Ahead of the Apple Watch making its way onto the wrists of consumers, Apple has published a new support page detailing the device’s heart rate monitor. As we know, the Apple Watch includes a heart rate reader to measure a person’s intensity during workouts.
With knowledge of this intensity data, the Watch is able to more accurately measure the amount of calories a person burns per day. Additionally, a user can check their heart rate at any time using a feature known as the Heart Rate Glance. But beyond these two user functions, this new support document details the technologies behind the hardware as well as some little known software features.
According to the document, the Apple Watch will silently measure your heart rate every 10 minutes. This data will be stored in the iOS 8 Health application for later viewing and integration with third-party health tracking applications and hardware.
Beyond software, Apple says that the Apple Watch uses fascinating mechanics to actually get the heart rate reading:
As with other heart rate reading devices, the Apple Watch’s functionality is not perfect, but Apple notes that how you wear your Apple Watch can affect readings. In order to get the most accurate reading possible, Apple recommends wearing the device closer to the skin. If users are looking to get the best heart rate reading possible, it seems likely that they should use one of the more tight fitting rubber Sport bands. Of course, other aspects of the human anatomy could negatively affect heart rate readings, as Apple also details:
Besides detailing the heart rate reading feature, Apple has posted another support document detailing the materials within the Apple Watch. Interestingly, Apple notes the breadth of testing conducted in order to ensure that the device is safe to be worn.
- Thousands of material composition tests
- More than a thousand prototypes worn for trial studies
- Hundreds of toxicological assessments
- Consultations with board-certified dermatologists
The Apple Watch begins delivering this Friday, April 24th.
