Two devices, one place
Can you wear WHOOP and Apple Watch together?
Updated · 5 min read
- Steps
- Cardio
- Heart
- Sleep
Short answer
Yes, one on each wrist. Both write to Apple Health: in the Health app, stop WHOOP writing Workouts to reduce duplicates and set each data type's source order.
You can wear WHOOP and Apple Watch at the same time: on iPhone, both write to Apple Health, and WHOOP can import the workouts that your Apple Watch records. The setup comes down to three choices: where each device sits, whether WHOOP writes workouts, and which device Health shows first for each data type that both write.
Where to wear each device
WHOOP asks you to wear WHOOP snugly, one finger-width above your wrist bone. Apple asks you to wear Apple Watch above the wrist bone, with its back against your skin for the heart sensors. Both ask for the spot just above the wrist bone, and one arm has room for one device there. Wear WHOOP on one wrist and Apple Watch on the other. WHOOP says its steps are most accurate on the wrist. For rapid wrist motion, such as weightlifting or boxing, WHOOP suggests its WHOOP Body apparel, which holds the WHOOP on your bicep, torso or calf.
Choose which device writes workouts
WHOOP says duplicate workouts can appear when two sources write workout data to Health at the same time, and more often when WHOOP both imports and exports workouts.
| Setup | What you keep | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| WHOOP reads Workouts but does not write them | WHOOP still imports your Apple Watch workouts | Activities that only WHOOP detected stay out of Health |
| WHOOP reads and writes Workouts | Activities that WHOOP detected on its own reach Health | Duplicate workouts are more likely |
Apple says a workout from a compatible third-party app appears in your Fitness activity summary and counts toward closing your Move ring in the Fitness app: the red ring that shows your active calories. One WHOOP member who records walks and runs on Apple Watch reported on Reddit that, while WHOOP could write workouts to Health, those walks showed up twice in Fitness. The member turned off WHOOP's workouts in Health and kept WHOOP reading from Health.
Steps
- In the WHOOP app, tap More then App Settings then Integrations then Apple Health. Tap Connect and follow the prompts. Choose Turn on all, or pick the data categories to share. Tap Allow.
Step 1
In the WHOOP app
- More
- App Settings
- Integrations
- Apple Health
- In the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch then Sleep. Turn on Sleep Tracking. Charge the watch to at least 30% before bed.
Step 2
Where to tap
- My Watch
- Sleep
- If you chose to turn off Workouts for WHOOP, open the Health app. Tap the Profile button in the upper corner. Under Privacy, tap Apps then WHOOP. In the list of data that WHOOP can write to Health, turn off Workouts. In the list of data that WHOOP can read, leave Workouts on, so that WHOOP can still import your Apple Watch workouts.
Step 3
In the Health app
- Apps
- WHOOP
- In the Health app, tap the path for a data type from the table below. Scroll down. Tap Data Sources & Access: the list of apps and devices that write this data type, in order of priority.
- Tap Edit. Touch and hold the Change Order button next to the device that you want first. Drag it to the top. Tap Done. Do steps 4 and 5 for each data type in the table.
| Data type | Path in the Health app |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Browse then Sleep then Sleep |
| Steps | Browse then Activity then Steps |
| Heart rate | Browse then Heart then Heart Rate |
| Active energy | Browse then Activity then Active Energy |
For sleep stages in Health, put Apple Watch at the top of the Sleep list, at Browse then Sleep then Sleep then Data Sources & Access.
If it still doesn't work
- Workouts show twice in Health or Fitness
Check that Workouts is off in the list of what WHOOP writes, as in step 3.
- A WHOOP activity changed its type or its times
When a workout that WHOOP imports from Health overlaps an activity that WHOOP detected, the imported workout replaces it, with its own times and type. You can edit an imported activity in the WHOOP app for up to 30 days.
- An Apple Watch workout is not in WHOOP
Check that Workouts is on in the list of what WHOOP reads, as in step 3. Then refresh the WHOOP app.
- Health shows no sleep stages from WHOOP
WHOOP members report in WHOOP's community that Health shows only Time in Bed and Time Asleep from WHOOP, while the WHOOP app shows the stages. WHOOP's export list names sleep tracking, not stages. To see Apple Watch's stages in Health instead, follow the note under the table in Steps.
- WHOOP and Apple Watch show different step counts
WHOOP says devices use different step-counting methods, and that it is worn 24/7. Steps 4 and 5 set which count Health shows.
- WHOOP data stopped after you reinstalled WHOOP
WHOOP says a reinstall needs the Apple Health integration turned on again, as in step 1. Health puts a new source at the top of each list, so check the order from step 5 again.
Why this happens
The Health app takes similar data from different sources and organizes it by where it comes from. When two sources write the same data type, the source at the top of the list takes priority. Here is what each device sends to Health, as WHOOP's and Apple's help pages list it:
| Data type | WHOOP writes | Apple Watch writes |
|---|---|---|
| Heart rate | During activities, such as sleep and running, and resting heart rate (RHR) | Periodic measurements, sent automatically |
| Sleep | Sleep sessions | Sleep, with REM, Core and Deep stages, when Sleep Tracking is on |
| Steps | Only if you turn them on in WHOOP | Steps, when Fitness Tracking is on |
| Workouts and active energy | Auto-detected activities, and active energy | Activity data, tracked automatically |
Questions
Does WHOOP use Apple Watch workouts?
Yes, through Apple Health. WHOOP imports workouts from Health, with the heart rate recorded during them. One member reported on Reddit that WHOOP used an Apple Watch workout on a day the member forgot to wear WHOOP to the gym.
Does WHOOP import steps from Apple Watch?
Not according to WHOOP. Steps are not on its list of what it imports from Apple Health, which has workouts, workout routes, active energy, distance, mindful minutes, weight and height, and heart rate during activities. WHOOP counts steps with its own accelerometer.
Does WHOOP send HRV to Apple Health?
No. WHOOP says it does not export HRV to Apple Health at this time. WHOOP notes that Apple Health uses SDNN (standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals) for HRV, while WHOOP calculates RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences).
Sources
- 1Apple Health Integration, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 2Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 3Share your data in Health on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 4Sync a third-party workout app to Fitness on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 5Track your sleep on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 6Track your sleep on Apple Watch and use Sleep on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 7Track daily activity with Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 8Intro to Health data on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 9Wearing your Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 10What Affects WHOOP Accuracy?, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 11Steps, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 12Apple Health – Missing Sleep Stage Data from WHOOP, WHOOP Communitycommunity.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 13How do you not double track workouts, Reddit r/whoopreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
- 14WHOOP reading HR from Apple?, Reddit r/whoopreddit.com (opens in a new tab)