Your iPhone already knows a lot. Now it has a plan.
Connect Apple Health once and Protocol reads a year of your steps, sleep, heart data, workouts and weight, plus anything your Apple Watch, scale, food app or glucose monitor writes there. Then it tells you what to do with it, every morning.
Free on iPhone, no credit card. Apple Health sync is free, always.
From Apple Health
This morning
SleepApple Watch7h 12m
HRVApple Watch—
Steps yesterdayiPhone—
WeightSmart scale—
Protein yesterdayMyFitnessPal—
Glucose, overnight avgDexcom—
Reading Apple Health…
Illustrative numbers. Every source shown writes to Apple Health; none is a partnership.
What does Protocol do with Apple Health?
Protocol is an iPhone app that reads your Apple Health data, with your permission, and turns it into a daily plan. On first connect it imports up to a year of history, so your baselines exist on day one. It reads steps, activity, workouts, sleep, heart rate, HRV, resting heart rate, weight and body composition, VO2 max, food and water from other apps, and blood glucose from a CGM. Anything that writes to Apple Health, from Apple Watch to Garmin Connect to MyFitnessPal, reaches Protocol through the same permission. Syncing is free.
of history imported on connect
365 daysof history imported on connect
Health data types read, each one you allow
25+Health data types read, each one you allow
Health permission covers your watch, scale, food app and CGM
1Health permission covers your watch, scale, food app and CGM
syncing, rings, streaks and recovery estimate
Freesyncing, rings, streaks and recovery estimate
Everything in Health.One plan for today.
Five things Protocol does with what your iPhone already collects.
01
A year on day one
Connect once. Start with a year.
Most apps start counting the day you install them. Protocol reads the last 365 days from Apple Health the first time you connect, so your sleep baseline, step average and HRV trend are there before your first morning brief.
One Health permission sheet in the iPhone app; you choose each data type
The import runs in the background and picks up where it left off if interrupted
After that, new data syncs on its own, and every time you open the app
Today
Importing the last year from Apple Health…
0 of 365 days
Sleep
—
a night, last 90 days
Steps
—
a day, last 90 days
HRV
—
your 14-day baseline
Runs in the background
02
Everything that writes to Health
Your whole stack, through one door.
Apple Health is where your other apps already meet. If your watch, scale, food tracker or glucose monitor shares with Health, Protocol reads it, with no extra account to link.
Apple Watch: steps, workouts, heart rate, HRV, sleep, VO2 max and more
Food apps like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer: calories, protein, carbs, fat and water
Smart scales, Garmin Connect, Strava, Dexcom and more, whatever they share
Apple WatchSleep, HRV, workouts
Garmin ConnectSteps, workouts
MyFitnessPalCalories, protein
Withings scaleWeight, body fat
DexcomGlucose
HealthProtocol
One permission. 1 of 5 sources in.
03
Recovery without a ring
No ring or strap? Still a recovery score.
Oura and WHOOP give you a readiness score. Apple Health doesn’t. So for members on Apple Health alone, Protocol estimates one from your own HRV, resting heart rate and sleep, and labels it plainly as an estimate.
HRV against your 14-day baseline (40%), resting heart rate (30%) and sleep (30%)
Feeds your Recover ring alongside your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate
Never shown as a device reading; Oura or WHOOP replace it when connected
0Recovery
Recover ring
Recovery · Protocol estimate
No ring or strap connected, so Protocol works it out from Apple Health.
HRV vs baseline · 40%52 vs 46 ms—
Resting HR vs baseline · 30%56 vs 58 bpm—
Sleep · 30%6h 20m of 8h—
04
Workouts and zone 2
Every workout once. Every zone 2 minute.
The same run can land in Health from your watch and from Strava. Protocol merges overlapping sessions into one workout, then works out your zone 2 minutes from the heart rate recorded during it.
