Given the growing frustration with Zwift and Apple Watch connectivity not being addressed a growing number are indicating they will look beyond Zwift until it’s solved.
Love Zwift but I’m sick of getting to a ride and with hit and miss on the Apple HR front. to not have Apple Watch HR working after this time to me hints of something not so much technical but an unwillingness for some reason.
Has anyone with similar thoughts done work on which Zwift competitor/s have this sorted (with Apple). and still have a solid virtual ride Experience?
Byron, I’ve nearly perfected my used of the Apple Watch as an HRM. Here’s what I do:
Start Companion App
Start Companion App on watch
Start Zwift
Pair everything thru Comp App
Unpair Watch
Re-pair watch
Pick a route and start
Once I’m on my bike, I tap the watch to show the screen. I then cover the screen with my hand (Apple version of quiet mode). Of course, it disconnects.
I hit menu and repair it and go back to my bike.
I tap it again and cover it again, and then tap it. 99% of the time, it is fine. 1% of the time, it disconnects again, and I just repair it with 100% success.
Give it a try. I hope that Zwift actually reads their own “Support” forum and decides to debug this at some point using the steps I provided. I doubt it though.
When you say pair everything thru Comp App, where you do that?
I’ve always done pairing of Wahoo Kicker thru game from PC. In fact the two elements of that seem to just connect without fail always (via PC Bluetooth).
Do you mean settings…connected devices? Or the little Bluetooth symbol at top right of comp app?
Certainly an option but frustration when it’s been working now simply doesn’t. Further…off all the tech to surely make work, you would think Apple may make the list.
I use Apple TV, so I use my iPhone and the Companion App to connect to it. Disregard the companion app comments and just pair it, unpair it, etc.
As for wrist vs strap, some like the Apple health functionality, so a strap is a no go. Further, the watch really only suffers when doing HIIT or pure weights where blood flow is reduced by grip. On general accuracy, it’s extremely close. You might be off by 1 or 2 calories per hour. I’ve compared chest, forearm and wrist (Apple Watch), and found no difference on bikes, running or walking. HIIT was significant.
That’s great, Byron. I consistently get it to work by “forcing it to fail” by covering the watch face (silencing it). Once I silence it and reconnect it, it stays connected. If only my kids were like that…
This just seems a bit crazy. Is “forcing it to fail” really the best Zwift can do?
My issue isn’t with pairing. That works well most of the time. My issue is when I’m joining a meetup or event. I pair, everything is good, and I start my ride. HRM is paired and working perfectly. However, when my event is getting close and I “join” it, the pairing is completely lost and I have no HR data for the entire ride. At that point, leaving and re-connecting isn’t a great option since the race is starting at a given time.