That sleek Michael Kors smartwatch on your wrist was supposed to keep you motivated about hitting your daily movement targets. Instead, you’re staring at a step count that clearly hasn’t budged since this morning, or one that’s showing some ridiculously wrong number that makes you question if it’s even tracking your movements at all.
Step counting problems pop up more frequently than you’d expect with smartwatches, and they’re usually not a sign that your device is broken beyond repair. Most issues trace back to settings that got changed accidentally, software that needs a quick refresh, or simple wearing mistakes that throw off the sensors. You can fix the majority of these problems yourself without shipping your watch anywhere or spending a dime on professional help.
Through this guide, you’ll learn exactly why your Michael Kors smartwatch stops counting steps, what typically causes these issues, and several practical solutions you can try right now. Most of these fixes take just a few minutes, and you’ll likely solve the problem before you finish reading.
Why Your Step Counter Stops Working
Your Michael Kors smartwatch uses an accelerometer to detect movement patterns that match walking or running. This tiny sensor measures changes in motion and direction, then uses algorithms to distinguish between actual steps and other movements like driving or waving your arms. When something interferes with this process, your step count goes haywire.
The tracking can fail in several ways. Sometimes the watch stops counting altogether, leaving you with a big fat zero despite walking thousands of steps. Other times, it counts steps but the numbers seem wildly inaccurate, either way too high or suspiciously low. You might also notice delayed counting, where steps show up hours after you’ve actually taken them.
Software glitches rank among the most frequent culprits behind step tracking failures. Your watch runs on Wear OS, and like any computer system, it can develop temporary bugs or conflicts between apps. These glitches might prevent the accelerometer from communicating properly with the step counting software, creating a disconnect that stops the tracking cold.
Physical factors matter too. If you wear your watch too loosely, it might move around independently of your arm movements, confusing the sensors. Battery optimization settings can also put the step tracking into a power-saving mode that essentially shuts it down. Understanding these underlying issues helps you target the right fix instead of trying random solutions.
Michael Kors Smartwatch Steps Not Working: Likely Causes
Step tracking problems usually stem from a handful of specific issues. Once you identify which one affects your watch, fixing it becomes much simpler and faster.
1. Fitness App Permissions Disabled
Your Michael Kors smartwatch needs explicit permission to access fitness sensors and activity data. When these permissions get accidentally disabled, the watch can’t read data from the accelerometer even though the sensor works perfectly fine.
This often happens after software updates or when you’re managing app permissions to preserve battery life. You might have disabled fitness permissions without realizing it affects step counting. The watch continues functioning normally in every other way, making this issue particularly sneaky.
Most people don’t even check permissions when step tracking stops working because they assume hardware failure. But in reality, it’s usually just a simple settings toggle that got switched off somehow.
2. Outdated Wear OS Software
Running old software on your smartwatch creates compatibility issues with fitness tracking features. Google regularly updates Wear OS to improve sensor accuracy and fix bugs, so missing these updates leaves your watch operating with known problems that have already been solved.
Software updates also patch security vulnerabilities and optimize battery usage for fitness features. Without them, your watch might disable certain functions to prevent crashes or excessive battery drain. Step counting often gets sacrificed first because it runs continuously in the background.
3. Corrupted Cache Data
Your watch stores temporary data to speed up app performance, but this cache can become corrupted over time. When the fitness app’s cache gets messed up, it can’t properly process sensor data, leading to inaccurate or missing step counts.
Cache corruption happens gradually through normal use. Every time your watch syncs data, saves preferences, or updates information, it writes to the cache. Eventually, some of this data gets written incorrectly or conflicts with other cached information.
You won’t see obvious signs of cache corruption. Your watch seems fine otherwise, but the step counter just refuses to cooperate. Clearing the cache essentially gives your fitness app a fresh start with clean data.
4. Faulty Wear Detection Settings
Wear detection determines when your watch is actually on your wrist versus sitting on a table. If this feature malfunctions or gets disabled, your watch might think you’ve taken it off even while you’re wearing it, automatically pausing step counting to save battery.
The setting can get toggled accidentally through the quick settings panel. Some people also disable it intentionally because they find the wrist gesture controls too sensitive, not realizing it affects fitness tracking. Your watch interprets the disabled setting as a permanent removal from your wrist.
This creates a situation where everything looks normal on the surface. Your watch displays the time, receives notifications, and responds to touch. But behind the scenes, it’s not tracking steps because it believes nobody’s actually wearing it.
5. Poor Wrist Placement
Where and how you wear your watch directly impacts step tracking accuracy. The accelerometer needs to detect the natural swinging motion of your arm as you walk, and wearing the watch incorrectly interferes with this detection.
Wearing it too loosely lets the watch bounce around independently, creating motion patterns that don’t match your actual steps. Too tight restricts natural movement, dampening the motion signals the sensor needs to register. Wearing it too high on your forearm or with the face on the inside of your wrist also changes the motion patterns enough to confuse the tracking algorithm.
Michael Kors Smartwatch Steps Not Working: DIY Fixes
Getting your step counter working again usually takes just a few simple adjustments. These solutions address the most common problems and work for most users experiencing tracking issues.
1. Restart Your Smartwatch
Restarting clears temporary software glitches and refreshes all system processes, including the ones responsible for step counting. This simple action often resolves issues that seem complicated but actually stem from minor software hiccups.
Press and hold the power button on your watch until you see the power menu appear on screen. Select the restart option and wait for your watch to power down completely and boot back up. This process takes about a minute. Once it restarts, open your fitness app and check if step counting resumes.
