Incorrect daily average step count calculation in Fitness app

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Level 1

9 points

Incorrect daily average step count calculation in Fitness app

In the Fitness app, the average step count is incorrectly calculated. For example, this week, my daily steps were 11,199, 12,060, 12,046, 12,051, 12,326, 21,458 and 12,664. The app computes my Daily Average as 11,726. However, it should be 13,400.... Pretty straightforward math. What's the problem? (Or what am I not understanding about "Daily Average"?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Calculating average step count

iPhone 13 mini

Posted on Oct 26, 2025 3:07 PM

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Answer 1

Dochlf

Level 1

8 points

Nov 2, 2025 3:46 PM in response to LD150

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Answer 2

Nov 2, 2025 5:49 PM in response to Halesian

Halesian wrote:

I had a bigger Sunday than planned. So the gap between the actual average and the Apple one narrowed, but it is definitely wrong.

Did you miss the fact that the Health app uses SUNDAY through SATURDAY. Have you tried checking the average for that time period?

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Answer 3

Oct 27, 2025 7:18 AM in response to Halesian

The health app uses the US standard calendar, so a week begins on Sunday and goes through Saturday, not Monday to Sunday. I just checked on my iPhone and the average was correct.

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Answer 4

Oct 26, 2025 6:36 PM in response to Halesian

Probably its definition of a week is not the same as your definition of a week.

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Answer 5

Halesian Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 27, 2025 8:25 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Would be interested to know how you changed the start of your week in the Fitness app to Sunday. Every available online resource says that it is fixed on Monday and cannot be changed. Even if you reset the start day of the week elsewhere in iOS. (FYI: Mine is set to Sunday as the first day of the week everywhere else and always has been.)

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Answer 6

LD150

Level 10

104,008 points

Nov 2, 2025 3:24 PM in response to Halesian

Do you have a screen shot of the average for the week? Like this

i must admit that I don't take much notice of the extremely inaccurate steps which can be generated by knitting or typing. I know some people think they are some sort of measure of effort.

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Answer 7

Halesian Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 26, 2025 7:18 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Nope. The numbers I cited are the numbers from the display: Monday through Sunday. The math is not being calculated correctly.

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Answer 8

Dochlf

Level 1

8 points

Nov 2, 2025 12:37 PM in response to Halesian

Following - same problem

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Answer 9

Halesian Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 2, 2025 1:50 PM in response to Dochlf

I just had a week where the average was 2,000 steps per day LOWER than the lowest single day count. Makes you wonder about the accuracy of every data point recorded for steps.

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Answer 10

Halesian Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 2, 2025 5:32 PM in response to LD150

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Answer 11

Halesian Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 2, 2025 5:39 PM in response to Dochlf

I had a bigger Sunday than planned. So the gap between the actual average and the Apple one narrowed, but it is definitely wrong.

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Incorrect daily average step count calculation in Fitness app

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