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How to Use Your iPhone as a Pedometer

You don't need a fitness tracker to count your steps

By Daniel N. Martin Daniel N. Martin Writer University at Buffalo Daniel Martin is a writer and researcher with 10+ years' experience. He is a professional librarian and an experienced tech and information literacy teacher. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 22, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section How to See Your Activity Data Add Pedometer Data to Your Health App Favorites Fix Issues Caused by iOS Updates Turn On the Health App How to Fix Steps Not Showing in the Dashboard How Does the iPhone Function as a Pedometer Your iPhone has a built-in step tracker. You don't have to turn this feature on; your iPhone is already tracking your steps by default. This article shows you how to view and customize the data it generates.

How to See Your Activity Data

Your iPhone can show you data on today's activities as well as trends across time. Here's how to see it. Tap the Health app icon on the iPhone Home screen. Tap the Summary tab at the bottom of the Health screen. Scroll down to the Highlights section, where you can see snapshots of your activities, such as Steps and Walking + Running Distance.

Adding Pedometer Data to Your Health App Favorites

To see your steps and distance data on the Favorites screen that first appears in the Health app: Open Settings and tap Notifications. Select Health. Select Health Notification Settings. On the Summary screen next to Favorites, select Edit. Select the star next to each activity you want to see in your Favorites. Tap Done. These functions running in the background have little to no impact on your battery’s performance and longevity.

Fixing Issues Caused by iOS Updates

Occasionally, your app might stop counting steps for no apparent reason. This can happen because your iPhone had an iOS 12 or 13 update that caused an issue. Fortunately, one of these quick fixes can get your iPhone tracking steps again in no time.

Make Sure the Health App Is Turned On

iOS updates occasionally alter your privacy settings, which in turn can affect how certain apps, like Health, function. To confirm that you have Health turned on: Open Settings > Privacy. Tap Motion & Fitness. Enable Health by moving the slider next to it to the On position. This ensures that your fitness data is displayed in the Health app dashboard.

How to Fix Steps Not Showing Up in the Health Dashboard

Your iPhone step tracker might be collecting data that is not showing up in the Health app dashboard because of update errors. To get your data working correctly again: Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Select Privacy and then tap Motion & Fitness. Make sure that Fitness Tracking is toggled on.

How Does the iPhone Function as a Pedometer

Your iPhone uses an accelerometer and air pressure sensor to track steps and flights of stairs climbed. Your iPhone can even sense whether you're walking on an incline or decline and tracks that as stair climbing. As long as you have your iPhone somewhere on your person or stowed in a bag you're carrying, it tracks how much you run and walk, as well as your overall movement in miles. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Activate Your Apple Watch Step Counter How to Change Activity Goals on Apple Watch The 10 Best Pedometer Apps for Android in 2022 How to Hide IP Address on iPhone The 8 Best Pedometer Apps for iPhone in 2022 How to Back Up Your iPhone to an External Hard Drive Apple Watch Not Tracking Steps? There's a Fix For That How to Fix It When Your iPhone Microphone Isn't Working How to Change Your iPhone's Name How to Set Up Your Fitbit Charge 2 How to Fix It When Snapchat Is Not Working on an iPhone How to Protect Private Info Stored on Your iPhone How to Clear Your iPhone Cache How Does a Fitbit Work? How to Use iPhone Low Power Mode How to Use Safety Check on iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies