I'm completely obsessed with my Peloton bike but was pretty disappointed when I found out my Apple Watch couldn't sync with it. I had previously used a Garmin to sync and track my heart rate, but when I got my Apple Watch I quickly learned that feature wasn't possible on the original Bike. I just got my bike a few months ago and really didn't want to invest in another heart rate monitor or upgrade to the Bike+.
Thankfully my friend Anna showed me a free app that can sync my heart rate and bike! The app is called "HeartCast" and is available for free in the Apple Store.
Update: Peloton has added the feature to sync your Apple Watch with the original Peloton Bike and Tread without any extra apps or third party accessories as of March 9, 2022! The feature seems to still be rolling out so if you're bike or tread doesn't have it yet don't worry! The Apple Watch at this time won't connect with the new Peloton Guide, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it start working in the next few weeks.
Why Your Apple Watch Isn't Syncing
Since the roll out last week of the Peloton Bike and Tread connecting with the Apple Watch there have been some questions on issues with the connection so I thought
I'd add in a section to address the most common ones.
Before attempting to pair, make sure your Peloton app is up to date (or installed- you need the app to be able to sync with your bike or tread). Once this is done you'll notice that your watch will say "Connect to Device" instead of "Start Workout".
If that doesn't fix it, try restarting your phone before you workout.
If your Apple Watch continuously disconnects and reconnects during a workout that's normal. I had that issue with mine as well because it was using Bluetooth, which is less reliable than typical monitors that use ANT+. To make it more reliable, I used a WatchLink to turn my Apple Watch from broadcasting Bluetooth into an ANT+ device.
Related Post: Apple Watch vs Garmin - which is better for Peloton?
How to Sync Apple Watch to Peloton Bike and Tread
To sync an Apple Watch to the original Peloton bike, go into the App store and download an app called "Heartcast".
After you download the app on to your phone and watch just open the app on both devices. On the app watch click "Start" to stat broadcasting your heart rate and the iPhone app should pick it up (if it doesn't, you might just have to restart the app on the watch).
To use HeartCast in a class, just select the class you want to do. In the intro screen, click on "Heart Rate Monitor". On the next screen click on the "HeartCast" device and connect.
That's it! Your heart rate will now display on the ride.
I've been using this app for a few rides and now and am so happy with the performance. I've been able to do rides from 30 minutes to an hour and the app never loses connection.
What is the Best Apple Watch to Use with Peloton?
My favorite Apple watch to use with my Peloton has been my Apple Watch Series 3. I got this as my first Apple Watch and so far it's been working great! I got this as my first Apple Watch because I didn't want to spend a ton of money on the watch and I was able to grab one on sale at Target.
However I believe all Apple Watch models will work with this trick so if you have a different model it's still worth trying!
Related Post: How to Sync Apple Music and Spotify with Peloton
Benefits of Syncing an Apple Watch to Peloton
One of the biggest benefits to syncing your Apple Watch to your bike is that it will give you more accurate data during your workout. The Apple Watch transmits your heart rate to the bike, which makes the calories burned in your workout more accurate. If you don't use a heart rate monitor, Peloton will try to estimate your calories burned based on your weight, height, and gender - and often times this is overstated. To get the most accurate results, you'll want to use a heart rate monitor.
Heart rate monitors can also be used to give you a Strive Score, which is a new metric by Peloton. Strive Scores show your intensity when you workout and give you a score at the end that shows how your workout compares to other similar workouts.
Update: Ever since a few updates ago, it seems that this app is a little less reliable than it used to be. I've since started using a little device called Watch Link to connect my watch with the bike and haven't had any issues! Here's my review and more info.
Justin
Has this continued to work for you?
Ali
it's been hit or miss lately. It used to work all the time but then there was a peloton update and now it's 50/50 if it'll connect. My airpods have also been having trouble connecting with the recent software updates so it might be something with my bluetooth connection!
Andrew
Seems like you are right on here, the latest iOS 14.5 has bluetooth connectivity bugs. I guess 14.5.1 fixes this. I am gonna go push the update now.
Ali
Hopefully it fixes it!
Carly
Did this fix it for you?? 🙂
Ali
Yes it did!
Ben
Hi I downloaded the app and the peloton bike finds the Bluetooth device, but as soon as it connects very shortly it disconnects. I tried multiple times but keeps doing it. I had to revert back to my heart rate strap. Anybody else experienced this?
Ali
I've had this happen before and it's usually from either a bike update or I need to update my apple watch. If your bike recently updated, I've noticed it can take a few days for the app to update to make it work again
Julie
Same thing is happening to me. Did yours start working?
Ali
It stopped working for a bit but then started again with another Peloton update! I've had like 5 updates come through this week so far
Emely Schraufnagel
This happens to me too: connecting successfully and then disconnecting right after that. I haven’t found a way to fix this yet.
Ed
HeartCast, BlueHeart, and Echo all use the iPhone's Bluetooth to broadcast heart rate from your Apple watch to the Peloton. This is a bit of a fancy trick that only works when the gear you are connecting to properly handles the Bluetooth from an iPhone, that is, allows an iPhone to advertise as a heart rate monitor.
The details here are technical but suffice to say that Peloton changed the way this was handled on the OG Peloton bike causing these apps to become unstable in some circumstances.
If you are having trouble with these apps, one super stable alternative is a Watch Link (watchlink.app). The Watch Link does not rely on your iPhone or even Bluetooth to connect to the Peloton. It uses ANT+ which is a much more stable and reliable way to connect.
HeartCast
I still use HeartCast with zwift... sometimes HeartCast doesn't start.. what I have found that works best is to start Apple's Heart Rate app and when that has a reading switch back to HeartCast and usually the start button will appear.