Heart Rate Sensor Isn’t Working

One of the most important parts of the Apple Watch is the heart rate sensor. With it, you can keep track of your heart health and even be notified when there may be a problem with your heart rate.

That said, there might be times when your Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor won’t work, either automatically or manually. If that ever happens, the first thing you need to try is cleaning it.

The sensors on your Apple Watch might have dirt or sweat preventing them from reading your heart rate correctly. After you clean your Apple Watch, clean your wrist, too. If you’re sweating, your skin may be causing the problem.

After you’re done, be sure to put the Apple Watch on properly. This doesn’t just mean that it should lie flat on your wrist; you also need to ensure that the Apple Watch band is neither too tight nor too loose.

Once that’s done, try taking your heart rate one more time. This time, however, try to stand still until the Apple Watch is done.

Last but not least, tattoos can also cause this problem. If you have a tattoo on your wrist, that might cause the light on the Apple Watch sensor to not read your skin, causing the Heart Rate sensor not to work correctly. If you have a tattoo, try switching your Apple Watch to your other wrist. 

If you have a tattoo on both wrists, you can try moving the Apple Watch above or below the tattoo and see if that does the trick. Unfortunately, if that doesn’t work, you’re out of luck — although some Apple Watch users have resorted to having their tattoos removed, so that’s always an option.