Sync fix
Why is Apple Watch not counting steps on a walking pad or stroller?
Updated · 6 min read
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Short answer
Apple Watch's Activity app relies on arm motion; forum members report missed steps with a still arm. Swing it or carry your iPhone, which counts steps.
Your Apple Watch arm stays still on a walking pad or behind a stroller, and forum members report missed steps. Apple says the Activity app relies on arm motion, and that your iPhone's built-in sensors capture your steps too, so carry it in a pocket for those walks.
Choose a fix
| Fix | What you keep | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Swing your watch arm (step 1) | Exercise credit, in Apple's advice: minutes toward your daily Exercise goal, for movement at least as intense as a brisk walk; steps, in one forum member's report | One hand for the stroller or the desk |
| Start a Walk workout (step 2) | Exercise credit when you need both hands, in Apple's advice for Outdoor Walk | You start and end a workout for each walk, and Apple does not say that it adds steps |
| Carry your iPhone (steps 4 to 6) | Steps from the iPhone's sensors | Health may use another device's count |
| Add the steps by hand (step 7) | Steps that no device counted | You enter each walk yourself |
| Add an activity in Oura (Oura section) | Credit for the walk in Oura | You enter each walk yourself, and Oura's page does not say that it adds steps |
Steps
- On a walking pad, take your watch hand off the desk. Let the arm swing. Behind a stroller, push with your other hand. Apple gives this advice for Exercise credit on walks, such as a walk with a pet on a leash. One member of the r/AppleWatch forum on Reddit reports that the watch captures steps and distance on a walking pad after outdoor walks to calibrate it, which means that the watch learns their stride length. That member says that swinging their arms may be the reason.
- If you need both hands, go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Behind a stroller, turn the Digital Crown, the dial on the side of the watch, to Outdoor Walk. Tap it. On a walking pad, turn the Digital Crown to Indoor Walk. Tap it. Apple asks you to choose the workout that best matches what you are doing, such as Indoor Run on a treadmill. Apple says an Outdoor Walk can earn Exercise credit when you need both hands. It does not name Indoor Walk for this.
- If the watch reminds you to end your workout while you still walk, go to the Settings app on your Apple Watch. Tap Workout. Turn off the End Workout reminder. Apple says the watch reminds you to end a workout in case you get distracted while you cool down, and the reminders are on by default. One member of Apple Community, Apple's support forum, reports that the watch keeps thinking they are done on a walking pad. Apple does not link this to the reminder.
- To count steps with your phone instead, put your iPhone in a pocket while you walk. One member on r/AppleWatch puts the phone in a pocket on the walking pad so that the steps come from the phone.
- To see which devices write your steps, open the Health app on your iPhone. Tap Browse then Activity then Steps. Scroll down. Tap Data Sources & Access: the list of apps and devices that write steps to Health. Apple's default order puts data that you enter by hand first, then your iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple does not say which of the two comes first.
Step 5
In the Health app
- Browse
- Activity
- Steps
- To make Health use the iPhone's steps, tap Edit. Touch and hold the Change Order button next to your iPhone. Drag it to the top of the list. Tap Done. Apple says the source at the top takes priority over others when several sources write the same data type.
- To add a walk that no device counted, open the Health app. Tap Browse then Activity then Steps. Tap the Add Data button in the upper corner. Enter the date, the time and the number of steps. When you are finished, tap the Done button.
Step 7
In the Health app
- Browse
- Activity
- Steps
If it still doesn't work
- The watch still misses steps during a workout
Carry your iPhone (step 4) or add the steps by hand (step 7).
- Health shows no steps from your Apple Watch
In the Health app, tap the Profile button. Tap Devices. Tap your Apple Watch. Tap Privacy Settings. Turn on Fitness Tracking. Apple says a paired Apple Watch can automatically track your Activity, and gives this setting as the check for when Health doesn't track steps.
- Your iPhone's steps do not show in Health's total
Apple lists a new app or device at the top of the list automatically, above your iPhone. Check the order with steps 5 and 6.
If you also wear an Oura ring
Oura says the ring tracks activity with a 3D accelerometer, a motion sensor. One member of the r/ouraring forum on Reddit got about 5,000 steps from Oura while pushing a stroller, where companions had over 11,000, and thinks the stroller was the cause. Another member keeps the hand with the ring off the stroller. In a thread about a walking pad at a desk, one member says Oura does really rely on hand movement. Oura asks you to keep the ring's sensor bumps on the palm side of your finger for more accurate activity tracking.
To get credit for the walk in Oura:
- In the Oura app, tap the + button in the bottom right of the Today tab.
- Tap Add an activity. Choose an activity type.
- Add the start time, the duration and the intensity. Tap Done.
Oura says you can put Oura first in Health's Steps list, so that steps from two devices are less likely to count twice. While Oura is first, Health uses Oura's steps over your iPhone's and Apple Watch's, as step 6 explains.
Why this happens
One member on Apple Community assumes that the watch misses steps on a walking pad because the wrist rests on the keyboard. Another says the watch needs free movement of the watch arm to calculate steps. In watchOS 27, Apple says a redesigned pedometer (step counter) model helps measure the distance of treadmill walks more precisely. Apple says the model and the S11 chip also give more accurate step counts all day on Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Apple's watchOS 27 page does not name walking pads or strollers.
Questions
Does an Indoor Walk workout count steps on a walking pad?
Apple does not say that it does. Apple's Exercise credit advice is in step 2. One member on Apple Community reports that Indoor Walk on a walking pad was not counting steps as it should.
Can I wear Apple Watch on my ankle or in a pocket to count steps?
Apple says the sensors work only if you wear Apple Watch on the top of your wrist. One member on Apple Community reports that a side pocket or a band at the ankle captures steps with a walker or a shopping cart, and that the watch's other readings are then skewed. On r/AppleWatch, one member says a pocket does not work on a new watch and the ankle does not give credit for every step. Another member, with a Series 12, cannot get the watch to track walking pad steps strapped to the ankle.
Does calibrating Apple Watch help on a walking pad?
Apple does not say that it helps step counts. Apple says that calibration on an outdoor walk improves your distance, pace and calorie measurements, as the watch learns your stride length at different speeds. To calibrate, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Tap Outdoor Walk. Walk at your normal pace for about 20 minutes.
Sources
- 1Get the most accurate measurements using your Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 2Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 3Start a workout on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 4Change settings in Workout on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 5What's new in watchOS 27, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 6Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 7Intro to Health data on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 8How Oura Measures Steps & Activity, Oura Member Caresupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 9Edit or Manually Add an Activity, Oura Member Caresupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 10Apple Health Integration, Oura Member Caresupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 11My Apple Watch is not counting steps on walking pad, Apple Communitydiscussions.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 12Steps not registering on walking pad, Reddit r/AppleWatchreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
- 13Strap on ankle but not counting steps - walking pad, Reddit r/AppleWatchreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
- 14Steps and pushing a stroller, Reddit r/ouraringreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
- 15Step counting on a walking pad, Reddit r/ouraringreddit.com (opens in a new tab)