ergdata and apple watch

[matthew92]

They also told me they are currently working on a way to allow users to use Apple Watch for heartrate monitoring, but it doesn't sound like they are planning a dedicated Apple Watch app for now.

A dedicated app did seem like a bit of a long shot to me to be fair. Best hope would probably just be that the updates to their own app suffices.

[huck100]

The new ErgData 2.0 app released today for iOS and Android! For iOS, it specifies iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch an M1 class CPU Mac support!

Odd, that there is no official announcement on the C2 site yet.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ergdata/id561716382

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... t2.ergdata

Promo video that runs in both app stores, but is hidden on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgMpDmZwR_Q

[thvedt]

Whoa! Ergdata version 2.0 is a *major* update. Apple Watch heart rate support (goodbye chest strap!), and a watch app. Portrait orientation. Create/select workouts from the iPhone app. Auto-upload workouts to log. Lots of good stuff.

The watch complication logo is a very dark gray circle -- I can barely even see it on the watch. I haven't tried starting a workout from the watch, so I don't know if that's possible.

The iPhone screens have more layout options, which is nice. The font weight is a little light, so I think it's less readable than the old app. That's kind of the fashion in apps now, which is a shame. But it's not too bad.

[thaloun]

Are there any instructions anywhere for getting the apple watch to work as an HRM with the new ergdata version? I'd settle for any integration but showing up on the PM live would be ideal. Some casual searching indicates that some folks have done this successfully.

Before this version the watch would sense that I was rowing but I would ignore that so as not to get double workouts logged and just open the HRM watch app to observe occasionally during the row. Now with 2.0 the integration seems tighter and I can't dismiss the rowing exercise view without it coming back quickly, but it just shows 0 bpm in there. Maybe I have to do something in the watch app on the phone with permissions?

[Tsnor]

Are there any instructions anywhere for getting the apple watch to work as an HRM with the new ergdata version? I'd settle for any integration but showing up on the PM live would be ideal. Some casual searching indicates that some folks have done this successfully.

Before this version the watch would sense that I was rowing but I would ignore that so as not to get double workouts logged and just open the HRM watch app to observe occasionally during the row. Now with 2.0 the integration seems tighter and I can't dismiss the rowing exercise view without it coming back quickly, but it just shows 0 bpm in there. Maybe I have to do something in the watch app on the phone with permissions?

"Are there any instructions anywhere for getting the apple watch to work as an HRM? "

YES. If you set your apple watch to broadcast your heart rate it'll show up in the PM5. You may need an app on your watch to do the HR broadcast. AFAIK that's the only way you'll get the PM5 display to show heartrate.

[thaloun]

Yes, but how. The new ergdata version 2.0 shows it working out of the box: https://apps.apple.com/hr/app/ergdata/i ... appleWatch

At least showing up on the watch and then presumably into the logbook, which as I said would be fine and going to the pm5 would be bonus.

Presumably I need to enable some sharing permission somewhere but I haven't been able to find any instructions for doing so.

[thvedt]

This is from memory, so please forgive any errors. I believe when ErgData first launches it asks permission to read and write health data. I don’t recall if the new version 2.0 had to ask permission again, or if it just inherited those permissions from the old version. That should be a one-time setting, but if you need to change the settings later, you can do it in the Health app: Sharing > Apps > ErgData.

I think the other thing you have to do, each time when you do a workout, is start the ErgData watch app, either from a watch face complication, the dock, or the app list. I set it up as a watch face complication, so it’s just one tap away when I’m on the correct watch face. Obviously to do this, the app has to be installed on the watch, which depending on your settings, may or may not happen automatically when you install the iPhone app.

I’d like it if I could pick a favorite workout right on the watch. As long as the list of workouts isn’t too long, it would be a nice convenience. Scrolling through a long list on the watch isn’t great, but if it’s maybe 10 or fewer favorite workouts, plus “just row,” I think it could work.

Another thing I’m wondering about, and will test, is if I can use my iPad for ErgData and still have the Apple Watch work for HRM. Since the watch isn’t paired to the iPad, it seems like it might not work. While I like the new screen layouts in 2.0, the fonts they chose are harder to read than they used to be. To be fair, they also allow a lot more info on the screen at once, so that’s part of the problem. But using an iPad would eliminate that complaint.

[Tsnor]

Yes, but how. The new ergdata version 2.0 shows it working out of the box: https://apps.apple.com/hr/app/ergdata/i ... appleWatch

At least showing up on the watch and then presumably into the logbook, which as I said would be fine and going to the pm5 would be bonus.

Presumably I need to enable some sharing permission somewhere but I haven't been able to find any instructions for doing so.

If you want HR displayed on the PM5 you need to give the PM5 a bluetooth or ant+ heart rate signal. No other way to talk to it.

The only way I know to get your apple watch to broadcast a bluetooth HR signal is to use a 3rd party app. This is the approach used to connect apple watches to bikes, treadmills, rowers, Peloton, etc. I did not see any indication the concept2 applewatch app broadcasts bluetooth signals, but it might. If it doesn't then use one of these... https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+w ... nt=gws-wiz

I did look at your reference, but did not see "The new ergdata version 2.0 shows it working out of the box: https://apps.apple.com/hr/app/ergdata/i ... appleWatch" if the "it working out of the box" is PM5 display of apple HR data, but this is certainly something Concept2 could have done just like the 3rd party apps. You'll know if C2 coded this by starting the apple watch app then looking at the CONNECT menu in the PM5 to find a bluetooth HR monitor.

