Steps differ between my phone and Activate

It’s common for the step count in Activate to differ slightly from what your phone’s health app shows. Here’s why this happens and when to be concerned.

Small differences (up to ~10%) are normal

Different apps and devices use different algorithms to count steps. Your phone’s built-in pedometer, your smartwatch, and health apps may each produce slightly different numbers. When Activate receives data from your integration, it may not match your phone’s count exactly. A difference of a few hundred to a couple of thousand steps in a day is within normal range.

Large differences may indicate a sync issue

If you see a significant gap (e.g., your phone shows 10,000 steps but Activate shows 3,000), check the following:

• Sync timing: Your data may not have fully synced yet. Open your health app, wait a few minutes, and check Activate again.

• Multiple sources: If you have two devices counting steps (e.g., phone + smartwatch), your health app may combine both, while Activate receives data from only one source. Use one integration at a time.

• Disconnected integration: Check Menu → Devices to verify your integration is still connected.

• Garmin-specific: Garmin data needs to be synced to Garmin’s cloud first. Check the sync icon in the Garmin Connect app. See our Garmin troubleshooting article for details.

Still seeing a big difference?

Contact us via in-app chat with the following info: your phone model, which integration you use, and if possible, screenshots from both your health app and Activate showing the same day’s step count.

Updated on: 25/03/2026