Recovery on Apple Watch Does Not Match the iPhone App

If the Apple Watch app or watch widget metrics do not match those displayed in the iPhone app, follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.


Understanding Why This Happens

Apple Watch widgets are only permitted to update four times per hour, which means that metrics like Recovery or Exertion may not always reflect the most recent HRV, HR, or RHR observations in real time. Additionally, since Apple Watch only allows access to the past 7 days of data, Athlytic calculates the 60-day HRV and RHR baselines on the iPhone and syncs them back to the watch via Watch Connectivity and iCloud. If the Watch and iPhone show different values, it is likely due to a syncing issue with iCloud or Apple Health data.

Recovery

Upon waking, first open the Athlytic iPhone app and pull down on the screen to refresh. This ensures the latest health data from Apple Health is synced before opening the Apple Watch app.


If there is still a mismatch between the Watch and iPhone app, follow these troubleshooting steps:

Step 1: Compare HRV & RHR Baselines Between iPhone & Watch

To check if your Watch app is out of sync, compare the 60-day HRV and RHR baselines on both devices:

  1. On the iPhone, open Athlytic and go to the Recovery screen. Look at the HRV baseline value in parentheses (e.g., 22) as well as the RHR baseline (e.g., 72). The underlined values below are your baselines.

  1. On the Apple Watch, open Athlytic, tap into Recovery, and compare the HRV and RHR baselines to those on the iPhone.

If the values shown on your Apple Watch and iPhone do not match, the Watch may be out of sync with either iCloud, where Athlytic stores the 60-day baselines, or Apple Health data, which provides the HRV and RHR values.


Step 2: Ensure Recovery Preferences Match on Both Devices

If the Watch and iPhone have different Recovery settings, the Watch app may still be using older stored values.

  1. On the Apple Watch, open Athlytic, tap Recovery, and scroll to the bottom to view your Recovery Preferences.

  1. On the iPhone, open Athlytic and go to the More tab → Recovery Preferences to check if the settings match.
  2. If settings do not match, toggle your preferred settings off and back on on the iPhone.
  3. Force quit Athlytic on both the iPhone and Apple Watch (see instructions below).
  4. Wait a few minutes for the settings to sync.

Step 3: Force Quit & Restart the Apps

Before force quitting, make sure your iPhone is nearby your watch.

On iPhone:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-press the Home button on older iPhones).
  2. Locate Athlytic in the app switcher.
  3. Swipe up to force close the app.

On Apple Watch:

  1. Press the Digital Crown to display all apps.
  2. Press and hold the side button until the power menu appears.
  3. Press and hold the Digital Crown until the power menu app closes.

Lastly, reopen both apps and give it some time to sync back up.


**Lastly, please note that if you consistently toggle on then off RMSSD or vice versa, your baselines may get out of sync. Stick to one or the other for your Recovery preferences.**

If the steps did not solve your issue, please try the following:

Check iCloud Syncing Issues

Athlytic stores HRV and RHR baselines in iCloud, so if the Watch and iPhone are out of sync, there may be an iCloud syncing issue.

  1. Check that you are logged into iCloud on your Apple Watch by going to Settings → Profile on the Watch. If you are not logged in, sign in to iCloud and force quit Athlytic on the Watch.
  2. On your iPhone, check that Athlytic can save to iCloud by going to Settings → Profile (at top) → iCloud → Saved to iCloud → and ensure Athlytic is toggled on.
  3. On the iPhone, go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh and confirm that it is turned on for both the system and Athlytic.

Check Wrist Detection & Health Data Permissions

Apple Watch requires Wrist Detection to collect certain health data. If this is turned off, some metrics may not update properly.

  1. On the iPhone, open the Watch app and select Passcode.
  2. Scroll down and ensure Wrist Detection is enabled.
  3. To check your health permissions are toggled on, go to Apple Health > Sharing > Apps > Athlytic > and Toggle On access there.

Unpair & Repair the Apple Watch (Last Resort)

If none of the above steps resolve the issue within 24 hours, unpairing and repairing the Apple Watch may reset the syncing process.

  1. Open the Watch app on the iPhone.
  2. Tap All Watches (in the upper left top corner), select your Watch by tapping the circled (i), and tap Unpair Apple Watch.
  3. After unpairing, set up the Apple Watch again and re-enable iCloud syncing.

If none of these troubleshooting steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Athlytic support for further assistance.

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