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How to Connect the Apple Watch to Polar H10?

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Polar H10 is an HRM chest strap that can be paired to a range of smartwatches, including the Apple Watch lineup, via Bluetooth.

Though all available Apple Watches have built-in heart rate monitors, people always recommend, for the right reason, using an external sensor like the Polar H10 for more accurate readings during intense workouts.

In this post, we will show you how to connect the Polar H10 with your Apple Watch. We will share with you the pairing process for both the new (Apple Watch Series 7)and existing Apple Watch models like the Series 6, 5, 4, 3, and SE.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

How to connect the Polar H10 with your Apple Watch? (Without iPhone)

To connect the Polar H10 with your Apple Watch, you need to have the following:

  • The Polar H10 HRM chest strap
  • An Apple Watch (any model), We had Series 7
  • The latest version of watchOS is installed on your Apple Watch, but it is not necessary.

Make sure that the Polar H10 is not connected to any other device, including your iPhone. Next, follow the steps below:

  1. Mount the Polar 10 on the strap, and it will turn on.
  2. Launch the “Settings” app on your Apple Watch.
  3. Tap on “Bluetooth.”
  4. Now, you need to make sure that the Bluetooth is turned on. If it’s not, turn it on by tapping on the toggle switch next to it.
  5. Once the Bluetooth is turned on, it will start searching for nearby devices under the “Health Devices” section.
  6. Tap on “Polar H10” when it appears in the list.
  7. The Apple Watch and the Polar H10 will now be paired and is ready to use with the Polar H10.

To get accurate readings, make sure that the chest strap is properly positioned and snug against your skin. Also, it is recommended that you moisten the contacts on the strap before putting it on.

Related Post: Best Apple Watch Chest Strap

Now that you have hooked your Polar 10 with Apple Watch 7, let’s find out what both these devices are capable of when it comes to fitness and health tracking.

FeaturesPolar H10Apple Watch 7
Heart RateYesYes
ECGYesYes
Heart Rate VariabilityYesYes
CadenceYesYes
CaloriesYesYes
TemperatureYesNo
DistanceYesYes
AltitudeYesYes
MemoryNot SpecifiedYes

One thing that we forgot to mention is that Polar H10 can also be worn while swimming, and so does the Apple Watch. They have swimming as a workout though Apple goes a step further with its advanced metrics for swimmers like laps and distance and more.

Polar H10 is more accurate than the optical heart rate monitors found in the Apple Watch for the simple reason that they sit snuggly around your ribcage where your heart is located, while the optical sensors have to rely on light emitted from your skin to detect your pulse.

During different exercises like running, swimming, or even weightlifting, the movement can cause optical heart rate monitors to lose contact with your skin and produce inaccurate readings. On the other hand, a chest strap will stay put even when you’re sweating buckets or doing some intense cardio.

Yes, the Polar H10 can connect to two devices simultaneously. However, by default, it switches between the devices depending on which one is active.

If you want the HRM to share data with both devices at the same time, you need to change the connection mode to “2 Receiving Bluetooth Devices” in the Polar Beat app: Settings > HR sensor> 2 receiving BLE devices.

Yes, there is a Polar Beat app for Apple Watch. The app is available for free on the App Store, but there are in-app purchases. However, many users have reported that the app is not very reliable and often crashes.

When the Polar H10 is connected to your Apple Watch, the data will be automatically synced with the Health app. You can view the data by opening the Health app and tapping on the “Sources” tab.

There can be several reasons for this:

  • Your Polar H10 is connected to both iPhone and the Apple Watch but you haven’t enabled the Dual sharing mode.
  • The recent firmware update on the Apple Watch or chest strap may have caused the issue.
  • The battery life of the Strap is coming to the end, or low at the time of connection.

This issue is usually resolved by unpairing and re-pairing the devices. If that doesn’t work, try factory resetting your Polar H10.

To reset Polar H10 or H9 sensor,

  • You need to remove the battery
  • Press and hold the two snaps on the rear of the device for 10 seconds.
  • Next, wait for 30 seconds and then put the battery back in.

The Reset is complete, and your Polar Strap is running on Factory defaults. After the reset, you need to pair the sensor with your devices again.

Final Thoughts:

You won’t be pairing an external heart rate sensor with your Apple Watch unless you are seriously into fitness and health tracking. The chest strap offers nothing more advanced than the latest Apple Watch, but it has one definite advantage over it: the accuracy during dynamic workouts is extraordinary, and be it Apple Watch or Garmin, no optical sensor can match a good, old-fashioned chest strap in this department till now.