Two ways data reaches the app
Directly. The Workbench talks to the manufacturer’s servers itself. You sign in with your Oura or Polar account once, and from then on the app fetches your data straight from them. Through a hub. Apple Health is a hub: your watch, your ring and your scale all sync into it, and the Workbench reads Apple Health rather than each device. Many devices offer both routes. Your Oura ring can reach the Workbench directly and through Apple Health.Why that matters
Because the two routes do not carry the same things. A direct connection usually gives more — the manufacturer’s own sleep score, its own readiness figure, details it never writes into Apple Health. A hub connection is simpler but often lossier; some detail is flattened on the way in.This is the single most useful thing to understand about your own setup. If a
figure you expect is missing, the usual cause is that it took the lossier route,
not that the app cannot read it.
Which one should you use?
If a device has a direct connection available, use it. Connect it through Apple Health as well if you like — the app handles both, and will not double-count.What happens with several sources
If two sources can answer the same question — your watch and your ring both recorded last night — the app needs to know which to believe. That is what choosing your sources is about, and if you own one wearable you can skip it entirely.Connecting anything
Data Sources along the bottom of the app. Each source has a card showing its state and a way to connect or reconnect.Find your device
The pages that follow cover each source, what it gives you, and its quirks.