Wellness · iOS
Private Heart
Record heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) using your iPhone’s camera and flash. Compare your readings over time alongside exercise, stress, exhaustion and your own daily entries.
Designed for local processing on your iPhone. No Private Heart user account required.
In development for iPhone with iOS 17.6 or later. The app is initially planned in German.
How it works
From camera signal to personal trends.
The measurement uses your iPhone’s rear camera and flash. No Apple Watch or chest strap is needed.
Place your finger
Allow camera access and place a finger over the camera and flash. The app captures changes in light intensity in your finger as an optical pulse signal (PPG).
Record for 45 seconds
Once a stable signal is detected, a 45-second recording starts. Keep your finger still and avoid pressing hard. Heart rate, HRV and technical signal quality are shown afterwards.
Add daily context
Log exercise, stress or exhaustion for the measurement day. View your entries alongside HRV and heart rate over time and select individual days.
A wellness tool – not a medical device.Private Heart is intended solely for general well-being and personal self-observation. The app does not provide diagnoses, does not give medical recommendations and does not replace professional medical advice. If you have health questions or concerns, please consult a doctor.
Features
Heart rate, HRV and your daily context.
See how your readings change and view them alongside your daily entries. The analysis describes personal observations and does not establish their causes.
Heart rate, RMSSD and SDNN
After recording, see your heart rate, the HRV metric RMSSD and signal quality. Details also include SDNN, mean pulse intervals and the most recently recorded signal trace.
Your personal trends
Switch between week, month, quarter and year. Compare HRV and heart rate with your past readings and personal comparison ranges built from your measurement history. These are not medical reference values.
Exercise & feeling unwell
Compare your recorded exercise intensity with HRV and heart rate on the following day. For logged periods of feeling unwell, the app shows readings before, during and after those entries once enough data is available.
Up to three custom trackers
Add your own topics, such as sleep quality or caffeine, alongside exercise, stress, exhaustion and feeling unwell. Name up to three active trackers with four selectable levels each and display them in your trends.
Optional cycle log
If you choose, record daily bleeding intensity and view these entries alongside HRV and heart rate. The log does not predict ovulation or fertility.
CSV export & backup
Export readings and daily entries, including custom trackers, as CSV for your own analysis. A complete JSON backup can be imported again. You start the export and choose where to save it.
Also in measurement details: an experimental breathing-rate estimate derived from the pulse signal. It is not a medical measurement; the displayed signal agreement does not establish measurement accuracy.
Privacy
Designed for local data storage.
Private Heart is designed to process the camera signal on your iPhone and store readings, daily entries and trackers locally. No separate user account is required. The current app contains no advertising or tracking.
When you start a file export, you choose where to save your data or whom to share it with. You can also select a cloud provider you have configured. iPhone backups additionally depend on your iOS settings.
Questions about Private Heart?
Find answers about camera measurements, device requirements, data export and privacy in the FAQ.