Gravl runs natively on Apple Watch, so you can log sets, run rest timers and see what's next without taking your iPhone out of your bag. This guide covers setup, the workout flow and what to do when something doesn't sync.
Using a different watch? See Gravl on Wear OS or Gravl on Garmin.
Before you start
What you need:
- An iPhone on iOS 16.4 or later with the Gravl app installed.
- An Apple Watch on watchOS 10 or later, paired to that iPhone.
- Bluetooth on, and the watch actually connected to the iPhone (not just paired).
How to install the watch app: open the Watch app on your iPhone, find Gravl in the app list and install it. Gravl on Apple Watch is part of the same purchase and subscription - there is nothing separate to buy.
Permissions to allow: when the watch app first opens, allow Health access. That's what lets Gravl read your heart rate and write the workout and active energy back to Apple Health. If you skip it, the session still works but you'll get no heart rate on the wrist.
Connect your watch for the first time
- Install Gravl on the watch from the iPhone Watch app.
- Open Gravl on the iPhone first, then open Gravl on the watch. That first launch is what pairs the two sides.
- Accept the Health permission prompt on the watch.
- Optional but recommended: on your iPhone go to Profile - Connected Apps and turn on Start workouts on Apple Watch. The toggle only appears once the watch app is installed.
How to know it worked: start a workout on the iPhone. Within a few seconds the watch should show your current exercise and set. If it stays on the idle screen, jump to Troubleshooting.
Start a workout
Either side can start it:
- From the iPhone - start the workout as usual and it appears on the watch automatically. If Start workouts on Apple Watch is on, the watch launches into the session by itself and begins tracking heart rate.
- From the watch - open Gravl on the watch and start today's workout. Keep the iPhone within reach: the app on the phone is still what owns and saves the session.
Only start it once. If you started on the phone and the watch still looks idle, don't start a second workout there - give it a few seconds, then raise your wrist and reopen the Gravl watch app to let it catch up.
During the workout
On your wrist you can:
- See the current exercise, your set, target reps and weight.
- Log a set and edit reps or weight on the fly before you confirm it.
- Run the rest timer - your wrist buzzes when it's time to lift again, which is much harder to miss than a phone notification.
- Rate your exertion after an exercise.
- Work through supersets, dropsets and timed exercises.
- Watch your heart rate and calories live.
- Get a PR celebration on the wrist when you hit a new record.
Everything syncs live in both directions, pauses included, so you can switch between wrist and phone mid-session whenever you like.
Finishing the workout
You can finish from either device - the phone saves the session either way. Finishing on the iPhone is the safest habit, because that's where the summary, the PR list and any last edits live.
Once it's saved you can still edit the finished workout on your phone.
Syncing with Apple Health
With Health access granted, Gravl writes each session to Apple Health as a strength training workout, including active energy and the heart rate recorded by the watch.
Worth knowing:
- Gravl won't re-import its own workouts back from Apple Health, so a session recorded on your Apple Watch shows up once, not twice.
- Anything else you want connected - Strava, external runs and rides - is set up in Profile - Connected Apps. See Connected Apps.
Troubleshooting
The watch app doesn't appear, doesn't connect, or the workout never reaches the wrist. Work through these in order - most cases are solved by step 3:
- Make sure you have the latest version of Gravl installed on both the iPhone and the Apple Watch, that Bluetooth is on, and that the watch is properly connected to the iPhone.
- Fully close Gravl on both devices and open it again.
- Open Gravl on the iPhone first, then on the Apple Watch, to force the sync.
- Restart both the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
- If it still doesn't work, uninstall and reinstall Gravl on both the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
The watch says to start from the phone, but you already started. Give it a few seconds, then reopen the Gravl app on the watch so it picks up the running session. Don't start a second workout on the watch.
Sets, weights or exercises don't match between watch and phone. Both devices need to be in range and awake to stay in sync. Trust the phone - it's the source of truth and what gets saved. Fix anything wrong there, then reopen the watch app.
No heart rate. Check that Gravl has Health access: on the iPhone, Settings - Health - Data Access & Devices - Gravl. Also make sure the watch is snug on your wrist.
Gravl Tip:
Keep your iPhone nearby when you start a workout. The watch is the remote control, but the phone is the brain - and a phone left in a locker at the other end of the gym is the single most common cause of "my watch won't sync".
Still not working?
Send us the details below and we'll look into it:
- Phone model and iOS version
- Apple Watch model and watchOS version
- Gravl version on the iPhone and on the watch
- Other devices connected to the iPhone
- A concrete example - which workout, which set - and a screenshot or short recording of what you're seeing
You can reach us from Support. Real examples with screenshots let us reproduce the issue and report it much faster.