We know it can be super frustrating when your activity doesn’t register in the app. If you believe your tracker is connected properly, but you’re still having trouble, here are a few things you can check.
Did your activity meet the game’s requirements?
It might seem obvious, but it happens! If you completed a workout that doesn’t quite make the cut, we won’t be able to count it. Was your run or walk far enough? Was your activity long enough? Did you keep the minimum pace or heart rate? If you paused your tracker during the activity, your actual stats may be slightly different than shown on your device.
Did you stop or pause your tracker during the activity?
We calculate your average pace based on the total (elapsed) time of your activity, not your moving time. Pausing your tracker can cause errors in calculation and could potentially disqualify your activity (even if your moving time was fast enough).
Activities must be started and finished on the same calendar day and tracked in one continuous session to qualify.
Make sure the auto-pause feature on your tracker is turned off before heading out. This is usually in your tracker’s Run Settings.
Is your tracker set to the right activity type?
When it comes to tracking the right activity, auto-tracking is your enemy. Wearable devices are smart, but not that smart. Select the activity type manually before starting your workout. Manually starting and stopping your tracker when you exercise also helps get the most accurate reading.
Do you have more than one account?
If you’ve created more than one WayBetter account, your tracker may be syncing to the wrong one. Double check if you’ve logged in with Apple or Facebook and an email address before. You may have a duplicate account.
You can email us at support@waybetter.app to help remove an old or unused account.
Have you calibrated your tracker?
Many trackers have a calibration option based on your height, stride length, and other factors. Calibration helps ensure your stats are as accurate as possible. GPS enabled devices and platforms that use your phone’s GPS may also need to be calibrated.
Calibrating Apple Watch for better accuracy
Setting custom stride length on for Garmin
Does your tracker round up or down?
Some trackers round their decimal points, so when your stats come to us as pure data, they could be slightly different than they show on your tracker’s display. It’s a crazy technicality, but this has caused a perfectly good submission to get rejected. Just to be safe, we suggest doing your activity a little longer and just a hair faster than the game’s minimum requirements. We’d hate for a good 29.9999 minute run to go to waste!
Were you doing something with your hands?
Pushing strollers, walking dogs, holding the handrails of a treadmill, and other unconventional arm movements can impact the metrics of your run or walk. Check out your tracker’s website for known issues about your device (and its accuracy).
How do you wear your tracker?
Trackers can be a little temperamental based on how you wear them. For example, how tight you wear them and how much contact they have with your skin can impact how well they read your heart rate. Wearing a tracker someplace other than your wrist can also impact the way it interprets your movements.
Tips for wearing an Apple Watch
How accurate is your device?
If your device relies on GPS data, several factors may be in play. The signal strength, the accuracy of your device, and environmental factors can cause your tracker’s readings to vary slightly from your actual route. Running through a busy downtown area and running on a remote trail both come with their variables.
Check out these articles to learn more about your device’s margin of error:
How’s your cell or wifi signal?
Poor reception can cause delays connecting your device and sending your activity data to us. If your activity is not showing in the app yet, it may feel like it’s lost in space. Don’t sweat it (that’s what the workout was for).
Try refreshing your activity or closing and reopening both apps to move the process along. If you’re in a place with strong reception and 3 hours have gone by without success, reach out to support@waybetter.com with a screenshot or photo of your tracked activity. We’ll do our best to get you up and running again soon.
Are your apps up to date?
Like a good fitness journey, running a tech company is about progress, not perfection. We take care of glitches and make improvements with each new version of our app, so it’s always a good idea to use the latest version. We recommend updating your tracker as well to make sure any problems on their end are resolved as soon as there’s a fix.