This guide describes how to unlock the ECG app and functionality on an Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch's built-in ECG (electrocardiogram) functionality is only enabled by Apple in a number of territories by default, and this guide is for users outside those territories.
Apple restrict ECG activation in a number of ways, preventing it from being enabled unless the following 3 requirements are satisfied:
Fortunately, this issue does not appear to be widespread and is only affecting a limited number of users. 'I had this same problem when I first received my SS Apple Watch with Milanese Loop,' said.
Your iPhone paired with the Watch is set to a region in which ECG is currently available and does not have 'Airplane mode' enabled
Your Watch is physically in a region in which ECG is currently available (the Watch's paired iPhone will check against the nearest cell tower's country code)
Your Watch was purchased in a country in which ECG is currently available (in practise, this means the Watch must have been manufactured under a region code that is valid for ECG)
As of iOS 13.5.1 (& 14) the region check is no longer made 🎉
- Apple Watch Not Syncing. If your Apple Watch is not syncing, then here are some solutions that you need to put your hands on. Solution: 1: Check if the watch is connected to a working Wi-Fi network. Make sure all the connections are working on the watch. You can turn on and off the Airplane Mode. 2: Update the OS on the watch.
- Apple Watch and Mac computer must be signed with the same iCloud account. If devices are signed with different accounts, the Auto Unlock function will be unavailable. Both devices, Apple Watch and Mac computer, must have a passcode enabled. If one of the devices does not have an enabled passcode, the Auto Unlock function will be unavailable.
- The Apple Watch may be a much simpler device than your iPhone, but that doesn't mean it's free of bugs, glitches, and crashes just like your other devices. A common problem that you'll run into is a frozen screen due to a malfunctioning app. While this can be frustrating, the solution can be as simple as a quick reboot.
- Digital crown not working. Sometimes, Apple Watch users report that the digital crown on the Apple Watch is unresponsive. There are a few things you can try to alleviate this problem.
iOS 13.5.1 introduced an issue in iOS whereby the Watch purchase region check is no longer applied.As such, it's possible to unlock ECG on Watches paired with iOS devices running this version of iOS or above. This remains true of iOS 14.
We're expecting to update this in the near future, along with tips for enabling blood oxygen monitoring. In the meantime, please let us know any tricks or techniques you find — we'll share free licenses of our products for any good tips sent our way.
The first two requirements are addressed in this guide, but the third requirement is not possible to bypass.
Switching region
When Apple first launched the S4 with ECG functionality, a simple workaround was available. This will work for users with older versions of watchOS.
- Launch
Settings
on the iPhone paired to your Watch. - Now, tap on
General
→Language & Region
. - Select
English
as your iPhone language, and then tapRegion
and then chooseUnited States
. - Tap
Done
and wait a few seconds.
Auto Unlock Mac With Apple Watch Not Working
Bypassing the region check
There are two approaches to satisfying the region check. Pubg on macbook pro. The first is to visit an approved region: the US, UK, Greece, Poland, etc. A user can visit those places on holiday, activate ECG, and safely return to their country of origin without losing activation. The ECG app will remain available once it has been unlocked.
Alternately, it's possible to set the activation flag for the ECG app directly on the device. This can be done by restoring the following content to com.apple.private.health.heart-rhythm.plist
on your iPhone:
iPhone Backup Extractor can do this automatically. This process will involve unpairing and then setting your Watch up again as new, so it will take a little while to complete. Whilst your Watch will automatically take a backup, this technique won't work if you choose to restore the Watch backup.
How to enable the ECG app automatically
Enabling the ECG app with iPhone Backup Extractor can be done with the following steps:
First, disable 'Find my' on your iPhone. You can do this in
Settings
→[your name]
→Find My
and toggling it off. There's no need to remove this device from your iCloud account. You will be able to re-enable 'Find My' once this process has completed.Download and run iPhone Backup Extractor. Connect your iPhone to your computer, and select your phone, and click 'Enable Apple Watch ECG'.
Click 'Let's start' in the dialog. This will unpair and erase your Watch, erasing it. Your phone will restart, and your Watch will unpair and erase itself.
Once your iPhone has restarted, choose
Do not transfer apps and data
, and bring up the Watch app to pair your Watch.Set your Watch up as a new, rather than restoring from a previous backup.
How To Unlock Mac With Watch
So long as your Watch was made for sale in a supported region, the ECG function will appear for setup in the Watch app.