Quick Answer: Your Peloton doesn't broadcast anything, so Apple Watch can't see it. FitSwitch fixes that by broadcasting your ride as a standard Bluetooth cycling power meter and cadence sensor—exactly the sensor types Apple Watch supports natively. You pair it once in Settings → Bluetooth → Health Devices on the watch itself, then just start an Indoor Cycle workout. Real watts, real RPM, Power Zones, and full Apple Health sync. No third-party app required.
Table of Contents
- The Apple Watch and Peloton Problem
- What Apple Watch Supports Natively
- What You Need
- Pairing FitSwitch to Your Apple Watch
- Recording a Peloton Ride
- Heart Rate: Wrist vs Chest Strap
- Data That Syncs to Apple Health
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ
The Apple Watch and Peloton Problem
What Peloton Knows
Your Peloton measures your ride in detail:
- Power output (watts)
- Cadence (RPM)
- Resistance
- Duration
- Heart rate, if you're wearing a monitor
What It Shares
Nothing. That data goes to the Peloton app and stops there. There is no Bluetooth broadcast, no ANT+, no GymKit on home Bikes—so as far as your Apple Watch is concerned, you're sitting still.
The Gap
Start an Indoor Cycle workout without a sensor and your watch records a heart-rate-only session:
- No power — no watts, no Power Zones, no FTP estimate
- No cadence — no RPM
- Wrist HR only — the least reliable place to measure heart rate while gripping handlebars
- Generic activity — a shape of a workout rather than the workout you actually did
The hardware on both sides is capable. The missing piece is a broadcast.
What Apple Watch Supports Natively
This is the part most guides get wrong, so it's worth being precise.
Since watchOS 10, Apple Watch connects directly to Bluetooth cycling accessories—power meters, cadence sensors, and speed sensors—along with Bluetooth heart rate monitors. Pairing happens at the system level, not inside an app, and the sensors feed the built-in Workout app, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Health.
That unlocked genuinely new metrics on the watch:
- Cycling Power (watts)
- Cadence (RPM)
- Power Zones workout view
- FTP estimate and cycling power in Apple Health
What Apple Watch does not support is FTMS, the Bluetooth fitness-machine protocol used by smart trainers and treadmills. Apple's supported list is heart rate plus the cycling sensor profiles—nothing else.
Why FitSwitch Works With It
FitSwitch broadcasts your Peloton over multiple protocols at once, including the two standard Bluetooth cycling profiles Apple Watch understands:
- Cycling Power Service (CPS) — watts, plus cadence
- Cycling Speed & Cadence (CSCS) — RPM
- Heart rate — rebroadcast from your strap
- FTMS — for training apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad
- ANT+ — for Garmin and head units
Your watch doesn't know or care that the signal is coming from a Peloton. It sees a normal power meter and a normal cadence sensor, and treats your ride like any other ride.
What You Need
- Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 10 or later. Cycling sensor support does not exist on older watchOS versions, and watchOS 10 doesn't run on Series 3 or earlier.
- FitSwitch installed on your Peloton — see the installation instructions.
- For Power Zones: your date of birth, height, and weight entered in the Fitness app on your iPhone. Without those, the watch can't build zones.
- Optional: a Bluetooth heart rate strap.
You do not need a third-party app, a subscription, or your iPhone nearby.
Pairing FitSwitch to Your Apple Watch
You do this once. The sensor is remembered and reconnects on its own from then on.
Step 1: Wake the Broadcast
Start FitSwitch on your Peloton and pedal for a few seconds. Sensors only advertise when they're awake, and a broadcast with no data won't reliably show up.
Step 2: Open Bluetooth Settings on the Watch
On the Apple Watch itself (not the iPhone, and not the Health app):
- Press the Digital Crown and open Settings
- Tap Bluetooth
- Scroll to Health Devices
Your FitSwitch broadcast appears here within a few seconds.
Step 3: Tap to Pair
Tap the FitSwitch entry to connect. Depending on what you're pairing you may see it listed more than once—once as a power meter and once as a cadence/speed sensor. Pair both if both appear.
Step 4: Set Up the Device
After connecting, a Set Up Device section appears where you can set crank length (power meters) or wheel size (speed sensors).
Set crank length to match your Peloton for the most accurate power-based cadence. Wheel size doesn't matter for indoor riding—there's no wheel.
