If I turn fitness tracking OFF on my iPhone 15 Pro, does it also turn off step tracking and fitness tracking on my Apple Watch?

[Benz63amg]

If I turn fitness tracking OFF on my iPhone 15 Pro, does it also turn step tracking and fitness tracking off on my Apple Watch? I only want my Apple Watch to do the step counting to take unnecessary battery consuming processes such as fitness tracking from the iPhone itself

 

[Tagbert]

When you say “turn off fitness tracking”, what features do you mean?

There is step counting, stand counting, movement, and exercise. Of those, steps, standing, and movement likely take minuscule computation to track. They just use some basic hardware sensors that the phone uses for other purposes. It doesn’t really take a noticable amount of power to read that data and calculate steps.

Exercise can take more power, though most of that would be either reading your heart rate on you Watch which would hit the watch battery, or for exercise like running where it uses the GPS that would use either your phone or your Watches battery. Since you need to manually invoke an exercise, that is up to your to control.

If you want to, you can turn off the notifcations for the stand, step, and exercise goals and rings. I do that as I find them annoying but that is the only reason for me.

If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, it’s already got a very good battery life. If you have unusual demands for battery usage and you have no opportunity to do on the go charging, there are probably other areas you might be able to save some battery that would be more effective than fitness tracking.

 

[Benz63amg]

When you say “turn off fitness tracking”, what features do you mean?

There is step counting, stand counting, movement, and exercise. Of those, steps, standing, and movement likely take minuscule computation to track. They just use some basic hardware sensors that the phone uses for other purposes. It doesn’t really take a noticable amount of power to read that data and calculate steps.

Exercise can take more power, though most of that would be either reading your heart rate on you Watch which would hit the watch battery, or for exercise like running where it uses the GPS that would use either your phone or your Watches battery. Since you need to manually invoke an exercise, that is up to your to control.

If you want to, you can turn off the notifcations for the stand, step, and exercise goals and rings. I do that as I find them annoying but that is the only reason for me.

If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, it’s already got a very good battery life. If you have unusual demands for battery usage and you have no opportunity to do on the go charging, there are probably other areas you might be able to save some battery that would be more effective than fitness tracking.

I’m talking about switching this toggle off, screenshot attached below

So you’re suggesting to just leave it on?

 

[jz0309]

If I turn fitness tracking OFF on my iPhone 15 Pro, does it also turn step tracking and fitness tracking off on my Apple Watch? I only want my Apple Watch to do the step counting to take unnecessary battery consuming processes such as fitness tracking from the iPhone itself

both iPhone and AW track steps, look in the Health app in the Steps section for your data sources.

I'd assume IF you tun off fitness tracking on the iPhone, AW will continue to work as usual.
You could do a simple test:
1. look at your step count for both AW and iPhone in the Health app for the day
2. turn fitness tracking off on iphone
3. take a 5 min walk
4. repeat step 1

how much battery usage does your iPhone show for activity tracking? I'm assuming it is rather minimal

 

[Tagbert]

I’m talking about switching this toggle off, screenshot attached below

So you’re suggesting to just leave it on?

I don't think there is much battery charge reason to turn that off.

I do wonder why Waze is registered to get your fitness information. I would probably turn that one off unless I were using Waze to route my marathon runs.

iHeath is Apple's health app and that's where you would see any activity that it was tracking so I'd leave that one on.

 

[Benz63amg]

both iPhone and AW track steps, look in the Health app in the Steps section for your data sources.

I'd assume IF you tun off fitness tracking on the iPhone, AW will continue to work as usual.
You could do a simple test:
1. look at your step count for both AW and iPhone in the Health app for the day
2. turn fitness tracking off on iphone
3. take a 5 min walk
4. repeat step 1

how much battery usage does your iPhone show for activity tracking? I'm assuming it is rather minimal

The battery usage page is not showing anything related to the step counter or fitness tracking so I’m assuming it’s not using much battery at all but what is even the purpose of having the iPhone itself count steps if I’m wearing an Apple Watch that does it anyway and BETTER because the Apple Watch actually knows my heart rate as opposed to just counting steps

 

[jz0309]

The battery usage page is not showing anything related to the step counter or fitness tracking so I’m assuming it’s not using much battery at all but what is even the purpose of having the iPhone itself count steps if I’m wearing an Apple Watch that does it anyway and BETTER because the Apple Watch actually knows my heart rate as opposed to just counting steps

the purpose is:
1. it was enabled on iPhone before there was an AW
2. not everyone who has an iPhone wears an AW
3. Some people only wear their AW for a few hours/day
4. there are things like walking asymmetry and such that do not take AW data but phone data

So, whatever suits you best

 

[Benz63amg]

the purpose is:
1. it was enabled on iPhone before there was an AW
2. not everyone who has an iPhone wears an AW
3. Some people only wear their AW for a few hours/day
4. there are things like walking asymmetry and such that do not take AW data but phone data

So, whatever suits you best

I’ve been an Apple Watch user since the very first one came out years ago. It just occurred to me today as to why the iPhone does fitness tracking in addition to the watch and whether that has any negative effect on the battery of the iPhone (I doubt it but still would be nice to eliminate an unnecessary process) because I only care about my AW to do the step counting and all fitness tracking. Do you have fitness tracking enabled on both the iPhone and Apple Watch or just on the Apple Watch?

 

[Howard2k]

I have it enabled on both. If I'm charging my watch but have my phone in my pocket then it's still counting steps.

 

[Benz63amg]

I have it enabled on both. If I'm charging my watch but have my phone in my pocket then it's still counting steps.

Fair enough, I’ll keep it enabled as well then. I have a question, under Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services > System Services - Do you have “Networking & Wireless” toggled on or off?

