Companion app and Apple watch workout app incompatible?

Bugs and Support
#1

Hello,

I didn’t see this addressed anywhere else so if I’ve missed it my apologies and please point it out to me!

I just started Zwifting in August and am still figuring it all out. I had finally figured out how to use my new Apple watch that I got in June as a HRM through the Companion app. I had been using it as such so my HR would show up while working out on the main screen on my computer and in Companion on my phone. But I was also using the Apple Workout app to track my workouts as well. It had been letting me use the two apps concurrently and showing the workouts in my phone Activity app under both categories but not doubling my calorie burn or anything. However, for the past month or two, if I try to start a workout in the Workout app, and then go to Companion to get my heart rate recorded there, it closes out the Workout app. I apparently can’t have the Workout app open while the Companion app is open. I have been searching online and don’t see anything about this issue and even was just playing around with it some more again. It is not just having 2 or more apps open together on the watch (which would be odd and pointless and hasn’t been an issue with other apps) but it is specific to the Zwift Companion app and the Apple Workout app conflicting with each other.

This isn’t a huge deal, but there are “challenges” in the Apple Activity app that you get credit for that only count if you record the workout in their Workout app and it would be nice to get credit for them.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue and if anyone knows if there is something in the works to fix it or some kind of workaround? I’m especially curious since I previously was able to use them at the same time so it hasn’t always been that way.

Thanks!

-Kristin

#2

Hi @Kristin_Amstrup

Support for the Apple Watch as a heart rate monitor is in beta, and we have some step by step connections how-to’s in support.zwift.com. We hope this helps!

Ride On!

1 Like
#3

Hi, I have similar problems even if I don’t try to run the workout app separately, the Zwift Companion App works fine for a few minutes but then seems to time out and HR connection is lost. Lift my wrist to activate my watch again and it usually reconnects again only to repeat every few minutes. Sometimes you have to try and get to the watch App again and re-open it, not easy wit sweaty hands.

It seems the App on the watch goes to sleep and the connection is lost, gets frustrating when you are trying to analyse workout effort and could cause problems with races that require HR monitors.

Thanks

Sam

#4

Hi @Sam_Crofts8276

I’m not an Apple Watch owner, but there’s something that might be relevant to you in the Apple Watch Best Practices section at the bottom of that same page linked upstream.

Have you tried this suggestion already?

Turn off Workout Power Saving Mode : While saving battery can be a good thing, we’ve found this can cause issues with keeping a steady connection. On your iPhone®, open the Apple® Watch app, and go to My Watch: Workout: Power Saving Mode.

#5

Two years in “beta” is impressively bad.

3 Likes
#6

It worked great for me as well up through this last iOS13 and Apple Watch OS version then it’s been broken. It was awesome getting credit for Apple Activities and HR recording in Zwift. Losing it has sucked and I’ve been hopeful it’d return. Based upon 2 years of beta and the poor response so far from support I have to assume it’s not going to happy though. I’ve tried all of the things suggested, starting in different ordered, and I’ve tried in on an Apple Watch 3 & 5 and they all fail. I don’t want to buy yet another HRM device to get this working Zwift, come on. Please fix this regression.

1 Like
#7

I have the same problem. You cannot run Apple Workout and Zwift heart rate monitor concurrently. This is a real nuisance since in our house, 3 other people workout in the gym with HIT workouts and are constantly comparing calories burned/heartrate/etc. So either I can track my heart rate on Zwift through the Apple Watch Zwift app, which is spotty at best (connects/disconnects/connects/disconnects), or use the Apple Workout app.

2 Likes
#8

I have the same problem. Is there any solution? It is a bugger to not be able to have both active at the same time.

For me, if I open up the Swift companion app on the watch, it automatically kills the Apple workout app and vice versa

#9

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Same issue here. Big disconnection earlier on and several smaller ones throughout the ride. Extremely disappointing. I’m dreading doing a race tomorrow and then being ignored from the Zwift power results due to this failing.

1 Like
#10

I have the exactly the same problem. I have a iWatch 2. When I start the workout APP first and then Bluetooth connect to the iWatch HRM, the HRM monitor works throughout the workout. But when I am finished, I find that the workout APP stopped as soon as the iWatch HRM was connected. Strangely enough, the workout APP (Activity App) gives me full credit for time and calories, but with no listed workout. I am happy I get credit for the minutes and calories, but would prefer to have a recorded “Indoor Cycle” workout. On the other hand, If I start my workout by setting up a Bluetooth connection to the iWatch and then start the workout APP (Activity APP), the HRM stops working and I get no heart rate record on ZWIFT during the workout, but the Activity gives me credit for an Indoor Cycle workout.

#11

I later found that the best way to use the iWatch HRM in ZWIFT is to NOT use the iWatch Fitness APP (Indoor Cycle). I just start ZWIFT as I normally would to exercise and select Tap to Pair the HRM and iWatch should display in the box. Touch OK to pair. The iWatch should display something like “unpaired” in response, but once you start in the exercise, check again, it should change to display “in game” or “connection error”. I touch the watch face on “connection error” or “unpaired” to get it to say “in game”. I don’t know if touching the watch is necessary, but it seems to work. Once it is “in game” you know it is working. The HR should display on the watch and the game screen. When you end the ride, save the results. The Fitness APP exercise record will sometimes recognize my workout as a ZWIFT event in the Workouts list (best case). Sometimes it shows no listed workout, but I still get the calories and workout minutes! I hope this helps.

#12

A few days ago my chest strap was reading bad metrics and I decided to give Apple Watch a try with Zwift. The worst idea ever. First, as it was mentioned, pairing to Zwift terminates workout if one was selected. Second, Zwift does not register its session as a workout either. Some minutes and some calories are added but no workout record. And the last but not least, after I finished a ride, my watch was still showing that running man icon like workout is in progress. But because of (2) nothing is showing in workouts app and I could not stop it. I force exited Zwift on iPad and companion on iPhone. Nothing, still “running”. Restarted watch, nothing, still “running”. Finally, I completely unpaired and “forgot” devices, restarted every devices and got out of that shadow workout mode. Never again. Never.

#13

There are bugs, as you can tell. One bug is that, after you end the ride and stop the exercise, the iWatch Fitness APP still thinks you are working out. You will notice the iWatch still displays “paired”. If you don’t do something, this will continue and lots of false calories will be earned in your app. I tried many obvious things, and none work. I did find something that works. I just start another exercise APP on the iWatch and quickly stop it. That solves the problem. The watch becomes unpaired to ZWIFT.
Another bug is that if the HRM becomes unpaired during a group workout or race, you will get kicked out of the event and lose the record of it. I still get the exercise minutes in the APP but the event is not listed in the exercise list. The good news is that saving to Strava saves the exercise without any loss in time or miles.

#14

I have learned to live with the iWatch HRM. The suggestion above about putting a cushion under the watch band works well for me in preventing disconnects. Now my biggest problem, which I believe has nothing to do with the Fitness APP or HRM, is with being occasionally disconnected from events due to some technical glitch. I have found that ,if I restart ZWIFT from scratch, after “ride” is selected, ZWIFT seems to detect this issue and allows you the option of re-joining the event. After you re-join, however, the display changes and you no longer see the leader boards and your group position, etc.