is bridging the HRM signal, which some trainers can do. This would be a Wahoo feature and not a Zwift one.
Yeap same here. I think the trainer transmits power and cadence on the same signal. (Unless you are using a stand alone cadence sensor?)
Thanks. I just found on the Wahoo site that the TickrX sends both HR and Cadence data to the AppleTV.
So, for the ATV’s three BT connections:
- TickrX (HR + Cadence) —> ATV (Zwift)
- Kickr Power ----> ATV (Zwift)
- ATV Remote ----> ATV (Zwift)
It would be good to know if any other HR straps do this too. Alternatively, the Kickr sends power and cadence. While I don’t mind the companion app, it would be nice if it wasn’t a necessity for most.
I get an infinite error loop when switching users and trainers. When switching from user 1, trainer 1 and a HRM, to user 2, trainer 2 and a Clicker virtual shifter. I exit zwift, unplug trainer 1 and the HRM and plug in trainer 2. I select user2 and get a screen with two options/boxes: power and speed. This is not the usual screen with 5 boxes (power, speed, cadence, controller and HRM). I select power and get an error message saying more than 2 Bluetooth devices and asks if I want to connect via Companion. Behind this message, it shows the HRM is still connected. If I respond with cancel, it sends me back to the screen with two options. If I select power, it gives me the same error message. If I select continue, it also sends me back to the same screen. It seems to think that the HRM and cadence are still connected and it does not give me the option to cancel these connections. If I proceed to enter Zwift without any connections and try to add connection via the tab, the same problem occurs. The only way out of the loop is to power off the Apple TV for a minute and start all over again.
Trainer 1 is Kickr v5 and Trainer 2 is Kickr Core with Zwift Cog. Sometimes it works; e.g. the kickr uses 1 BT connection and the clicker uses the second BT connection. Other times I get into this error loop.
Can you please fix this bug or provide a solution?