My watch shows my workouts at over 1 hour —- but the exercise ring only shows 7 minutes of exercise. Why is the exercise ring not reading the workout?

Apple defines exercise as “brisk activity.”

According to apple support, for the activity ring to register your workout (for outdoor walk or exercise ring) you need to maintain a speed of approx 3.3 mph or faster,this is their definition of a "brisk walk".If you slow down or pause the watch will stop tracking your movement as exercise credit,it will still measure your steps and calories burnt but will not give you any credit towards the exercise ring or workout app.A brisk walk speed is different for everybody as the watch takes into account your age,sex,weight and heart rate which why it is important to calibrate the watch when you set it up from new,the idea being that you're being encouraged to put more effort in to walk faster and to get your heart beating faster, if you just walk at a slow pace then you are not going to improve your fitness or get all those award badges that we all seek.

If you've had the watch awhile and it seems to be inaccurate(eg. you excercise for 50 mins and are credited for only 5) then you can reset the calibration data on your phone and then recalibrate it again by doing a walking or running workout for at least 20 mins,the watch then learns your movements for an unspecified time in order to make the measurements as accurate as possible.

I had the exact same issue. For me it was b/c my heart rate wasn't up enough. Someone suggested I choose the "other" workout option instead of the indoor walk...I walk on a treadmill. That fixed it!! So I suggest you choose the "other" workout. Hope it helps.

You can use the "Other workout";

With this workout you earn the credit equivalent of a "brisk walk" which means 1 minute credit for every 1 minute in the workout regardless of how fast or how slow you walk,this is particulary useful for anyone that can't walk at the brisk walking pace of 3.3 mph or are recovering from injury or are an older person who just can't reach the "brisk walking" speed.

So if you do 30 minutes in the "other" workout then you will close your green exercise ring.Active calories are also recorded and estimated at a rate equivalent to a "brisk walk" or based on data recorded by the heart rate sensor in the watch, whichever is higher.

The workout has to be completed for it to register onto the activity app. When you finish a workout, swipe to the right, and tap end.

Some of us are old, 81, some of us take medications which slow our heart rate and will never reach the levels set by Apple. This is a change with the last update because when I first got my watch it was transferring my outdoor walks and cycling to the exercise ring. I am VERY unhappy with the change. It certainly defeats the purpose of the watch when we have to choose “"other" to get anything to transfer to the ring. I do have my age and other stats correctly entered. Apple support told me that walks of 3.3 mph and cycling of 9.8 mph Would transfer. Otherwise use “other.” It does transfer my lap swims. Only outdoor walks and outdoor cycling will not transfer. This is nothing but some young person not realizing that people of all ages and physical condition use these watches. Apple is discriminating against older persons.

Make sure all your details are up to date in the health app.

The watch uses that as part of it's calculations for your exercise stats.

Bottom line is get your heart rate up!

And if it is just to complete your rings then use "Other" workout, everything will count as exercise.

Switch your workout to Other. I had this problem and Other has solved it but I don't know the precise explanation.

When you walk open up “other open goal“ On the workout and it will count it. 😀

I agree! You can choose the “other” exercise and it will move that exercise ting.

I have had this issue and it is driving me nuts. I called them and what the other person said it true...you have to get your heart rate up. But I told them I have a hip replacement and I can't walk that fast. I told them I should be able to control a setting on the heart rate and lower it so the **** exercise ring records it. Or simply allow us to update the ring from the exercise workout. It constantly shows me walking for 45 minutes but only get 30 minutes of credit. So just let me press a button on the screen "update from workout" as it shows my path, how long I walked and miles walked.

Yes, I agree. That's my height too. I walk the dogs 30 mins/in the morning and may only get 10% on the ring. Then I do it again at night and may get up to 30%. Plus walking on snow and ice can be quite slow altho' it's plenty of exercise. I will experiment with 'Other workout'.

I am 80 years old and I walk as briskly as I can, and this exercise doesn't appear on the activities ring. I don't think it will be wise for me to take my heart rate up to 146. What kind of exercise can I do to have it count to the exercise ring?

I find it infuriating that Apple decides what exercise means. I have a hip replacement and can’t walk fast. Not sure why it just doesn’t allow you to update the exercise ring from the workout that it tracks. Who cares how fast I walk. Using the “other” feature doesn’t track where I walk which I like to look at afterwards. It doesn’t give you the mileage of the exercise either (if I remember correctly)

Initially, this issue started for me back in October or November 2019. So, I purchased a new watch (Series 5)

thinking that was the issue. It’s awful, I walked 4 miles last week when the weather was beautiful and only got credit for about five minutes. Why? Clearly, others are having the same issue and Apple needs to resolve it. It’s causing me unnecessary stress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for sharing this problem with the community.

I am so thankful to hear that I am not the Lone Ranger with this issue. This has certainly caused my activity level to fall off significantly. Especially, with the COVID pandemic we are now facing. I purchased the Apple Watch primarily for the exercise activity features. Thought it was an issue with my old watch, so I purchased a brand new Series 5 last November, 2019, only to find I’m having the same issues. I am very disappointed that Apple does not realize people of all ages use and depend on such devices. Thank you for the detailed explanation and advice on how to get credit for my choice of exercise - outside walking.