Step 5: Turn On the Power and Cadence Workout Views
Don't skip this one. Pairing the sensor doesn't automatically put power and cadence on your screen—those workout views are off by default, so it can look like the connection failed when it's actually working fine.
On your Apple Watch:
- Open the Workout app
- Turn the Digital Crown to Indoor Cycle
- Tap the Views button
- Scroll through the list and tap Include next to Power, Power Zones, and Cadence
You can also tap Edit on the Metrics sets to choose exactly which numbers appear on your main screens, and Reorder to put your preferred view first.
Step 6: Done
That's the entire setup. The sensor now connects automatically whenever you start a cycling workout, and your power and cadence views will be waiting for you.
Recording a Peloton Ride
Once the sensor is paired, there is no pairing step per ride. You just start a workout.
Starting
- Get on the bike and start pedaling so FitSwitch is broadcasting
- Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch
- Choose Indoor Cycle
- Start the workout — the sensor connects on its own within a few seconds
Then ride whatever you like on the Peloton screen: a Peloton class, Netflix, Zwift, a browser. The watch is recording your actual output regardless of what's on the screen.
During the Ride
Swipe through your Workout Views to see:
- Current and average power (watts)
- Power Zones
- Cadence (RPM)
- Heart rate, elapsed time, active energy
If power and cadence aren't among them, go back to Step 5—the views need to be switched on before they'll show.
Apple Fitness+
If you ride a Fitness+ cycling workout, connected sensors feed it too—power and cadence appear in the Fitness+ session and are saved with it.
Ending
Stop and save the workout as usual. It writes to Apple Health immediately and appears in Fitness on your iPhone, plus anything you've connected to Health such as Strava.
Your Rings
- Move — active energy from the ride counts
- Exercise — minutes count while your effort is elevated
- Stand — unaffected by cycling
Heart Rate: Wrist vs Chest Strap
Wrist-based heart rate is at its weakest during cycling. Gripping the handlebars restricts blood flow and the tensed forearm muscles move the sensor around, which is why HR can lag or spike oddly on hard efforts.
You have two ways to fix that:
Option 1: Pair the Strap Directly to the Watch
Any Bluetooth heart rate strap pairs to Apple Watch under Settings → Bluetooth → Health Devices, the same place you paired FitSwitch. Once connected, the watch uses the strap instead of wrist HR automatically—no per-workout setting to change.
This is the simplest option and it's what most people should do.
Option 2: Use FitSwitch's Rebroadcast
If your strap is ANT+ only, or you want the same HR shown on the Peloton overlay and your watch, FitSwitch receives your strap and rebroadcasts it over Bluetooth. Pair that broadcast in Health Devices instead.
Either way you get chest-strap accuracy on your wrist.
Data That Syncs to Apple Health
A ride recorded this way writes a full workout record:
- Cycling Power — average and full time series
- Cycling Cadence
- Heart Rate — continuous
- Active and Total Energy
- Duration
It shows up in Apple Health, in Fitness on iPhone, in your Activity Trends, and in any third-party app that reads Health data.
A Note on Calories
Apple Watch calculates active energy from heart rate and motion. It does not compute calories from external power data, so don't expect your Move numbers to change simply because a power meter is connected. What power gives you is accurate intensity, zones, and training data—not a different calorie formula.
Why Peloton and Apple Numbers Differ
Small differences between the Peloton app and Apple Health are normal and expected:
- Different energy formulas
- Different sampling and averaging
- Different heart rate sources
Both records are valid. Pick one as your source of truth for trends.
Troubleshooting
FitSwitch doesn't appear under Health Devices Make sure you're pedaling so the broadcast is live. Confirm your watch is on watchOS 10 or later (Series 4+). If the sensor is already connected to another device—your iPhone, a Garmin, a training app—it may not advertise; disconnect it there first.
It's paired but I see no power or cadence during the ride This is the most common one, and it isn't a connection problem. The Power, Power Zones, and Cadence workout views are off by default. Open the Workout app, turn the Digital Crown to Indoor Cycle, tap Views, and tap Include next to each one. Riders regularly assume the sensor failed when the data was recording all along and simply wasn't on screen.
It pairs but power reads zero You're likely not pedaling, or the Peloton hasn't handed data to FitSwitch yet. Give it a few revolutions.
Cadence looks wrong Check the crank length under the sensor's Set Up Device screen.
No Power Zones view Zones require date of birth, height, and weight in the Fitness app on your iPhone.
