The Apple Watch Activity app is one of the most essential and most-used apps on Apple Watch, especially for anybody who is concerned about health and fitness. Setting it is simple: you just need to install the app on your Apple Watch and follow the on-screen prompts.
To get more reports, you should pair your Apple Watch Activity App with the one on your iPhone. Lately, many iOS users have been experiencing a problem where the Apple Watch Activity app is not working even after pairing with its iPhone companion app.
When the Activity app fails to sync the two devices, it makes it hard to change your activity goals, set timers, or keep track of your exercises.
Diagnosing the Apple Watch Activity app
When you are experiencing an issue with the Activity app on your Apple Watch, the first step is to determine whether other apps are responding. If they are working, the problem is more likely on your end.
The second step is to confirm whether its iPhone companion app is working too. Finally, you can also ask your friends if it is working on their devices. If it does, then the problem is specific to your Apple Watch.
How to fix the Activity app on Apple Watch or iPhone
Try out these solutions:
1. Enable “Motion & Fitness” on your iPhone.
One of the probable reasons why the Apple Watch Activity App not working could be because you have not enabled the “Motion & Fitness” on your iPhone.
To enable it:
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Scroll down to Motion & Fitness
- Toggle Fitness Tracking to the ON position.
After turning the fitness tracking on, go to your iPhone and launch My Watch app. Go to Privacy Settings > Fitness Tracking and Heart Rate and turn it ON. If Fitness Tracking was already on, just restart both devices. This second step should solve issues with the Apple Watch activity app not syncing.
2. Restart both the iPhone and Apple Watch
If the activity app shows a blank screen, you should restart both the iPhone and the Apple Watch. If you are using iPhone 8 or older:
- Press and hold the power button
- If you see the power off slider, drag it to switch off the iPhone
- After a few seconds, press the power button to restart the phone.
To restart iPhone X and the newer models:
- Press the side button together with either the volume up or down button
- Hold the two buttons for a few seconds.
- You will see the power off slider; drag it to switch the phone off.
- Wait for a few seconds before pressing and holding the buttons again to restart the iPhone.
Once you have restarted your iPhone, restart your Apple Watch by following these steps:
- Locate the side button your watch
- Press and hold it
- Once you see the power off slider, drag it to switch the watch off
- After a few seconds, press the button until you see the Apple Logo.
Once you have restated the two devices, you can use the Activity App seamlessly. However, if the Activity app is frozen on Apple Watch after this step, update the OS on both devices.
3. Update the iPhone and Apple Watch software
Every year, Apple updates its OS for different gadgets. The main aim of the updates is to improve the ecosystem by ensuring connections are seamless. To update your iPhone:
- Open the phone’s Settings
- Go to General
- Scroll down to Software Update
- Select Download and install
Once you have installed the latest iOS on your phone, update the Apple Watch. To download and update the software:
- Connect the watch to Wi-Fi
- Go to your watch Settings > General
- Select Software Update
- If there is an update, click download
Updating the software solves the “activity app not tracking exercise” glitch, especially if you are using an older iPhone or an older Apple Watch. When updating software on the two gadgets, ensure they have at least a 50% charge.
4. Reinstall the Activity app on your iPhone
If the above steps did not solve the problem, it is time to reinstall the app on your iPhone. Luckily, your data will be available once the process is complete. To reinstall the Activity App on your iPhone:
- Go to Settings
- Tap General and go to iPhone Storage.
- Tap the Activity App
- Click Offload App
- You will get a popup showing Offloading Activity.
- Click OK and wait for the phone to offload the app.
- After ten minutes, reinstall the app.
There are two ways to reinstall the app. First, you can go to the Home screen and tap the icon for Activity App. Tapping will reinstall the app automatically. Alternatively, you can click the Reinstall App icon to reinstall it spontaneously.
Also, if the Apple Watch Activity app not accurate, reinstalling it solves the glitch. However, this step should be your last option since it is lengthy.
Conclusion
The above solutions work on all operating systems, including the latest watchOS 7 and iOS 14. Apart from ensuring both devices are on the latest OS versions, keeping them charged helps avoid connection glitches and inaccurate statistics. Also, restarting the devices keeps the system apps from failing.
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