How to track habits automatically with Apple Health
If a habit is something your iPhone or Apple Watch already measures, you shouldn't have to log it by hand. Here's what Health records for you and how to put it to work.
What Apple Health already records for you
According to Apple, the Health app "automatically counts your steps, walking, and running distances" as long as your iPhone is with you. If you wear an Apple Watch, it also tracks your Activity data, such as workouts.
Other numbers reach Health from the places you already use. Sleep can come from Apple Watch or the Sleep schedule on iPhone. Mindful minutes can come from the Mindfulness app on Apple Watch. Water can be logged in Health itself or by an app that writes to it.
Source: Apple Support, Use the Health app on your iPhone or iPad.
Which habits suit automatic tracking
Good matches are habits with a clear number attached: walk 8,000 steps, sleep seven hours, do a workout, drink two litres of water, take ten mindful minutes.
Habits that live in your head, such as reading, journalling or calling a friend, still need a quick tap from you. That's fine. Most people find a mix works best: let the numbers mark themselves done and keep your attention for the rest.
How to set it up
1. Check Health has the data. Open the Health app and look in the category, for example Steps or Sleep. If it's empty, turn on the source first, such as the Sleep schedule or your Apple Watch.
2. Allow your habit app to read it. The first time an app asks, iPhone shows a list of categories to allow. You can change this later in Health: tap your profile picture, then Apps under Privacy, then the app.
3. Pick a target you can hit on a normal day. An automatic habit that you miss most days is just a daily reminder of falling short. Start a little below your usual level and raise it later.
Doing it in Flaric
Flaric, the iPhone habit tracker we make, can link a habit to Apple Health with Flaric Unlimited. Steps, sleep, workouts, water and mindful minutes are then marked done for you when you reach your target.
Flaric only reads the Health categories you allow, and you can turn access off at any time in Health or in Flaric's settings. If you miss a day, Flaric offers you a day off, so one quiet day doesn't send your progress back to zero.