Troubleshooting Apple Health Sync
Having trouble with Motra syncing to Apple Health? This guide covers how Motra works with Apple Health, how to set it up, and how to fix common sync issues.
How Motra Uses Apple Health
Motra integrates with Apple Health in two ways:
Writing workout data: When you complete a workout in Motra, it saves the workout (including calories burned and heart rate) to Apple Health so it appears in Apple Fitness and other health apps.
Importing workouts: Motra can import workouts from other apps (like Apple Fitness, Strava, etc.) via Apple Health, so all your training is in one place.
Motra also reads your fitness profile (height, weight, biological sex, date of birth) from Apple Health to personalize your experience.
Setting Up Apple Health
Connect from the Motra App
Open Motra and go to Settings
Under Data & Privacy Tap Apple Health Sync
Tap Connect Apple Health
When the Apple Health permissions screen appears, tap Turn On All
Verify Permissions on Your iPhone
If you've already connected but things aren't working:
Open Settings on your iPhone
Go to Privacy & Security > Health (or Settings > Apps > Health)
Tap Data Access & Devices
Find Motra (or Train if it shows the old name)
Make sure all permissions are turned on
Important: If you see "Train" instead of "Motra" in your Health settings, that's the same app — it was recently renamed.
Enable Permissions on Apple Watch (Critical Step)
There is a known Apple bug where Health permissions set on your iPhone sometimes don't sync to your Apple Watch. If your Watch isn't recording heart rate or calories during workouts, you may need to enable permissions directly on the Watch:
On your Apple Watch, open Settings (the gear icon)
Tap Health
Tap Apps
Tap Motra
Tap Turn On All
This is the fix for most cases where heart rate and calorie data isn't being recorded during Watch workouts.
Importing Workouts from Other Apps
To import workouts from other fitness apps via Apple Health:
Go to Settings > Data & Privacy > Apple Health Sync
Toggle on Import Apple Health Workouts
Motra will automatically import workouts from other apps going forward
Limitations:
Only workouts from the last 3 months are imported
Only workouts longer than 1 minute are included
Note: When you first connect, only a few weeks of historical workout data are imported — not your entire workout history.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"My calories and heart rate aren't showing during workouts"
This almost always means Apple Health permissions aren't properly set on your Apple Watch:
Enable permissions on the Watch directly (see "Enable Permissions on Apple Watch" above) — this is the most common fix
Verify permissions on your iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Health > Motra > Turn On All
Check that your iPhone and Apple Watch are on matching OS versions (e.g., both on iOS/watchOS 18.2). Go to iPhone Settings > General > Software Update if an update is available.
Restart both your iPhone and Apple Watch
"My workout shows very low or zero calories"
If a workout shows an unusually low calorie count (e.g., 13 calories for a 30-minute session):
Check that Apple Health permissions are fully enabled (see steps above)
Motra uses Apple's heart rate data to calculate calories — if the Watch wasn't detecting your heart rate during the workout, calories will be very low
Make sure you weren't running two workout apps simultaneously (e.g., Motra and Apple Fitness). Running two apps at once causes data conflicts.
You can manually edit calories: tap the ... menu on the workout, tap Edit, then go to Advanced to change the calorie value
If this keeps happening across multiple workouts, contact us.
"My workout didn't sync from Watch to iPhone"
Check that both devices are on matching iOS and watchOS versions
Wait at least 5 minutes — sync can be delayed if internet is slow
If the workout still doesn't appear, try re-saving from the Watch:
Open Motra on your Apple Watch
Tap ... in the top-left corner
Tap Workouts
Find the workout and tap Re-save Workout
Pull down to refresh on the iPhone app's workout history
"My Motra workouts don't appear in Apple Fitness"
Verify Apple Health permissions: iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Health > Motra > Turn On All
Make sure Motra has write access to Apple Health (not just read)
Try force-closing and reopening both Motra and the Apple Fitness app
Check if the workout appears in Apple Health directly (Health app > Browse > Workouts) — it may be there but not showing in Fitness due to a display delay
"Calories are different in Motra vs. Apple Fitness"
Motra uses Apple's native calorie tracker (based on your heart rate and movement data), so the numbers should be close to what Apple Fitness shows. Small differences can occur due to timing of when data is written. If the difference is significant, check:
That you weren't running two workout apps simultaneously
That the Watch app wasn't left open outside of workouts (this can record phantom active calories)
"Editing my workout doesn't change the calorie count"
Calories are calculated from your actual heart rate data recorded during the workout. Changing the workout duration or exercises after the fact doesn't recalculate calories because the heart rate data stays the same.
To manually adjust calories: tap ... on the workout > Edit Workout Details > Advanced > change the calorie value.
"My fitness profile shows wrong height/weight"
Motra syncs your personal details (height, weight, sex, date of birth) from Apple Health. To change them:
Open the Health app on your iPhone
Go to Browse (Tab on Search) > Body Measurements
Update your height or weight there
Motra will pick up the changes
Still Need Help?
If Apple Health sync issues persist after trying the steps above, contact us through the app (You > Settings > Chat with us). It helps to mention:
Your iPhone iOS version and Apple Watch watchOS version
Whether the issue is with calories, heart rate, or workout sync
Whether you're using the Watch or just the iPhone