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Garmin HRM 600 heart rate on iPhone

Beatcast verified

Updated

Short answer

The Garmin HRM 600 works with Beatcast on iPhone. It sends the standard Bluetooth heart rate signal, so there is nothing to install. Wear it, open Beatcast, pick it from the list.

Last checked: 16 October 2026. Tested on an iPhone 15 Pro Max with Beatcast 1.10.0.

Unit supplied by Garmin for testing. No payment for the result.

If it does not appear, check for the open connection

The HRM 600 has two Bluetooth connection types. Garmin's manual calls them secure and open. Secure is for certain Garmin devices. Open is the one Garmin recommends for third-party smartwatches, tablets and fitness equipment, and a phone app is in that group.

Ours started in the open connection and Beatcast found it instantly, with no setting changed. If yours stays out of the list, this is the first thing to look at. Per Garmin's manual, the LED flashes three times every five seconds on an open connection and twice on a secure one, and pressing the button twice quickly toggles between the two. The manual has the details: Pairing and Setup in Garmin's HRM 600 manual.

What works, and what to expect

  • Works: the Bluetooth side. Beatcast connected straight away, showed the live number and read the battery level. R-R intervals came through. Readings arrived about twice a second, with no gaps in the test.
  • Shows up as: "HRM600:" followed by a number.
  • Not on an iPhone: ANT+. The Bluetooth side is the one to use.
  • Not in Beatcast: running dynamics and swim stats. Garmin describes those as data for a compatible watch. Beatcast shows heart rate.
  • Garmin says: rechargeable, up to two months of battery life at an hour a day, and it can record an activity on its own.

Read it on your iPhone

  1. Moisten the electrode areas and put the strap on.
  2. Open Beatcast and the sensor list.
  3. Pick the entry starting "HRM600:" and start a session.

Beatcast puts it in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen, so you can see it while you do something else. Zones colour the readout, and the session exports as CSV or TCX.

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

If it won't appear

  • Check the connection type first. Two quick presses of the button toggle it, and the LED pattern tells you which one is active.
  • Look for "HRM600:" in the list, not "Garmin".
  • A Garmin watch, a bike computer or another app may already hold the strap. The two devices guide explains the limits.

The not connecting checklist covers the rest in order.

Garmin's page for the strap: HRM 600 on garmin.com.

Questions

Does the HRM 600 work with an iPhone?

Yes, over Bluetooth. We ran it with Beatcast and it connected and sent a steady reading.

Why is it not in the list?

Check that it is on the open connection, which Garmin recommends for third-party devices. See the tip above.

Do I need a Garmin watch?

No. The strap sends heart rate to a phone app on its own.

Is the HRM-Pro Plus the same?

It has its own page: Garmin HRM-Pro Plus with iPhone.

How accurate is it?

We did not test accuracy and make no claim about it.

See also: Garmin HRM-Dual, Garmin Cirqa, ANT+ and the 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, Dynamic Island and Lock Screen are trademarks of Apple Inc. Garmin and HRM 600 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 them.

Got an HRM 600 working, or not? Report it in r/beatcast.