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Health & Wellness

Steps checked against official help pages. Last checked: Oct 19, 2026

How to Track Your Steps and Walking on Your Phone

What this helps with: Seeing how many steps you walk each day, right on the phone you already carry, and choosing who can see that information.

This guide shows how to use the app. It doesn’t tell you how much to walk. For questions about your health or exercise, ask your doctor.

iPhone: the Health app

Your iPhone counts steps on its own when it’s in your pocket or bag. There’s nothing to turn on.

  1. Open the Health app.
    • What you’ll tap: A white icon with a red heart.
  2. Tap Browse at the bottom, then tap Activity.
  3. Tap Steps.
  4. Tap D, W, M, or Y at the top to see a day, week, month, or year.
  5. To keep steps on the front page, scroll down and tap Pin to Summary. Next time, you’ll see your steps as soon as you open Health.

Tip: You can also find Walking Distance and Walking Speed the same way. Tap the search box in Browse and type the name.

Samsung Galaxy: the Samsung Health app

  1. Open the Samsung Health app and tap the Home tab.
  2. Tap the Steps card.
  3. Tap a date at the top to see that day’s steps.
  4. To set a daily goal, tap the three dots at the top right, then tap Set target.

Want steps on your home screen? Touch and hold an empty spot on your home screen. Tap Widgets, then Health, then the Steps widget, then Add.

Other Android phones: the Google Health app

The free Google Health app (it used to be called the Fitbit app) can count steps with just your phone.

  1. Open Google Play, search for Google Health, and tap Install. Check that it’s made by Google.
  2. Open the app and tap Join Google Health. Sign in with your Google account.
  3. When it asks which tracker you’re setting up, choose Just the app.
  4. Follow the steps on the screen. Your steps update each time you open the app.

Keep your health information private

Your step count is health information. You decide who sees it.

  • Lock your phone with a passcode, fingerprint, or face. On iPhone, this also keeps your Health data protected.
  • iPhone: check which apps can see it. In Health, tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials at the top. Under Privacy, tap Apps. Tap an app to turn its access on or off.
  • Android: check which apps can see it. Open Settings, tap the search magnifying glass, and type Health Connect. Tap App permissions, then tap an app to turn its access on or off.
  • Only give access to apps you trust. If a new app asks to read your health data, it’s fine to tap Don’t Allow.
  • Want to share with family? Our guide on sharing health info with a family member shows the safe way.

If something goes wrong

  • My steps look too low. Your phone only counts steps while you carry it. A watch or fitness band counts more, because you wear it all day.
  • My steps don’t show up (Android). Open the app so it can update. Make sure your phone has the latest updates.
  • I want to delete my data. iPhone: in Steps, tap Show All Data, then swipe left on an entry and tap Delete. Android: in Health Connect, you can delete data you’ve saved.

Official sources

Last checked: Oct 19, 2026

This is general help, not medical advice or personalized tech support. Step counts are estimates. App names and menus change often. Check the official sources if a button looks different.

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