If you notice that your steps or other health metrics appear duplicated in Apple Health alongside another fitness device (like your iPhone or Apple Watch), it is simply how Apple Health handles incoming data from multiple sources.
Why Does This Happen?
Apple Health automatically aggregates data from all connected apps and devices. It uses timestamps to determine whether to merge overlapping data or list it separately:
- Timestamp Differences: If the timestamps sent from Circular, or another wearable differ even slightly from those recorded by an Apple Watch or iPhone, Apple Health interprets them as additional, separate activities rather than overlapping ones.
- Different Tracking Algorithms: Other wearables or apps may show different step estimates than smart rings because they use different methods to categorize movement. Many trackers set a different threshold for what counts as active movement, while others categorize almost all wrist/finger movements as steps.
How to Fix Duplicate Data in Apple Health
You remain in complete control of how Apple Health prioritizes and reads your activity data.
Option 1: Prioritize Your Primary Data Source
Setting a preferred device at the top of Apple Health's priority list forces Apple Health to use that device's data first when overlapping timestamps occur.
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Select the Browse tab in the bottom right corner.
- Select Activity, then tap Steps (or the specific metric experiencing duplication).
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Data Sources & Access.
- Tap Edit in the top right corner.
- Under Data Sources, press and hold the handle icon (☰) next to your preferred device (e.g., Circular).
- Drag your preferred source to the top of the list.
- Tap Done.
Option 2: Completely Disable Writing Permissions for Steps
If prioritization does not fully resolve the duplicate counting, you can stop the Circular app from writing step data to Apple Health altogether while keeping other health metrics (like sleep or heart rate) synced.
- Open your iPhone's Settings.
- Navigate to Health > Data Access & Devices.
- Select Circular from the list.
- Under Allow [Circular] to Write, toggle Steps to Off.