• To display steps on your Apple Watch face, you must first set a watch face with complications.
  • Then, use a third-party app like Duffy to show the step count.

While you can see steps on your Apple Watch , there’s no native way to display the metric on any watch face. Hence, we will have to take the aid of a third-party app to add a complication.

Selecting the Right Watch Face

Before adding the steps complication, we’ll first have to select a watch face that supports third-party complications. Here’s how to do that.

Step 1: Open the Watch app on your phone and tap on Face Gallery . Select the Modular , Modular Compact , or Infographics watch face.

Step 2: After choosing the desired watch face, tap on Add to include it in your collection.

Step 3: Head over to the My Watch tab. Select the watch face and tap on Set as current Watch Face .

select watch face - 1

Adding the Step Count Complication to Your Watch Face

Now that you have set the desired watch face, it’s time to add the pedometer to your Apple Watch face. Here’s how.

Step 1 : Download and install the Duffy app on your iPhone.

Step 2 : Long-press on the Apple Watch face to go to the Edit mode.

How to Show Steps on an Apple Watch Face - 2

Step 3: Swipe left to go to the complications page. Once in, tap on one of the spots and choose Duffy from the list of supported apps.

How to Show Steps on an Apple Watch Face - 3

You can also use apps like Pedometer++ , Stepwise Pedometer , and StepsApps instead of Duffy.

Why Is Step Count Not Updating on the Apple Watch Face?

There may be a few reasons you can’t see your step count in real-time on the Apple Watch face.

  • If you chose Duffy as the app of choice, it takes time to update steps on the watch face.
  • Your Apple Watch is disconnected from the network and can’t sync.
  • The battery level of your Apple Watch is low.
  • If the Health app on your iPhone also doesn’t show the updated steps, your Apple Watch could have a hardware defect. Try taking it to the Apple Store for a resolution.

It totally depends on the app you use to display steps. While Duffy takes a while to update the number of steps, it’s understandable since it’s free. There are also paid apps that can update your steps in real-time on the watch face.

Since third-party apps also use the same gyroscope and accelerometer sensors as your Apple Watch’s Health app, you can expect the steps tracking to be accurate.

Yes, displaying any third-party complication on the Apple Watch face will drain more battery. However, this may not have a substantial impact.

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