Fix a problem with the app

This is almost always a missing permission — and there are two separate ones to check, because the iPhone and the Apple Watch each ask for Health access on their own.

On iPhone: Settings app → Privacy & Security → Health → Japanese Walk, and make sure Heart Rate is turned on.

On Apple Watch: open the Watch's own Settings app (not your iPhone) → Privacy & Security → Health → Japanese Walk, and turn on Heart Rate and Active Energy. If Japanese Walk doesn't appear in that list at all, it means the Watch has never been asked for access — fully open the Japanese Walk app directly on the Watch (tap its icon, rather than only glancing at a complication) and check again afterward.

If both permissions are already on, make sure the Watch band is snug against your wrist and give the sensor 10–15 seconds after starting a walk to lock on. If you're using a Bluetooth heart rate chest strap instead, confirm it's paired and powered on before you start.

Check Settings app → Japanese Walk → Location is set to "While Using" or "Always" — background tracking (so a walk keeps recording with your phone locked) needs Always access.

Also check that GPS tracking is turned on in the app's own Settings screen. With it off, walks are still tracked by time, just without a route or distance.

The very first stretch of a route can be missing indoors or under heavy tree cover while GPS gets its initial signal lock.

Make sure the Watch is unlocked, on your wrist, and within Bluetooth/Wi-Fi range of your iPhone. Force-close and reopen Japanese Walk on both devices, and if a walk seems stuck mid-sync, restarting the Watch usually clears it.

There are two separate reasons this shows up. First, a walk needs to be at least as long as one interval and, if GPS tracking is on, cover at least 0.1 miles — this filters out accidental taps, not real walks. Second, saving a walk to your history (and to Apple Health) requires an active subscription or free trial — if the trial has lapsed, start it again from the app's paywall to resume saving your walks.

Check Settings app → Notifications → Japanese Walk is allowed, and confirm the reminder itself is turned on with the right days and time in the app's own Settings.

Use "Restore Purchases" on the paywall screen if you've reinstalled the app or switched devices while signed in with the same Apple ID. To view, change, or cancel a subscription directly: iPhone Settings app → your name at the top → Subscriptions → Japanese Walk. After starting a free trial, give the App Store's purchase sheet a few seconds to confirm — the paywall closes automatically once it does.

Both are calculated from the weight, resting heart rate, and date of birth entered in your Profile inside the app — double-check those are filled in and accurate.