How to turn on iPhone 5 health. How iPhone counts steps

Apple didn't say anything about it, but the iPhone's built-in pedometer needs calibration.

For this we need any free sports program. I recommend Runtastic or Runkeeper.

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Why did the problem suddenly surface?: while walking around the city with a friend, he boasted to me that he had already walked today 27,000 steps (or 20 km). I looked at my iPhone and was surprised because my result was 18,000 steps (or 11 km).

We were together all day and there was no way he could have gotten away so far apart unless he got up early in the morning and started running secretly, which was not observed.

I asked him if the iPhone data matches the readings from activity trackers or sports programs? – to which the friend replied that he had never used any trackers.

This is how the theory about the need to calibrate the iPhone arose.

Having installed Runtastic on his phone, I went to the iPhone settings at Privacy → Location Services → scroll down to System Services → enable Motion metering calibration(sufficient, but not necessary condition– you need to launch the software).

Next, launch the sports software and select the Walking workout. A GPS icon should appear in the top right corner. We walk at a measured pace for at least two kilometers. After which the iPhone’s built-in pedometer will become more accurate, and the Health app will display real activity indicators. To improve accuracy, it is advisable to go the same way back faster.

After calibration, the data of the two iPhones becomes equal plus or minus the error.

Apple Watch owners do not need to install anything additional, because the watch already has the required workout and is called Walk.

Those who are involved in fitness or perform exercises to lose weight need a device that counts the number of steps - a pedometer. This is a small and easy-to-use device that controls the number of steps taken when walking or jogging. Often this function included in other portable devices - Cell phones, watch, music players. Let's figure out what principle the device works on and why it sometimes counts steps incorrectly.

Pedometer appearance

What is this device and how does it work

How a pedometer counts steps depends on the type of device. Their counting principle is different, since pedometers come in three types:


The device records the step, taking into account the negative acceleration of the body at the moment of lowering the foot to the ground. This is what the electronic sensor takes into account.

Reliability of testimony

Pedometers are often attached to belts, but full person this is not easy to do. It is better to use devices that start automatically upon initial movement. The pedometer must be attached to the belt near the front thigh area, in this place creates the least amount of interference. Another option is a fitness tracker that also counts steps.

The best use for a pedometer is to attach it to your belt.

The accuracy of the device also depends on the evenness of the surface on which a person walks. Asphalt is a smooth surface, and the pedometer gives a much more accurate reading. If you walk along a dirt road, sand, or the edge of a sea or river, then in this case the angles of movement change. Since the accuracy of the readings varies, it is recommended to purchase a device with vibration protection. The usual error in the operation of the device reaches 5%, but this is not a high figure.

The accuracy of the readings is also affected by a person’s gait. It is individual and specific for everyone; walking speed is of no small importance.

The length of steps is also an individual indicator and also affects. The readings are even affected by the position of the human body relative to the surface of the earth. If it is tilted too much, the readings will be inaccurate.

To check the pedometer for the accuracy of the readings, you can set it to 0 and test it - walk 20 steps. If the display shows the exact data of the steps performed, then the device is working.

Pedometer clock shape

Reasons for incorrect counting and lack of readings

When the pedometer does not count steps correctly, it is faulty. Apply this device should not, incorrect readings will reduce the effectiveness of weight loss training, for example. It is possible that the balance between calories eaten and consumed will be disrupted, and weight correction will also be carried out incorrectly. If a person strives to increase the pace and number of steps, increases the distance planned for the day, then an erroneously calculated value will disrupt the process of increasing loads.

The pedometer must function clearly and correctly, giving activity readings without distortion. A failure in its operation will disrupt the harmony of daily training and reduce its effectiveness.

If the pedometer calculates incorrectly, what should you do in this situation? Common types of device malfunctions are:


Multifunctional pedometer

In order for the pedometer to work without failures, you must follow the rules for its operation and storage:

  • It must be in a temperature regime: not lower than –10 degrees and not higher than +40.
  • Do not use sharp objects to open the battery compartment, as this may damage the housing.
  • Do not allow liquid, dust or small debris to come into contact with the device.
  • Clean the housing with a damp cloth. Do not use chemicals for this.

If malfunctions in the operation of the device are caused by improper operation, then guaranteed service is canceled.

Why are there no indications?

