Among the new health features in watchOS 9 and iOS 16 is something Apple calls Cardio Recovery. Follow along for a detailed look at what the feature is, how to track it with Apple Watch, why it’s valuable, what good Cardio Recovery numbers are, and tips on improving it.
As it turns out, Cardio Recovery is something that’s previously been available on Apple Watch under the widely used term “heart rate recovery.” With watchOS 9 and iOS 16, Apple has renamed the feature to Cardio Recovery – possibly to match its Cardio Fitness (VO2 max) metric in the Health app. Notably, the feature previously didn’t show up in the Health app – just in the Fitness app – but it’s been added with iOS 16.
