Connect Polar Verity Sense
Pair your Polar Verity Sense optical sensor via Bluetooth for real-time heart rate, HRV, PPG waveform analysis, and sleep tracking.
Overview
The Polar Verity Sense is an optical heart rate sensor worn on the forearm or upper arm. It connects directly to the Omnio mobile app over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for real-time data streaming — no Polar Flow account required.
The Verity Sense is particularly useful for its raw PPG (photoplethysmography) data, which Omnio processes on-device for hemodynamic waveform analysis beyond simple heart rate.
What data is collected
| Category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Heart rate | Real-time HR from optical sensor |
| HRV | RMSSD, SDNN — computed from PPI (pulse-to-pulse intervals), higher fidelity than BLE RR intervals |
| Stress | Baevsky stress index, fused stress score |
| PPG waveform | Pulse amplitude, stiffness index, crest time, dicrotic notch rate, pulse width, perfusion index, signal-to-noise ratio |
| Hemodynamics | PPG spectral decomposition, sympathetic tone index, PPG-derived respiratory rate |
| Accelerometer | Step cadence, motion detection, motion artifact gating |
| Sleep | Automated sleep onset/offset detection, PPG-based sleep staging (deep, light, REM, awake), sleep efficiency, overnight HR/HRV |
| Calories | Active, light-activity, and rest calorie estimation from HR zones |
PPI vs RR intervals
The Verity Sense supports Pulse-to-Pulse Interval (PPI) measurement via the Polar PMD service. PPI intervals are optically derived and have higher temporal resolution than the standard BLE RR intervals. When available, Omnio automatically prefers PPI intervals for HRV and stress computation, labelling the data with interval_source: ppi and fidelity: high.
PPG hemodynamic analysis
Omnio processes the raw PPG signal from the Verity Sense to extract cardiovascular features:
- Pulse amplitude — Strength of each pulse wave, related to blood volume changes.
- Stiffness index — Rising edge slope, a proxy for arterial stiffness.
- Crest time — Time from pulse onset to peak, reflects vascular compliance.
- Dicrotic notch rate — Presence of the secondary peak, indicates aortic valve closure quality.
- Perfusion index — Ratio of pulsatile to non-pulsatile blood flow.
- Sympathetic tone index — Spectral decomposition of PPG signal reflecting autonomic balance.
These metrics are experimental and shown in the advanced analytics views.
How to connect
- Open the Omnio mobile app.
- Go to Settings → Heart Rate Monitor.
- Tap Scan for Devices.
- Press the button on your Verity Sense to activate it (the LED blinks).
- The device appears as “Polar Verity Sense XXXXXX” in the scan list.
- Tap to connect. The app pairs and begins streaming immediately.
The Verity Sense is remembered as your paired device. On subsequent launches, the app auto-reconnects when the sensor is detected nearby.
Connection details
- Protocol: Standard BLE heart rate service (UUID 0x180D) + Polar PMD service for PPI/ACC/PPG.
- No Polar SDK required: Omnio uses standard BLE APIs.
- Auto-reconnect: If the connection drops, the app reconnects automatically with exponential backoff.
- Battery: Battery level is read and shown in the device info card.
- Stream tiers: The app manages BLE stream activation to conserve battery — raw PPG and PPI streams only activate when needed (e.g. during a session or workout).
Multi-device use
The Verity Sense works well as part of a multi-device setup:
- Verity Sense + Polar H10: The H10 provides ECG while the Verity Sense provides PPG. Together, they enable Pulse Transit Time (PTT) and Pulse Arrival Time (PAT) measurements — the time delay between the ECG R-peak (from the chest strap) and the PPG pulse arrival (from the arm sensor). This is used for non-invasive blood pressure trend estimation.
- Verity Sense + Muse S: The Verity Sense provides HR/HRV while the Muse provides EEG for combined autonomic + neural monitoring.
When multiple devices are connected, the app automatically routes each metric to the best source and labels data with the originating device.
Sleep tracking
When worn overnight, the Verity Sense enables:
- Sleep onset/offset detection from HR and HRV patterns.
- Sleep stage classification (deep, light, REM, awake) using the PPG sleep stage classifier.
- Overnight metrics: Average HR, minimum HR, average HRV (high-fidelity PPI-based), respiratory rate, sleep efficiency.
Start a sleep session from Settings → Heart Rate Monitor → Start Sleep Session.
Troubleshooting
- Sensor not appearing in scan — Press the side button to wake the Verity Sense. The LED should blink green. Ensure Bluetooth and location permissions are enabled.
- Poor HR signal — The optical sensor needs good skin contact. Wear it snugly on your forearm (not too tight, not too loose). Avoid wearing it over tattoos or very hairy areas.
- PPG data not streaming — Raw PPG only streams during active sessions or workouts to preserve battery. If you need continuous PPG, ensure a session is active.
- PPI not available — PPI requires the Polar PMD service. If PPI is unavailable, the app falls back to standard BLE RR intervals (labelled
fidelity: standard). - Connection drops frequently — Keep your phone within ~10 metres. The Verity Sense has a shorter BLE range than the H10 chest strap.
- Forget and re-pair — Go to Settings → Heart Rate Monitor → tap Forget on the device, then scan again.