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Health app counting steps.

Just got an Apple Watch and have noticed it counts considerably less steps than my iPhone - by approx 15%. I’ve had both with me all day. Is there something I need to change to get them to be closer?


also I keep reading that I can change the priority order of data sources in Health app, but every time I put Iphone at the top, within minutes it reverts to Apple Watch at top. Any ideas why?

Posted on Dec 26, 2019 12:07 PM

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6 replies

Dec 27, 2019 4:02 AM in response to Community User

Thanks. I had checked motion calibration was in but I hadn’t taken the watch out for a walk to help calibrate it yet. Will do that over the next few days and hopefully watch and iPhone steps will start to get a big closer.


Any idea why Health app keeps reverting to watch as priority data source? I keep moving iPhone to top but it doesn’t seem to stay there.

Dec 27, 2019 3:27 PM in response to Community User

Thanks for continuing to reply in what I’m sure feels like a trivial matter, but I’m just a little frustrated with the fact that the watch and phone measure steps differently.


I can see that the watch is tracking my workouts, but I also use the Health app to track the total number of steps I take each day over a longer period of time and it now seems like I’m going to have to get used to the number being much lower


I’m used to averaging approx 18k steps a day according to the Health app on my phone, but now that I’ve paired my watch, the number is likely to be a lot less - I’m basing this solely on 3 days activity where my phone says I’ve averaged 17k but my watch says 14.5k despite me always having both on me at all times.


Just seems strange that Apple would have different measurements on 2 devices


am sure I will get used to it over time but in the short term it’s disappointing

Dec 27, 2019 4:49 AM in response to 15lew

It's because you're exercising and the watch is constantly updating to the health app so the phone is giving it priority.

Health app counting steps.

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