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Is there a live heart rate widget for iPhone?

By · ORCID · LinkedIn · Updated

Short answer

Not on the home screen, where a widget refreshes on a schedule the system sets. On iPhone, a Live Activity is how a live number stays on the Lock Screen. Beatcast shows one there and in the Dynamic Island while a session runs. Its home screen widgets keep your last reading and last session.

Last checked: 12 October 2026.

Why a widget cannot be live

iOS gives each widget a budget of refreshes and decides when to spend them. An app cannot keep a widget ticking once a second. That is a property of iOS and applies to every app.

A Live Activity is different. An app can update it while a session runs, and the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show it without unlocking.

What you can have

  • A Live Activity during a session: the live number, in the colour of your zone.
  • A widget on the home screen: the last reading and the time it was taken, or the last session.
  • StandBy: with the phone stood up and charging, a running session shows there too.

What Beatcast offers

While a session runs, a Live Activity shows your current heart rate and zone in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen. Outside a session there is no Live Activity. Two home screen widgets are separate and not live. One keeps the last reading with its time. The other shows your last session.

If you want the full story of the live part, see the Lock Screen guide.

Which to use when

Use the Live Activity when you are mid-session and want the number without unlocking the phone. Put it on a bench, glance, carry on. Use the widget when you want a reminder of where the day ended up, or a look at last night's session at breakfast.

Neither replaces the other. The widget is a note on the fridge. The Live Activity is a gauge on the dashboard.

What you need

A sensor that sends a reading, and Live Activities allowed for the app in iOS Settings. A sensor is required. See the sensor table.

Beatcast on the App Store. Fourteen days free, then one purchase.

Questions

Can I add a heart rate widget to the Lock Screen?

A widget there shows the last value. For a live number use the Live Activity.

Does the Live Activity cost me anything extra?

No. It comes with the app and runs while a session does.

Does it work without an Apple Watch?

Yes. A strap or arm band sends the reading. See the guide without a Watch.

Why does the widget show an old number?

Because it is a snapshot with a timestamp.

Good to know

Beatcast is not a medical device. It is built for training and general wellbeing, and it cannot detect, diagnose, treat or monitor any condition. If something about your heart worries you, talk to a doctor rather than to an app.

The Bluetooth word mark is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Apple, iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple Health, Dynamic Island, Lock Screen and StandBy are trademarks of Apple Inc. Other names belong to their owners and are used only to say which sensors Beatcast can read. Beatcast is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by any of them.

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