Guide · Garmin to Apple Health

Garmin VO2 max, blood oxygen and respiration in Apple Health

Garmin Connect sends steps, heart rate, sleep and workouts to Apple Health, but not VO2 max, blood oxygen (Pulse Ox) or respiratory rate. You can type them into the Health app by hand, or have an app read them from your Garmin account and save them for you. Both ways are below.

Updated 2 November 2026 · by Marcin Naglik, developer of HRV Sync · iOS 17 or later

Why Garmin VO2 max, SpO2 and respiration don't show in Apple Health

Garmin's support page lists what Garmin Connect writes to Apple Health: energy, steps, distance, flights climbed, heart rate, sleep, workouts, weight, body fat, BMI and water. VO2 max, Pulse Ox and respiration are not on that list. If your watch records them, they stay in Garmin Connect.

People have asked Garmin for this for years. A request on Garmin's forum to share all three with Apple Health was opened more than five years ago and is now locked; a later reply from Garmin staff apologized that it hadn't happened yet. Garmin could add them later. Garmin's list is from its support page (content version 32, archived 19 March 2026, re-checked in October 2026); we read the forum thread on 2 November 2026.

Where VO2 max, blood oxygen and respiratory rate appear in Health

Apple Health already has a type for each of the three. Garmin just calls them something else:

Garmin name	Health app	What you'll see
VO2 max	Cardio Fitness, under Heart	One value per day that Garmin has an estimate
Pulse Ox	Blood Oxygen, under Respiratory	One average per night
Respiration	Respiratory Rate, under Respiratory	One average per night

Names can differ between iOS versions. If you can't find one, search the Health app for its name.

Option 1: add them by hand

The Health app lets you enter any of the three yourself. Apple describes the steps in its support article on managing Health data.

Open the Health app, tap Browse and open the metric, for example Cardio Fitness. You can also search for it.
Tap Add Data in the top right.
Enter the value from Garmin Connect with its date and time, then tap Add.

That's fine for an occasional VO2 max. For nightly blood oxygen and respiration it gets slow: a month of history means about 60 entries.

Option 2: sync them with HRV Sync

HRV Sync, the iPhone app this site is for, reads these values from your Garmin account and writes them to Apple Health. They are part of its optional Vitals Pack.

Install HRV Sync, tap Connect and sign in with your Garmin email and password. Two-factor codes work.
Tap Enable next to Health and allow HRV Sync to write.
Tap Want to sync more? on the Sync screen (or open Settings › Vitals Pack) and unlock the Vitals Pack. It's a one-time purchase: $9.99 in the US, and your local price is shown.
Tap Sync to Health and allow the three types when iOS asks. The first sync brings in your past year and takes a few minutes; later syncs add only new days.

What it writes

VO2 max is Garmin's general (running) estimate, one value per day. Cycling VO2 max is not included.
Respiratory rate and blood oxygen are one average per night, over your sleep.
Blood oxygen needs Pulse Ox during sleep turned on on your watch.
Syncing again never adds a second value for the same day; if Garmin updates a recent day, the new value replaces the old one.
Each of the three has its own switch in Settings › Vitals Pack.
In Shortcuts, Sync All brings in the last 7 days of vitals; the past-year import runs in the app.

HRV sync itself is free; the pack is optional. HRV Sync copies the values your Garmin account already has; it doesn't calculate or check them. It is not a medical device.

Why Garmin VO2 max and Apple's Cardio Fitness differ

If you also wear an Apple Watch, Health can end up with two VO2 max values for the same week. Garmin and Apple each estimate VO2 max their own way, from different workouts and sensors, so the numbers can differ. Compare Garmin values with Garmin values over time, and Apple's with Apple's.

Health keeps both, each under its own source. To choose which one it shows first, open Cardio Fitness, scroll down to Data Sources & Access, tap Edit and drag a source up or down. The source at the top takes priority, as Apple's support page linked above explains.

Questions

Is the Vitals Pack a subscription?

No. It's a one-time in-app purchase: $9.99 in the US, and the App Store shows your local price. After a reinstall or on a new iPhone, use Restore Purchase in Settings › Vitals Pack.

Will syncing again create duplicates?

No. Syncing again never adds a second value for the same day, and if Garmin updates a recent day, the new value replaces the old one.

Why is my blood oxygen empty?

Pulse Ox during sleep has to be turned on on your watch; without it there is no nightly value to copy. Only nights with readings come over, and your watch has to sync to Garmin Connect first, because HRV Sync reads from your Garmin account.

Does it bring over cycling VO2 max?

No. It brings over only Garmin's general (running) VO2 max estimate.

Get HRV Sync

HRV Sync brings your Garmin HRV and Mindful Minutes into Apple Health at no cost. The optional Vitals Pack adds VO2 max, sleep respiratory rate and blood oxygen, starting with your past year, for a one-time $9.99 in the US.

Download on the App Store

iPhone, iOS 17 or later. HRV Sync is not a medical device.

HRV Sync is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Garmin Ltd. or Apple Inc. Garmin® is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd. Apple® and Health® are trademarks of Apple Inc.