Duplicates from Apple Watch, Strava, Ladder and others are merged
Zone 2 uses your heart-rate reserve (60–70%), with your age from Health
On iOS 27, Apple’s own workout heart-rate zones are used instead
This morning’s workouts
Outdoor runApple Watch · 7:02 AM42 min
Morning RunStrava · 7:03 AM41 min
Same run, two copies in Health
05
Meals go both ways
Log it here. See it everywhere.
Meals and water you log in Protocol are saved to Apple Health, so your other apps see them too. Food logged in other apps comes in, and a meal logged in both places counts once.
Calories, protein, carbs, fat and water are written to Health
Edit or delete a meal in Protocol and Health follows
Protocol never writes back data it read from Health
Logged in Protocol · 12:40 PM
Chicken burrito bowl
Protein
42 g
Calories
640
Carbs
68 g
Fat
19 g
Health · Nutrition
Dietary Energy640 kcal
Protein42 g
Source: Protocol
What syncs
What Protocol reads, and what it does with it.
Every type below is one you can allow or skip in the Health permission sheet. Nothing is read that you haven’t allowed.
Activity
5 types
Steps
Your Move ring and step goal. With several sources, the highest complete count wins.
Active and resting energy
Calories burned for the day, and your energy balance against what you eat.
Workouts
Name, length, calories, heart rate and source app. Duplicates merged; counts toward your weekly workouts.
Heart rate
Read during workouts only, for average and max heart rate and zone 2 minutes.
VO2 max
Your cardio fitness trend, on the day your Apple Watch measured it, and VO2 max goals.
Body
3 types
Weight, body fat, lean mass
Body composition trends and goals. Lean mass is worked out when your scale only gives weight and body fat.
Height, birth date, sex
Calorie and protein targets per kilogram, and the age behind your zone 2 range.
Cycle (optional)
Period days, if you turn on Cycle tracking, so the coach can account for your phase.
Sleep and recovery
4 types
Sleep
Total sleep, bedtime and wake time, and wake-ups, from the source with the most sleep that night.
HRV
Your HRV trend and baseline. SDNN today; RMSSD from iOS 27, the measure Oura and WHOOP use.
Resting heart rate
Your resting heart rate trend and goals.
Respiratory rate, blood oxygen, wrist temperature
Read by the coach alongside your night.
Food and more
4 types
Calories, protein, carbs, fat
Food logged in other apps lands on your Fuel ring. A meal logged twice counts once.
Water
Added to water you log in Protocol.
Blood glucose
From a CGM or meter: a daily average, range and hourly shape, for the pattern finder.
Medications (optional)
On iOS 26 and later, medications you choose join your supplement stack with their doses.
Written back: only the meals and water you log in Protocol (calories, protein, carbs, fat, water), so your other apps see them.
Not read today: sleep stages, mindful minutes, blood pressure, workout routes and your Activity ring data.
Through Apple Health
If it writes to Apple Health, Protocol reads it.
Turn on Apple Health sharing in each app and its data reaches your coach through the same permission. These are apps members use today. None is a partnership; they work because they share with Health.
Apple Watch
Steps
Workouts
Heart rate
HRV
Sleep
VO2 max
Blood oxygen
Wrist temp
Garmin Connect
Subset
Steps
Activity
Workouts
Strava, Nike Run Club
Runs
Rides
Workouts
Ladder, Hevy
Strength sessions
MyFitnessPal, Cronometer
Calories
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Water
Smart scales
Weight
Body fat
Lean mass
Dexcom, FreeStyle Libre
Delayed
Glucose
Eight Sleep
Sleep
Anything else
Steps
Workouts
Sleep
Weight
Food
Garmin shares a subset of its metrics with Health. Dexcom’s readings reach Health about three hours late. Duplicate workouts are counted once. Direct connections for Garmin, MyFitnessPal and Cronometer are on the roadmap.
With other sources
Got an Oura or WHOOP too? Each leads where it’s best.
