Swimming Lap Tracker is a companion iOS and watchOS app for tracking swim workouts with fast lap marking and detailed post swim stats.
Quick Start
– Install the iPhone app and the Apple Watch app.
– Important – if using Apple Watch Ulta, open settings in WatchOS. Scroll down to “Action Button”. For the app choose “Swimming Lap Tracker”. Tap on “First press” then select “Start a workout”. Then for workout choose “Swim Laps”. If you wish to use the Action Button for lap tracking, you must first open the Swimming Lap Tracker app with using the Action Button.
– Open the Watch app and grant Health, Motion and Fitness, and (optional) Location access.
– Set your pool length, or turn on Open Water Mode for GPS distance.
– Tap Start Swim and record laps with the Digital Crown or the Action Button.
Recording Laps
-Digital Crown
Rotate the Digital Crown during an active swim to mark a completed length. You will feel haptic feedback when a lap is recorded.
Notes:
– Laps can only be recorded when a workout is active and not paused.
– Digital Crown lap recording is disabled in Open Water Mode because distance comes from GPS.
Action Button
If your Apple Watch has an Action Button (Apple Watch Ultra), you can use it as a lap button. In this case, you must also use the Action Button to open the app first.
Steps:
– On the Watch, open Settings and set up the action button to open Swimming Lap Tracker.
– During a workout, if you are not using Manual Lap Mode, tap start swim, the press the Action Button at the end of each lap to record a lap.
– During a workout, if you are using Manual Lap Mode, tap start swim, then press the Action Button to start a lap, and press again to stop it.
– Each press toggles between lap timing and rest in manual lap mode.
Automatic Lap Counting
Turn on Automatic Lap Counting to detect laps from motion data.
Notes:
– Automatic lap counting is disabled in Open Water Mode and Manual Lap Mode.
– Use Filter Short Laps to automatically remove laps under 10 seconds.
Workout Controls and Live Metrics (Watch)
During a swim you can:
– Start, pause, resume, and finish workouts from the Watch app.
– See live lap time, total time, distance, lengths, strokes, and heart rate.
– Get a lap summary overlay after each completed length.
Pool and Open Water Settings
You can configure these settings on the Watch and in the iPhone app.
– Pool Length: presets (25m, 50m, 100m, 200m) or a custom length from 1m to 250m.
– Open Water Mode: uses GPS distance and disables pool length and lap controls.
– Motion Tracking: records accelerometer and gyroscope data for analysis.
– Test Mode: workouts are not saved to HealthKit.
iPhone App Features
The iPhone app is for reviewing and analyzing your swims.
– Swim History list with pull to refresh.
– Detailed workout stats: distance, duration, pace per 50m, pool length, strokes, heart rate, and calories.
– Location labels when available.
– Charts for lap times, heart rate, and strokes (if captured).
– Motion data review and CSV export (when motion tracking is enabled).
Syncing Between Watch and iPhone
Workouts are saved to HealthKit and synced to your iPhone automatically.
If a workout is missing on iPhone:
– Keep your Watch and iPhone nearby with Bluetooth on.
– Open the iPhone app to trigger a refresh.
– On the Watch, go to Settings and tap Sync All Workouts.
– Confirm Health access is granted.
Permissions
– Health: required to save and display workouts.
– Motion and Fitness: required for motion tracking and lap detection.
– Location: required for Open Water Mode and location labels.
You can manage permissions in the iPhone Settings app:
Settings > Health > Data Access & Devices > Swimming Lap Tracker
Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion and Fitness
Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services
Troubleshooting
Laps are not recording
– Make sure a workout is running and not paused.
– If Open Water Mode is on, lap recording is disabled.
– Rotate the Digital Crown enough to trigger a lap.
– If using Manual Lap Mode, use the Action Button to start and stop laps.
Action Button does not trigger laps
– Action Button support is available on Apple Watch Ultra.
– Set the Action Button to Swimming Lap Tracker and choose Swim Laps.
– Make sure Manual Lap Mode is enabled in Watch settings if you wish to track laps at the start and end of a lap.
No history on iPhone
– Verify Health permissions.
– Open the iPhone app and pull to refresh.
– Use Sync All Workouts from the Watch settings.
Open Water distance is zero
– Enable Location access.
– Wait for GPS lock before starting.
– Open Water Mode only works outdoors.
Requirements
– iPhone with iOS 18.2 or later.
– Apple Watch with watchOS 11.2 or later.
Contact
For support or feedback, email: info@mobileappz.co.uk