What Icons and Symbols Mean on Apple Fitness App? Complete Guide
The Apple Fitness app is like a hub for health and activity, but navigating its interface is pretty complex. Those graphs and visual icons are quite confusing. From activity rings to workout metrics, those little Fitness app icons and symbols hold valuable insights into your progress. This guide will walk you through every key icon and symbol of the Apple Fitness app so you may fully understand and utilize your fitness data.
When you open the Apple Fitness app, you will see a ‘Summary’ screen. It is your daily snapshot of activity. Let’s break down all the icons and symbols:
Table of Contents
1. Activity Rings (Color Rings) Icons
Let’s kick things off with the Activity Rings! You’ll see these three colorful rings front and center, each telling a different part of your daily activity story.
Alright, let’s dive deeper into those Activity Rings and see what’s hiding inside this section when you tap on it.
Calendar Icon:Tap this icon and you can jump to any other day to see your activity data.
Share (Up Arrow in Box) Icon:you’re able to share your activity data with friends or family by tapping on this icon.
Current Day (Letter in Red Circle) Icon:This icon tells you the current day of the week – ‘T’ for Thursday, ‘M’ for Monday, ‘W’ for Wednesday, and so on. Tap on these to quickly jump to the previous day’s data.
Activity (Arrow) Icons:You might have noticed these arrows inside the rings. Each arrow has a meaning:
- Adjust/Change Goal (Plus/Minus in Circle) Icon:Tap this icon to adjust your goals for the day or change your daily goals.
6.Red Calorie Graph:The red graph shows your calorie burn throughout the day. The taller the red bars, the more calories you burned during that time. Left to right is the timeline, so you may see when you were most active.
- Neon Exercise Graph:Similarly, there’s a neon green graph showing your exercise minutes throughout the day. The taller the bars, the more minutes you exercised. Left to right is the timeline, just like the calorie graph.
2. Step Count Section Icons Meaning
Moving down from the Activity Rings, you’ll see your ‘Step Count’ – a quick look at how many steps you’ve taken today. The purple number shows your total steps. But there’s more to it than just a number.
The alphabet above the graph represents D (Day), W (Week), M (Month), and Y (Year). So, if you tap W, you’ll see the step count for weekdays like Monday, Tuesday instead of time.
you may tap and hold each of the bars to see more details of that particular time.
Note:If you see numbers like ’18’ or ’00’ at the bottom of the graph, that means your phone’s set to a 24-hour time format. Just something to keep in mind when you’re checking your step count throughout the day!
3. Step Distance Section
Right next to the Step Count, you’ll find the ‘Step Distance’ graph, showing you how far you’ve traveled today. The big blue number tells you your total distance, measured in kilometers (or miles, depending on your settings).
Just like the Step Count graph, this one has vertical bars that show your distance covered at different times of the day. The taller the bar, the more distance you covered during that period. Again, left to right is the timeline, so you can see when you were moving the most.
Tap and hold on the bar to see more information on that particular bar.
Sessions Section Icons Meaning
Let’s move on to the ‘Sessions’ section. This is where you get a quick look at your recent workouts.
Workout Details – Heart Rate and Pace Graphs
Let’s take a closer look at your workout details. When you tap ‘Show More’ on a session, you’ll see some cool graphs that give you a deeper dive into your performance.
Heart Rate Graph:At the top, you’ll find the Heart Rate graph. It shows your heart rate throughout the workout.
Pace Graph:Below the Heart Rate graph, you’ll find the Pace graph. It’s a measure of how fast you’re going.
You can also access this data for a particular time. Simply, tap and hold anywhere on the heart rate or pace graph where there is some activity.
Heart Rate Section – Graph and Zones
Alright, let’s dig into your heart rate data. When you tap ‘Show More’ on the heart rate section, you’ll see a detailed look at your heart rate throughout your workout.
Heart Rate Graph:At the top, you’ll find the Heart Rate graph.
Below the graph, you’ll see yourheart rate zones.
Zones:These zones help you understand the intensity of your workout. They’re typically categorized as Zone 1 through Zone 5, with each zone representing a different level of exertion.
BPM Ranges:Each zone has a specific BPM range (e.g., Zone 1: < 136 BPM, Zone 5: 170+ BPM).
Time in Zone:The blue bar and the time next to the zone (e.g., 17:30 in Zone 1) show how long your heart rate stayed in that particular zone.
Dots:The dots next to the zone name show the time spent in each zone.
Understanding Zones:
Trends Section Icons Meaning
Alright, let’s talk about the ‘Trends’ section. This is where you get a quick snapshot of how your activity is trending over time.
You’ll see a bunch of metrics here, like ‘Stand,’ ‘Exercise,’ ‘Move,’ ‘Distance,’ and more. What’s cool is that each metric has an arrow or a dash next to it, giving you a quick visual cue on your progress.
Trends – Activity Graphs
Let’s take a closer look at the graphs you’ll find inside each activity in the ‘Trends’ section. They all work pretty much the same way, just with different values. We’ll use the ‘Stand’ graph as our example.
Goal Line (Dotted Line):You’ll see a dotted line running horizontally across the graph. This line represents your goal that you’re able to set in Settings. In this Stand Graph, the dotted line is at 10 hours, which is your daily stand goal.
Vertical Bars (Colored and Grey):
7-Day Details:Here’s a cool trick: if you tap and hold on any of the vertical bars, you’ll get a detailed view of your activity for last 7 days.
Daily Averages:Below the main graph, you’ll see a ‘Daily Averages’ section. This shows you how many days you closed your stand rings.
Rings Closed:You’ll also see a breakdown of how many days you’ve closed your stand rings, both for the last 365 days and the last 90 days, shown as a fraction and a percentage.
Note:keep in mind that the ‘Move’ graph will be similar, but instead of hours, it’ll show calories. And other activity graphs will have their own relevant metrics. But the overall structure and how to read the graphs will be the same!
And there you have it, folks! If you’re curious about the symbols in other apps, don’t forget to check out our other icon explanation guides below!
Anchit Srivastava
Working as a Tech Writer at Tech Wiser, I’m passionate about technology since childhood. I enjoy discussing it with friends, exploring new techs, and analyzing features in Android, iOS, and other technologies. My goal is to simplify complex information about current and emerging technologies, making them more accessible and understandable to people interested in learning more.