 

[Howard2k]

I have it on.

 

[jz0309]

I’ve been an Apple Watch user since the very first one came out years ago. It just occurred to me today as to why the iPhone does fitness tracking in addition to the watch and whether that has any negative effect on the battery of the iPhone (I doubt it but still would be nice to eliminate an unnecessary process) because I only care about my AW to do the step counting and all fitness tracking. Do you have fitness tracking enabled on both the iPhone and Apple Watch or just on the Apple Watch?

Yes on both. I actually am wearing 2 watches so basically have a watch on 24x7 minus the maybe 1 minutes it takes to swap.
I have a 13PM and I hardly ever go under 40% at then end of the day so I’m really not paying attention to battery usage

 

[Benz63amg]

Yes on both. I actually am wearing 2 watches so basically have a watch on 24x7 minus the maybe 1 minutes it takes to swap.
I have a 13PM and I hardly ever go under 40% at then end of the day so I’m really not paying attention to battery usage

Got it, Thanks. Out of curiosity, under Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services > System Services - Which system services do you have disabled or do you have all of them toggled on/enabled? Do you have “Networking & Wireless” toggled on or off?

 

[jz0309]

Got it, Thanks. Out of curiosity, under Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services > System Services - Which system services do you have disabled or do you have all of them toggled on/enabled? Do you have “Networking & Wireless” toggled on or off?

I have HomeKit and Suggestions/Search off.
Everything else on

 

[jz0309]

I have HomeKit and Suggestions/Search off.
Everything else on

And in looking at that list, I need to figure out what “Device management” on this context means and might turn it off depending

 

[Benz63amg]

And in looking at that list, I need to figure out what “Device management” on this context means and might turn it off depending

Watch this youtube video:

He explains one by one what each of these system services do and most of them should actually be toggled off especially Networking & Wireless. Watch the clip and let me know what you think

 

[jz0309]

Watch this youtube video:

He explains one by one what each of these system services do and most of them should actually be toggled off especially Networking & Wireless. Watch the clip and let me know what you think

thanks for the link, also these 2 are helpful:

Legal - Location Services & Privacy - Apple

Data & Privacy

www.apple.com

Turn Off These iPhone System Services Settings Now! Vague ...YouTube · Payette Forward129.1K+ views · 8 months ago

so after my own research and these 2 videos I've turned off:
. alerts & shortcuts
. Apple Pay merchant
. cell network search
. device management
. homekit
. networking & wireless
. suggestions & search
. system customization
. iPhone analytics (always had this off)
. routing & trafice
. improve maps (always had this off)

I also always had "personalized ads" turned off

edited to add "networking & wireless"

 

[Benz63amg]

thanks for the link, also these 2 are helpful:

Legal - Location Services & Privacy - Apple

Data & Privacy

www.apple.com

Turn Off These iPhone System Services Settings Now! Vague ...YouTube · Payette Forward129.1K+ views · 8 months ago

so after my own research and these 2 videos I've turned off:
. alerts & shortcuts
. Apple Pay merchant
. cell network search
. device management
. homekit
. suggestions & search
. system customization
. iPhone analytics (always had this off)
. routing & trafice
. improve maps (always had this off)

I also always had "personalized ads" turned off

Out of curiosity, Why did opt to keep Networking & Wireless under system services toggled on and enabled? What benefit does it actually give having it enabled?

 

[jz0309]

Out of curiosity, Why did opt to keep Networking & Wireless under system services toggled on and enabled? What benefit does it actually give having it enabled?

oopsie, missed to list it off
edited my previous post

 

[Benz63amg]

oopsie, missed to list it off
edited my previous post

That's what i figured lol, everything i read about that "Networking & Wireless" toggle is that its useless so was wondering why you kept that on. The only instance where leaving that on would be useful is if you wanted to locate airtags or any other u1/U2 chip equipped apple device within any physical location but i don't use my iphone to locate any such devices using the FindMy app so its pointless

 

[jz0309]

That's what i figured lol, everything i read about that "Networking & Wireless" toggle is that its useless so was wondering why you kept that on. The only instance where leaving that on would be useful is if you wanted to locate airtags or any other u1/U2 chip equipped apple device within any physical location but i don't use my iphone to locate any such devices using the FindMy app so its pointless

don't use AirTag, I have one unopened for 15+ m months

both these YouTubers say (battery life" a lot. I am doubtful that it would give me another hour or so. and I don't have a reference point anymore as just this week I got my 13PM replaced under AC+ ...

 

[Benz63amg]

don't use AirTag, I have one unopened for 15+ m months

both these YouTubers say (battery life" a lot. I am doubtful that it would give me another hour or so. and I don't have a reference point anymore as just this week I got my 13PM replaced under AC+ ...

Yeah i'm assuming the affect on battery life isn't anything drastic but its still one less background process constantly checking your location for no reason. The only 5 toggles i have enabled in that system services menu are compass calibration, find my iphone, emergency SOS, Motion calibration and distance and system customization.

 

[Saturn007]

For those late to the party, those settings are located under Settings, Privacy & Security (or just Privacy), then Location Services, and scroll all the way down to System Services. They’ve located under that.

 

[Benz63amg]

For those late to the party, those settings are located under Settings, Privacy & Security (or just Privacy), then Location Services, and scroll all the way down to System Services. They’ve located under that.

What is your personal opinion on what should be left enabled under that system services menu? Do you think that for someone who is not interested in using Find My iPhone for example. Should that Find My iPhone toggle still be enabled under that system services menu? Same question goes about the emergency calls & SOS toggle under system services. Does turning that toggle OFF have any adverse negative effect on how the OS runs behind the scenes?