Change default activity in health app

Every time I want to add data - the default is running - how can we change this ? or why can't we change this ?


Apple? - anyone ?

iPhone 11 Pro Max, iOS 16

Posted on Dec 21, 2022 04:36 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 23, 2022 06:19 AM

  1. You mentioned that 'the default is running' when attempting to add data to the Health app, but we do not know what this means. The more details you provide, the better we'll understand what's happening.


It means when you open the health app - go to browse bottom right - go to activity at the top of health categories - find workouts - top right says add data


always defaults to running ... I want to be able to choose what my default is as I have to change this every time i use it ...


and it doesn't change based on what activities you actually do over time - it always stays as running when you want to add data following the above steps


I do an outdoor activity that isn't listed so constantly adding activity time - and I don't run ... I just want to change it ...


2. nothing in that link is relevant

3. restarting doest change anything

4. see below


It's nothing to do with updates in iOS or being behind on them - as its been this since day one of owning the watch for the past few years


why you can't change this is beyond me ... it literally has to be a setting in the app thats not accessible ...

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 23, 2022 06:19 AM in response to bruno75

  1. You mentioned that 'the default is running' when attempting to add data to the Health app, but we do not know what this means. The more details you provide, the better we'll understand what's happening.


It means when you open the health app - go to browse bottom right - go to activity at the top of health categories - find workouts - top right says add data


always defaults to running ... I want to be able to choose what my default is as I have to change this every time i use it ...


and it doesn't change based on what activities you actually do over time - it always stays as running when you want to add data following the above steps


I do an outdoor activity that isn't listed so constantly adding activity time - and I don't run ... I just want to change it ...


2. nothing in that link is relevant

3. restarting doest change anything

4. see below


It's nothing to do with updates in iOS or being behind on them - as its been this since day one of owning the watch for the past few years


why you can't change this is beyond me ... it literally has to be a setting in the app thats not accessible ...

Dec 22, 2022 04:14 PM in response to odobostudio

Hey there odobostudio,


While we're not quite sure what it is that's happening based on the details from your post, we'd like to confirm more details to better understand the issue, along with ruling out some general possible causes:


  1. You mentioned that 'the default is running' when attempting to add data to the Health app, but we do not know what this means. The more details you provide, the better we'll understand what's happening.
  2. Are these the steps you're taking to try adding data to the Health app? Check out: Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
  3. Sometimes unexpected behavior can be resolved with a restart: Restart your iPhone
  4. We see that you're running iOS 16 on your iPhone, but the latest version is iOS 16.2. You can verify this within Settings > General > About. In case you needed it, this link shows how to first back up, then Update your iPhone or iPad.


Cheers!

Dec 23, 2022 09:15 AM in response to odobostudio

Hi odobostudio,


We appreciate the clarification and believe we have a better understanding on what is going on.


When you are performing the activity that you want to track, are you using your Apple Watch for that or do you only want to add the data manually? We ask because in the Health app, the default options to track are steps, walking and running distances.


If you're tracking this activity in another app and wanting to transfer that data over, you can do the following to manually add that data:


Add information from other apps
1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner 
3. Under Privacy, tap Apps. You can see apps that you already own that are compatible with Health. If you don't see an app, it might not be compatible. 
4. Tap an app and turn on the health categories that you want that app to track.

You might also need to open the app and adjust its settings to allow it to share data with Health. 


You can also try to add the app to the Health app to have that data shared automatically:


Find apps that are compatible with Health
1. Open the Health app and tap the Browse tab.
2. Tap a category, like Heart. 
3. Tap a subcategory, like Heart Rate.
4. Scroll down to the apps recommended for that category, then tap an app to learn about and download it. 
5. Go back to your privacy settings in the Health app to allow that app to read or write data in the Health app. 

You decide what information goes into the Health app and which apps can get your information from Health. Apps that access HealthKit must have a privacy policy. Review an app's privacy policy before allowing access to your health and fitness information.


We hope this helps. It's possible that you may need to leave feedback about this feature to see if it can be something that is added to the iOS in the future. You can do that here: Product Feedback


Take care!


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Change default activity in health app

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