Beatcast, a heart rate app for iPhone and iPad, has a separate layout for each way of holding the iPhone Duo. Closed, the outer display shows a large live reading with a graph of the last three minutes, and open, the inner display becomes a console for the session.
The app is made in Vienna by Andreas B. Diendorfer, who says he wanted his heart rate in view at the gym while using other apps.
Each iPhone Duo Pose Gets Its Own Layout
Folded, the outer display shows the Monitor, with the reading in large digits, the current zone, a five-part zone bar and a graph of the last three minutes.
Unfolded, the Console puts the reading, zone, elapsed time and estimated calories at the top, with an End Session button and tiles for Broadcast, Target zone, Pause and Start recovery. Between sessions it adds a zone profile switch and a large Start Session button, and during a rest between sets a Rest tile counts down the time and shows how many beats per minute are left to drop.
Half-folded on a bench, the number sits on the top half with large controls below it. Propped up like a tent, the outer display faces you with the reading in large digits, and a recovery view shows a RECOVERED message at the rate you settled at.
A Strap, Armband or AirPods Pro 3 Gets a Display on the Lock Screen
A heart rate strap or armband has no display, so Beatcast gives it one on the Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island, in widgets and while other apps are open. It adds zones with alerts, a rest coach between sets, session recording, CSV and TCX export and optional saving to Apple Health.
Beatcast reads standard Bluetooth heart rate sensors from several makers. Diendorfer marks the Polar H10 and Garmin Cirqa as Beatcast verified, which is his own hardware testing and not a certification from either company. The AirPods Pro 3 sensor is supported on iPhone through Health, and its heart rate monitoring has tested better than every smartwatch except Apple Watch.
Beatcast needs no account and collects no analytics, and data stays on the device or goes where you export it. The developer notes the app is not a medical device and cannot detect, diagnose, treat or monitor any condition.
Beatcast Is Free for 14 Days, Then a One-Time Purchase
Beatcast is free to try for 14 days and then costs a single purchase, with no subscription. It needs iOS 26 or later and is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Ukrainian and Japanese.
Download Beatcast from the App Store
