If your Apple Watch exercise ring isn’t moving as expected, it can be frustrating—especially when you know you’ve been active. Several common settings and conditions could prevent your watch from tracking your exercise accurately. Follow these steps to troubleshoot and get your activity rings working properly again.
- Check Your Personal Details
Make sure your personal information (such as age, weight, height, and gender) is accurate in your Health app profile on your iPhone. These details help your Apple Watch calculate your calorie burn and activity level correctly.
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- Adjust the Watch Fit
• Ensure your watch band is snug but not too tight. A loose fit can interfere with sensor readings.
• Avoid wearing the watch over tattoos, as this can block the sensors from detecting your heart rate and movement.
• Confirm that the side buttons aren’t being pressed accidentally by your wrist or clothing, as this may interrupt workout tracking.
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- Enable Location and Motion Settings
On your iPhone:
• Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and make sure Location Services is enabled.
• Within Location Services, select System Services, and turn on Motion Calibration & Distance.
These settings allow your watch to measure distance and motion more accurately.
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- Update Privacy and Wrist Detection Settings
In the Watch app on your iPhone:
• Go to My Watch > Privacy, and make sure Heart Rate is enabled.
• Go to My Watch > Passcode, and turn on Wrist Detection.
Wrist Detection ensures your watch knows when you’re wearing it and can track activity correctly.
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- Disable Power Saving Mode During Workouts
• In the Watch app, go to My Watch > Workout.
• Make sure Power Saving Mode is turned off.
Power Saving Mode disables the heart rate sensor during workouts, which can prevent the exercise ring from closing.
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Final Tip
After checking these settings, try a short workout to see if the exercise ring starts moving. If the issue persists, consider restarting your Apple Watch and iPhone.