External Heart Rate Monitor with Strava Apple Watch app

[IanRimmer]

Hi All,

Hoping you can help me.  I am starting training for a marathon and want to do a lot of zone 2 training, in an effort to improve the speed I can run at whilst remaining within zone 2.

At the moment I am using the Strava app on my Apple Watch and using the inbuilt apple watch heart rate monitor.  However, I have read a lot of articles online that says the HR monitor on the apple watch is not very accurate.  As such, I am looking at purchasing a seperate, dedicated heart rate monitor.

My question is:  If I do buy an external monitor, can I sync that to the Strava app on my apple watch, so that I can actively monitor my HR during a run?  Or will the Strava app on the Apple Watch always use the built in HR monitor?

Any help with the above and advice on which external HR monitor to use, would be much appreciated!  Thank you in advance.

[Jane · Accepted solution]

Hello @IanRimmer 

Thanks for posting about this.  It is possible to pair an external BTLE heart rate monitor with the Strava App on Apple Watch and monitor your heart rate during a run.  

As long as the device broadcasts as a heart rate monitor for Bluetooth connections, it should be compatible. However, due to the vast number of Bluetooth heart rate monitor devices, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of each device. Most popular Bluetooth heart rate monitors from brands like Polar and Wahoo should be compatible.

I would encourage you to check out our Apple Watch FAQ for more information about using your Apple Watch with Strava.

Let us know if you have any further questions.

[DanRongaus]

I have an apple watch and use the Strava app for my workouts. Historically, the heart rate provided by the watch has been sporadic/inconsistent, so I purchased a Polar H10 chest strap heart rate monitor. It is paired with my Strava app on my iPhone.

My question is this: is there a way for me to initiate a workout on my watch and have the heart rate data collected by the H10, instead of the watch? Or, if I want the H10's data, am I limited to the app on my cell phone?

[Jane]

Hello @DanRongaus 

Thanks for posting about this.  Thanks for posting about this.  It is possible to pair an external BTLE heart rate monitor with the Strava App on Apple Watch and monitor your heart rate during a run.  

We have an existing discussion on this topic so I have merged your post into this one.  Take a look and let us know if that works for you.

[DanRongaus]

Great, thanks! I saw this discussion prior to my submission, but was still unsure of its resolution.

The detail to note here, for me, is that the heart rate monitor must be paired through the watch's bluetooth settings, not through the Strava app on the phone. That is the information I was seeking.

[Jane · Accepted solution]

Hello @IanRimmer 

Yes that's correct.  If you connect an external HR sensor, Strava will use the data from that sensor.

[Jane · Accepted solution]

Hello @IanRimmer 

Thanks for posting about this.  It is possible to pair an external BTLE heart rate monitor with the Strava App on Apple Watch and monitor your heart rate during a run.  

As long as the device broadcasts as a heart rate monitor for Bluetooth connections, it should be compatible. However, due to the vast number of Bluetooth heart rate monitor devices, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of each device. Most popular Bluetooth heart rate monitors from brands like Polar and Wahoo should be compatible.

I would encourage you to check out our Apple Watch FAQ for more information about using your Apple Watch with Strava.

Let us know if you have any further questions.

[travisly]

Do you have to use the paid version for it to work with external heart rate monitors?

[IanRimmer]

Thanks Jane,

Appreciate you getting back to me.

So just to clarify - if I get a supported Heart rate monitor, then when I am running and using the strava app on the apple watch to track the distance, the HR information displayed within the Strava app on the Apple Watch will show the HR information from the independent HR monitor?  And not from the inbuilt apple watch HR monitor?

[DanRongaus]

Hi did you ever receive confirmation on this question? I just picked up a heart rate monitor and am hoping I can run out the door with nothing but my watch and HRM on...

Thanks!

[IanRimmer]

Yeah I did - I was told that Strava would automatically use the HR data as long as the external HR monitor was connected via bluetooth.  

To be honest I didnt go ahead and buy one as the more research I did online, the more I found that the Apple Watch HR monitor was good enough and that there wasnt a discernible difference in accuracy with a third party HR montior.