If your runs already end up in Apple Health — recorded on an Apple Watch, on your iPhone, or by a third-party running app — you can track the mileage of each pair of shoes without keeping a manual log: the app imports your runs, and you just assign each one to the pair you wore. This guide walks through how that works and how to set it up with Shoe Health.
The short version: Shoe Health reads your running workouts from Apple Health, and you assign each run to the pair you wore. Import is automatic; assignment is a quick tap. From there, every shoe builds its own mileage and wear.
First, a quick clarification: it’s an iPhone app
Shoe Health runs on iPhone. It doesn’t need an Apple Watch, and it isn’t a standalone Watch app. What it does is read the running workouts that land in Apple Health — and those can come from an Apple Watch, from your iPhone, or from another running app that saves to Apple Health. So an Apple Watch is one way to record runs, not a requirement.
How the Apple Health connection works
There are two separate steps, and it helps to keep them distinct:
- Import (automatic): Shoe Health reads running workouts from Apple Health. You don’t log runs manually.
- Assignment (you do it): You tell the app which pair of shoes you wore for a given run. That’s what adds the run’s distance to the right shoe.
Assignment is the one small habit the system needs — but it’s a tap, not a chore, and a default shoe makes it faster still (more below).
Step 1 — Grant Health permissions
Shoe Health can only read data you allow. When you first connect, iOS asks which Health data to share. You can review or change this anytime:
iPhone Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → Shoe Health.
The app reads only what it needs to attribute distance and show useful stats:
- Workouts and walking + running distance — the core data used to build each shoe’s mileage.
- Step count, heart rate (display only), and running power (optional) — for richer per-run detail.
You grant or revoke each permission independently, whenever you like. If mileage ever stops updating, this screen is the first place to check — see Apple Health workouts not syncing.
Step 2 — Add your shoes
Create a profile for each pair. You can:
- Pick from the built-in catalog — start typing the model and the app fills in brand, model, a suggested lifespan tuned to the shoe’s foam and category, its specs (foam, stack height, drop, plate, weight), and recommended run types. You can edit any of it.
- Add a pair manually if it isn’t in the catalog.
Assign each shoe a run type so your setup mirrors your training: Daily is free; Long, Tempo, Race, and Trail are available with Premium.
Step 3 — Assign your runs to a pair
This is the step that builds accurate mileage:
- When a new running workout appears in Apple Health, Shoe Health lets you assign it to a pair.
- Set a default shoe for your most common runs, and you can assign a new run straight from the notification with a long-press — no need to open the app and navigate.
- Each assigned run adds its distance to that shoe, and the pair’s mileage, pace, duration, wear level, and estimated retirement update accordingly.
If you run more than one pair, assigning each run to the correct shoe is what keeps your rotation balanced and every pair’s mileage honest.
A note on shoes you’ve already been running in
Automatic tracking is at its most accurate for runs you assign going forward. If you’re adding a pair you’ve already put mileage on, be aware that its tracked total reflects the workouts you assign to it — not a number the app can magically know. Depending on your Apple Health history and how you assign past workouts, an older pair’s tracked mileage may start lower than its true lifetime mileage. The simplest approach is to keep that in mind when reading an existing pair’s numbers, and rely on tracking from the day you add it — combined with the physical wear signs, which matter more than any single number anyway. If you just want a rough replacement timeline from a mileage target, the replacement calculator does that in a few seconds.
Then let it run
Once your shoes are set up and permissions are granted, the day-to-day is minimal:
- New runs import on their own.
- You assign each to a pair (or your default) with a tap.
- Home Screen widgets show your fleet at a glance, and notifications flag a pair as it nears heavy wear.
- With Premium, rotation suggestions point you toward a sensible pair for today’s run — a nudge, not a rule.
Everything runs locally on your device, works offline, and syncs through your private iCloud when a connection is available. Your health data isn’t sent to a third-party server; see our Privacy Policy for the full picture, including how marketing attribution is handled separately.
Key takeaways
- Shoe Health tracks mileage on iPhone by reading your Apple Health running workouts — an Apple Watch is optional, not required.
- Import is automatic; you assign each run to the pair you wore, which is what builds accurate per-shoe mileage.
- Grant Workouts and Distance permissions in Settings → Health, add your shoes, set a default, and assign as you go.
- For a pair you’ve already run in, treat tracked mileage as “from now on” and lean on wear signs too.
Sources
- Apple — Health app on iPhone: get started
- See also our Support & FAQ for permission and sync troubleshooting.