How are the steps on the Apple Watch integrated with the motion tracker in the iPhone?

[iMore Question]

Counting Steps on Apple Watch

I'm confused about how the steps from the motion tracker in the iPhone and the steps from the Apple Watch are integrated if they are integrated at all. The Apple Health app on the iPhone shows steps and lists both the iPhone and the Apple Watch as sources but I think the steps in the Apple Health app are only coming from MobileTrack on the iPhone not the Apple Watch.

I want to send my steps to Fitbit because my wife and two of her sisters have a Fitbit and we have a running competition as to who gets the most steps. In the Fitbit app on the iPhone, I can use "MobileTrack" directly as a source for steps. That works fine but it seems to only work with the motion tracker in the iPhone rather than the step counter in the Apple Watch. That's a problem if I have to carry my iPhone to count steps when I walk on a treadmill.

I've also got a copy of the Sync Solver app that syncs steps from both the Apple Watch and the iPhone to Fitbit, but I'm not sure that's necessary if the Fitbit app can read the steps directly off of the iPhone. Has anyone figured out how to make this work?

 

[Bigeric23]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

From what I've ready, you should keep using Sync Solver.

 

[Adnams]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

I had a thought along similar lines recently - I track my daily steps purely out of curiosity, so I can see how far I walk each day and up until now had been using my iPhone for this:

Settings > Privacy > Motion & Fitness > Fitness Tracking set to 'On'

However, now I've got my Watch, I'd rather use that as the source, given that it's on my wrist all day except overnight. Should Fitness Tracking on the phone now be set to 'Off' or does the Activity app on the Watch make use of it? I can't say I've ever seen that explained anywhere ...

 

[anon(9343851)]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

The Health app will use both your iPhone and your WATCH to count your steps as long as you enable both as Sources. The precedence is determined under Share Data. If you generally carry your iPhone in your pants pocket, I would recommend giving precedence to the iPhone, because it will be more accurate than your WATCH. When you're not carrying your iPhone, Health will in turn use data from your WATCH since no data will be available from the iPhone then.

For anyone who generally carries their iPhone in a purse or similar, I'd give precedence to the WATCH.

In either case, do keep both as Sources for the greatest accuracy.

The Activity app only records data from the WATCH.

 

[tsparks1]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

The Health app will use both your iPhone and your WATCH to count your steps as long as you enable both as Sources. The precedence is determined under Share Data. If you generally carry your iPhone in your pants pocket, I would recommend giving precedence to the iPhone, because it will be more accurate than your WATCH. When you're not carrying your iPhone, Health will in turn use data from your Watch since no data will be available from the iPhone then.

For anyone who generally carries their iPhone in a purse or similar, I'd give precedence to the WATCH.

In either case, do keep both as Sources for the greatest accuracy.

The Activity app only records data from the WATCH.

Thank you for this info, clearest and most concise explanation I've found yet.

 

[Cesar Granados]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

The Health app will use both your iPhone and your WATCH to count your steps as long as you enable both as Sources. The precedence is determined under Share Data. If you generally carry your iPhone in your pants pocket, I would recommend giving precedence to the iPhone, because it will be more accurate than your WATCH. When you're not carrying your iPhone, Health will in turn use data from your WATCH since no data will be available from the iPhone then.

For anyone who generally carries their iPhone in a purse or similar, I'd give precedence to the WATCH.

In either case, do keep both as Sources for the greatest accuracy.

The Activity app only records data from the WATCH.

Thank you for this info, clearest and most concise explanation I've found yet.

Not really because the OP question is not answered. The question is how can Fitbit consider the steps from the Watch. The answer is that it can not. Fitbit mobiletrack option only considers the steps from the iphone and not the watch. Syncsolver does consider the steps from the watch to pass to Fitbit app but fitbit has decided not to count those steps for challenges because they consider those manual 3rd party entries. So OP if your purpose is to have challenges then you have to use a fitbit device. If you dont care about the challenges but still like the fitbit layout for tracking data you can use syncsolver. If you like both the challenges and fitbit layout (like i do) you will have to wear a fitbit device.

 

[tsparks1]

Re: Counting Steps on Apple Watch

Not really because the OP question is not answered. The question is how can Fitbit consider the steps from the Watch. The answer is that it can not. Fitbit mobiletrack option only considers the steps from the iphone and not the watch. Syncsolver does consider the steps from the watch to pass to Fitbit app but fitbit has decided not to count those steps for challenges because they consider those manual 3rd party entries. So OP if your purpose is to have challenges then you have to use a fitbit device. If you dont care about the challenges but still like the fitbit layout for tracking data you can use syncsolver. If you like both the challenges and fitbit layout (like i do) you will have to wear a fitbit device.

It's still the best explanation of the Health app usage I've seen yet, granted not what the OP was looking for but I'll take any tidbit of info I can get.:biggrin: