Apple Watch not tracking exercise

Hi

The following steps may help:

Check your personal information, which is used when your Apple Watch estimates Activity results:

• On your iPhone, in the Watch app, to go: My Watch > Health.
• Check and, if required, edit your data to ensure that it is accurate.
• If the setting for Wheelchair currently states "Not Set", then tap on Edit (upper-right) > tap on "Not Set" and change it to "Yes" or "No" as appropriate (options are shown in the bottom area of the screen) > tap on Done (upper-right).

If you are not yet doing so, then use these settings and check that you are unlocking your Apple Watch after putting it on:

• On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > Passcode:
  • Turn on each of Wrist Detection, Passcode and Unlock with iPhone.
• After putting it on your wrist, your Apple Watch will then unlock after whatever you do first: either unlocking your watch manually (by entering the passcode) or unlocking your iPhone.
• It will then remain unlocked (including when the screen is asleep) until you remove it from your wrist.
• When you remove your Apple Watch, it will lock automatically.

Check that you are wearing your Apple Watch sufficiently snugly on the top of your wrist (it may otherwise believe that it has been removed):

• Wearing your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Other issues that can impact sensor performance include skin perfusion and wrist tattoos:

• Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support
• Get the most accurate measurements using your Apple Watch - Apple Support

If you have ever (not necessarily recently) previously used the Workout app and/or any third-party fitness, sleep or heart rate tracking apps on your watch, then check on your Apple Watch to see whether there is an active or paused session within any of them.

• If there is, then end that session from within the app on your watch (not your iPhone).
• If in doubt, then remove any such third-party apps from your Apple Watch, at least temporarily.

If you are using any third-party fitness tracking apps, then check the developers' support resources and/or contact the developers to check for any known issues affecting how data is shared to the Health app on your iPhone.

Follow this sequence of steps:

• Turn both devices off together, then restart your iPhone first:
  • Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
  • Restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Check your Location Services settings, both in preparation for calibration (see below) and to benefit from the feature under other circumstances:

• On your iPhone, go to: Settings > Privacy > Location Services:
  • Check that Location Services (the main setting at the top) is turned on.
  • In the list of apps beneath, check that Apple Watch Workout is set to While Using.
  • Also enable options under System Services including Motion Calibration & Distance, Wi-Fi Networking and Mobile Network Search.

Allow the arm on which you are wearing your Apple Watch to swing naturally as you move around during daily wear and to move as expected during workouts:

• During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record workouts when GPS data is either not relevant or not available, the Activity app and Workout app track your arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) when estimating results including steps.

Calibrate your Apple Watch, including resetting any existing calibration data:

• Calibration teaches your Apple Watch how your arm movements relate to your stride lengths at different speeds when you are walking and/or running. It does this, during outdoor walk and/or outdoor run workouts that are recorded via the Workout app, by comparing data from the accelerometer with GPS (Location Services) data.
• To calibrate your Apple Watch - and to reset existing calibration data - follow the instructions here:
  • Calibrating your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support
• Resetting your calibration data and calibrating afresh can be equally as helpful for Series 3 models and will not erase your Activity history.

Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch:

• The Watch app on your iPhone takes a backup of your watch automatically when unpairing via the app.
• Initially choose to Restore from Backup during set up (most data and settings will be restored, with some exceptions, such as Apple Pay cards, passcode).
• If the issue persists, consider instead unpairing and setting it up as a new watch.
• Unpair your Apple Watch and iPhone - Apple Support
• Set up your Apple Watch - Apple Support

If the issue then persists, I suggest that you contact Apple Support (remote diagnostics and/or mail-in service may be available, if required), make a Genius Bar reservation or visit an Apple Authorised Service Provider for assistance:

• US: Apple Watch Service Answer Center - Apple Support
• Elsewhere: Apple - Support