WHOOP 5.0 and MG Status

WHOOP 5.0 / MG — What Works, What Doesn't, and Why

This is the single most-asked topic. If you have a WHOOP 5.0 or MG, please read this before opening an issue — it explains exactly what NOOP can and can't do with the newer straps today, and why. Most "X isn't working on my 5/MG" reports are answered here.

NOOP started life on the WHOOP 4.0, which is the fully-supported, tested-end-to-end strap. The 5.0 and MG are newer and use a different, partly-unmapped data format, so support is real but still being filled in. Here's the honest state.

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✅ Works today on 5.0 / MG

• Live heart rate — streams in real time. (On the 5/MG, NOOP derives HR from the strap's PPG signal for continuity; it's measured, not guessed.)
• History offload — the strap's stored records sync over Bluetooth (the "v18" layout). You'll see nights bank in.
• Strain / Effort — computed from heart rate, same as the 4.0.
• Steps — yes, the 5/MG reports steps. See the caveat below about the number looking high.
• The buzz / haptics, battery level, and the standard on-device scores that are derived from HR.

🚧 Still being figured out on 5.0 / MG

• Recovery, Sleep stages, and the deeper overnight metrics. These depend on decoding the 5/MG's full overnight sensor records, which use a format we're still reverse-engineering (see #344 — actively in progress). Live HR and strain don't need it; recovery and sleep do. This is the big one, and it's coming, not ignored.
• Deeper raw data (the "R22" packets). There's an opt-in, experimental toggle in Settings that asks the strap to send richer data, mirroring what the official app enables. It's there for people who want to help crowdsource the decode.

❌ Not available (and why — it's an honesty thing, not a bug)

• SpO₂ / blood oxygen. A WHOOP strap never sends a finished SpO₂ percentage over Bluetooth — it streams only the raw red/infrared optical signal, and WHOOP computes the % in their own cloud with per-device calibration we don't have. We won't put a number on screen we can't compute honestly. The only way to see a real SpO₂ % in NOOP is to import your WHOOP CSV export (Settings → Import), which carries the finished value. (Tracked in #468 / #409 — both closed as "data-availability limit, not a fixable bug".)

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Common 5/MG questions

"My step count looks way too high on the 5/MG." Known, and fixable by you. The 5/MG's raw counter over-reports; NOOP applies a correction, and there's a calibration in Settings → Steps if it's still off. Full detail in the FAQ.

"It pairs but keeps refusing / 'bond refused' in the log." The 5/MG is fussier about bonding than the 4.0, usually because the official WHOOP app still holds the bond. Walk through the Troubleshooting steps.

"When will recovery / sleep work on the 5/MG?" When the overnight record format is decoded. The fastest way to help: if you're technical, a raw capture on #344 directly moves it forward. No ETA promises — but it's the project's top reverse-engineering priority.

"Should I buy a 5/MG or a 4.0 to use with NOOP?" If NOOP is your main reason: the 4.0 is the complete experience today (recovery, sleep, strain, the lot). The 5/MG gives you live HR, strain and history now, with the deeper metrics arriving as the decode lands.

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Want to help unblock the rest?

The single biggest lever is raw overnight captures from a 5/MG so we can map the record format — see #344 for exactly what's needed. One good capture has already cracked the structure open. 🙏

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See also: FAQ · Troubleshooting · Strap Support and Pairing · Home