Hello,
I’m developing an iOS app that works with sleep data from Apple Watch via HealthKit. I would like to clarify the following:
How can an iPhone app detect when a sleep session ends on the Apple Watch?
When is sleep data typically written to the HealthKit store on iPhone after sleep ends? Is it immediately after wake-up, or does it depend on certain conditions (e.g., watch charging, connectivity)?
Understanding the timing and mechanism of sleep data synchronization is crucial for our app to process accurate and timely health information.
Thank you for your assistance.
Health & Fitness
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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?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Health & Fitness
Tags:
WatchKit
Health and Fitness
SensorKit
WorkoutKit
I have a watchOS app with a connected iOS app using Swift and SwiftUI. The watchOS app should read heart rate date in the background using HKOberserQuery and enableBackgroundDelivery(), send the data to the iPhone app via WCSession. The iPhone app then sends the data to a Firebase project.
The issue I am facing now it that the app with the HKObserverQuery works fine when the app is in the foreground, but when the app runs in the background, the observer query gets triggered for the first time (after one hour), but then always get terminated from the watchdog timeout with the following error message:
CSLHandleBackgroundHealthKitQueryAction scene-create watchdog transgression: app<app.nanacare.nanacare.nanaCareHealthSync.watchkitapp((null))>:14451 exhausted real (wall clock) time allowance of 15.00 seconds
I am using Xcode 16.3 on MacOS 15.4
The App is running on iOS 18.4 and watchOS 11.4
What is the reason for this this issue? I only do a simple SampleQuery to fetch the latest heart rate data inside the HKObserverQuery and then call the completionHandler. The query itself takes less than one second.
Or is there a better approach to read continuously heart rate data from healthKit in the background on watchOS? I don't have an active workout session, and I don't need all heart rate data. Once every 15 minutes or so would be enough.
For an app that plan to integrate Apple HealthKit to allow app users to upload and download their health data, where can I locate the Data Processing Addendum that specifies who the data controller and processor will be, and how such health data will be used or distributed?
I'm trying to run this example project: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/HealthKit/building-a-multidevice-workout-app
When I run it on my device (iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2)
I get this error:
-[SPRemoteInterface _appRecoverAnyExtendedRuntimeSession:]_block_invoke:4350: Got no sessions back from -[CSLSSessionService existingRunningSessions:] or -[CSLSSessionService existingScheduledSessions:] after receiving a PUICInitializeSessionServiceAction
I start the workout from my phone, which successfully starts the workout on the watch. But this callback is never triggered on the phone:
healthStore.workoutSessionMirroringStartHandler {
// not happening
}
This makes it difficult to learn the mirroring workout technique.
I'm using Xcode 16.3 and Mac OS 15.4.1.
Any help appreciated!
Based on Cooordinate with the companion app in this article by Apple
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/running-workout-sessions
if a workout were to be started on the iPhone companion app but with no Watch available, given HKLiveWorkoutBuilder not available in iOS, does the iPhone app need to implement it's own workout tracking such as a timer for counting the elapsed time and location updates for distance and GPS tracking?
If so in an instance where a paired Apple Watch were to exist and the workout is continued in the Watch app should the iPhone companion app stop this custom workout tracking and revert to the mirrored workout from the Watch to ensure accurate and synchronised data between the apps?
Hi, i'm trying to get the number of step counts a person has taken. I decided to pull the data from health kit and the number of steps are incorrect. Come to find out apple health recommends an app called pedometer++ for the number of steps counted and after testing I realized that they are getting the correct number of steps a person is taking. How can I pull the correct number of steps a person has taken? I want to be able to merge the data from watch and phone to make sure we are getting the correct number of steps but not double counting the steps either.
any guidance on this would be appreciated!
Here's the code snippet that i'm using right now:
permissions: {
read: [AppleHealthKit.Constants.Permissions.StepCount],
write: [],
},
};
AppleHealthKit.initHealthKit(permissions, error => {
if (error) {
console.log('Error initializing HealthKit: ', error);
return;
} else {
dispatch(setAllowHealthKit(true));
getHealthKitData();
console.log('HealthKit initialized successfully');
}
});
const getHealthKitData = async () => {
try {
const today = new Date();
const options = {
startDate: new Date(today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0)).toISOString(),
endDate: new Date().toISOString(),
};
const steps = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
AppleHealthKit.getStepCount(options, (error, results) => {
if (error) reject(error);
resolve(results?.value);
});
});
setStepsCount(steps);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching HealthKit data:', error);
}
};
读取是不是解析 metadata 的对应键来获取值对吧~但我看了相关开发文档好像没找到这个的键是什么~于是也没法写入到对应的,现在只能自定义键来进行写入
但是这样写入后无法显示在心情下方的影响因素后面~
这个 key 是没公开的吗还是说我方法弄错了~请各位大大指教
We are working on the health related application and use apple health kit to sync the data from different devices like watches or ring.