It won't reconnect for a new ride Bluetooth sensors connect to one host at a time. If your phone or a training app grabbed the broadcast first, close it, or use FitSwitch's simultaneous ANT+ broadcast for the other device.
Third-party app can't see the sensor watchOS allows third-party apps only two Bluetooth connections at once, and a sensor already claimed by another app won't appear. The built-in Workout app doesn't have this constraint.
Using a Third-Party App Instead
The built-in Workout app is the best path for most riders now. But apps like WorkOutDoors and iSmoothRun also connect Bluetooth power and cadence sensors on the watch, and they offer deeper customization—custom data screens, structured intervals, and richer audio cues.
They're an upgrade for people who want more control, not a workaround for a limitation. If you just want your Peloton ride recorded properly, the stock Workout app does it.
Peloton Tread Users
Everything above applies to the Bike and Bike+, because Apple Watch supports cycling sensors.
Running is a different story: Apple Watch has no native support for running sensors or treadmills, so Tread speed and incline can't be paired the same way. It's still solvable with the right app—see Apple Watch with Peloton Tread for what works and what doesn't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Apple Watch connect directly to Peloton?
No. Peloton broadcasts nothing at all. FitSwitch creates the broadcast your watch connects to.
Do I have to add the sensor in the Health app first?
No. The Health app has no pairing screen—it only displays data. Pairing happens on the Apple Watch in Settings → Bluetooth → Health Devices.
Will this work with the native Apple Workout app?
Yes, and it's the recommended way. Since watchOS 10, the built-in Workout app fully supports Bluetooth power and cadence sensors, including Power Zones. No third-party app needed.
Do I need a specific fitness app from the App Store?
No. Third-party apps like WorkOutDoors or iSmoothRun offer extra customization, but nothing is required.
I paired it but there's no power or cadence on my watch. Is it broken?
Almost certainly not. The Power, Power Zones, and Cadence workout views are off by default and have to be switched on: Workout app → Indoor Cycle → Views → Include. Once enabled they appear on every ride.
Do I have to pair before every ride?
No. Pair once. After that the sensor reconnects automatically when you start a cycling workout.
Does Apple Health receive power data?
Yes. Cycling power and cadence are recorded by the Workout app and stored in Health, and they feed the watch's FTP estimate.
Does Apple Watch support FTMS?
No. Apple Watch supports heart rate and the cycling sensor profiles only. That's why FitSwitch broadcasts standard cycling power and cadence alongside FTMS—the watch uses the former, training apps use the latter.
Which Apple Watch models work?
Series 4 and later, on watchOS 10 or later. Series 3 and earlier can't run watchOS 10, so they can't use cycling sensors at all.
Can I use Apple Watch and Garmin at the same time?
Yes. FitSwitch broadcasts Bluetooth and ANT+ simultaneously. Your Apple Watch takes the Bluetooth signal and your Garmin takes ANT+, both recording the same ride.
Does this replace Peloton's own tracking?
No. Peloton records in its ecosystem and Apple Watch records in yours, at the same time. You end up with the ride in both places.
What about GymKit?
GymKit is for commercial gym equipment and requires an NFC handshake. Home Pelotons don't have it. FitSwitch gets you the same outcome over Bluetooth.
Can I see power on my watch face?
During a workout, yes—power and Power Zones are Workout Views. Live power isn't available as a watch face complication outside a workout.
Will my rings close?
Yes. The ride records as a normal workout, so Move and Exercise credit accrue as they would for any other cycling session.
Your Rides, In Your Ecosystem
Apple Watch already knows how to record a proper cycling workout. It just needs a bike willing to talk. FitSwitch makes your Peloton talk:
- Real watts — from Peloton's own power measurement
- Real cadence — actual RPM
- Power Zones and FTP — native watchOS metrics
- Chest strap heart rate — accurate where wrist HR struggles
- Full Apple Health sync — rings, trends, and third-party apps
Pair it once and forget it's there.
Get FitSwitch — Connect Peloton to Apple Watch.
Last updated: January 2025
Related Guides
- How to See Peloton Metrics in Any App
- ANT+ on Peloton: Broadcast Your Power and Cadence
- Connect Peloton to Garmin Watch or Computer
- How to Connect Peloton to Strava: Sync Your Workouts
- Use Any Heart Rate Monitor with Peloton
- How Does Peloton Calculate Power? Calibration, Resistance & Output Explained