For a pedometer to work correctly, you need to know how to use it. To get started you need:

Example of setting parameters

  1. In the settings you need to set your step length readings.
  2. Place the device vertically on your belt, on the edge of your pocket, or on your wrist or leg - depending on the pedometer model.
  3. Start moving.
  4. Take data from the device at the end of your workout or day.

If you decide to count the number of steps for the whole day, then no matter where you place the device, it will not show an accurate step count. Because during the day a person does various actions: drives a car, eats, sits at a computer and moves the mouse; the pedometer can also mistake these erroneous movements for walking. Therefore, in the end there will be a large error, which will affect the purity of improving the quality of training.

The pedometer bracelet is quite popular among athletes. This is a reliable and lightweight device, it counts steps and monitors activity, some models additionally count calories. The model is distinguished by accurate counting and ease of use. It is light weight and is not felt on the wrist.

Basically, these pedometer models come to the market from China. This electronic device, requiring configuration, installation special application and registration on a computer or phone. The bracelet itself must be worn correctly so that the sensor can count your pulse. Therefore, it must be placed exactly on the pulse, otherwise the device will not show anything.

Device in the form of a bracelet

A pedometer is a useful and safe device that will show the load on the body, distance traveled, calories burned and other parameters. You need to know how to use it correctly, for which it is enough to study the instructions for use.

Health app in iOS: why is it needed, what data is recorded in it, what useful settings There is? Read our article about how to lead a healthy lifestyle with Apple.

Apple Health is an aggregator of data about the state of your body in your iPhone. The app collects data from various fitness apps installed on your smartphone and Apple Watch, analyzes it and presents all the information in a convenient way to give you a comprehensive view of your health.

Apple Health. Categories

Apple Health: Health Data Categories

There are four different categories of data in the Health app. They allow you to quickly get an idea of ​​your diet, sleep patterns, physical activity and other important things.

  • Activity: This category collects data about your physical activity and sports activities. Here you will find out how many steps you took per day, how long you sat still and how many calories you burned.
  • Dream: A regulated biorhythm is very important for good sleep. In this category you can find information about how long your sleep lasts and what time you go to bed.
  • Mindfulness: In this category you will find data about your breathing rhythm. You can also get an idea of ​​how regularly you took breaks throughout the day, which can help prevent stress from developing.
  • Nutrition: Are you counting calories, want to eat less fatty foods, or think you're consuming too much caffeine? In the “Nutrition” category, you can analyze your menu and make the necessary adjustments.

In addition, the application has additional categories: heart, body measurements, reproductive health, tests, vital indicators.

Apple Health. Fitness Tracking

Apple Health: health

If you're using iOS 8 or later and don't see the Health app, you may need to update to latest version iOS.

In addition, for correct use The Health app may need to enable the Fitness Tracking option:

  1. Open iPhone settings.
  2. Select a category Are common, then click Confidentiality.
  3. To use Health app features, go to Health > Fitness Tracking move the slider to the right.

Apple Health. Search applications

Your iPhone and Apple Watch perform some functions automatically to collect information about your activity and health. These include counting steps and measuring heart rate.

But you can integrate a lot of other health data collected through your Health app into your Health app. third party applications:

  1. Open the Health app and tap one of the four categories.
  2. You will be asked to watch an explanatory video. You will also see apps that match that category. Tap any app to learn more about it and download it.
  3. If you already use some apps to collect your health data, find them in the search field on the Health app's start screen and add them.

Additional Apple Health app settings

Apple Health: Apple Watch integration
  • If you want to manually enter your blood pressure values, click Metadata, and then Basic indicators. Select the data type, e.g. Pressure and click on the plus icon. Enter values ​​manually.
  • You can also import your health data if you have previously used other apps. Enter the Health application, select the necessary data and find the item Export. This is usually an icon shaped like a rectangle with an arrow pointing from it. Select Add to “Health”. Then in the Health app, under Metadata select item Health status and click on it to view necessary information.
  • To motivate yourself to exercise more or go on a diet, you can activate the function in the application to inform you about your daily progress. Just click Today at the bottom of the application to view statistics on various data.
  • You can add the data that is most important to you to Favorites. Press Metadata, then to the category and data type. Select a statistic or information and select below Add to favorites. IN Favorites you can easily see information for the current month about your muscle growth, diet or heart rate.
  • If you have an Apple Watch, the data smart watch automatically entered into the Health application. To do this, the watch and iPhone simply need to be synchronized with the smartphone. You can receive data about your heart rate, movement and breathing from your smartwatch.

