Apple Health with Go Jauntly

Here is a comprehensive guide to connecting Apple Health with the Go Jauntly app.

 
 

Getting started

Apple Health is built into every iPhone, so there's nothing to install and no account to set up. It's where iOS keeps your activity data, and it's where Go Jauntly reads your steps and distance from.

The good news is that your iPhone already counts steps and walking distance on its own using its motion sensor, as long as you're carrying it with you. So even if you don't own a watch or use a tracking app, you'll have data for Go Jauntly to read.

 

Tracking your activity

Apple Health works as a go-between for different apps and devices. Your activity can come from:

  • Your iPhone — steps and walking + running distance, recorded automatically.

  • Your Apple Watch — usually the most accurate source if you wear one.

  • Another app or device — Garmin, Strava, Nike Run Club and many others can write their activity into Apple Health.

If you use one of those other apps, check it's set up to write to Apple Health:

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap your profile picture in the top right.

  3. Tap Apps and Services and choose your tracking app.

  4. Make sure the data types you want to share are switched on.

A note on Google Health
Google Health's connection to Apple Health currently only works one way — Google Health can read your Apple Health data, but it doesn't write anything back. That means Go Jauntly won't see activity that only exists in Google Health. Google say support is coming later in 2026. Our full Google Health guide has more info.

 

Getting connected

Go Jauntly will ask for access to Apple Health when you join a challenge that needs it. You can also start the process from Settings > My Connections in the app.

iOS will show you Apple Health's own permission screen, listing the data we'd like to read:

  • Steps and Walking + Running Distance — these cover most challenges.

  • Cycling Distance — used on challenges like Walk to School, where we need to tell a cycle ride apart from a walk.

  • Wheelchair Distance and Pushes — only relevant if you use a wheelchair.

Go Jauntly only ever reads from Apple Health. We never write anything back into your health data.

We recommend tapping 'Turn On All'
For privacy reasons, Apple never tells an app which data types you turned down. If you leave something switched off, Go Jauntly can't tell the difference between "you didn't allow this" and "there was no activity" — so your challenge progress can quietly look like zero rather than showing you a helpful prompt.

 

Keeping progress up to date in the background

So that your challenge progress updates without you needing to open the app, Go Jauntly asks iOS to let it know when new activity is recorded, and checks in at intervals through the day.

For this to keep working:

  • Leave Background App Refresh switched on for Go Jauntly, under Settings > General > Background App Refresh.

  • Your iPhone needs to have been unlocked at least once since it was last restarted, as iOS keeps health data locked until then.

If you'd rather not have it running in the background, that's absolutely fine — just open Go Jauntly whenever you'd like your progress brought up to date.

 

Joining a challenge that's already started

If you join a challenge after it has begun, we'll look back over your Apple Health history to count the progress you'd already made towards the target. So you can start the annual Walk 2025km challenge in February rather than in January and still get credit for your walking.

 

Changing your preferences

Once you've made a choice, iOS won't ask you again — you'll need to change it in the Health app rather than in Go Jauntly.

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap your profile picture in the top right.

  3. Tap Apps and Services (on older versions of iOS, look under Privacy > Apps).

  4. Tap Go Jauntly.

  5. Switch the data types on or off (we recommend at least Steps and Walking + Running Distance).

You can also get there via Settings > Health > Data Access & Devices > Go Jauntly.

To stop sharing altogether, turn everything off here, or go to Settings > My Connections in the Go Jauntly app.

 

If your steps look wrong

  • Progress isn't updating. Open Go Jauntly to trigger a fresh check, then confirm your permissions using the steps above.

  • Steps look too high. If you have more than one app or device writing steps into Apple Health, they can overlap. In the Health app, open Steps, then Data Sources & Access, and drag your most trusted source to the top of the list.

  • Steps look too low. Check that you're carrying your iPhone, or that your watch is syncing. Apple Health only knows about activity something has recorded for it.

 

Need more help?

If you're not sure whether your data is making it through to Go Jauntly, take a look at our activity tracking overview, or get in touch with us at hi@gojauntly.com and we'll help you sort it out.