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cadman33619

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
26
0
is it possible to add step count to the clock face so i can see it at a glance? i'd also like to see heart rate at a glance there as well

thanks
 
Not yet, but a third-party developer could make an app eventually. I'm kind of surprised there isn't one already.
I think this is a big deal for ex-fitbit users (of which I am one), but I think Apple's approach is a little different. They don't equate steps to calories and/or exercise like fitbit does. Look at the trophies you get from fitbit they are for the most part related to steps.

Look at the trophies you get from the apple watch - seems more holistic and related to the entire workout, standing, moving, exercise.

My point is with the devaluing of steps, I don't see apple pushing this as a complication.
 
I would love a simple complication that shows total steps for the day. For me I still find steps easier to manage than exercise or movement.

Does anyone know of such an app that may be coming out?
 
I would love a simple complication that shows total steps for the day. For me I still find steps easier to manage than exercise or movement.

Does anyone know of such an app that may be coming out?
I could see this coming with Pedometer++ or Human at some point.
 
Wasn't impressed so far. The complication was too small (for me) and I walked around my office a while and the steps didnt change at all. I opened the phone app & the watch app and it still didn't change. I'll keep looking out for another one. :)
 
I would be surprised if a developer doesn't come up with fitness complications. It's too easy to do and there are apps for everything and most stink. You know native fitness apps are coming and steps or miles or both would be nice. I would bet money they come soon. Lots of them as people play with access to the watch information native.
 
I couldn't get SilentLog to work right, and didn't like the idea of the app anyways ("silently" logging where you go and what you do.

It can't be that hard to make a simple app that takes the step count and displays it in a complication, can it?
 
I couldn't get SilentLog to work right, and didn't like the idea of the app anyways ("silently" logging where you go and what you do.

It can't be that hard to make a simple app that takes the step count and displays it in a complication, can it?

I agree. I deleted it after about 15 minutes and never signed up for the service. Seems like developers can just use the data that's already being gathered by the watch.
 
I'm looking in to this. It looks like steps might only update every 15 or 30 minutes though. What do you all think?
I'm not sure it is every 15/30 minutes but there is a delay calories. If you were to do 100 jumping jacks now, it would show no calorie change on the watch but give it a few minutes and it will bounce. :)

It does seem like a simple complication because the info is right there... add steps and/or miles or maybe both if you have multiple complications.
 
Aaaah, sorry, I meant another app for step display. Would a 30 minute complication update be reasonable? Apple puts some limits on updates locally on the Watch.
 
So I've been trying Pacer for a few days.

It doesn't have a step complication - yet - but it does have a glance, and it is MUCH better than the Activity app glance. I've got my watch set for "resume last activity" on wrist raise. I'll go to the Pacer glance, then when I'm walking I can just raise my wrist and see where I am with my steps.

It's not quite real time, but it's pretty close. When I first look while walking, it will take maybe 1 second after the watch comes on to update steps. After that, if I keep looking while walking, it will start going up about 4 steps at a time.

One thing that I don't like about Pacer is it's getting it's step data from the iphone, not the watch, so counts are slightly different.

Still hoping for a step counter complication, but so far the Pacer glance is the best I've come across.
 
Me too. Tried it, was very excited. Steps do not update. So what's the point.
With my limited playing around with Watchkit, I found that apple is very restrictive on how much a complication be updated. There's a limit on how many times it can be updated per 24 hours, which is why an app like this can't be updated on a per step basis. It's more of an apple problem than a badly coded app.
 
So I've been trying Pacer for a few days.

It doesn't have a step complication - yet - but it does have a glance, and it is MUCH better than the Activity app glance. I've got my watch set for "resume last activity" on wrist raise. I'll go to the Pacer glance, then when I'm walking I can just raise my wrist and see where I am with my steps.

It's not quite real time, but it's pretty close. When I first look while walking, it will take maybe 1 second after the watch comes on to update steps. After that, if I keep looking while walking, it will start going up about 4 steps at a time.

One thing that I don't like about Pacer is it's getting it's step data from the iphone, not the watch, so counts are slightly different.

Still hoping for a step counter complication, but so far the Pacer glance is the best I've come across.
Just making sure you know...if you have Activity as a complication or if you just open the app, scroll down from the main rings page (the one showing all 3 at once) you will see your current step count. So, I click my complication, scroll down, view steps. A steps complication would be a nice addition too but where would I put it, I need a watch face with more space. Ha.
 
Just making sure you know...if you have Activity as a complication or if you just open the app, scroll down from the main rings page (the one showing all 3 at once) you will see your current step count. So, I click my complication, scroll down, view steps. A steps complication would be a nice addition too but where would I put it, I need a watch face with more space. Ha.

Yeah, that's what I was doing before Pacer.

I would pull up the activity complication, tap on it, and swipe up to get to the step count. With "return to previous" (or whatever the option is that brings back what you had on the screen instead of the clock), it would bring that screen up again when I looked at the watch.

The problem is that it doesn't update step count very often. I never bothered to figure out what triggered an "update" to step count. It may be time (like every minute) or it may be activity (like it waits till you stop walking). Whatever it is, it was WAAAAAYYYYY too long between step count updates. I would frequently look at it and be like "plus about 200" and be pretty close when it finally got around to updating.

Pacer, again, is MUCH quicker. It's around a second to the first update (when the glance is up) and then it updates realtime as you're walking in 2-4 step increments.
 
Yeah, that's what I was doing before Pacer.

I would pull up the activity complication, tap on it, and swipe up to get to the step count. With "return to previous" (or whatever the option is that brings back what you had on the screen instead of the clock), it would bring that screen up again when I looked at the watch.

The problem is that it doesn't update step count very often. I never bothered to figure out what triggered an "update" to step count. It may be time (like every minute) or it may be activity (like it waits till you stop walking). Whatever it is, it was WAAAAAYYYYY too long between step count updates. I would frequently look at it and be like "plus about 200" and be pretty close when it finally got around to updating.

Pacer, again, is MUCH quicker. It's around a second to the first update (when the glance is up) and then it updates realtime as you're walking in 2-4 step increments.
I came across an app yesterday called Watch Health or Watch Your Health, it was labeled both ways depending where you looked. It will give you @ 6 choices for complications. Trouble is, complications as I have found out recently have rules. They can only request an update once per hour or 24 times per day. Once they update 24 times that's it until the next day. So, the step counter was slow but not the apps fault. You might look at that too and see if it will do anything you're looking for.
 
Numerous released an update for the Apple Watch yesterday, that adds a native app and complications. With that it's now possible to show one of your numbers on the watch face. I had the same idea yesterday too and added my step count from the Health App as complication and it works well so far, even though it's updating the number only every 30 minutes.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numerous-lifes-most-important/id797642904?mt=8

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Numerous released an update for the Apple Watch yesterday, that adds a native app and complications. With that it's now possible to show one of your numbers on the watch face. I had the same idea yesterday too and added my step count from the Health App as complication and it works well so far, even though it's updating the number only every 30 minutes.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numerous-lifes-most-important/id797642904?mt=8

View attachment 591374

Thanks! That seems to work pretty well!
 
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