(if it is a permissions setting, maybe this thread from zwift will help: https://theapplewatchtriathlete.com/blo ... -for-zwift

[thaloun]

Thanks to some help from reddit I discovered that under health app -> connected apps -> ergdata I had set up sharing of workouts, distances, calories, etc, but for some reason heart rate was excluded. After fixing that the bpm shows up on the watch and in ergdata during the workout. But like Tsnor said I think you need an ant+ actual device connected for it to show up on the monitor. But I am fine with glancing at my wrist and having the data there in the logbook afterwards. That's a probably the killer feature of version 2.0 in my opinion.

Thanks!

[jsorense]

Thanks to some help from reddit I discovered that under health app -> connected apps -> ergdata I had set up sharing of workouts, distances, calories, etc, but for some reason heart rate was excluded. After fixing that the bpm shows up on the watch and in ergdata during the workout. But like Tsnor said I think you need an ant+ actual device connected for it to show up on the monitor. But I am fine with glancing at my wrist and having the data there in the logbook afterwards. That's a probably the killer feature of version 2.0 in my opinion.

When you say “set up sharing”, which direction do you mean? Ie “allow ErgData to write” or “allow ErgData to read.”

For me the ErgData watch app displays a 0 HR and tells me to give the app permission in the settings. But it is totally opaque what the settings are that I’m supposed to change.

I’ve also found that with the new app I get “cheated” in the Apple Fitness app — it counts the active calories from the rowing workout but somehow deletes a bunch of prior calories. So I will start the workout with 400 active calories for the day, do a 500 active calorie row, and then end with 700 active calories. Annoying.

[thvedt]

I just did some testing, and I’m pretty sure the watch and the PM5 don’t communicate at all. It seems the watch only talks to the ErgData app on the iPhone. The heart rate doesn’t display on the PM5. Nothing shows on the Connect screen.

One disappointing consequence is that using ErgData on an iPad precludes the use of an Apple Watch for HRM, since you can’t pair a watch to an iPad.

And speaking of the iPad — the font choice in ErgData is comical. I have a 12.9 inch screen. I would guess that about 5% of it is text in the app. So much white space! Such small type! The data is small; the units are microscopic. I can guess that the “26” on the screen is strokes/minute; I certainly can’t actually read it when I’m in position on the erg.

The phone app should use bigger type too.

I wouldn’t go back to the old app, because I really like not using a chest strap, and not getting double workouts in the Apple health app, and not having to go to the log screen to sync, and being able to set up workouts on the phone. These are all great features. But the visual design has some serious usability issues.

This is just the first release of a major new version, so I’m hopeful that in time they will fix the visuals.

[Tsnor]

I just did some testing, and I’m pretty sure the watch and the PM5 don’t communicate at all.

Thank you for testing.

So likely the only way to get your apple watch measured HR displayed on your PM5 is to have your apple watch broadcast the HR.

There are many apps that do this, you load them to your apple watch and they broadcast BTLE HR signals. Google to find them, or check in the app store.

Apple watch users use this technique for all kinds of workout equipment, not just rowers, and it works pretty well. The limiting factor is how well your watch can read your heartrate while using your arms rowing.

[Dpattana]

Thanks to some help from reddit I discovered that under health app -> connected apps -> ergdata I had set up sharing of workouts, distances, calories, etc, but for some reason heart rate was excluded. After fixing that the bpm shows up on the watch and in ergdata during the workout. But like Tsnor said I think you need an ant+ actual device connected for it to show up on the monitor. But I am fine with glancing at my wrist and having the data there in the logbook afterwards. That's a probably the killer feature of version 2.0 in my opinion.

Thanks!

When I go to connected apps > ergdata the heart rate is set to both read and write, however the heart rate is not being displayed on the watch nor the app. The firmware on pm5 is version 210. Did you do anything else to get the heart rate to show up on the watch and erg data app?

[thaloun]

Nope. What do you see when you open ergdata on the watch outside of a workout? If it says no permissions that was definitely it.

[GreenStratMan]

Thanks to some help from reddit I discovered that under health app -> connected apps -> ergdata I had set up sharing of workouts, distances, calories, etc, but for some reason heart rate was excluded. After fixing that the bpm shows up on the watch and in ergdata during the workout. But like Tsnor said I think you need an ant+ actual device connected for it to show up on the monitor. But I am fine with glancing at my wrist and having the data there in the logbook afterwards. That's a probably the killer feature of version 2.0 in my opinion.

Thanks!

When I go to connected apps > ergdata the heart rate is set to both read and write, however the heart rate is not being displayed on the watch nor the app. The firmware on pm5 is version 210. Did you do anything else to get the heart rate to show up on the watch and erg data app?

In the ergdata app on your phone, is it showing a screen that has a field for heart rate? For example, on my iPhone I had to swipe to the right once I’d started the workout, this then showed a screen that had a field for heart rate and then the Apple watch and app showed my heart rate correctly. Hope that helps.