Does iPhone count steps without an Apple Watch?

Yes. Every iPhone from the iPhone 5s on has a motion coprocessor that counts steps, and newer models also count floors climbed with a barometer and estimate walking distance. It runs in the background whenever the phone is on you, and the totals go into the Health app with no Apple Watch needed.

What the iPhone counts on its own

Steps, from the motion sensor, any time the phone is in your pocket or hand.
Flights climbed, from the barometer, which notices the change in air pressure as you go up a floor.
Walking + running distance, estimated from your steps and stride.

All three land in the Health app under Browse > Activity. Counting only happens with Fitness Tracking turned on in Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness.

What an Apple Watch adds

A watch counts the steps you take when the phone isn't on you: around the house, at the gym, on a walk where you left the phone behind. Health merges iPhone and Apple Watch steps so the same step isn't counted twice. Footprints reads those merged totals, so a watch's steps show up in Footprints with nothing to set up.

How accurate is the iPhone step counter?

It's good at walking with the phone on your body, and it misses steps when the phone isn't moving with you: on a desk, on a treadmill console, in a cart or stroller. Distance gets better once the iPhone has learned your stride on a few outdoor walks with Motion Calibration & Distance turned on in Location Services > System Services.

A daily goal without a watch

Health shows your numbers but doesn't measure them against a step goal you choose. Footprints does that with just an iPhone:

Pick a daily step goal from 100 to 100,000.
See each day as a card with steps, floors, distance and the percentage of your goal, a calendar of goal rings, or a bar chart with a goal line.
Put today's steps on your Home Screen or Lock Screen with a widget.
Start with up to a year of history imported from Health the first time you open it.

No account, no sign-up, and your step data stays on your iPhone.

Questions

Do I need an Apple Watch to count steps?

No. An iPhone counts steps on its own whenever you carry it. An Apple Watch adds the steps you take without the phone.

Does the iPhone count steps in the background?

Yes. The motion sensor records steps all day with no app open, as long as Fitness Tracking is on. Apps like Footprints read those totals later.

Can iPhone count floors climbed?

Yes. iPhone models with a barometer record flights climbed in the Health app, and Footprints shows floors for each day next to steps and distance.

Footprints shows your steps, floors and distance against a daily goal, as a list, a calendar of goal rings and a chart. Free with ads.

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Updated 2026-11-04