My Apple Watch was reporting a certain distance walked on an indoor walk. Suddenly after a couple of months, the distance walked dropped by about 30%--step count and time remained the same. Then just as suddenly about 3 weeks later, the distance went back up!!!
I don't expect perfect accuracy, but do expect precision (the same answer day-to-day).
What is going on and how can I fix it??
Apple Watch Series 11, watchOS 26
Your watch arm has to move freely, since this movement is used to calculate your distance indoor, due to the missing GPS distance measurement.
Calibrating your watch can also help to get stable results:
Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support
Your watch arm has to move freely, since this movement is used to calculate your distance indoor, due to the missing GPS distance measurement.
Calibrating your watch can also help to get stable results:
Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support
Try this, as the watch uses the built in accelerometer to estimate your step count and distance:
Start an indoor walk, but don’t move your feet, only the arms, especially your watch arm, then pick up the speed of your arm swing and check your step count. It will go up the faster you move your arms without taking any steps at all.
I appreciate your efforts, but I don't believe that I suddenly changed my walking style and then changed it back 3 weeks or so later.
Also, I am asking about precision, not accuracy. I understand that you are giving me actions to make the results more accurate--calibrating my step length, etc. No matter what my step length is, the same number of steps should give me the same distance travelled--that is precision and that is what is lacking at the moment.
Distance is measured by GPS. Buildings cause signal reflections and distortions. The satellites move so the angles are constantly changing. The nearest satellites at any time of day will be constantly changing. The building you are in may have objects moved around that affect GPS signals. And finally, there has been an increase in malicious GPS jamming happening in the world.
GPS can not measure your distance when you start an Indoor Walk on the treadmill, for example.
You will see your GPS position, but the movement of the watch on your arm will count the steps.
I have tried that myself, gaining steps without moving the feet is absolutely possible, as I described above.
The only thing I get is the GPS fix of my position, but no movement, since I'm standing still on the treadmill, related to the GPS.
This is why I absolutely detest the abdication of customer support by companies like Apple to customers. I appreciate both of you sharing your experiences, but I read two different things here.
Apple should be able to tell me how the "Indoor Walk" app calculates its distance. Instead, users are left to hypothesize amongst themselves. Both of you sound knowledgeable, but your explanations cannot be simultaneously true.
From my perspective, I still have no definitive answer and I am frustrated with Apple. I paid a premium price for an Apple Watch and have inadequate support. My FitBit years ago did better!
Did you test this yourself?
This is how I found out what triggers the step count indoors and outdoors.
Apple Watch indoor walk distance reporting fluctuates
