How to track padel on Apple Watch

Method 1: Apple's Tennis or Other workout

Apple's list of workout types includes Tennis, Squash, Racquetball, Pickleball, Badminton and Table Tennis, but not padel. Apple Health has no padel workout type either.

Which workout to pick

• Tennis. Padel is scored like tennis, so it's a natural fit. Your match is saved as a Tennis workout. Players in Reddit and Apple Community threads also mention Racquetball and Pickleball.
• Other. Apple's choice when no workout type matches. Your match is saved as Other.
• Not Paddling. Apple groups paddle sports with water activities like kayaking and paddleboarding, not with padel.

Pick before you play. Apple doesn't offer a way to change a workout's type after it's saved.

How to start it

1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll to the bottom of the workout list.
3. Tap the Add button (+). On watchOS 10 and 11 it's labeled Add Workout.
4. Choose Tennis, or Other.
5. Tap the Play button to start. On watchOS 10 and 11, tap the workout to start.
6. When you finish, swipe right and tap End. On watchOS 26 and later, you can then turn the Digital Crown to rate your effort. On watchOS 11, scroll down and tap Add Effort first.

If the workout is already in your list, just tap it. The list order changes based on the workouts you use, so it gets easier to find.

What it tracks

Raise your wrist during play to see elapsed time, calories burned and heart rate. Before you start, you can change what it shows. On watchOS 26 and later, tap the Views button on the workout. On watchOS 11, tap More Options, then Preferences, then Workout Views. After the match, your workout shows up in the Fitness app on iPhone and in the Health app.

What it doesn't track

Apple's documentation lists no shot, swing or score metric for any racket sport. So the built-in workout doesn't count your shots, tell a bandeja from a smash, estimate swing speed or keep the padel score.

Two things to know

• Start the workout yourself before you play. Apple doesn't say whether the watch detects racket sports on its own.
• Auto-Pause won't help between points. Apple describes it only for outdoor running and cycling workouts. To pause by hand, press the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time.

Method 2: PadelWatch for shots, ratings and score

PadelWatch is an Apple Watch app that detects your swings from your wrist motion. It needs watchOS 26.2 or later on the watch and iOS 26.2 or later on the iPhone. The watch app comes with the iPhone app. Setup on the iPhone asks for your height, your skill level and access to Apple Health. Setup ends on a paywall for the iPhone app. You don't need to pay to use the watch app.

How to track a match

1. Open the PadelWatch app on your watch.
2. On the home screen, pick LEFT or RIGHT to match the wrist you wear the watch on. Wear it on your racket hand.
3. Tap START. Tracking begins right away, with no countdown.
4. Play. A "Learning Your Swing" banner counts your first five swings. Text tips start after that. After each swing, the screen flashes green, yellow or red.
5. To keep score, swipe to the page on the right of the dashboard and tap US or THEM after each point. Before the first point, you can tap a dot to pick who serves first. Pause is on the page to the left.
6. Tap End Session. Your summary appears on the watch. The match is sent to your iPhone right away, or later when the phone is back in range.

What it adds

• Swing count and ratings. Each swing gets a green, yellow or red rating as you play, based on its estimated speed, the shot type and your skill level. The ratings are tuned to be encouraging, most of all at Beginner level, so treat them as motivation, not a technique analysis.
• Padel shot types. The summary sorts your swings into forehand and backhand drives, volleys and lobs, plus bandejas, víboras and smashes. The watch doesn't label each shot as you play. The summary has the breakdown. Serves and shots off the glass have no label of their own.
• Estimated swing speed. The watch shows the estimated speed of your last swing in mph. The summary shows your top and average speed. The number comes from how fast your wrist rotates, adjusted for your height setting. It estimates swing speed, not ball speed.
• Padel scoring. Tap US or THEM after each point. The undo arrow at the bottom left, next to End, takes back the last point. It shows up after the first point. It plays golden point at 40-40, sets to six games won by two, a tiebreak at 6-6 (first to 7, win by 2) and best of three sets. A SERVE marker shows who's serving and switches every game. In a tiebreak it switches after the first point, then every two points. There's no advantage scoring or match tiebreak option.
• Apple Health workout. If you allow Health access, each match is saved as a workout with heart rate and calories. Since there's no padel type, it's saved as Racquetball. Don't start one in the Workout app too. The watch runs one workout at a time, so starting a second one ends the first.

Workout app vs PadelWatch

• Apple Workout app

  Cost: free and built in.

  Heart rate and calories: yes.

  Shows in Apple Health as: Tennis or Other.

  Shot count and shot types: no.

  Swing speed: no.

  Padel scoring: no.

• PadelWatch

  Cost: tracking on the watch is free. The iPhone app, with your history and trends, needs a paid plan.

  Heart rate and calories: yes, if you allow Health access.

  Shows in Apple Health as: Racquetball.

  Shot count and shot types: yes, including bandejas and víboras.

  Swing speed: estimated, in mph.

  Padel scoring: yes, with golden point, tiebreaks and a serve marker.

The Workout app is enough for time, calories and heart rate. PadelWatch adds shot counts, padel shot types, speed estimates and padel scoring.

Tips for accurate tracking with PadelWatch

• Wear the watch on your racket hand. For two-handed shots, keep it on your dominant hand.
• Set LEFT or RIGHT before you tap START. The wrong wrist setting can mix up your forehands and backhands. If you play left-handed, bandejas and víboras may be named less reliably.
• Set your skill level in the watch app's Settings. It changes how strictly swings are rated, and at higher levels a soft swing is less likely to count. Intermediate and Advanced are in beta.
• Set your height in the same place. The speed estimate uses it to adjust for arm length. The height setting is also in beta.
• Haptics are off by default. To feel a tap on your wrist after each swing, swipe to the page on the left during a match and tap Sound.
• Very soft touch shots, like chiquitas or gentle lobs, may not register. The app is tuned to ignore walking and watch adjustments, so they usually don't count as swings.
• Don't force quit PadelWatch during a match, or that match is lost. Matches with no swings aren't sent, even if you kept score. If a match doesn't show up on your iPhone, keep the phone near the watch with Bluetooth on.

About the author

I'm George Yameen, a solo indie developer. I build sports apps for Apple Watch because I love these sports and wanted a better way to track my own game. Questions about this guide? Get in touch or find me on X at @GeorgeYameen.