Multiple watches – Activity and Health app step totals

[PatrickNSF]

For those of you with multiple watches, does your step data in the Activity app match your step data in the Health app?

I started wearing my son's old 38mm S0 recently to track sleep, and I often wear it during the day when my S3 LTE is on the charger getting topped off.

When I look at the data is the Health app, the steps from the S0 and S3 typically come up short when added together in the Health app, but they total correctly in the Activity app. In the Health app, the total can sometimes be off by a nominal amount (if I don't wear the S0 much), or a couple of hundred a day.

I've unpaired and repairs both watches. The priority order for step tracking in the Health app is S3, S0 then iPhone.

Any thoughts as to what could be going on? Thanks.

 

[JackieInCo]

Mine actually shows the same steps in both apps.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Mine actually shows the same steps in both apps.

Thanks for the feedback. Mine shows the same on the days when I only use the S3, but when I use the S0 for any part of it the steps don't match.

I'm wondering if it's a glitch with the S0 or some other setting that I'm missing.

 

[JackieInCo]

I'm gonna go for my walk in a few hours and I'll switch watches. I'll let you know if the apps still match afterwards.

 

[PatrickNSF]

I'm gonna go for my walk in a few hours and I'll switch watches. I'll let you know if the apps still match afterwards.

Thanks!

 

[cynics]

Of course Apple thought of this. They don't want to inhibit anyone from owning two or more Apple Watches.

So only one watch can be active at a time. In "My Watch" section of the app you can select the active watch. Or (and I believe this is the default) turn on "auto switch" which switches to watch being worn.

Activity data is sync'd so you wont lose any activity data switching between watches that are pair to your iPhone and under you iCloud account.

EDIT: Found this for you https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205792

 

[JackieInCo]

The OP was only wondering if the health app and activity app showed the same step counts in other users phones because they often differ. We know that Apple built the watch app to support multiple watches, that was never the question in this thread.

I'm eating some dinner now and going for the walk when I am done and I will let the OP know what my apps show.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Thanks, but I understand how the auto switching works and have it set up correctly.

My question is whether others are finding that the step data in the Activity app doesn't match the step data in Health app. Mine doesn't.

 

[JackieInCo]

Ok, I took two watches, series 3 paired with my 7+ and a series 2 paired with my 6S+. For my three mile walk, both watches only varied by 5 steps which is a miracle in itself and the stats were almost identical. I used the workout app and started both watches using the outdoor walk open goal.

The health and activity apps on the 7+ matches steps exactly. The steps on the 6S+ in the same apps were also exact although it took the 6S+ several minutes for the apps to sync the data so it matched.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Ok, I took two watches, series 3 paired with my 7+ and a series 2 paired with my 6S+. For my three mile walk, both watches only varied by 5 steps which is a miracle in itself and the stats were almost identical. I used the workout app and started both watches using the outdoor walk open goal.

The health and activity apps on the 7+ matches steps exactly. The steps on the 6S+ in the same apps were also exact although it took the 6S+ several minutes for the apps to sync the data so it matched.

Thanks. Have you by chance used auto switch to change any of the watches paired to one of the phones? I think that's where I "lose" the steps/

 

[JackieInCo]

Thanks. Have you by chance used auto switch to change any of the watches paired to one of the phones? I think that's where I "lose" the steps/

Yes, everything is set to auto switch.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Yes, everything is set to auto switch.

Hmm...not sure why I'm having this issue.

 

[JackieInCo]

The only app that I have installed that never agrees with the health app or the activity app is Pedometer ++. For some reason, it always show that I took more steps then any other app on my phone. It's always off on my 7+ and 6S+ and any other phone I have that I have used with my watches.