The Apple Watch and iPhone automatically track steps and distance. with minimal setup. You can easily track your steps using your Apple Watch through the Activity app and the paired Fitness and Health apps on your iPhone.
On Your Apple Watch
- Open the Activity app: Press the Digital Crown to open the app screen, then tap the Activity app icon (three rings).
- Scroll down to view your steps: Swipe up on the screen or use the Digital Crown to scroll past your Move, Exercise, and Stand rings. You’ll find your total steps listed along with distance and flights climbed.
- View your weekly summary: Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap “Weekly Summary” to see your step count and other activity progress for the current week.
On Your iPhone
- Open the Fitness app: You’ll see your step count displayed in the Summary tab, beneath your Activity Rings.
- Access step history in the Health app:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap “Browse”.
- Select “Activity”.
- Tap “Steps” to see your step totals by day, week, month, and year.
On Your Apple Watch Face
While the built-in Activity app doesn’t allow you to display steps directly on the watch face, you can download a third-party app like Pedometer++ or StepsApp to enable this feature.
To add a steps complication:
- Download a pedometer app on your iPhone that offers Apple Watch complications.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Select the watch face you want to customize and tap “Edit”.
- Swipe to the complications screen.
- Tap a complication area and select your chosen step tracking app from the list.
Tips for accurate tracking
- Wear your Apple Watch correctly on your wrist to ensure proper heart rate and hand movement detection.
- Keep your height and weight information updated on your Apple Watch for more accurate calorie calculations, according to this YouTube video.
- Start a workout when pushing a stroller or performing activities that may not involve natural arm movement, according to Noteboom Tutorials. This allows the Apple Watch to use the heart rate monitor in addition to the accelerometer to track activity.
