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Duplicate workouts in Apple Health: how do I fix them?

Updated · 4 min read

Apple WatchWrites to Apple Health
StravaWrites to Apple Health
Apple HealthRanks your sources
biomonReads Apple Health
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Apple Watch and Strava both send data to Apple Health. Biomon reads Apple Health.

Short answer

Two apps are likely saving the same workout. Let one app write it: in Strava, for example, turn off Send to Health. Then delete the extra copy in Health.

Duplicate workouts in Apple Health on iPhone likely mean that two apps save the same session, such as Apple's Workout app on Apple Watch and Strava. Find the app that writes the second copy, let only one app write that workout to Health, then delete the copy that is already there.

See the 2 steps

Find the app that writes the second copy

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone. Tap Browse then Activity then Workouts.

    Step 1

    In the Health app

    1. Browse
    2. Activity
    3. Workouts
  2. Scroll down. Below Options, tap Data Sources & Access: the list of the apps and devices that write workouts to Health. Only the sources that contribute workouts show there.

If Strava is in the list and you record with Apple's Workout app, go to "Stop Strava sending the workout back". For another app, go to "Stop another app writing workouts".

Which change to choose

Change What you keep What you lose
Send to Health off, in Strava Workout app activities still upload to Strava Strava no longer sends the route, activity type, distance, time and calories of its activities to Health
Workouts write off, in Health The app's own features, inside the app That app saves no workouts to Health

Stop Strava sending the workout back

Two Strava switches matter here. Send to Health sends Strava activities to Health. Automatic Uploads brings activities from Apple's Workout app into Strava. One member of r/Strava reported that with both on, Strava sent some imported workouts back to Health as separate activities. They were workout types that Strava may rename or reclassify, such as Core Training, which becomes Other in Strava.

  1. Open Strava. On the You tab, tap the settings icon in the upper corner.
  2. Tap Manage Apps and Devices then Health.

    Step 2

    Where to tap

    1. Manage Apps and Devices
    2. Health
  3. Turn off Send to Health.
  4. Leave Automatic Uploads on.

The same member reported that this ended the loop, kept the uploads from Apple Watch to Strava working, and did not need Strava to be disconnected from Health.

Stop another app writing workouts

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone. Tap Summary. Tap your picture or initials.
  2. Below Privacy, tap Apps.
  3. Tap the app that writes the second copy.
  4. Turn off its permission to write Workouts.
  5. If heart rate also shows twice, turn off its permission to write Heart Rate.

Delete the copy that is already in Health

Delete the copy from the app that you stopped, such as Strava, and keep the one from the app that still writes workouts.

  1. Open the Health app. Tap Browse then Activity then Workouts.

    Step 1

    In the Health app

    1. Browse
    2. Activity
    3. Workouts
  2. Below Options, tap Show All Data: the list of each workout record in Health.
  3. Find the copy from the app that you stopped. Numify, a calorie app maker, says that this list shows each workout by date and source.
  4. Swipe left on that copy. Tap Delete.

If it still doesn't work

  • The Activity app lists the same workout twice

    Turn off workouts for one of the two apps, as in "Stop another app writing workouts". In a May 2021 Apple Support Community thread, one member reported that the Activity app on the watch and iPhone listed two workouts, although calories did not appear to be counted twice.

  • You recorded the same session in Strava's watch app and the Workout app

    Record each session in one app. Strava says that it does not recommend using Strava with other fitness trackers at the same time, and that other workout apps that use the Apple Watch's GPS may interfere with your Strava recording.

  • Oura writes a workout that your watch also recorded

    Oura lists workouts in the data that it exports to Apple Health. Turn off Oura's permission to write Workouts, as in "Stop another app writing workouts".

Why this happens

The Health app takes similar data from different sources and organizes it by where the data comes from. Apple says that when several sources contribute the same data type, the source at the top of Data Sources & Access takes priority over the others. Apple's support pages that this guide cites do not say how Health handles two workouts from the same session. In one r/Strava member's report above, Health listed both copies. Athlytic, a third-party app maker, says that duplicates happen when two apps, such as Apple's Workout app and Strava, both save the same workout to Health.

Questions

Does deleting a duplicate workout in Health delete it on my other devices?

It can. Apple says that if your Health data syncs over iCloud, deleting data on one device removes it from all synced devices connected to the same iCloud account.

Do hidden duplicate activities still count in Strava?

Yes. An r/Strava account named strava-team said that hiding them only removes them from your feed, and both activities still count toward your totals, stats and challenges. It said the cleanest option is to keep one activity and delete the duplicate.

Sources

  1. 1Apple Health and Strava, Strava Help Centersupport.strava.com (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2Strava Apple Watch App, Strava Help Centersupport.strava.com (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4View your data in Health on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5Share your data in Health on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6Apple Health Integration, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7How to Fix Duplicate Workouts in Apple Health & Athlytic, Athlyticathlyticapp.helpscoutdocs.com (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8Why are my workouts duplicated in the app?, Numify Help Centerintercom.help (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9Apple Watch workouts duplicated in Apple Fitness, Strava and Sports Tracker, r/Stravareddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10Question about duplicate data, r/Stravareddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11Activity App (watch and iPhone) display duplicate workouts, Apple Support Communitydiscussions.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
Guides

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Strava and Apple Health: what syncs each way?

Turn on Strava's Send to Health to send activity type, distance, time and calories to Health. Strava imports Apple Workout app workouts up to 30 days old.

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How do I change data source priority in Apple Health?

On iPhone, open Health (Browse > category > data type > Data Sources & Access), tap Edit and drag a source to the top. Health uses the top source first.

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Why is my Apple Watch workout not showing on iPhone?

Your Apple Watch and iPhone may not be syncing. Find where the workout is missing, check the connection and Fitness Tracking, then restart both devices.

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