Apple is adding a dedicated step counter complication to the Apple Watch with its latest software, allowing users to see their daily step count directly on the watch face. However, the feature comes with a surprising hardware restriction.
The new complication is limited to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. That is notable because Apple showed the step-counting feature during its September event without prominently explaining that it would only be available on its newest watch models.
The New Step Counter Is Limited To Newer Apple Watches
The new complication puts the day’s step count directly on the watch face, so users can check their progress without opening the Fitness or Health apps.
Confirmed compatibility information shows that the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are the only models that support Apple’s built-in step counter complication. Older Apple Watch models do not gain the feature, even when they are updated to the latest supported software.
In other words, having a compatible version of watchOS is not enough. The new complication also requires one of Apple’s two newest Apple Watch models.
Apple Watch Already Tracks Steps
The new feature does not introduce step tracking to the Apple Watch. The watch has been recording steps through Apple’s health and fitness system for years.
What is new is the ability to put that information directly on the watch face as a dedicated complication. This makes the daily step count available at a glance instead of requiring users to open another app.
That distinction also explains why the compatibility restriction stands out. Older Apple Watch models can still record and show step data, but they cannot use Apple’s new native complication to display it on the watch face.
Older Apple Watches Can Use Third-Party Alternatives
Owners of older Apple Watch models can still display step counts on their watch faces through third-party watch-face and complication solutions.
These alternatives can provide similar at-a-glance access to step data, but they are separate from Apple’s native complication and do not add official support for the feature to older Apple Watch models.
