Step As Does iPhone count steps on a treadmill? Why not, and how to add them
Only if it moves with you. In a pocket the iPhone usually counts treadmill steps; on the console, in a cup holder or in a bag it sees almost nothing. Leaving it on the console to read the display means adding those steps afterwards with Step As.
Why is my iPhone not counting treadmill steps?
The iPhone counts steps from its own motion. On a treadmill you move but the room does not, so a phone resting on the console stays almost still and records few or no steps.
Apple Health only stores what your devices and apps record. If the phone was not carried, Health has no treadmill steps to show.
- Phone in a trouser pocket or on an armband: usually counted.
- Phone on the console, in the cup holder or in a bag on the floor: little or nothing counted.
- Holding the rails: can reduce counting on a wrist device, since the arm does not swing.
How to get a step number for the session
Use the most direct figure you have. If the treadmill display shows a step count, use that. If not, count your steps for one minute at the session's pace and multiply by the minutes on the belt.
Example: 118 steps counted in one minute over a 45-minute session is 118 × 45 = 5,310 steps. On the wheel, the nearest value is 5,300.
How to add treadmill steps to Apple Health
- If the phone was in your pocket for part of the session, open Health first and see what it already recorded. Log only what is missing.
- Open Step As and tap Custom Amount.
- Turn the Pick your step count wheel to your number (up to 20,000) and tap the Log 5,300 Steps button.
- Free version: the Limit Reached alert opens; tap Watch Ad and wait for the video to finish.
- Back on Home, the ring shows the new total for today.
| You pick | Walk length | Steps written | Distance written |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | 60 min | 5,000 | 5,000 m |
| 5,300 | 64 min | 5,333.33 | 5,333.33 m |
| 5,500 | 66 min | 5,500 | 5,500 m |
5,300 is written as 5,333.33 steps because the app rounds the walk to 64 whole minutes. 5,000 and 5,500 are written exactly.
Tips for treadmill days
- Log right after the session. The entry ends at the moment you tap, on today; the app cannot place it earlier.
- A long session over 20,000 steps goes in two logs; the second is placed right after the first without overlapping.
- Logged steps are not a workout. They raise your step total but do not fill the Move or Exercise rings on an Apple Watch.
- Going forward, a pocket or armband lets the phone count the steps itself, so there is nothing to add.
- If you use the same machine at the same pace often, keep your one-minute count from one session and reuse it, instead of recounting every time.
Questions and answers
Does Apple Health track steps on a treadmill?
Can I enter treadmill distance instead of steps?
Will adding treadmill steps double my count?
Can I log more than one treadmill session a day?
You might also like
- Log steps to Apple Health with one tap using Quick Log in Step As · Step As
- Log a treadmill walk or run as a real workout in Apple Health · Fit as
More Step As guides
- Log steps to Apple Health with one tap using Quick Log in Step As
- How to track steps you walked without your phone
- Steps not counting in a shopping cart or stroller basket: why, and how to add them
- Daily step goal tracker: set a goal and keep your streak
- How to see your daily steps history on iPhone
- Why does Apple Health show the wrong walking distance?
- Does iPhone count steps on an elliptical or a stationary bike?
- Is there a pedometer app that works without a watch?
- How do I get my pedometer's steps into Apple Health on iPhone?
- All questions about Step As
- Back to Step As