Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 include a new fitness-tracking feature: live step tracking on the watch face. Alongside live heart rate data, it’s a surprisingly welcome and motivating change to the new hardware.
Conceptually, step tracking data on the watch face is a rather unremarkable feature. Third-party apps like Pedometer++ have long been able to display your step count on your watch face. But Apple has waited until Series 12 and Ultra 4 to build in native support.
Step tracking data has always been collected by Apple Watch. Even the iPhone can measure steps throughout the day, dating back to the iPhone 5s — before the Apple Watch existed.
Before Series 12 and Ultra 4, however, Apple tucked step tracking data away inside apps like Fitness and Health. Now it’s a built-in complication option from the Fitness app, just like activity rings.
Why Apple Waited
There are likely two reasons Apple didn’t surface this data sooner. First, the new hardware is more capable and more efficient — which must be why live step data is exclusive to these models. Second, Apple has seemingly preferred to position the Apple Watch as more comprehensive than a simple step counter. The heart rate monitor and other sensors tell a much more complete story than steps walked per day.
A Surprisingly Motivating Number
Whatever the previous thinking, built-in live step tracking is now on the Apple Watch face — and the result is genuinely motivating. While live heart rate data offers the most useful real-time insight during exercise, the step count turns out to be most compelling first thing in the morning. Seeing a triple-digit number on your wrist creates an immediate incentive to get moving and push into the thousands.
One practical approach: knocking out a 16-minute rolling hills workout on a GymKit-equipped BowFlex T6 treadmill early in the day. The adjustable incline lets you focus on speed and a fixed session time, with room for a cooldown walk afterward.
It’s also just satisfying to watch the number climb as you walk, even outside of a logged workout. It’s a small thing, but it’s an effective new way to gamify daily activity — particularly for anyone who spends most of the day at a desk.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are both available now. You can read the full 9to5Mac review here.
