Arrow Tempo
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A Garmin ArcheryX alternative for the watch you already wear — Apple Watch or Wear OS
Garmin's ArcheryX brought automatic arrow counting and shot biometrics to the wrist — but it ships only on the Fenix 9 and is built for compound bows only. Arrow Tempo does hands-free counting, heart rate and hold time per arrow on an Apple Watch Series 4 or later or a Wear OS watch like Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, for recurve, compound and barebow, and then scores your target with your phone camera. The watch features are free.
Side by side
| Garmin ArcheryX | Arrow Tempo | |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | Fenix 9 / Fenix 9 Pro (pre-installed) | Any Apple Watch Series 4+ on watchOS 10, or a Wear OS watch (Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch) |
| Bow types | Compound only; recurve in development | Recurve, compound, barebow |
| Automatic arrow counter | Yes | Yes — bow-arm motion plus release sound |
| Heart rate | Yes, plus respiration and stress | Yes, at the moment of each release |
| Shot timing | Shot Execution Time (draw to release) | Hold time per arrow (bow arm up to release) |
| Bow-arm movement analysis | Shot Break Analysis, Minutes of Angle, Aim Trace | No |
| Target scoring | No | Phone camera scores the whole face; manual scoring too |
| Shot heatmap over weeks | No | Yes (Premium) |
| Phone app | Garmin ShotView (stats) | Arrow Tempo for iPhone and Android |
| Health sync | Garmin Connect | Apple Health Archery workout (iPhone) |
| Price | Included with a Fenix 9 | Free; Premium $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr |
Where Arrow Tempo wins
- No new watch. If you own an Apple Watch from 2018 or later, or a Wear OS watch like a Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, you already have the hardware. ArcheryX means buying a Fenix 9.
- Any bow. Counting works for recurve, compound and barebow today. ArcheryX is compound-only until Garmin ships recurve support.
- The target gets scored. ArcheryX stops at the shot. Arrow Tempo's phone app points the camera at the face and scores the end, on-device, with 36 free camera arrows every day.
- Free on the wrist. Counting, heart rate, hold time, Apple Health workouts and live sync cost nothing. Premium only adds unlimited camera scoring, the heatmap and full history.
Where ArcheryX wins
Honest answer: form analysis. Garmin's Shot Break Analysis, Minutes of Angle and Aim Trace look at what your bow arm does through the shot, and Garmin layers in respiration and stress from its own sensors. Arrow Tempo records hold time and heart rate per arrow but does not trace aim movement. If you're a compound archer who already wants a Fenix 9, ArcheryX is a strong reason to get one.
What a session looks like afterwards
Every arrow carries its heart rate and hold time, and the camera-scored ends sit beside them: average and peak heart rate across the session, hold per shot against your target tempo, and a round-by-round score table with each end's average hold.
How Arrow Tempo counts arrows
The watch samples motion at 100 Hz on your bow arm and listens for the release through its microphone. An arrow counts only when the bow-arm movement and the audio spike line up, so footsteps, nocking and range chatter don't add phantom shots. A walking detector pauses detection while you collect arrows. Audio is analysed in real time on the watch and never stored or uploaded. More on how the watch app works.
Requirements
An Apple Watch on watchOS 10 or later (Series 4 or later) paired with an iPhone on iOS 17 or later, or a Wear OS watch paired with an Android phone. Camera scoring runs on both phones. Free to download; Arrow Tempo Premium is $9.99/month or $59.99/year with a 1-week free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Does Garmin ArcheryX work with recurve bows?
Not at launch. Garmin says ArcheryX is designed for compound bows and that recurve support is in development. Arrow Tempo's automatic counting works with recurve, compound and barebow today.
Do I need a Fenix 9 to use ArcheryX?
Yes — it comes pre-installed on the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro. Arrow Tempo runs on any Apple Watch Series 4 or later on watchOS 10, or on a Wear OS watch paired with an Android phone.
Is there an ArcheryX alternative for Apple Watch or Wear OS?
Arrow Tempo, on both. It counts every arrow from bow-arm motion and the sound of the release, records heart rate and hold time per shot, saves sessions to Apple Health on iPhone, and the phone app scores your target with the camera. The watch features are free.
What does ArcheryX do that Arrow Tempo doesn't?
Detailed bow-arm movement analysis — Shot Break Analysis, Minutes of Angle and Aim Trace — plus Garmin's respiration and stress tracking. Arrow Tempo focuses on counting, heart rate and hold time on the watch, and on scoring the target from your phone, which ArcheryX does not do.
Arrow Tempo is built by Sergey Tyan, an International Master of Sports in compound archery, for his own comeback to competition.
Try it on your next practice
Free to download. Arrow Tempo Premium free for 1 week.