If a regular restart doesn’t help, try a force restart by holding the power button for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes black, then release and wait for it to turn back on. This more aggressive restart clears deeper temporary issues. Give your watch a few minutes after restarting before testing the step counter, as it needs time to recalibrate the sensors.
2. Check and Reset Fitness Permissions
Your watch needs proper permissions to access motion sensors for step tracking. Opening your phone’s Wear OS app lets you verify these permissions are enabled and reset them if necessary.
Open the Wear OS app on your paired smartphone. Navigate to the settings menu and find the apps section. Locate Google Fit or whichever fitness app your watch uses for step counting. Tap on permissions and ensure that body sensors, physical activity, and location permissions are all enabled. Toggle each permission off and back on to reset them, which often resolves recognition issues.
On your watch itself, you can also check permissions. Swipe down from the top of the watch face to access quick settings, then tap the gear icon for full settings. Go to Apps and notifications, find your fitness app, and check permissions there too. Some permission issues exist only on the watch side and won’t show up in your phone’s Wear OS app.
After adjusting permissions, open the fitness app on your watch and start walking around. The step counter should begin tracking immediately once permissions are properly set.
3. Update Wear OS and Apps
Software updates frequently contain fixes for step tracking problems that other users have already reported. Keeping your watch updated ensures you benefit from these improvements.
Connect your watch to WiFi and ensure it has at least 50% battery charge. Open the settings on your watch and scroll to the system section. Tap on system updates and check for available updates. If an update is available, follow the prompts to download and install it. Your watch will restart automatically during installation.
Don’t forget to update your fitness apps too. On your phone, open the Google Play Store and go to My Apps. Check for updates to Google Fit or any other fitness apps you use. Install all available updates, as app updates often work together with system updates to fix tracking issues.
Updates can take 10-20 minutes to complete, so start this process when you don’t need to wear your watch immediately. After updating, give your watch a few hours of normal wear to see if step tracking improves. The sensors sometimes need time to recalibrate after major updates.
4. Clear Cache and Data for Fitness Apps
Corrupted temporary files can prevent proper step tracking even when everything else works perfectly. Clearing these files forces the fitness app to rebuild clean data from scratch.
On your watch, open settings and go to Apps and notifications. Find Google Fit or your primary fitness app in the list. Tap on it and select storage, then clear cache. This removes temporary files without deleting your saved data. If clearing cache doesn’t work, you can also clear storage, but be aware this deletes all app data including saved workouts and preferences.
After clearing cache, open the fitness app and walk around for a few minutes. The app needs time to generate new cache files and recalibrate based on your actual movement patterns. You might notice slightly inaccurate counting for the first hour or two as the system relearns your walking pattern, but it should stabilize quickly.
5. Verify Wear Detection Settings
Proper wear detection ensures your watch knows when it’s actually on your wrist and should be tracking steps. Double-checking this setting takes seconds but solves many tracking problems.
Swipe down from your watch face to access quick settings. Look for the watch icon or silhouette symbol that represents wear detection. If it’s grayed out or has a slash through it, tap to enable it. You can also access this through full settings under display or personalization, depending on your Wear OS version.
With wear detection enabled, take your watch off and put it back on. You should feel a small vibration confirming the watch detected the change. This verification tells you the feature is working properly. Now take a short walk and check if steps are being counted.
Some watches also have a wrist gesture setting that works alongside wear detection. Make sure this is enabled too, as it helps the watch distinguish between actual arm movements and other motion. Find it in settings under gestures or accessibility.
6. Adjust Watch Placement and Fit
Proper wearing technique makes a huge difference in tracking accuracy. The watch needs to detect your natural arm swing without too much independent movement.
Position your Michael Kors smartwatch about an inch above your wrist bone, where most traditional watches sit. Tighten the band so it’s snug but not uncomfortably tight. You should be able to slide one finger between the band and your wrist, but not two fingers. The watch should stay in place when you shake your arm rather than sliding around.
Make sure you’re wearing the watch with the face on top of your wrist, not on the inside. The accelerometer is calibrated for this standard position. If you prefer wearing watches on the inside of your wrist for style reasons, you’ll need to adjust the wrist preference in your fitness app settings to compensate for the different motion patterns.
Try walking around your home for five minutes after adjusting the fit. Check the step count to see if it’s tracking accurately. If numbers still seem off, try loosening or tightening the band slightly. Finding the sweet spot sometimes requires a bit of experimentation, as everyone’s wrist shape is different.
7. Contact a Professional Technician
If you’ve tried all these solutions and your step counter still refuses to work properly, the problem might be hardware-related. A damaged accelerometer or internal connection issue requires professional diagnosis and repair.
Reach out to Michael Kors customer support or visit an authorized service center. They have diagnostic tools that can test the accelerometer and other sensors to pinpoint hardware failures. If your watch is still under warranty, repairs or replacement might be free. Even out of warranty, getting a professional assessment helps you decide whether repair makes financial sense or if you should consider a replacement.
Wrapping Up
Step tracking issues with your Michael Kors smartwatch are annoying but usually fixable without professional help. Most problems come from software glitches, permission settings, or how you’re wearing the device rather than broken hardware. The fixes I’ve shared work for the majority of cases and take just minutes to try.
Start with the simplest solutions like restarting your watch and checking permissions before moving to more involved fixes. Pay attention to how you wear your watch, as proper placement matters more than most people realize. If DIY fixes don’t solve the problem, at least you’ll know you’ve exhausted the easy options before seeking professional repair.