Anyone able to use an Apple Watch as a HRM?
I’ve tried on my Apple TV and now my MacBook Pro, it won’t show up in the application.
I’ve reset hardware multiple times, checked for updates and changed connection methods but my Apple Watch doesn’t show in the paired devices screen, unless it shows as No Signal.
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Again- here was the reply from support yesterday stating they did in fact remove the feature:
Hi Dave,
Apple Watch
My name is Alex and I am an experienced user of Zwift. I will try to help you based on my experience with the platform but note that I am not able to access your account or Zwift systems. If required, I will escalate your enquiry to the main Support Team who can provide support with system access.
We have been informed by the Zwift Support Team that at the moment the support for the Apple Watch has been removed due to frequent connection issues. Zwift is looking to reintroduce that early this year but have not provided a date for when it will be available again. There has not been any formal announcement regarding this issue.
I understand that this may not be what you are looking to hear but at this time the only suggestion I have is to use another Heart Rate Monitor (Garmin, Polar, etc.) to be able to get your heart rate readings on Zwift.
Thank you for allowing me to assist you today. If you could let us know if we have answered your question or if there is something else we can assist you with?
Thanks,
Alex
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Communication from Zwift Support not good in this case.
I love this app and I continu to support it, thats why I just bought an HR belt.
But the minimum would be a line in log patch or a small announcement before the patch, at worst a few hours/days after the release of the patch for the many users affected.
Why ? It is one of the most popular models in the world, perhaps it is a top5 or top10 smartwatch used on Zwift ?
There are perhaps several hundred or thousands of active users in this case.
Good luck to support team, hope it come back soon.
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We do not know that they expected this to have any impact to apple watch or if it’s a side effect of some unrelated change. Back in Dec 2021 they announced it was no longer supported, so that implies they aren’t testing the effect of changes to apple watch.
At the time they posted and stickied the post, so it’s been up for over two years here: Upcoming Changes to Supported Operating Systems [December 2021] - What’s New? / Zwift Game - Zwift Forums
One of the implications of it not being supported is they don’t spend their test team testing every change for it, so who knows if they knew this change would make things worse or not.
Am I happy about this? No, I have an Apple Watch and want it to work too. They said this is something they are working on, but who knows what happened to that work after the restructuring.
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All true, but the continued lack of engagement is a problem. If it’s an expected change, it wasn’t handled well. If it’s bug, same problem. It would help if they dropped into this thread and explained what happened. People would still be disappointed but that’s better than leaving everyone to draw their own conclusions.
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Totally agree about the lack of engagement. Obviously an unsupported feature has the potential to break, but when they communicate to paying subscribers–two years ago!–that they are working on a properly integrated version it’s not unreasonable to expect some communication about this. I would guess I have done more than 400 Zwift rides with my Apple Watch since December 2021, so I think it’s reasonable for people to be frustrated when it breaks for no obvious reason (e.g. some major overhaul).
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I had been using my Apple Watch Ultra v1 (WatchOS 10.3.1) as a heart rate monitor with Zwift on an iPad Air just fine over the past few months. However, it appears broken after the release of iPadOS 17.3.1 and iOS 17.3.1 (using latest Companion app as well).
Interestingly, the companion watch app displays either “selected” or “in game” and my heart rate, but Zwift cannot connect. I see either a “no signal” message or it does not show up as a pairing option.
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Please search for the other threads on this topic (there are several). At this point (and for quite a while now, I think) Apple Watch has not been supported by Zwift, though it did work for some people. Zwift is supposedly introducing official support in the coming months, but for the time being it does appear to be ‘not working’. (I won’t say it’s ‘broken’, since it isn’t actually supported by Zwift.)
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Here-Say unless ZHQ themselves makes a direct comment. In my view, intentionally disabling it is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. It WORKED for so many people. Disabling it because some are having connection issues is dumb (from a business perspective because you just pissed off those that were using it) and a poor reflection on the capabilities of Zwift’s developers. This isn’t rocket science. I personally am more interested in this being fixed than them fiddling around with the looks of the avatar faces (which mostly nobody sees anyway). Priorities, ZHQ. Priorities.
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Thanks for pics. The same happened to me. When I first started zwift a little over a year ago, I tried 2 wahoo tickrs that died soon out of the box. Finally got the watch to pair, now this maddening affair. Instead, I set the workout app to stay open in apple settings, then glance down at watch to check Hrt rate during ride. Better than nothing but not as good as seeing it on screen. Still enjoy Zwift but… Good luck with watch, I have the stolen oxygen-level model.
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Not hearsay. This came directly from their support ambassador, and the reply came instantly which was scripted so HQ knows exactly what is going on. Was simply trying to share information relevant to the group. I’m just as frustrated as everyone else is.
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There is a Zwift Companion Apple Watch app, therefore expectation is that it should be enabled to work at the very least. Else, I cannot understand what is the point of the Companion watch app specifically.
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Same issue here, but I managed to get the Echo App connected with Zwift. But not through the companion app but through the Zwift App on my iMac. On the companion App on the iPhone the Echo does not show up in the connection menu for heart rate. Unfortunately the bluetooth connection to my Taxc trainer is less reliable through my mac so I am somewhere between two uncomfortable solutions.
Maybe this is from any help.
cheers ralf
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Been having this exact same issue last 3 days and came here to look into it… Great seeing you beat me to the post!
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I’ve done some further testing, and it appears that as long as you launch the Zwift app (and not the Companion app) on your iPhone and the Zwift app on your Apple Watch, you can almost always get HR to appear at the initial Bluetooth pairing screen. Once you’ve got it paired on the watch it should work normally, but only on the phone. You cannot do this with an iPad, or a macOS laptop. The Zwift app latches onto your already paired watch with the phone.
If you’re like me, and have an AppleTV in the mix, you can then screen mirror from the iPhone to the AppleTV (yes, Apple fanboy here). There is some aspect ratio change, but it works. It also appears that sound is lost in the process. Fine for me since I usually listen to music while Zwifting.
I can only hope that they will go back to allowing the Companion app to handle the bridging for the Apple Watch. I’m going to try this set up tomorrow morning, so stay tuned…
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Support told me to buy one of their HRMs as they don’t know when/if this will be fixed.
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Same issue here…. Why is it so friggen hard, we just want to be able to turn everything on jump on the bike and ride and have it work as it’s designed. Not happy
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Also here to express my frustration. Apple Watch and companion app worked for over 18months for me until this update.
Zwift, please fix this soon.
ATV user so will try the screen mirror suggestion on my next workout.
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I have the same problem, and I am also very frustrated. Zwift’s stance is truly unbelievable. There’s an Apple digital ecosystem in which Zwift is participating: applications on iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, and… now they exclude the Apple Watch, especially when Apple is strongly focusing on health and fitness. Zwift’s position is entirely bewildering. Fortunately, I am subscribed on a monthly basis, so if this issue is not resolved within a month, I will switch to other options, equally interesting but not as perplexing.
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Hey everyone,
We have been investigating your reports to see what changed in version 1.58 that may have worsened the Apple Watch experience.
We will be rolling back a recent change to restore the Apple Watch back to the original experience as soon as possible. The rollback did not make it in time for today’s phased rollout of game version 1.59. We’ll update this thread when it’s done.
Thanks for your continued patience.
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