Apple watch exercise not counting

I go to the gym for an hour in the mornings. Spend half my time on the treadmill and the other half on the strength and stretching machines. I noticed it hadn't been counting towards exercise. It was saying that I took so many steps and such speed for such distance, but still not exercise. I tried the workout ap which counted as a work out and did what it was supposed to but still did not count anything towards my exercise goal. This is very frustrating as I switched from the Fitbit to the Apple Watch hoping for more accuracy. Apple needs to find a real fix for this.

I have done all the reset un-pair what not for the watch and I still find that I don't understand the metric being recorded here. On my watch whenever I am done with a 2 to 2.5 mile walk and I end and save, the exercise ring will go all the way around and then some. When I check it later it will have backed off and credited me with half the exercise goal for the day. I hope that the Nike+ version works a bit better than the Apple watch does. I loved my Nike GPS watch and only came to the Apple watch for the heart rate function. I have been pretty disappointed so far.

You may find it helpful to review my previous reply in this thread, which also explains (at the end) how workouts can be recorded via the built-in Workout app whilst receiving Exercise credit for every minute of the workout:

Re: Re: Apple watch exercise not counting

As I hoped to explain, the built-in Workout app can be used to earn Exercise credit for every minute of a workout, even when the intensity level does not meet the normal requirement for earning Exercise credit.

To do so, record your activity via the Workout app under "Other".

My previous post refers: Re: Re: Apple watch exercise not counting

I've been have occasional trouble with high pace walks and low Exercise Ring credit.

I hope everybody is also contacting Apple at Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple . If you CnP the link it should take you to the Watch bit. If you just click I think you'll get the general feedback page.

Anyway, the more people who give their detailed experiences to Apple, the more chance there is we'll see some improvement. It may be slow in coming but if they don't hear from us directly, it'll certainly be slower still.

Apple doesn't necessarily read these posts. They might peruse them from time to time, but it's best to assume they don't. So besides posting here, you should contact Apple at Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple .

You may find it helpful to review my previous reply in this thread, which also explains (at the end) how workouts can be recorded via the built-in Workout app whilst receiving Exercise credit for every minute of the workout (although note that Distance is not recorded for Other workouts):

Re: Re: Apple watch exercise not counting

Unfortunately, there is no help for you other than to go make the choice to go back to FitBit or wear two devices, which you don't want to do.

Apple has made their choice. They chose not to give credit for mere walking. Instead they chose the somewhat arbitrary but near universal metric of a 'brisk walk' with the goal to help prevent heart disease. Slower walks don't seem help in that respect, at least according to the WHO and others. If your pace drops below what Apple internally defines as a brisk walk, you don't get credit for Exercise minutes for that period of time. The Watch shows your average speed as time/mile. Even if you don't stop, you slowed enough one or more times to not earn three Exercise minutes. Yet you picked up the pace enough somewhere to average 3mph (20min/mile). You were both slower and faster than 3mph. No credit for falling below, and no make up for going above the minimum speed to earn credit.

This is not a glitch or something that needs 'fixing'. It may be something you want changed, but it's working as intended by Apple. Apple does give you credit for being alive and upright with Stand and Move rings. But for exercise, they demand more of you to get Exercise minutes/credit, to potentially reduce the chance of a heart attack.

Aside from actual software or hardware problems, you and Apple have fundamental, philosophical, and medical differences as to the definition of Exercise. This would be similar to having a personal trainer who gives you 'credit' for doing 5min on the treadmill at 2mph or two sets of five curls with 1lbs weights when he/she knows you are easily capable of three sets of fifteen with 25lbs. Rather than give you credit for phoning in a workout, they might tell you to just take the day off. Well, except they do get paid for providing a 'training' session, so there's that.

Apple has committed to doing a heart study. To that end I don't see them changing their policy of giving Exercise credit to users who don't meet their criteria. There is also the motivation aspect of competition. Sharing workout performance with other users provides far less motivation and meaning for me and others when it's found they're getting the same credit for taking a casual stroll with their dog or walking to the refrigerator as I am when working to achieve 30 Exercise minutes in 30min. A 90min stroll apparently doesn't do the body good compared to a 30min brisk walk, and the latter is what Apple is going for. The pace could be increased from time to time during an extended walk to earn additional minutes, but that's not what you want.

Here's some Apple information on rings: Close Your Rings

So now it's up to you do decide what works best for you and how to achieve your goal.

Ditto. Unpaired, paired. I get to around 30 seconds and it pauses. I kept hitting the pause and after about 12 tries, it kept counting to 15 minutes (out of a 20 minute walk due to the pauses). I started thinking maybe it's because my watch isn't on tight enough and therefore is pausing because it is not detecting my wrist as well. Made it tighter on that last attempt at the pause button. Will test again later, but this is a possible solution if anyone else wants to try it. I find it interesting that this is happening exactly one year after purchase. Absolutely no issues till now. Apple needs a fix or this user is switching to Fitbit.

I have found that one hour of walking, even when swinging my arms from my head to past my hips in back, equals about one minute of Apple exercise. It will be impossible to get 30 minutes of exercise per day like this.

Tahoe, that made me lol. On my third repairing today. Have the day off to track this issue. Nothing changes. Goes into Pause on its own after 25-35 secondS in either Outdoor Walk or QuickStart. I wonder how many rings will fill up if I throw it as far as I can? I'm over it. It's going back to Apple with a long letter. Worked great for alost a year. It better still be under warranty.

I'm having the same problem. I chatted with an Apple support rep and did the unpair/pair and reset calibration data and Outdoor Walk doesn't give me exercise minutes. If I walk and do nothing with workouts, I get exercise minutes. I'm very disappointed with the Apple Watch as this is one of the key factors in moving away from the Fitbit for accuracy.

Just received my Apple Watch at the end of December. At first I had difficulty with the stand ring crediting me. I followed a fix a found on the internet which I think was pair/unpair. Unfortunately, I have had difficulty since day one with the exercise ring completing. My daughter received an Apple watch as well. We can do the same activity for the same number of minutes and she completes her ring but I do not receive credit for the activity. She is a fit 19 year old young woman. I am 50 not in as fit as she is. It would seem I should get credit for the activity since I am not as fit as she is and my heart rate is more elevated for the same duration of time.

First day and I am so dissapointed! I worked out for 40 minutes in a gym and it was a hard cardio work out- apple watch is telling me I had 4 minutes of exersise. And I burned 120 calories in the whole day. What?!?!? How could this be true?! And how can I fix it.

lovecybercat, I hear ya. I have had this problem on series 0 and series 2 watch since day one. Very frustrating when I have a robust 1-hour walking workout and get one minute of "apple exercise."

I have stumbled on a sort of cheat, but since my posts have been banned as not being helpful, you may never see this. There is an app that while engaged will put you in straight exercise mode. You can workout, or take a nap, and it will count as exercise. I am not a cheater and I only use it when I have clocked a good workout with no "exercise."

i notified the developers of this "bug" months ago, but no change. Whatever.