We are targeting oura ring to get sleep and other parameters data. We are able to sync the data from oura for all other parameters (like pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc..) other than sleep. Surprisingly, sleep data that comes through other devices is syncing as expected from the health kit. We are even getting the data which is added manually in health kit. The only sleep data not syncing is from oura.
Can we get a document or any kind of help to sync the data from oura in to our application using health kit?
In general my workout app is reachable from the iPhone when running a workout, even if in the background. However if the watch app restarts (due to crash or being closed via the dock) via handleActiveWorkoutRecovery then it is only reachable when in the foreground, even though a workout is running.
Is this expected / desired behaviour? Is the app given a tighter sandbox (having it's "background privileges" reduced) because of the earlier crash?
This behaviour occasionally happens without a crash (or being closed via the dock) - all of a sudden it is no longer reachable via the iPhone. It feels like the app is being "sandboxed" like in #1 but there is no crash or any other kind of log indicating any issue. Generally the only remedy is to stop the workout and restart the app. My question is - is this expected? Is there some condition that causes the watchOS to sandbox the app? Or is this a Watch Connectivity bug?
I'm reading hourly statistics from HealthKit using executeStatisticsCollectionQuery (code below).
Expectation
What I expect is to get back the list with one row per hour, where each hours has the same cumulative sum value.
Actual result
In results, first hour always contains less calories than next hours, which all have the same value.
Example:
Start: 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00, anchor: 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00, end: 2025-06-02T12:00:00+03:00
🟡 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00 Optional(50.3986 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T01:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T02:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T03:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T04:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T05:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T06:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T07:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T08:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T09:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T10:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T11:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T12:00:00+03:00 Optional(14.0224 kcal)
As you can see, here we have 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00 Optional(50.3986 kcal)
Now, if I add one more hour to the request (from beginning of time window), the same hour has proper calories count, while newly added hour, has wrong value):
2025-06-01T23:00:00+03:00, anchor: 2025-06-01T23:00:00+03:00, end: 2025-06-02T12:00:00+03:00.
🟡 2025-06-01T23:00:00+03:00 Optional(50.3986 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T01:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T02:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T03:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T04:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T05:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T06:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T07:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T08:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T09:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T10:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T11:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
🟡 2025-06-02T12:00:00+03:00 Optional(14.0224 kcal)
And now first hour of the day, magically has more calories burned: 2025-06-02T00:00:00+03:00 Optional(64.421 kcal)
I suspect similar things happen with other quantity types, but haven't yet found a way to reproduce it.
Am I doing something wrong or is it a bug in HealthKit?
Code
let anchorDate = startDate
let predicate = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: startDate, end: endDate, options: [.strictStartDate])
healthStore.executeStatisticsCollectionQuery(
quantityType: .basalEnergyBurned,
quantitySamplePredicate: predicate,
options: [.separateBySource, .cumulativeSum],
anchorDate: anchorDate,
intervalComponents: DateComponents(hour: 1),
initialResultsHandler: { statistics, error in
if let error = error {
log(.error, "Error retrieving steps: \(error.localizedDescription)")
continuation.resume(throwing: SpikeException("Error retrieving steps: \(error.localizedDescription)"))
return
}
if let statistics {
let f = ISO8601DateFormatter()
f.timeZone = TimeZone.current
for s in statistics {
log(.debug, "\(f.string(from: s.startDate)) \(s.sumQuantity())")
}
}
continuation.resume(returning: statistics ?? [])
}
)
I want to know , how many days will the data of health stays in apple watch . For example, I have not synced the watch with iPhone for two weeks . Then When I synced it , I am only able to see the last week data on iPhone of the watch . Is it true ?
Hello, is there a way to present WorkoutPlan preview just like it was presented on WWDC video: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10016/
with WorkoutCompositions?
Or was this way ditched completely and is not possible to reproduce anymore? I find it weird that this view modifier accepts non-optional WorkoutPlan when the process of creating one can fail for many reasons with fatalError (that's another issue - why isn't there throws used anywhere?) when not checked with dedicated methods and I think that it would make more sense to create WorkoutPlan when user completes filling some kind of form. Because right now it's needed to compute the non-optional WorkoutPlan for the sake of .workoutPreview modifier live for any changes and that can often lead to errors.
Non-modifier way of presenting the preview, like the one presented on WWDC would work really well for my project
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
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Health & Fitness
When I set the distanceFilter = 5 (5 meters) in the GPS CLLocationManager
I can't display the workout routes in the Apple Fitness app after writing the recorded GPS data to HealthKit via HKWorkoutRouteBuilder.
The smaller distanceFilter, Fitness will displays the route.
Should I consider setting up a small distanceFilter when developing a workout app on watchOS?
The recent WWDC presentation on HealthKit demonstrated how to associate side effects with a medication dose using HKObjectType.categoryType(forIdentifier:) and HKCategorySample, a subclass of HKObject.