Protocol ranks your sources per metric, so a night tracked by your ring and your watch still counts once. You can pin a preferred source for any metric in Settings.
Which source Protocol uses first for each metric when several are connected
Metric
Oura
WHOOP
Apple Health
Sleep: Oura, then WHOOP, then Apple Health
1st
2nd
3rd
HRV: WHOOP, then Oura, then Apple Health
2nd
1st
3rd
Resting heart rate: Oura, then WHOOP, then Apple Health
1st
2nd
3rd
Recovery: WHOOP, then Oura; Protocol’s estimate with Apple Health alone
2nd
1st
Estimate
Steps, active calories: The highest complete count from any source
Highest complete count wins
Workouts: Every source, with duplicates merged into one
Every source, duplicates merged
Defaults. Pin a different source for any metric in Settings › Data sources.
Setup
Connect Apple Health in a minute.
1
Get Protocol on iPhone
Apple Health lives on your iPhone, so the connection happens in the iPhone app. Already signed up on the web? Sign in with the same account.
2
Allow Health access
In Protocol’s Integrations, tap Connect next to Apple Health and choose the types to share. You can change them any time in the Health app: tap your profile picture, then Apps, then Protocol.
3
Let the year import
Protocol imports the last 365 days in the background. A card on Today shows progress; it usually takes a minute or two.
4
Turn on sharing in your other apps
In Garmin Connect, MyFitnessPal, your scale’s app or your CGM app, turn on Apple Health sharing, and their data follows.
Integrations
Connect your sources
Apple Health
Steps, sleep, HRV, and workouts
Connect
Oura
Connect
WHOOP
Connect
Illustrative. You choose each data type, and can change it later in the Health app.
Good to know
What it does, and what it doesn’t.
Syncs when your iPhone lets it
Protocol syncs in the background whenever iOS allows, and every time you open the app. If you swipe the app closed, iOS stops background syncing until you open it again; open Protocol to sync now.
Connect on iPhone
Apple Health data stays on your iPhone, so it can only be connected from the Protocol iPhone app. Once synced, it shows on the web too.
No Apple Watch app yet
Your Apple Watch reaches Protocol through Apple Health. There is no Protocol app on the watch itself yet; iPhone widgets put your rings and brief on your Home Screen.
Sleep totals, not stages
Protocol reads your total sleep and timing from Health, not deep and REM minutes, and Apple has no sleep score. An Oura or WHOOP adds both.
HRV needs a tracked night
Apple’s HRV and resting heart rate are daily averages, so Protocol uses them on days Health also has your sleep. Wear your watch to bed for a recovery estimate.
Calories burned are estimates
Wrist devices measure heart rate well but estimate calories burned with wide error. Protocol shows them as a guide and leans on steps, workouts and heart data.
Protocol compared with using the Apple Health app on its own
Feature
The Health app alone
Protocol
Collects your data
Yes, its strength
All of it, a year back
Tells you what to do
Charts and trends
One next step, every morning
Recovery score
None
Estimated from HRV, heart rate, sleep
Goals and streaks
Activity rings
Sleep, protein, zone 2, weight and more
Connects the dots
Side by side
Finds what moves your sleep
Sleep stages
Yes, from Apple Watch
Not yet; Oura or WHOOP add them
Where a row says “not yet” or “no”, we mean it. More comparisons
You choose what Apple Health shares.
Protocol reads only the types you allow, never sells your data, and never uses it to train models. Turn access off any time; data already synced stays in Protocol until you delete your account. Privacy policy
Pricing
Sync is free. The coach is Pro.
Free
$0, no credit card
Apple Health sync, with a year of history on connect
Your dashboard, Move, Fuel and Recover rings, and streaks
An estimated recovery score, even without a ring or strap
Meals and water you log, written back to Apple Health
What the research says about the signals Apple Health collects, and how far to trust a wrist sensor. It supports the approach; it is not evidence of Protocol’s own outcomes.