Smartphones and other mobile gadgets can serve not only for communication and entertainment, but also for monitoring one’s own health. Apple has been especially successful in this direction, introducing a unique “Health” application (in English Health or HealthKit) into its operating system. iOS system 8.

Health app on iOS 8: features and useful functions

The Health app is single center, where all medical indicators and data from fitness applications installed on IOS 8 are collected. It accepts a wide variety of information:

  • heart rate data;
  • information about blood glucose levels;
  • data on the number of calories burned;
  • information about the steps taken;
  • sleep and wake schedule, etc.

The Health application for iPhone collects and processes information from any sensors integrated into the phone, wearable electronics - apple watch Watch or fitness bracelets (Jawbone UP/UP24, FitBit). One of the main advantages is that it gives access to all information through a single interface.

Among other things, “Health” is capable of not only storing information, but also directly interacting with applications (). For example, it can automatically send data about your calorie intake to fitness apps. In general, “Health” is a kind of command center, which regulates all health and fitness applications installed on your smartphone. You can select the Health applications you need and download them at App Store:

  • MyFitnessPal
  • Nike+ or Nike Running,
  • MapMyRun
  • AskMD,
  • MotionX 24/7 and others.

How to use and enter data?

How to use the Health app? It's actually simple:

    • Look for the “Health” icon in the list of applications (there is a white icon with a heart even in a clean system), click on it.
    • If you are launching the program for the first time, it is best to immediately switch to the “Medical Card” tab, this will allow you to quickly create your personal medical record. In extreme cases, it will be very useful, because doctors will be able to quickly find out your blood type, past diseases, etc.
  • After you enter all the necessary information: full name, medical card number, desired medications, etc., you can go to the “Medical Data” tab. There you need to provide information about your diet, weight, sleep patterns, etc.
  • Finally, the application has a “Everything” section where you can enter Additional information: blood pressure level, bad habits and more

The Health app on iPhone will save all this data and allow you to use it usefully. this information, even share data about the condition of your body with your doctor.

The interface itself consists of colored widget tabs that show a schedule of sleep, wakefulness, physical activity, etc. (see screenshot above).

It’s quite easy to understand the controls, plus you can always adjust it to your habits and needs. The creators of Health have done everything to ensure that everyone can understand their program, so the controls are intuitive and simple.

How to connect a fitness bracelet or application to Health?

In our opinion, the most interesting feature of Health is the import and export of data from one application to another (and its aggregation in Health itself). If you want to use it, then follow the instructions:

    1. Open the application on the iPhone (for example, MyFitnessPal).
    2. We go to the settings and look for the item related to import and export to applications (in our case, this is “Applications” itself).
    3. We look for Apple HealthKit, click “Connect”.
    1. We go to “Health”, find our application and mark the data that we will synchronize.

This is what the “Health” screen looks like, into which we imported data on the steps taken from the application:

How to track sleep with Health?

The app itself doesn't track sleep, but you can import data from apps into it. We consider the best: Jawbone (a fitness bracelet monitors sleep and sends data to the application when synchronized) and Sleep Better from Runtastic - a smart alarm clock from well-known developers.

Reading time: 11 min

Let's figure out how to enable a standard pedometer from the Health app on the iPhone, calibrate it, and see what available pedometer apps are in the App Store.

This article is suitable for all iPhone 11/Xs(r)/X/8/7/6 and Plus models running iOS 13. Older versions may have different or missing menu items and hardware support listed in the article.

Turn on the pedometer on iPhone

First you need to enable the tracking option, which is enabled by default. Many users turn it off to save battery power.

We follow the instructions:

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Don’t know how to solve a problem with your gadget and need expert advice?

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Using a pedometer in the Health app on iPhone

Launch the “Health” application. In the “Meddata” menu, click on the “Activity” card. This section contains all user activity for the month, week and day. If you scroll down a little, you can see the Walking and Running Distance menu.

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It displays detailed statistics on the steps taken. To get a detailed report by day, click on a special calendar chart, which is orange.

In order not to search for this or that value every time in the entire tree, you need to display it in the “Favorites” menu in the form of a gadget. You can use the “Add to Favorites” switch for this.

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In the “Sources” item, you can manage all connected devices.

Calibrating the iPhone pedometer

The built-in pedometer on your iPhone may require calibration. To do this, you need to use any free sports program.

Let's consider the process iPhone calibration using the example of the Runtastic application:


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After calibrating the data, the gadget demonstrates more accurate activity indicators.

