This is short and only needs doing once. VertigoMe does not talk to your watch directly. It reads from Apple Health, the white app on your iPhone with a red heart. Your watch (Apple Watch, or another brand that shares with Apple Health) sends its readings into Apple Health, and VertigoMe reads what is there.
Step 1: Connect Apple Health
- Open VertigoMe.
- Tap the gear icon in the top-left of the screen. A drawer slides in from the left.
- Tap Connections.
- Find the Apple Health card at the top and tap Connect. If it already says Connected, skip ahead.
- A short VertigoMe note explains what will be read. Tap Continue.
- Apple's permission sheet slides up. Tap Turn On All, then Allow.
If you would rather pick and choose on Apple's sheet, switch on at least Heart Rate, Resting Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability. Add Blood Oxygen, Respiratory Rate and Body Temperature if your watch measures them.
Step 2: Check that it worked
- Tap the Monitor tab.
- Scroll to the Physical Health card.
- You should see readings such as your resting heart rate and HRV.
New readings can take a while to reach Apple Health, especially first thing in the morning.
What VertigoMe reads
From Apple Health, VertigoMe can read:
- Heart rate
- Resting heart rate
- Heart rate variability (HRV)
- Blood oxygen (SpO2)
- Respiratory rate
- Body temperature
- Blood pressure
- Blood glucose
- Weight and body fat
It also reads steps, workouts and active energy. If no wearable gives a stress score, VertigoMe works out a Stress index from your HRV and resting heart rate. You can switch any of these off under the gear icon, Data and Notifications.
Why heart data can be useful
Heart rate variability and resting heart rate tend to shift with poor sleep, illness and stress. Some people find these shifts show up around their spins. VertigoMe compares your own readings with your usual range, so what matters is your pattern, not a single number.
If something went wrong
The Physical Health card is empty
Open the Health app, tap Browse, then Heart. If that is empty, your watch has not sent anything to Health yet. Open your watch's own app and let it sync.
The Stress index row is greyed out
In Data and Notifications, the Stress index needs HRV and Resting heart rate switched on first, unless a connected wearable gives a stress score of its own.
I want to change what VertigoMe can see
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone (the grey gear, not the one inside VertigoMe).
- Tap Apps, then Health.
- Tap Data Access & Devices.
- Tap VertigoMe.
- Switch things on or off as you like.
A note on privacy
VertigoMe never writes heart data to Apple Health. The only things it writes are your finished spins (as Dizziness) and periods you log in VertigoMe.
