Getting Started5 min read

Troubleshooting HealthKit Sync

Fix the most common reasons Apple Watch and Apple Health data is not appearing in VitalSync.

For informational and educational purposes only. VitalSync is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. All content presents health data against established clinical reference ranges. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Troubleshooting HealthKit Sync

The most common support question for VitalSync is: "Why isn't my Apple Watch data showing up?" This guide walks through every known cause and fix, in order of likelihood.

Step 1 — Check HealthKit Permissions

VitalSync can only read data that Apple Health has been explicitly authorised to share.

Open the Health app on your iPhone.

Tap your profile photo (top-right) → Apps.

Find VitalSync and tap it.

Confirm that every metric you expect to see (Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, SpO₂, HRV, Sleep, etc.) is toggled on under both “Read” and “Write”.

Alternatively, from inside VitalSync:

Go to Settings → Health Permissions.

Tap Review Permissions to open the HealthKit authorisation sheet.

Toggle on any metrics that are off.

Tip: If you previously tapped “Don’t Allow” during onboarding, iOS remembers this. You must re-grant access manually via the Health app — VitalSync cannot re-prompt automatically after a denial.

Step 2 — Check Background App Refresh

VitalSync uses Background App Refresh to pull new HealthKit data while the app is not open. If this is disabled, data will only sync when you actively open the app.

Open Settings → General → Background App Refresh.

Confirm the top toggle is set to Wi-Fi & Cellular Data (or at minimum Wi-Fi).

Scroll down to VitalSync and confirm its individual toggle is also on.

Step 3 — Check Apple Watch Data Source Priority

Apple Health aggregates data from multiple sources (Apple Watch, third-party apps, manual entries). When two sources provide the same metric, Health uses a priority order to decide which value to display. If another app has higher priority than Apple Watch for a given metric, VitalSync may receive that app’s data instead.

How to check and fix data source priority:

Open the Health app → Browse → select a metric (e.g., Heart Rate).

Tap Show All Data → tap any reading → tap Data Sources & Access.

Under Data Sources, tap Edit and drag Apple Watch to the top of the list.

Repeat for each metric that is showing incorrect or missing data.

Common Metric

Expected Primary Source

Heart Rate	Apple Watch
Blood Oxygen (SpO₂)	Apple Watch
HRV (SDNN)	Apple Watch
Sleep	Apple Watch (or Sleep app)
Steps	Apple Watch or iPhone
Blood Pressure	Manual entry or connected cuff

Step 4 — Force a Manual Sync

If data is present in Apple Health but not yet visible in VitalSync:

Open VitalSync → Dashboard.

Pull down on the screen to trigger a manual refresh.

Wait 10–15 seconds for the sync to complete.

If the data still does not appear, close VitalSync completely (swipe up from the app switcher) and reopen it.

Step 5 — Check Apple Watch Sync to iPhone

VitalSync reads from Apple Health on your iPhone, not directly from your Apple Watch. If your Watch has not synced to your iPhone recently, VitalSync will not have the latest data.

Bring your iPhone and Apple Watch within Bluetooth range.
Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone → General → confirm Automatic App Updates and Background App Refresh are enabled on the Watch.

Step 6 — iOS Version Compatibility

VitalSync requires iOS 16 or later. HealthKit background delivery features require iOS 16.4 or later for optimal performance. If you are on an older iOS version, some metrics may sync less frequently.

To check your iOS version: Settings → General → About → iOS Version.