Integrated ECG (electrocardiogram) contacts enable opportunistic heart rate monitoring on a handheld electronic device. First and second ECG contacts are integrated into the device to connect, respectively, first and second ECG electrodes to an internal ECG circuit within the device. The ECG electrodes have vertical and horizontal portions that can be separate portions connected to a common contact, or different portions of an ‘L-shaped’ electrode. The ECG electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of the device to enable opportunistic two-hand contact when the device is used in either landscape or portrait orientation. The internal ECG circuit is to detect two-hand contact by the user on the first and second electrodes, and perform ECG monitoring in response to detecting two-hand contact. A mobile device can opportunistically capture heart rate data along with user context and provide alerts if a deviation is detected between heart rate data and user activity.
