This clever hack will give you Siri access to health data on the Watch 8 or older

If you want to know how many steps you’ve done, ask Siri on your Apple Watch with this workaround.

Siri has never been the greatest personal assistant in the world, but there are some useful things it can do, such as allowing you to control compatible smart home devices with your voice, quickly setting alarms or timers, or enabling you to make calls hands-free. There are also some useful ways to use Siri on your Apple Watch, from reading your last message, to playing or pausing music. You can even turn on the ‘torch’ on your Apple Watch by using the Harry Potter spell ‘Lumos’, if that’s your thing.

On the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple has added the ability to use Siri to query data from the Health app, too, allowing you to ask things such as ‘how does my Move ring look?’ or ‘how many steps have I taken today?’ You can also add data to the Health app using Siri, if you want to log your weight or the fact that your period has started.

Even if you don’t have one of the latest Apple Watch models, however, it’s still possible to ask Siri for Health info on your Apple Watch using this clever hack. Here’s how.

How to get Siri to tell read your step count on Apple Watch

If you want to know how many steps you’ve done so far today, you can create a Shortcut that will allow you to get this information directly from Siri on your Apple Watch. The process is a little long-winded, but if you’re constantly checking your step count, it can be a useful trick.

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. In the Shortcuts tab, tap the + (plus) at the top right of the screen.
3. Tap New Shortcut at the very top and select Rename.
4. Give the shortcut the name of the phrase that you want to ask Siri, such as how many steps have I walked today.
5. Tap Done at the bottom of the screen to save the name.
6. Tap the Add Action button.
7. In the search bar at the top, type Health.
8. In the search results, tap Find Health Samples.
9. The Type should already be set to Steps.
10. Tap is in the last and select is today.
11. Tap None by Group by and select Day.
12. Toggle Fill Missing off.
13. In the search bar, which should now be at the bottom of the screen, type var.
14. Select Set Variable from the results.
15. Tap the dark blue Variable Name and rename it Steps and tap Done.
16. In the search field at the bottom of the screen, type alert.
17. Select Show Alert from the results.
18. Tap Do you want to continue and delete it.
19. In its place, type the first part of the phrase that you want when being informed of your step count, such as So far today you have walked followed by a space.
20. In the bar of options above the keyboard, select Steps. You may need to swipe these options to the left to see it.
21. Tap the Return button and type another space.
22. Type steps to complete the alert and then tap Done.
23. Tap the blue arrow at the end of the Show alert section and toggle Show Cancel Button off.
24. Tap Done in the top right corner of the screen and your shortcut is created.
25. Now open Siri on your Apple Watch by saying Hey Siri or Siri or by pressing and holding the Digital Crown.
26. Ask the exact name of your shortcut. In this example, we would ask ‘how many steps have I walked today?’
27. Siri should bring up the information on your Apple Watch and will read it out loud if your Apple Watch isn’t muted.

How to get Siri to tell read your Move calories on Apple Watch

You can use a similar method to find out how many Move calories you’ve burned so far today, just by asking Siri.

1. Open Shortcuts on your iPhone.
2. Tap the + (plus) at the top right of the screen.
3. Tap New Shortcut at the top and select Rename.
4. Give the shortcut the name of the phrase that you want to ask Siri, such as how many Move calories have I burned today.
5. Tap Done at the bottom of the screen to save the name.
6. Tap the Add Action button.
7. In the search bar at the top, type health.
8. In the search results, tap Find Health Samples.
9. Tap Steps next to Type is.
10. Select Active Energy.
11. Grant Shortcuts access to your Active Energy data by tapping Turn On All and then Allow.
12. Tap is in the last and select is today.
13. Tap None by Group by and select Day.
14. Toggle Fill Missing off.
15. In the search bar, which should now be at the bottom of the screen, type var.
16. Select Set Variable from the results.
17. Tap the dark blue Variable Name and rename it Move Calories and tap Done.
18. In the search field at the bottom, type round.
19. In the results, select Round Number.
20. The variable Move Calories should automatically appear in the Round command. Leave the rounding value as Ones Place.
21. In the search field at the bottom of the screen, type alert.
22. Select Show Alert from the results.
23. Tap Do you want to continue and delete it.
24. In its place, type the first part of the phrase that you want when being informed of your step count, such as So far you have burned followed by a space.
25. In the bar of options above the keyboard, select Rounded Number. You may need to swipe these options to the left to see it.
26. Tap the Return button and type another space.
27. Type kcal to complete the alert and then tap Done.
28. Tap the blue arrow at the end of the Show alert section and toggle Show Cancel Button off.
29. Tap Done in the top right corner of the screen and your shortcut is created.
30. Now open Siri on your Apple Watch by saying Hey Siri or Siri or by pressing and holding the digital crown.
31. Ask the exact name of your shortcut. In this example, we would ask ‘how many move calories have I burned today?’
32. Siri should bring up the information on your Apple Watch and will read it out loud if your Apple Watch isn’t muted.

How to log your weight on your Apple Watch using Siri

It’s also possible to log data to the Health app by using Siri on your Apple Watch. Again, you’ll need to create a shortcut to do so, but once it’s done, you can log things such as your weight any time you want just by asking Siri.

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. In the Shortcuts tab, tap the + (plus) at the top right of the screen.
3. Tap New Shortcut at the very top and select Rename.
4. Give the shortcut the name of the phrase that you want to ask Siri, such as Log My Current Weight.
5. Tap Done at the bottom of the screen to save the name.
6. Tap the Add Action button.
7. In the search bar, type ask and select Ask for Input.
8. Tap Text and select Number.
9. Tap Prompt and enter the phrase you want Siri to ask you, such as What’s your current weight?
10. In the search bar at the bottom, type health.
11. In the search results, tap Log Health Sample.
12. Tap Type and select Weight.
13. Grant Shortcuts access to your Weight data by tapping Turn On All and then Allow.
14. Tap Sample Value and select Provided Input.
15. Tap Done in the top right corner of the screen and your shortcut is created.
16. Now open Siri on your Apple Watch by saying Hey Siri or Siri or by pressing and holding the digital crown.
17. Ask the exact name of your shortcut. In this example, we would say ‘log my current weight’.
18. Siri will ask you what your current weight is.
19. Say the value of your weight in the units you set, such as ‘71.2’, or ‘71.2 kg’.
20. Your data will be logged to the Health app, with a Siri logo next to it to indicate the source.

What other health info can I log or ask for with Siri?

These are just three examples, but you can create your own Shortcuts for almost any health data you can imagine. You can query everything from Abdominal Cramps to Zinc, with useful stats such as Walking Heart Rate, Stand Minutes, Sleep, Heart Rate Variability, Exercise Minutes, and Blood Oxygen. You can also log anything from Hair Loss to Hot Flushes. The basic steps are the same as in the examples above; just choose the Health data that you want to use.