There also appears to be an object type specifically for medication doses: HKMedicationDoseEventType, accessible via HKObjectType.medicationDoseEventType(). However, there’s no corresponding public subclass of HKObject that supports this identifier. The most relevant class, HKMedicationDoseEvent, exists but has an inaccessible initializer.
Is there currently a supported way to use HKMedicationDoseEventType, or is this functionality not yet available?
https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/321/
Hello,
I have enabled HealthKit background delivery for sleep analysis samples:
private func setupSleepDataBackgroundDelivery() {
if let sleepType = HKObjectType.categoryType(forIdentifier: HKCategoryTypeIdentifier.sleepAnalysis) {
healthStore.enableBackgroundDelivery(for: sleepType, frequency: .immediate) { (success, error) in
}
}
}
In general, this function works.
But I would love to know what the limitations / expected delivery delay for frequency: .immediate is.
The documentation is only very vague about this and specifies that some sample types such as steps are only delivered once per hour.
But how about sleep data? Is this expected to be delivered immediately once available on iPhone?
Thanks a lot for your help!
How to launch companion Watch App without relying on Health Kit?
I need my companion watch to launch automatically in some specific cases. What I'm doing to achieve that is to call "startWatchApp" in HKHealthStore().
This worked flawlessly for well over a year but AppReview is now giving me a hard time about using HealthKit without actually using health related data.
Is there a way to do the same without using HealthKit? Seems silly that this is bundled only with the HealthKit...
If I don't find another solution I will probably be forced to start reading heart rate data and reporting it to the user just so that AppReview will stop saying that I have no reason to use HealthKit... But ideally I'd love to learn about a way to open the companion Watch app without HealthKit and do things the right way...
Hi y’all! This is my first post but I wanted to ask if anyone else has had this happen and fixed it. But I have lost 3 years of fitness and health data upon upgrading to iOS 26 beta 1. I have about 2 gigs of health data in iCloud which I’m praying to Tim is my data lol. But I was wondering if anyone else went through this issue on their test device and yeah.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Health & Fitness
I am very happy to see that HealthKit with OS26 is bringing HKLiveWorkoutDataSource to iOS and iPadOS. I have been replicating a similar type for the last several years for users that only have an iPhone.
I did notice that the data types that the different platform data sources collect automatically is different. That makes sense if you think exclusively about what the device can actually capture. Bluetooth HRM is the only Bluetooth SIG profile that is out-of-the-box supported for Apple Health on iOS and iPadOS (right?). Whereas watchOS 10 got all of the cycling sensors (woohoo!).
It would be great if the types to collect were the same across platforms even if the device couldn't collect the data now, because then in the future when / if new sensor support is added, it will be transparent to developers. Fantastic. Easier life as an indie / third party developer. At least that is the idea.
And yes, I know I can also write Core Bluetooth code and roll my own SIG implementation for the cycling profiles, but Apple already has this code in one os, 'just copy it, it will be easy'. I know that isn't the reality especially against the new ASK framework, but one can hope and dream right? Imagine how many more apps would contribute that data if it was supported out of the box. An alternative, GitHub is a great place for Apple to share their Core Bluetooth implementation of the SIG profiles :). Just another thought.
Here are some feedbacks related to this:
FB17931751 - HealthKit: Add built-in support for cycling sensors on iOS and iPadOS - copy paste the code from watchOS. It will be easy they said (June 2025)
FB12323089 - CoreBluetooth / Health / Bluetooth Settings: Add support for cycling sensors announced in watchOS 10 to iOS and iPadOS 17 (June 2023)
FB14311218 - HealthKit: Expected outdoor cycling to include .cyclingSpeed quantity type as a default HKLiveWorkoutDataSource type to collect (July 2024)
FB14978701 - Bluetooth / HealthKit / Fitness: Expose information about the user specified for Apple Watch paired Cycing Speed Sensor like isConnected and wheelCircumference values (August 2024)
FB18402258 - HealthKit: HKLiveWorkoutDataSource should collect same types on iOS and watchOS even if device cannot produce data today (June 2025)
FB14236080 - Developer Documentation / HealthKit: Update documentation for HKLiveWorkoutDataSource typesToCollect for which sample types are automatically collected by watchOS 10 and 11 (July 2024)
Tangentially related:
FB10281304 - HealthKit: Add HKActivityTypes canoeBikeRun and kayakBikeRun (June 2022)
FB10281349 - HealthKit: Add HKActivityType walkCanoeWalk and walkKayakWalk (June 2022)
FB7807993 - Add HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.paddleDistance for canoeing, kayaking, etc type workouts (June 2020)
FB12508654 - HealthKit / Settings / Bluetooth / Workouts: Cycling sensor support doesn't allow for 'bike selection' in use case of multiple bikes and multiple sensors (borrow a bike to ride together) - production usability issue (July 2023)
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Health & Fitness
Tags:
Health and Fitness
HealthKit
Core Bluetooth
AccessorySetupKit