Apple Watch 12 activity and sleep tracking is inconsistent

I just bought an apple watch 12. sometimes it seems to record everything really well, then other times it records nothing at all. I went for a 30 min walk and it said I walked for 10. I take 10 steps across the house and sometimes it says I took the 10 and other times it says I took less. And the sleep monitoring has only worked a couple times other times it just says no data. I can't get the watch band any tighter and I've turned off and on all the recording stuff, I wiped down the sensor and made sure everything is updated. Anybody else having these problems? or have ideas on how to fix?

Posted on Sep 26, 2026 2:59 PM

1 reply

poonam_kumawat

Level 4 (1,080 points)

Sep 27, 2026 9:55 AM in response to arlas200

If the Watch intermittently loses wrist detection, some Activity measurements and sleep tracking can be affected. Watch app -> My Watch -> Passcode -> Wrist Detection should be on.

For the 30-minute walk, try starting an Indoor Walk/Outdoor Walk workout rather than relying on automatic Activity tracking. Apple says the Workout app uses additional sensors to improve tracking.

For sleep, make sure Sleep Tracking is enabled and wear the Watch for at least an hour while sleeping.

More Info: Apple Support — Get the most accurate measurements