The iPhone’s built-in Health and Fitness apps provide comprehensive tools for monitoring physical activity, sleep, nutrition, and overall wellness—even without an Apple Watch. By leveraging the iPhone’s motion sensors and integrating third-party devices, users can track steps, workouts, sleep patterns, and health metrics like heart rate or blood pressure. The Health app consolidates data from multiple sources, while the Fitness app (formerly Activity) visualizes progress through Activity rings, customizable goals, and trend analysis. Key features include automatic step counting, sleep schedule management, medication logging, and secure health data sharing with healthcare providers or family members.

• The Health app automatically tracks steps, walking distance, and stairs climbed using the iPhone’s built-in sensors ^[1][6]
• Users can manually log health data (e.g., weight, blood pressure, sleep) or sync with third-party apps like MyFitnessPal or Strava ^[3][5]
• The Fitness app displays Activity rings (Move, Exercise, Stand) and allows goal customization, even without an Apple Watch ^[2][4]
• iOS 18 introduces new features like symptom tracking, mental health tools, and a "Vitals" dashboard for simplified monitoring ^[3][8]

Mastering iPhone Health and Fitness Tracking

Setting Up and Navigating the Health App

The Health app serves as the central hub for all health-related data on your iPhone. To begin, ensure motion and fitness tracking is enabled by navigating to Settings > Privacy > Motion & Fitness and toggling on "Fitness Tracking" ^[6]. This allows the iPhone to automatically record steps, distance, and flights climbed using its accelerometer and gyroscope. Next, open the Health app and tap your profile icon to set up your Health Profile, where you can input details like age, height, weight, and blood type—critical for accurate metric calculations ^[1].

The app’s interface is divided into four main tabs:

• Summary: Displays pinned metrics (e.g., steps, heart rate) and health highlights. In iOS 18, users can now pin up to 15 favorite stats for quick access ^[8].
• Browse: Organizes data into categories like Activity, Sleep, Heart, and Nutrition. Here, you can manually log data (e.g., water intake, medications) or view trends over time ^[1].
• Sharing: Allows secure sharing of health data with family members or healthcare providers, a feature expanded in iOS 18 to include symptom tracking and mental health metrics ^[8].
• Medical ID: Stores emergency information (allergies, medications, blood type) accessible from the lock screen ^[1][6].

Key setup steps include:

• Enabling Background App Refresh for the Health app to ensure continuous data syncing ^[1].
• Granting permissions to third-party apps (e.g., Strava, MyFitnessPal) via Health Data > Data Sources & Access ^[5].
• Configuring Sleep Schedule in the Health app to receive bedtime reminders and track sleep consistency ^[5][6].

For users without an Apple Watch, the iPhone’s sensors are surprisingly robust. The device automatically tracks:

• Steps and distance: Using the motion coprocessor, which operates efficiently in the background ^[9].
• Flights climbed: Detected via barometric pressure changes ^[1].
• Workout detection: Basic activities like walking or running can be logged manually in the Fitness app ^[4].

Tracking Workouts and Fitness Goals Without an Apple Watch

The Fitness app (preinstalled on iPhones with iOS 16 or later) mirrors many Apple Watch features, allowing users to monitor Activity rings, set goals, and log workouts directly from their phone ^[2][4]. To start, open the Fitness app and tap Continue at the welcome screen. You’ll be prompted to enter personal details (e.g., height, weight) to calibrate calorie and distance calculations ^[4].

The app’s Summary tab displays three Activity rings:

• Move (red): Tracks active calories burned. The default goal is 300 calories but can be adjusted daily ^[2].
• Exercise (green): Measures minutes of brisk activity (e.g., walking, running). The default is 30 minutes ^[2].
• Stand (blue): Encourages standing for at least 1 minute per hour, 12 hours a day ^[2].

Users can customize these goals by:

• Tapping the Activity rings in the Summary tab, then selecting Change Goals ^[2].
• Adjusting targets for specific days (e.g., higher goals on weekends) ^[2].
• Pausing rings temporarily during illness or recovery via Settings > Fitness ^[8].

To log a workout without an Apple Watch:

1. Open the Fitness app and tap the + icon in the top-right corner ^[4].
2. Select a workout type (e.g., Outdoor Walk, Yoga, Strength Training).
3. Start the workout, and the iPhone will use its motion sensors to track duration, calories, and distance (for outdoor activities) ^[4].
4. End the workout to save the data, which syncs automatically with the Health app.

For enhanced tracking, users can integrate:

• AirPods Pro (3rd gen): Tracks head movements and step cadence for more accurate workout metrics ^[4].
• Third-party apps: Apps like Strava or Nike Run Club can sync with the Health app to provide detailed workout analytics ^[5].
• Bluetooth accessories: Heart rate monitors (e.g., Polar H10) or smart scales (e.g., Withings) can feed data directly into the Health app ^[5].

The Fitness app also includes social features:

• Activity Sharing: Invite friends to share progress and compete in challenges ^[2].
• Awards: Earn badges for milestones like "7-Day Move Streak" or "Perfect Month" ^[4].

Advanced Features in iOS 18

iOS 18 introduces significant upgrades to the Health app, focusing on proactive health management. The new Vitals dashboard consolidates key metrics (e.g., heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep trends) into a single, easy-to-read interface ^[3][8]. This feature uses on-device machine learning to detect patterns and flag unusual changes, such as elevated resting heart rate or irregular sleep ^[8].

New mental health tools include:

• Anxiety and depression risk assessments: Questionnaires based on clinically validated scales (e.g., GAD-7 for anxiety) ^[8].
• Mood logging: Track daily emotions and correlate them with other health data (e.g., sleep, activity) ^[8].

For medication management, iOS 18 enhances the existing Medications feature with:

• Customizable schedules: Set reminders for pills, vitamins, or injections with dosage tracking ^[8].
• Interaction alerts: Warns about potential drug interactions when logging multiple medications ^[1].
• Health Records integration: Syncs prescription data from participating healthcare providers ^[6].

The Symptom Tracking feature allows users to log symptoms (e.g., headaches, dizziness) over time, helping identify triggers or patterns. This data can be shared with doctors via PDF export or direct integration with electronic health records ^[8].

For families, iOS 18 expands Health Sharing to include:

• Child and elderly monitoring: Parents can track their child’s activity or sleep, while caregivers can monitor elderly relatives’ health trends ^[8].
• Emergency alerts: Notifications for unusual vitals (e.g., low heart rate) sent to designated contacts ^[8].