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Door staff@engadget.com (Jonny Evans) - 10 Nov 2026
CDC data shows that a person dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds in the US. While an Apple Watch cannot identify heart attacks, it can help monitor overall heart health including continuous heart rate monitoring and help to identify atrial fibrillation.
An Apple Watch uses green and infrared LED lights on its back to continuously measure your heart rate. This feature works automatically. Another feature lets you take an accurate ECG (electrocardiogram) reading to help detect irregular heart rates or the signs of atrial fibrillation. To use the ECG, open the ECG app, hold your wrist steady and touch the Digital Crown with your finger — you'll get a reading in thirty seconds.
The watch will also warn you if your heart goes above or below set thresholds, such as above 120bpm or below 40bpm. Apple Watch shares this information with the Health app on your iPhone, where you will find a VO2 Max reading that assesses your overall cardio fitness based on the information gathered by the sensors on your watch.
To enable Heart-related features on your Apple Watch, open Settings > Heart and toggle the available heart features you want to use On.
An Apple Watch uses green and infrared LED lights on its back to continuously measure your heart rate. This feature works automatically. Another feature lets you take an accurate ECG (electrocardiogram) reading to help detect irregular heart rates or the signs of atrial fibrillation. To use the ECG, open the ECG app, hold your wrist steady and touch the Digital Crown with your finger — you'll get a reading in thirty seconds.
The watch will also warn you if your heart goes above or below set thresholds, such as above 120bpm or below 40bpm. Apple Watch shares this information with the Health app on your iPhone, where you will find a VO2 Max reading that assesses your overall cardio fitness based on the information gathered by the sensors on your watch.
To enable Heart-related features on your Apple Watch, open Settings > Heart and toggle the available heart features you want to use On.