It’s frustrating when your smartwatch doesn’t track your activity like it should or when this feature suddenly stops working. But don’t worry—we’ve got some solutions.
If your Apple Watch isn’t tracking your activity correctly, the problem might be a software or syncing issue, wrong settings, or it may just need a quick recalibration.
Let’s go over the main reasons this happens and the simple steps to get your watch back to working smoothly.
Why Isn’t My Apple Watch Detecting My Activity?
There have been complaints about “Apple Watch not tracking exercise correctly” or rather “Apple Watch not tracking activity after update”.
Well, if this is the case for you, the following headings below will give you a better understanding why this problem keeps happening.
- Software Glitches: Software bugs or minor glitches can sometimes cause tracking problems. Often, a simple restart can clear these temporary issues.
- Syncing Problems with iPhone: Sometimes, the connection between your Apple Watch and iPhone can lose sync, causing it to stop recording activity data accurately.
- Disabled Fitness Tracking: Fitness Tracking or Heart Rate settings may have been accidentally disabled, preventing the watch from accurately recording your movements.
- Poor Apple Watch Calibration: If you don’t calibrate apple watch properly, it may not measure distances, steps, or pace correctly, especially after a location change or software reset.
- Firmware or Update Issues: After a software update, the watch may need to reconfigure its settings, which could lead to tracking issues.
Solutions to Fix Apple Watch Not Tracking Activity Problems
Fix 1: Restart Your Apple Watch and iPhone
Press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the power-off slider appears.
Tap the power icon, then slide to turn off your watch.
After a moment, press the side button again until you see the Apple logo to turn it back on.
Restarting your devices can clear minor glitches and may fix the tracking problem.
Fix 2: Reset Sync Data on Your Apple Watch
On your iPhone, open the Watch app and go to General > Reset.
Tap Reset Sync Data to re-establish a fresh connection between the watch and iPhone.
Fix 3: Enable Fitness Tracking
On your iPhone, open the Watch app and go to Privacy. Ensure Fitness Tracking and Heart Rate are turned on.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness on your iPhone and check that Fitness Tracking is enabled.
Enabling these settings ensures the Apple Watch can record movements, steps, and heart rate accurately.
Fix 4: Recalibrate Your Apple Watch
Open Settings on your iPhone, go to Privacy > Location Services, and confirm it’s enabled.
Tap System Services and make sure Motion Calibration & Distance is also enabled.
Start an Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run in the Workout app on your Apple Watch and maintain your pace for about 20 minutes.
This recalibration improves the watch’s accuracy in measuring distances, steps, and other metrics.
Fix 5: Unpair and Re-pair Your Apple Watch
Unpair the Apple Watch in the Watch app on your iPhone. During this process, your iPhone will back up your watch data.
After unpairing, re-pair your devices and restore from the backup or set up as a new watch.
Unpairing and re-pairing can reset settings and fix issues caused by recent updates or sync problems.
Fix 6: Reset Fitness Calibration Data (Final Option)
In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Privacy > Reset Fitness Calibration Data.
Confirm by tapping Reset again.This will clear past fitness data and history, which can sometimes resolve tracking inaccuracies.
After resetting, you may need to recalibrate your watch.
Conclusion
These solutions should help restore the activity tracking feature on your Apple Watch.
Start with the simpler steps, as they often resolve most issues.
By following these methods, your watch should get back to accurately recording your movements, steps, and other activity data.
FAQs on Apple Watch not tracking Activity or heart rate
Will unpairing and re-pairing my Apple Watch help with activity tracking issues?
Yes, unpairing and re-pairing can often solve issues related to recent updates or sync problems. It resets various settings and connections, and your watch data will be backed up during this process.
Why did my Apple Watch stop tracking activity after a software update?
Software updates can sometimes alter settings or require recalibration. Try restarting both your watch and iPhone, then recalibrate or reset sync data if tracking problems persist.
Does my Apple Watch need Location Services enabled for accurate tracking?
Yes, enabling Location Services and Motion Calibration & Distance (under Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services on your iPhone) helps the watch accurately measure steps, distance, and pace, especially for outdoor activities.
What does resetting Fitness Calibration Data do?
Resetting Fitness Calibration Data clears past tracking records and calibration data, which can resolve persistent inaccuracies. After resetting, you’ll need to recalibrate your watch by going on an outdoor walk or run for about 20 minutes.
