Apple Watch Series 8 step counting

Well … your Apple Watch tracks your arm motion, measured by the built-in accelerometer, when estimating results including steps and distance. We cannot change that but I do most of my exercise using recumbent machines and found these options to be helpful when tracking steps:

• On the watch, you can start/stop the exercise called Indoor Walk. When I use my upright walker to take my daily walks, my hands do not move but this exercise still tracks heart rate and other data besides my steps. I added Workout to the Dock on my watch. This made it very easy to turn Indoor Walk on/off right from the watch. It’s not a perfect solution but it works well for me. To add this to your Dock, open the Watch app on your iPhone. Select Dock then select Workout.

• Use your iPhone to track steps. Instructions are here but remember to place your iPhone in a pocket that will move when you walk - like a side or back pocket. Use the Health app on your iPhone or iPod touch - Apple Support

• Final suggestion but you may not like it … place your watch in your sock so the back of the watch touches skin. This method will count all your data but it voids the opportunity to quickly check the time on your wrist.

If you are interested in trying the first option - Workout - I have several more tips I can offer to minimize the number of time you have to turn it off/on. I’d be happy to share if you want.