Why are my active calories not adding up on my Apple Watch?

Author: Melyssa Dickinson MD  |  Last update: Thursday, November 20, 2025

Apple Watch may be in Low Power mode, or you've enabled Workout Power Saving Mode. Turn this off in "Watch" app, under My Watch > General. Your Apple Health profile may not be up to date. The calorie information generated by Apple Watch is based on your latest Weight in Apple Health.

Why are my calories not adding up on my Apple Watch?

Check your fitness tracking settings: On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Privacy - turn on Heart Rate and Fitness Tracking. On your iPhone, go to: Settings > Privacy > Motion & Fitness - check that both Fitness Tracking and Health are enabled.

Why is my Apple Watch not tracking active calories?

Make sure that the ``Workout'' app on your Apple Watch is set up correctly to track active calories. To do this, open the ``Workout'' app on your watch and go to the settings. Make sure that the option to ``Show Active Calories'' is turned on. Make sure that your Apple Watch is properly calibrated.

Why is my Apple Watch not calculating my Activity?

Make sure that the Apple Watch and iPhone have the necessary permissions to access and track activity data. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Health. Make sure that the Activity app is enabled. Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve issues.

Can you manually add active calories to Apple Watch?

Tap Workouts. Tap Add Data in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap Activity Type and select the activity from the menu at the bottom of your display. Next, enter the number of calories and distance.

Apple Watch Not Tracking Calories / Activity / Exercise Correctly - how to fix it!

How to increase move calories on Apple Watch?

Close your Move ring by hitting your personal goal of active calories burned.
  1. Walking the dog. up to. calories/hour.
  2. Gardening. up to. calories/hour.
  3. Ziplining. up to. calories/hour.
  4. Dancing at a concert. up to. calories/hour.
  5. Biking to work. up to. calories/hour.
  6. Playing chase with your kids. up to. calories/hour.

Why is my Apple Watch not syncing with the Health app?

Verify Permission Settings

To do this, go to your Apple Health app > select Sharing at the bottom > Apps and Services > Fitness App > and ensure all toggles for Read and Write Permissions are enabled.

Why is my Apple Watch not updating my activity?

steps, sleep, and other information not syncing from my Apple Watch? If you're experiencing issues with syncing, you may have to reset your Apple HealthKit permissions. These permissions allow your Apple Watch information to sync over to the app.

Why doesn't my Apple Watch count my workout?

If your heart rate during a workout is close to your resting heart rate, the time spent won't count toward your Apple Watch exercise minutes. Some types of workouts base the exercise minutes on the pace at which you are moving.

How do I resync my Apple Watch activity?

Sync your iPhone and Apple Watch Health Data

Enable Bluetooth on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Open the Health app. Tap the 'Sources' tab, then select your Apple Watch. Review any permissions to be sure your devices can sync properly.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

Most people burn 30-40 calories per 1,000 steps they walk, meaning they'll burn 300 to 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps, Hirai says. However, this is just an estimate. Each step you take burns calories, but the exact amount is highly individualized. "Calorie burn rate can be quite variable," he says.

How many active calories should I burn a day?

General Guidance for Active Calories Targets

For Weight Maintenance: If your goal is to maintain your current weight, you should aim to burn about 300 to 500 active calories per day. This, combined with a balanced diet, should help keep your weight stable.

How to make Apple Watch indoor run more accurate?

Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy
  1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Privacy & Security > Location Services.
  3. Make sure that Location Services is turned on.
  4. Scroll down, then tap System Services.
  5. Make sure that Motion Calibration & Distance is turned on.

How do I get my Apple Watch to count calories?

Go to the Activity app on your Apple Watch at any time to see how you're doing. The Activity app displays three rings: The red Move ring shows how many active calories you've burned. The green Exercise ring shows how many minutes of brisk activity you've done.

How do you update calories on Apple Watch?

Step 1 - Open the Activity app. Step 2 - Press the screen. Step 3 - Tap Change Move Goal. Step 4 - Tap + or - to update your daily calorie goal.

Why is my Apple Watch not tracking my calories?

Apple Watch may be in Low Power mode, or you've enabled Workout Power Saving Mode. Turn this off in "Watch" app, under My Watch > General. Your Apple Health profile may not be up to date. The calorie information generated by Apple Watch is based on your latest Weight in Apple Health.

Why is my Apple Watch not tracking my activity accurately?

If your Apple Watch is not tracking your activity, try restarting the device and your paired iPhone. You can also resync your data or reset your calibration.

How to reset Apple Watch activity for the day?

Go to the Activity app on your Apple Watch. Tap one of the following: Change for Today: Set a temporary goal for your Activity ring for today. Change Daily Goal: Customize your Activity ring goal by the day of the week.

Does the Apple Watch overestimate calories?

Apple Watch's Activity Tracking Compared with Other Fitness Trackers. The Apple Watch has actually been found to overestimate the number of calories burned when compared to other wearable devices on the market.

Why is my Apple Watch update not progressing?

Make sure your Apple Watch is connecting properly to its charger. Restart your Apple Watch. Restart your paired iPhone. Try again to update your Apple Watch.

Why is my phone not tracking my activity?

Check to make sure activity detection is turned on. Tap Track activity metrics and make sure it is turned on.

How to force Apple Health to sync?

Tap on the menu button then select Sync Devices from the list. Tap on Connect to Apple Health in the Devices section. The next screen will tell you a little bit more about the connection. Tap Connect if you're happy to continue.

Why isn't my Apple Watch exercise syncing to MyFitnessPal?

If the manually added workout did not sync, we recommend uninstalling and then reinstalling the app. Before deleting your app, please note that any information that has not previously synced will be lost. To make sure your data has been syncing with the site, go to www.MyFitnessPal.com.

Why is my Apple Watch not updating steps?

Typical causes of an Apple Watch not counting steps include the following: The watch isn't in contact with the wrist, or the watch sensors are dirty. Wrist detection or location services are not activated in the Watch app. A competing fitness app is running in the background.

Previous article
Why does my skin feel so smooth after exfoliating?
Next article
Can partial teeth be whitened?