Does an iPhone read ANT+ heart rate straps?

Updated 27 October 2026

Short answer

Not directly. We know of no iPhone with an ANT+ radio, and Strava's support pages say ANT+ sensors are not supported directly in its iPhone app, so a strap that sends only ANT+ cannot reach the phone without a bridge. Most straps sold today send Bluetooth as well, and the iPhone hears that. Check the box or the maker's page for the word Bluetooth before you buy.

Last checked: 12 October 2026.

What works, and what to expect

Works: a dual-band strap or arm band, over Bluetooth. The ANT+ side is ignored.
Won't work: an ANT+-only strap, on its own.
Works, with a bridge: an ANT+-to-Bluetooth bridge makes an ANT+-only strap readable. North Pole Engineering's CABLE converts ANT+ sensors to Bluetooth, and 4iiii's Viiiiva heart rate monitor bridges ANT+ to Bluetooth. We have not confirmed that either is on sale now, and we have not tried them. A bridge doesn't put an ANT+ radio in the phone. It sends the strap's signal over Bluetooth.
Works: a watch that broadcasts Bluetooth. Many older Garmin watches broadcast ANT+ only.

ANT+ and Bluetooth in one paragraph

Both are short-range radios. ANT+ was built for sports sensors and lets a sensor talk to many receivers at once. Bluetooth is in every phone, and is what an iPhone speaks. Many current sensors carry both, so a bike computer can use ANT+ while a phone uses Bluetooth.

Check before you buy

Look for Bluetooth on the box, the product page or the manual. Words such as dual, "ANT+ and Bluetooth" or "Bluetooth Smart" are good. "ANT+" alone is not. Read the spec line, because a listing that says "compatible with iPhone" may mean the maker's own app.

If you already own one, check what the maker says. The sensor table lists straps that are known to send Bluetooth. Polar, Garmin, Wahoo and Coospo straps all do. Garmin's HRM-Dual and HRM-Pro line carry both, and the HRM-Dual page has an example.

If your strap is ANT+ only

You have four options. Keep it for the bike computer or the watch it already serves. Buy a dual-band strap for the phone. Add an ANT+-to-Bluetooth bridge. Or use a watch that broadcasts Bluetooth, which the watches page covers.

Connection counts

A dual-band strap has a Bluetooth limit and an ANT+ limit. ANT+ usually has no practical ceiling. Bluetooth is the narrow one. See the two devices guide.

What Beatcast does with it

Beatcast reads the standard Bluetooth heart rate service and nothing else. Whatever your strap sends over ANT+ isn't part of it. On the phone, the number moves into the Dynamic Island and the Lock Screen while a session runs.

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

Questions

Does the iPhone support ANT+?

We know of no iPhone with an ANT+ radio, and Strava says ANT+ sensors are not supported directly in its iPhone app.

Will an ANT+ dongle work?

A dongle that adds ANT+ to the phone, we know of none. A bridge that converts ANT+ to Bluetooth exists, for example North Pole Engineering's CABLE.

Can I check if my strap has Bluetooth?

Yes. Open its manual, or see if a phone app finds it in a Bluetooth sensor list.

Does Apple Watch use ANT+?

No source says either way. Apple Watch as the sensor doesn't work in Beatcast. Beatcast on the watch can show the heart rate from a Bluetooth strap connected to your iPhone.

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, Dynamic Island and Lock Screen are trademarks of Apple Inc. ANT+, Garmin, Polar, Wahoo, Coospo and 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.

Got yours working? Report it in r/beatcast and it goes on the list.