Morganzuh

Q: How does apple watch know how many steps you took? And how does it then turn those steps into a distance?  I don't alway walk around with my iPhone

I don't always walk around with my iPhone and you never input a stride length so how does it calculate the distance you've actually travelled?

iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on May 2, 2015 7:12 PM

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Q: How does apple watch know how many steps you took? And how does it then turn those steps into a distance?  I don't alway walk ... more

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  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r May 4, 2015 2:06 PM in response to Morganzuh
    Community Specialists
    May 4, 2015 2:06 PM in response to Morganzuh

    Hello Morganzuh,

     

    If I understand correctly you are wanting to know how the AppleWatch and iPhone estimate your activity and distance. This section of the following article outlines how they work together, and how you can best calibrate both devices to get the best possible estimate of your activities. 

     

    Calibrating your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy

    You can calibrate your Apple Watch to improve the accuracy of your distance and pace measurements during walking or running workouts when GPS isn't available (such as when you walk or run outdoors without your iPhone, or use a treadmill).

     

    And, whenever you use Apple Watch and iPhone to walk or run outside in the Workout app, it will continue to calibrate the accelerometer by learning your unique stride length at different speeds, and get more accurate over time.

    This calibration process can also help improve the accuracy of your overall calorie estimations in many of the other workout categories in the Workout app, and the calorie, distance, Move, and Exercise estimations in the Activity app. However, it's not necessary to do this calibration process before using either the Activity or Workout apps.

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

    All the very best,

    Sterling