How it works
RunCadence reads data from Apple Health in the background. You grant permission once, per data type, and you can revoke any of it at any time in iPhone Settings → Privacy → Health → RunCadence.
The data stays in our EU databases. We never sell, share, or use it for advertising. We don't use it to train AI models. See our Privacy Policy for the legal details.
Below is every metric we read, what it tells your coach, and why it matters for running.
RunCadence treats these measurements as context, not a diagnosis. It looks at changes against your own history alongside your training and feedback. Apple likewise presents Health data as trends over time and says Apple Watch Vitals measurements are not intended for medical use. See Apple's guidance on viewing Health trends and tracking Vitals.
Cardiac signals
Resting heart rate
A heart-rate measurement taken while you are inactive. The coach can compare its recent direction with your personal history and training context. One reading on its own does not identify a cause or determine your readiness to train.
Heart rate variability (HRV)
The variation in time between heartbeats. Values differ widely between people, so RunCadence uses your own history as the useful comparison and considers it alongside sleep, training and how you say you feel.
Heart rate recovery
The change in heart rate after exercise. Looking at comparable efforts over time can add context to your workout history, but the metric alone does not explain why a value changed.
Respiratory rate
The number of breaths per minute recorded during sleep. The coach can notice how it compares with your normal range and consider that change with other available metrics and your feedback.
Blood oxygen (SpO2)
The percentage of oxygen carried by your blood, when a compatible device records it. RunCadence can show the value in context over time. Apple states that Blood Oxygen measurements are for general fitness and wellness and are not intended for medical use.
Recovery signals
Sleep duration and stages
Total time asleep and, when available, REM, deep, core and awake stages. The coach can consider recent sleep alongside your training load and feedback when discussing recovery; it does not make a training decision from sleep data alone.
Sleeping wrist temperature
An overnight wrist-temperature measurement from compatible Apple Watch models. It is compared with your personal baseline as context. Wrist temperature is not the same as a clinical body-temperature reading and RunCadence does not use it to diagnose illness.
Fitness and energy
VO2max
Apple's cardio-fitness estimate of maximum oxygen uptake, when available. RunCadence treats it as a trend and keeps it separate from the VO2max pace used to calculate a workout's pace targets.
Active energy
Apple's estimate of energy burned through activity. It adds context about activity outside your recorded runs.
Body mass
You can enter your weight at onboarding, and we'll also read it from any smart scale that writes to Apple Health. Weight matters for metrics expressed per kilogram (like running power per kg). We won't comment on it, that's not our job.
Running biomechanics
Running power
An estimated running effort expressed in watts. It provides another way to compare effort when pace and terrain vary.
Ground contact time
How long each foot stays on the ground per stride. RunCadence presents changes over time without treating a shorter value as automatically better.
Vertical oscillation
How much your torso moves vertically with each step. The useful comparison is your personal trend during similar runs, rather than an absolute target.
Stride length
The distance covered with each step. RunCadence can compare it across similar runs as descriptive workout context.
Activity and workouts
Workouts
Your running workouts recorded in Apple Health. We read distance, duration, average and max heart rate, pace splits, cadence, elevation, and the raw heart rate time-series. That's what powers the detailed workout analysis after each run.
Distance, running speed, step count
Daily movement totals that add context about activity outside your recorded runs.
What we don't read
We deliberately don't request:
- Reproductive health (menstrual cycle, sexual activity)
- Mental health (mindfulness sessions, state of mind)
- Nutrition logs
- Blood diagnostics (glucose, alcohol, etc.)
- ECG and atrial fibrillation data
- Audiogram data
If we ever expand into nutrition coaching, we'll ask for additional permissions explicitly and explain why.
Your control
Open iPhone Settings → Privacy → Health → RunCadence to see every permission we hold and revoke individual types whenever you want. Disconnecting our HealthKit access entirely is one tap away.
Our full data handling rules are in the Privacy Policy.
Still need help?
Write to support@runcadence.app. A real person reads every message.