Wahoo ELEMNT Setup Guide

Use your Apple Watch as a heart rate monitor with your Wahoo ELEMNT. No chest strap, no extra hardware. This guide covers first-time pairing and the per-ride connection procedure.

What You'll Need

  • •Apple Watch (watchOS 10 or later)
  • •iPhone (iOS 15 or later)
  • •HRM app installed on both Apple Watch and iPhone: download here
  • •A compatible Wahoo ELEMNT (see compatibility below)

Wahoo ELEMNT Compatibility

Can connect All models have the phone connection limitation
  • ELEMNT ACE
  • ELEMNT ROAM V1 / V2 / V3
  • ELEMNT BOLT V1 / V2 / V3

One Phone App at a Time

Wahoo only allows one Bluetooth app connected to your iPhone simultaneously. The Wahoo app must be closed before HRM can connect. This is the most common reason it doesn't work.

Full compatibility list →

Initial Setup

  1. 1 Terminate the Wahoo app fully on your iPhone. Swipe it away in the app switcher.
  2. 2
    Open HRM on your iPhone and Apple Watch, then press Start on the Watch. Bring your iPhone close to the ELEMNT.

    Wahoo only discovers sensors broadcasting a plausible heart rate (above ~60 BPM). Make sure your Watch is actively measuring before proceeding.

  3. 3 On your Wahoo: go to Settings → Add Sensor. The sensor with the highest signal strength will appear. That should be your iPhone running HRM.
  4. 4 Select Add, then Save to complete pairing.

Setup for Every Ride

  1. 1 Terminate the Wahoo app on your iPhone.
  2. 2 Open HRM on iPhone and Apple Watch, press Start on the Watch.
  3. 3 Power on your Wahoo ELEMNT. HRM connects automatically.
  4. 4 Ride.
  5. 5 After your ride: press Stop on the Watch, terminate HRM, then open the Wahoo app to sync.

If the Connection Drops

Re-pair to Reconnect

If the connection drops mid-ride, Wahoo won't automatically reconnect to the sensor in the same session. You'll need to delete and re-pair. The process takes about 30 seconds once you know the steps.

  1. 1 On your Wahoo: delete the existing HRM App sensor from your sensor list.
  2. 2 Re-pair following the Initial Setup steps above.

HRM Shows a Pulsing Circle but No Connected Device

"No Bluetooth Device Connected" is the expected state until a receiver connects. The pulsing blue circle means the iPhone is broadcasting; the connected-device line only reports whether anything has picked that broadcast up yet, and it clears the moment your equipment connects. If it never clears, the problem is on the receiving side: pair again with HRM open and in the foreground on both iPhone and Watch.

Watch the Setup

Prefer to follow along visually? This video walks through the full setup with a Wahoo ELEMNT.

Ready to Leave the Chest Strap at Home?

The Apple Watch on your wrist already measures heart rate. The HRM app just gets it to your Wahoo ELEMNT. Start with the 7-day free trial. No charge if you cancel before it ends.

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$7.99 / year

after your trial ends

Less than a 3-pack of batteries.

Download on the App Store

Cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged.