How to unlock Apple’s new dynamic Readiness Score on your Apple Watch
Apple's latest health metric might be its most useful yet
The Apple Watch finally has a dynamic Readiness Score. Based on a scale from zero to ten, the score takes into account your recent sleep quality, physical activity, and vital trends.
Unlocking your dynamic Readiness Score on Apple Watch is fairly straightforward, though you will need to wear the device for seven nights to see your first one.
Apple's Readiness Score is just one of the cool, new features found in the best Apple Watch models in 2026. Others include support for a vastly improved AI-powered Siri, real-time dynamic step count data, an impressively comprehensive at-home wellness assessment, and Live Rewind, an AI tool that transcribes live audio around you.
Of course, I've already covered all of the above at length; here's how to unlock Apple's new dynamic Readiness Score on your Apple Watch in four easy steps.
How to unlock the Readiness Score on your Apple Watch
- Make sure you have a compatible Apple Watch model
- Enter your height, weight, and age in the Apple Fitness app
- Wear your Apple Watch to bed for seven consecutive nights; ensure you get at least four hours of sleep per night
- After seven nights logged, open the Readiness app on your Apple Watch to see your dynamic score
Read on to see full illustrated instructions for each step.
1. Make sure you have a compatible Apple Watch model
Before we dive into the Readiness Score setup process, first make sure you have a compatible Apple Watch model. Unfortunately, only those with Apple's latest S11 chip have access to the feature for now. That list includes only the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, though other models may be added down the road.
2. Enter your height, weight, and age in the Apple Fitness app
Next, open the Fitness app on your companion iPhone, tap "Summary," and then tap the icon in the top-right corner of the screen; it should either be a small photo of you or your initials. Next, scroll down and tap "Health Details," and enter your age, weight, and height.
You'll also want to ensure that you have daily activity, vitals, and sleep tracking turned on (they should be on by default). Double-check by opening each app on your Apple Watch; if tracking is on, you'll see recent data. If it's not, you'll be prompted to turn it on.
3. Wear your Apple Watch to bed for seven consecutive nights
With all your health details entered, the only thing you'll need to do to generate your first Readiness Score is wear your Apple Watch for seven consecutive nights, ensuring you get at least four hours of sleep per night. You'll also want to wear it during the day to ensure accurate activity data.
4. Open the Readiness app on your Apple Watch to see your dynamic score
After seven nights, your first Readiness Score should be, well, ready! To view it, open the new Readiness app on your Apple Watch. It's a blue circle with a pink and green scale in it (shown in the bottom left of the image above).
Readiness Scores break down into four categories: "Recover" (0-1), "Pace Yourself" (2-4), "Ready" (5-7), and "Go for it" (8-10).
Keep in mind, after your initial Readiness Score is generated, it will dynamically update throughout the day as you go about your business. Workouts, movement, naps, and heart rate can all have an impact on your real-time score.
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And for easy viewing, there's even a Readiness Score widget you can add to your watch's home screen, right alongside the new Siri AI and dynamic step count widgets.
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Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others.
An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.
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