6–10k
steps a day, where the benefit levels off
More daily steps, lower mortality, up to a point.
A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts (47,471 adults) found risk of death fell as daily steps rose, levelling off around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and over and 8,000–10,000 for younger adults.
In 122,007 adults who had treadmill tests, higher fitness went with lower all-cause mortality with no observed upper limit; elite performers had about a fifth the risk of the least fit (adjusted HR 0.20). It is an association, not proof of cause.
Wrist heart rate is accurate. Calories burned are not.
Of seven wrist devices tested, Apple Watch had the lowest heart-rate error (about 2%). None estimated energy expenditure within 20%; median errors ran from 27% to 93%.
A review of 39 systematic reviews (163,992 participants) found activity-tracker programs added roughly 1,800 steps a day and about 40 minutes of walking, with around 1 kg of weight loss. Many programs paired the tracker with other support.
Yes. Protocol’s iPhone app reads Apple Health with your permission: steps, activity, workouts, sleep, heart rate, HRV, resting heart rate, VO2 max, weight and body composition, food and water from other apps, and blood glucose from a CGM. It imports up to a year of history on first connect and keeps syncing after that.
Is the Apple Health integration free?
Yes. Connecting Apple Health is free with no credit card: a year of history, every data type Protocol reads, your dashboard, rings, streaks and the estimated recovery score. Protocol Pro adds the AI coach, the full morning brief and unlimited AI meal logging. Pro is $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Does Protocol work with Apple Watch?
Yes, through Apple Health. Your Apple Watch writes steps, workouts, heart rate, HRV, sleep, VO2 max, blood oxygen and wrist temperature to Health, and Protocol reads them from there. There is no Protocol app on the watch itself yet.
How often does Apple Health sync?
In the background whenever your iPhone lets it, and every time you open Protocol. If Protocol hasn’t heard from your phone for a few hours it sends a silent nudge to wake the sync. iOS stops background syncing for apps you swipe closed, so if your numbers look stale, open Protocol and the missed days import automatically.
Can I use Apple Health with Protocol on the web?
You connect it on iPhone, because Apple Health data stays on your phone. Once synced, everything shows on the web dashboard too. If you signed up on the web, sign in to the iPhone app with the same account and connect there.
Does Protocol give a recovery score without Oura or WHOOP?
Yes. With Apple Health alone, Protocol estimates a recovery score from your HRV against your 14-day baseline (40%), your resting heart rate (30%) and your sleep (30%). It needs a few nights of HRV first, and it is always labelled as Protocol’s estimate, not a device reading.
Does Protocol work with Garmin, MyFitnessPal or Cronometer?
Yes, through Apple Health. Turn on Apple Health sharing in Garmin Connect, MyFitnessPal or Cronometer and their data reaches Protocol through the same permission. Garmin shares a subset of its metrics with Health. Direct connections are on the roadmap.
What if I also wear an Oura Ring or WHOOP?
Connect both. Protocol ranks sources per metric: your ring or strap leads on sleep, HRV, resting heart rate and recovery, your watch and phone on steps and workouts, and each night or workout counts once. You can pin a preferred source for any metric in Settings.
Does Protocol write anything to Apple Health?
Only the meals and water you log in Protocol: calories, protein, carbs, fat and water, so your other apps see them. Edits and deletes follow. Protocol never writes back data it read from Health.
Does Protocol read sleep stages from Apple Health?
Not yet. Protocol reads your total sleep, bedtime, wake time and wake-ups from Health, but not deep and REM minutes, and Apple doesn’t produce a sleep score. Oura and WHOOP add stages and a score if you use one.
Does Protocol read my CGM data?
Yes, if your CGM app shares glucose with Apple Health, as Dexcom’s and FreeStyle Libre’s can. Protocol syncs a daily average, low, high and hourly shape rather than every reading, and uses it to look for patterns such as glucose and sleep. Dexcom shares readings with Health about three hours late.
