So you can count the steps you take with your iPhone and nothing else — 2022

First of all, is this measurement reliable?

It is normal that, if you have never used this functionality, you are wondering to what extent it is reliable. And we start from the basis that in the end not even the best pedometer that exists on the market can guarantee absolute precision and in the end there are many movements that we can carry out that mislead the meter and count them as steps, in the same way that the other way.

Now, all in all, it is a functionality that is usually quite accurate and whose measurements are not far from what other pedometers or even the Apple Watch do. It is achieved through a series of sensors that we will detail in a future section and that are ultimately designed to be precise. So if, It is a reliable measurement.

How to make counting more accurate

However, despite what we have told you in the previous section, there are different ways to make your iPhone's count of daily steps somewhat more precise and this is activating the location of the iPhone at all times, something you can do from Settings> Privacy> Location.

In case you do not want to activate this function, you should know that this measurement will be carried out only with the pedometer function that the iPhone includes. However, with the activation of the location, this count will be able to generate a number that is a consequence of the use of these two functions, giving as a result some data that is much closer to reality .

Step count on iPhone

We now enter the matter of measuring steps with the iPhone and the functionality itself, explaining to you the exact way in which it performs the measurement, as well as how to activate it and consult the data through its Health application. .

How this measurement is made

The first thing you should know is that this is a measurement that can only be done in iPhone 5s and later . Considering that the above phones are already old, out of print and out of date, it doesn't seem to be a problem. In any case, it is worth remembering it and it has to do with sensors such as the gyroscope and the accelerometer , which were integrated precisely from that iPhone.

In addition, there are a number of chips dedicated to collect the information from these sensors and thereby make an estimate of different parameters, including the measurement of steps. The iOS operating system has the ability to analyze all this data, thus showing in numbers the steps that have been taken, but also other interesting ones such as the number of floors climbed based on the inclination obtained when climbing a ladder or being at a certain height.

How to activate it so that it counts your steps

Although this is a native functionality of the iPhone, you must have it activated and have authorized the collection of this data within the privacy options. In this way you will ensure that everything can be registered in the Health application. Specifically, these are the steps you must follow to do so:

1. On iPhone, go to Settings.
2. Now go to Privacy.
3. Look for the option that says 'Physical activity' .
4. Make sure you have the 'Sports monitoring' option activated.
5. Now make sure that you are authorizing the Health application in this settings section to be able to collect all this data.

From the moment you have followed these steps, your iPhone will be collecting data on your movements. In this way you can determine how many floors you have climbed and also the number of steps you have taken. All this does not require any type of external accessory such as the Apple Watch, nor third-party applications. You will have in your possession an authentic pedometer which works quite accurately as we've highlighted above, though obviously everything will depend on the place where you take your iPhone.

Check data in the Health app

As we have already seen, it is the Health app that allows you to see a record of all this data. It is a native Apple app that is installed by default on iPhones, but if you deleted it, you can download it again through the App Store for free. To be able to consult these later, you only have to follow this route:

1. Open the aforementioned Health app.
2. At the bottom click on the Explore tab.
3. Go to the Activity section.

In this section you can see the steps you have taken, as well as the floors you have climbed. You also have access to all the information that your Apple Watch registers and that is much more complete and truthful after all.

It should be noted that at any time you can decide if you want this information appears in the main panel of the application. To do this, you simply have to go to the panel options and click on 'Add to Favorites' . At the moment it will appear in the tab R esumen What do you have at the bottom?

As you can see, it is really easy to have a real pedometer in your possession without having to spend extra money on applications or accessories. This can be used to motivate you on a daily basis to exercise much more and take more fruitful walks to reach the record of 10,000 steps a day.

Possible failures of the iPhone counting the steps

If, despite having followed all the steps indicated above, you notice that something is wrong and the data indicated by your iPhone is very far from reality, the truth is that it may be due to several causes such as the ones that we will tell you about below:

Not having activated the location,which is solved by following the steps indicated in a previous section of this article. Corrupted background processes, solvable by simply restarting the iPhone, it being advisable to turn it off manually for 15-30 seconds and then proceed to turn it on again. Other software bugsThat would be solved either by updating it to the latest version of the operating system available or by restoring the entire system, it being advisable to do it cleanly by connecting the iPhone to a Mac or Windows and using the relevant software on them (Finder or iTunes). hardware failureswith defective sensors, something that in the end can only be fixed by going to technical support, allowing a diagnosis of the device to be carried out. In case it is a factory defect, it could be covered by the warranty and get a free solution.

It should be noted that, as we said before, in the end the reliability of the iPhone will not always be completely perfect. That is why solutions such as restoring or assuming a hardware failure should not be taken into account in certain cases, since it is possible that it is not a real failure. And the hardware is especially noteworthy, since in the event of failures in the sensors, they should also manifest themselves in other areas of the system, such as when the iPhone is rotated so that the screen is placed horizontally.