Steps Apple Watch vs iPhone

[Jay-Jacob]

I don’t have Apple Watch yet. Waiting next gen. At moment I use my iPhone check my steps count.

Apple Watch also do step count but wondering what happen both iPhone and Apple Watch with me walking? Will both work together or work separately give separate step numbers? Not sure how this work if using both?

I always take my iPhone with me so curious know what steps do with both??

 

[ftaok]

I don’t have Apple Watch yet. Waiting next gen. At moment I use my iPhone check my steps count.

Apple Watch also do step count but wondering what happen both iPhone and Apple Watch with me walking? Will both work together or work separately give separate step numbers? Not sure how this work if using both?

I always take my iPhone with me so curious know what steps do with both??

Here's my experience.

On the Health app, in the Steps tab, you can set the device priority to determine which device's steps get counted in the total. For me, the AW is the top priority and the iPhone is the second priority.

So when I have both my AW and the iPhone, the steps recorded by the AW is what is counted. If I take off my AW and go for a walk with just my iPhone, the iPhone's steps will be used in the Health app for that duration.

So there are fringe cases that can result in steps not being counted properly (or at all). Let's say you're at a supermarket and you have both you're AW plus your iPhone is in your pocket. If you push a cart, your AW is very likely to not count your steps as you won't be swinging your arms. The iPhone in your pocket, however, will count steps as it's jostling up and down in your pocket. But, the Health app will only use the steps recorded by the AW, since both devices were available.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jay-Jacob]

Here's my experience.

On the Health app, in the Steps tab, you can set the device priority to determine which device's steps get counted in the total. For me, the AW is the top priority and the iPhone is the second priority.

So when I have both my AW and the iPhone, the steps recorded by the AW is what is counted. If I take off my AW and go for a walk with just my iPhone, the iPhone's steps will be used in the Health app for that duration.

So there are fringe cases that can result in steps not being counted properly (or at all). Let's say you're at a supermarket and you have both you're AW plus your iPhone is in your pocket. If you push a cart, your AW is very likely to not count your steps as you won't be swinging your arms. The iPhone in your pocket, however, will count steps as it's jostling up and down in your pocket. But, the Health app will only use the steps recorded by the AW, since both devices were available.

Hope this helps.

That very helpful. Now I understand how it works. Thanks very much.

 

[Julien]

 

[Jay-Jacob]

Ah yeah I see now. Didn’t notice that before.

 

[Luiggi7]

I see a problem here. Today, I worked out with mountain cycle. My watch didn’t record any step, but my iPhone..... well, let’s see yourselves:

If you see between 17:53 and 19:31 AW didn’t record anything (except 11 steps at the beginning when I stopped to fill my water bottle and another ones at the end when I stopped to see my wheel). However, if we see the iPhone data, it is terrible, a lot of extra steps I never did!

The solution here, is that we can disable iPhone tracking data on health, iPhone will keep collecting data (for whatever app wants it) but health won’t record it.

Privacy- physical activity - health - off.

 

[Jay-Jacob]

I now have Apple Watch.

Apple Watch and iPhone both have steps number in health app BUT only Apple Watch get counted for daily steps count. You can see iPhone steps count but it not counted with total.

 

[avkam]

>> I see a problem here. Today, I worked out with mountain cycle. My watch didn’t record any step, but my iPhone.....<<
This is exactly what irritates me. I don't want to turn Health off from my iPhone, but I would like to just delete iPhone from step source. And for me both iPhone/AW counts into Health app. If I use like Strava Watch app for recording my ride (resultin no steps from AW), but I'll get plenty of false steps from iPhone (mountain biking). Apple Health still sucks big time compared to other fitness apps like Fitbit or Garmin Connect.