watchOS 5 Tip: This is how automatic workout detection works

One of the big improvements in watchOS 5 is automatic workout detection. Start exercising and your Apple Watch will automatically ask if you want to start a workout. iPhoned shows you how to set up the automatic workout detection.

This way your Apple Watch knows when you exercise

Apple focuses more than ever on health with watchOS 5. It is therefore not surprising that the Workout app in particular has received a few notable improvements. One of these is the automatic workout detection.

When you start running or swimming without starting a workout on your Apple Watch, you’ll be notified in no time. The Watch will then propose to start a workout for you.

Because the smart watch also measures your pace, it knows in a number of cases what kind of workout you are doing. For example, it automatically suggests starting a walking or running workout. But if you start with football training, you will still have to select that you are not running, but do a ‘different’ exercise.

→ Read also: watchOS 5 review: more independent and healthier than ever

If you have not yet started a workout, the Watch will already keep track of your performance. This way your entire sports session is measured and you don’t miss any minutes at the end. If you have finished your workout and do not stop the workout on your watch, you will also receive a notification. The Watch realizes that you are no longer moving intensively, and then asks you with a tap on your wrist if you want to stop the workout.

Set up automatic workout detection

Thanks to this function, you hardly have to think about keeping track of your workouts, and measuring movement becomes more and more automatic. But if you prefer to start your workouts manually, you can always turn the function off. You do this as follows.

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone;
2. In the ‘My Watch’ menu, go to ‘Workout’;
3. Turn off ‘Reminder to start’ here. If you do not want a notification to stop a workout, swipe the ‘Reminder to stop’ slider to the left.

You can also find and adjust the same settings on your watch.

1. Go to Settings;
2. Open the ‘General’ menu and tap ‘Workout’;
3. Switch the automatic workout detection off or on again here.

Read more about watchOS 5

• Apple releases watchOS 6.1.3 with a bug fix for heart rate notifications (2/18/2020)
• Tip: This is how you make a heart video with your Apple Watch (2/9/2020)
• Apple releases watchOS 5.3.2 for Watch Series 4 (9-10-2019)
• Apple is releasing iOS 12.4.2 and watchOS 5.3.2 for older iPhones and Apple Watches (9/26/2019)
• watchOS 5.3 and updates for macOS, tvOS and HomePod are rolling out (7/22/2019)