You Can Use the iOS 16 Fitness App for Activity Tracking Without an Apple Watch

The Fitness app on the iPhone has long been available as an activity tracking tool for those who own an Apple Watch, but in iOS 16, Apple wants to make the app an activity tracking option useful even for those who don't own an Apple Watch.

fitness app ios 16
With iOS 16, you can track your activity using the ‌iPhone‌ motion sensors. The ‌iPhone‌ can keep tabs on steps, distance, and third-party workouts, giving you an estimate of your calories burned.

You can set a daily move goal even if you don't have an Apple Watch, using the ‌iPhone‌ to track your progress toward reaching the goal. The updated Fitness app is useful for people who don't have an Apple Watch or another kind of activity tracker and who would like to be more active.

The Fitness app looks almost identical to the Fitness app available to Apple Watch owners, but it does not include a Fitness+ tab as that feature is restricted to the Apple Watch, nor does it have Stand and Exercise rings.

For more on what's new in iOS 16, make sure to check out our hands-on video.

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Launch Is Just One Month Out – Here's Everything We Know

Saturday August 10, 2024 5:00 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design...
macbook pro bb cyber

Apple's M3 MacBook Pro Gets Up to $1,000 Off In Major New Sales, Starting at $1,299 [Updated]

Sunday August 11, 2024 1:54 pm PDT by
Apple's M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best...
iPhone 16 Pro Right Side Feature

The iPhone 16 is Getting a New Button: Here's What It Can Do

Tuesday August 13, 2024 4:01 pm PDT by
Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to ...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18.1 Beta 2 and iOS 18 Beta 6

Monday August 12, 2024 2:32 pm PDT by
Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Thursday August 8, 2024 4:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2

Next Year's Slim iPhone 17 Could Be an 'iPhone Air'

Monday August 12, 2024 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,...

Top Rated Comments

Jim Lahey Avatar
29 months ago

It’s not about the money, it’s about the fact that i don’t like the AW as a watch, and prefer my nice big 5lb mechanical watch. I LOVE the fitness tuff on the AW, I’ve said it many times the person who invented those Rings should get a Noble Piece Prize, that person(s) will save millions of lives; BUT I hate the AW for everything else, I don’t like it as a watch, I hate that it takes over all the notifications (screen lighting up and dinging) from my phone, I hate that instead of looking at my 6” phone I’m now reading everything on 1.77” “watch” that I need to turn my wrist and twist my neck to read.
All fair enough if you don’t like it but you should be aware that watch notifications are completely customisable. You can have it effectively just be a watch if you prefer. It won’t alert you to things if you set it so it doesn’t. I can totally see why you might prefer a proper watch but annoying notifications isn’t a valid criticism of Apple Watch. Ten minutes in the phone app is all that’s needed to configure it to better suit your needs. It also has silent mode, theatre mode and even airplane mode ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matrix07 Avatar
29 months ago

The sad news is that you loose this if you have a Apple Watch.it’s one or another.
Wait. What? Lose what?

You lose nothing if you have Apple Watch.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sharksftw Avatar
29 months ago

Before Apple Watch… didn’t the health app or something similar track steps and walking? I could have sworn that was a thing and was marketed as keeping your iPhone in your pocket to count steps
Yes, the steps and miles walked count is in the health app. But it lacks the calories burned estimate
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BJMRamage Avatar
29 months ago
The Health App might currently track steps and flights (stairs not beer) the Fitness App has RINGS. Those rings are now a Lockscreen option.

I would REALLY like the idea of mapping my walks or hikes since I don’t have an AppleWatch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
29 months ago

I tried it this morning. It wasn’t tracking stands for me.
Well, the keynote did mention the Fitness app uses algorithms to approach the move side of things, not the Stand side of the rings.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
29 months ago

The sad news is that you loose this if you have an Apple Watch.it’s one or another.
Yeah, I can’t find a way to enable it since I have a watch paired. Was hoping I could keep my move streaks when I have to dress up and not wear my watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)