Best Third-Party Pedometer Apps for iPhone

Many users rely on pedometers during their daily walks. How accurate is step counting? Let's look at the 6 best pedometers.

These applications were studied for several weeks. After the walk, the results were checked and the steps were counted manually. The screenshot below shows a diagram with the obtained data.

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M7 - Steps

This pedometer attracts with its clear and minimalistic interface. The program shows in one of the tabs the number of steps taken per month, week or day.

The user can scroll left or right in the window to view previous days' results. By clicking on this data, you will not receive any other additional data.

You can view your activity for the month in the form of a list with different dates or a graph. The program runs in the background once a day to transfer data about the steps taken. There is almost no damage to the battery.

The experimental data obtained for M7 - Steps are quite accurate, they coincide with other applications that have an M7 coprocessor. After a day of use, the program's pleasant interface seems boring, and the lack of additional options can frustrate users. The software is useful for those who do not need anything other than the actual counting of steps.

Stepz

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The program relies on data received from M7. Difference with previous application is additional features and bright design.

The program has a color scale that shows the number of steps you took per day, the distance traveled in miles, and your average for the week. On the bright green line at the top you can see the maximum number of steps taken.

Green The scale shows the maximum number of steps, orange the average, and red the minimum. It turns out that the scale is a fairly clear and understandable guide.

If you click on the statistics, the bar graph will change from steps to miles traveled. If you wish, you can also study the number of steps taken per month, week or day.

Stepz pedometer is as accurate as any other pedometer best app. The development has a different design, but remains accessible and understandable for a beginner.

Walker M7

Free program Walker M7 relies on information from the M7 coprocessor. The app shows accurate data and provides more functionality, unlike the previous two pedometers.

Walker M7 not only counts steps, but is also able to distinguish between walking and running, tracks your route, monitors blood pressure, weight and calories burned. The resulting information can be shared on Evernote, Facebook or Twitter.

The application shows the number of steps in a circle on the main screen of the program. On the right, you can indicate whether you are going to run or walk, which will help the software track your steps more accurately. The distance traveled, your speed, calories burned and walking time are also displayed on the screen.

Using the buttons in the upper right corner you can open an additional list of options. They include the following:

  • Ratings.
  • Map.
  • Statistics.
  • Charts.

In the graphs you can switch between distance, steps and calories. If you swipe to the right, you can get information about the user's weight, blood pressure and amount of accumulated fat.

In statistics, user activity is demonstrated in the form of a color chart. If you swipe to the left, you will see data about a walk, and to the right - about running.

Walker M7 has advanced functionality and is capable of accurately displaying information. It is possible to independently enter data about your blood pressure or weight.

Pacer

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In the application, you can see recommendations that will help you lead a more active lifestyle and track some health indicators. The home screen shows your daily steps, calories burned, and activity time. The level of activity and progress during the day are also displayed here.

If you scroll to the right, you can see a graph of activity for the day. Another swipe will give you access to a button you should press when going on a long walk or run.

Pacer has three built-in fitness plans:

  • Build Your Own Plan.
  • Walk 4 Weight Loss.
  • Reach 10 thousand steps (Couch To 10K Steps).

In the application you can compete with your friends in the results achieved.

Breeze

On the main screen of the application, the received data is shown in a circle, which is located on a rather pleasant background. A group of 7 small circles (the user's progress over the week) will be filled depending on the approach to the given goal. If you click on one of the circles, it will be shown detailed information for the past day.

Quite often, Breeze does not display the route traveled and geolocation, but only shows a bubble with counted steps. The application also informs you about your progress and sends motivational messages too often. The program is functionally and visually pleasing.

Moves

On our list latest app became Moves, which shows movement graphs, steps, starting point of departure, final destination. The software is incredibly well developed, everything functions perfectly.

The number of steps taken while walking or running is published in colorful circles. The time spent on them is demonstrated. If you scroll down, it will show a graph that you can swipe left and right. This will allow you to view statistics for previous days.

Using the application, your stop locations are determined. This territory can be designated independently, for example, work, gym, home.

You can click on a line or any stop to view it on the map. Routes are indicated by different lines:

  • The bus or car is gray.
  • Bicycle - blue.
  • Walks are green.

If the application makes a mistake, each of the lines can be corrected. Of all the apps, only Moves was able to truly distinguish walking from cycling.

All of the programs listed have advantages and disadvantages. Each user chooses the software that is suitable for its functionality and design.

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