Apple Watch indoor workout accuracy after iOS 27 and watchOS 27

Question

Apple Watch indoor workout accuracy after iOS 27 and watchOS 27

Concern About Fitness Tracking Accuracy After iOS 27 and watchOS 27

I’m posting because I’m experiencing what appears to be a similar issue to what others have reported with Apple Watch fitness tracking.

The issue started immediately after updating both my iPhone to iOS 27 and my Apple Watch to watchOS 27. Prior to these updates, I did not have this concern with my fitness tracking.

I rely heavily on my Apple Watch to track my daily activity, walking, running, workouts, distance, and calories. Since updating, I’m concerned that the accuracy of my indoor workouts, particularly indoor walking, has changed.

I have already completed the recommended fitness calibration process, and I am continuing to do outdoor walks and runs to give the Watch additional opportunities to calibrate. I have also confirmed that the appropriate Location Services and Motion Calibration & Distance settings are enabled.

Despite doing this, I’m still concerned about the accuracy of the measurements.

My indoor walking routine is fairly consistent, so I have a good baseline for what I would normally expect the Apple Watch to record. The measurements I’m now seeing do not appear consistent with what I was getting before the iOS 27 and watchOS 27 updates.

I understand that Apple Watch measurements are estimates and that indoor workouts can be more difficult to measure accurately. However, because the change occurred immediately after the software updates, and I have already completed the recommended calibration process, I’m wondering if something changed with the fitness tracking or calibration system in iOS 27/watchOS 27.

I’m also seeing other Apple Watch users reporting similar issues following the update, which makes me concerned that this may be more than an isolated calibration issue.

I would appreciate some clarification from Apple:

Did iOS 27 or watchOS 27 introduce any changes to indoor walking/running distance calculations?

Did the update change, reset, or otherwise affect existing fitness calibration data?

Is Apple aware of reports of inaccurate indoor workout distance following the updates?

How long should users realistically expect the Watch to take to recalibrate after updating?

If completing the recommended calibration workouts does not resolve the issue, what additional troubleshooting does Apple recommend?

I’m continuing to use the Apple Watch normally and complete the recommended calibration workouts, but I would really like to know whether this is an expected adjustment period or something Apple is currently investigating.

I’m hoping others experiencing the same issue can share their Apple Watch model, iPhone model, and whether they noticed the change immediately after updating to iOS 27 and watchOS 27.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatchFitness/s/0ZLJtQTpxB

Posted on Sep 19, 2026 12:50 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 20, 2026 5:41 AM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

Sorry, but Apple does not follow these user to user communities and can only be reached by using the Feedback link.

The more users do that, the more likely the issue will be noticed by Apple Techs and hopefully Apple will come up with a solution for those users effected.

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

Apple introduced a new algorithm to estimate steps and distance during a workout in watchOS 27.

However, counting steps during an indoor walk always depended on the free movement of your watch arm.

To test this, start an indoor walk without moving your feet and move your watch arm rapidly back and forth.

You should see your step count increasing without taking any steps.

Calibrating the watch a few times, as explained in the related article, may help to get more accurate results.

Calibrate your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Sep 22, 2026 12:52 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

Watch 11, updated to 27. Indoor walk workout gives me (and my wife, with same watch) about 1/3 the number of steps, for the same workout, for the same amount of time (30 minutes) than it has averaged for the past five years, through multiple watch versions and multiple OS versions. The undercount affects daily activity tracking and active energy tracking. This is all over Reddit as well as here. Yesterday I recalibrated from scratch using an outdoor walk workout as required, and yes, I've restarted my watch and phone. No improvement (in fact, a bit worse) for today's indoor walk workout. The number of "Me Too" clicks currently, 40, does not match reality (yet). I know we are not alone, but it will take many more complaints, to Apple, to prompt a fix. My only question, rhetorical, is how could this issue be missed by thousands of beta testers, including Apple employees? Moral of the story: Never upgrade any Apple system to a version with a number that ends in "point zero".

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Answer 3

Sep 22, 2026 1:05 PM in response to SkokieCatDad

I’m seeing the exact same thing, and I agree, something definitely doesn’t add up. I compared a 4-mile walk I did earlier this month, where I recorded roughly 6,000+ steps, to a 4-mile walk yesterday that recorded only around 2,400 steps. Both walks were on my walking pad at 3.1 mph, which is my usual speed.

I even reset the calibration on my Watch 10, but if anything, it seems to be worse now. I’ve also seen people reporting the same issue all over Reddit.

Someone else mentioned that Apple doesn’t read the comments here and recommended submitting feedback directly, so I’ve been doing that daily now. I completely agree, how something this significant made it through testing is beyond me.

One thing I should mention is that I normally wear my Watch strapped to my ankle because I walk while I’m working, so my wrist is actually free. That has never been an issue before, though, and it certainly doesn’t explain going from roughly 6,000 steps to 2,400 for the exact same 4-mile distance and speed.

Feedback - Watch - Apple

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Answer 4

Sep 22, 2026 4:01 PM in response to silvioebs

Trust me, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been reporting the issue almost daily through the feedback link. I’m frustrated as well, and I’m trying to spread the word about the feedback link another user shared with me so people can report it directly to Apple.

I walk while I work, and like you said, I feel like I’m just wasting my time because it’s not picking up my steps like it used to. I’m almost to the point of getting a Fitbit as a workaround until Apple puts out an update. I like hitting my step goals, but my wrists are resting on my desk while I work, so I can’t exactly sit there swinging my arms just to get my Watch to count my steps. 🤬

Apple feedback: Feedback - Watch - Apple

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Answer 5

Sep 29, 2026 11:19 AM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

There's only a half dozen people posting to this thread. It seems odd to me that there are not more. Regardless, I updated my Watch and iPhone to 27.0.1 last night, hoping this was a bug they had fixed, but ... no. It made no difference in my morning indoor workout step count. Ingo2711 (Level 10) said in the first reply, "Apple introduced a new algorithm to estimate steps and distance during a workout in watchOS 27" so it seems it's a feature, not a bug. If it's a feature, it's a disappointment: steps are steps and why should that change? I can't be the only one that's getting trend admonishments like, "You burned fewer calories over the last 13 days" and "On average, your total distance decreased over the last 13 days" all while doing the same thing I've done for years. I've adjusted (lowered) the daily goal set for my Activity Ring so it's reachable, and I'll remain in "wait and see" mode.

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Answer 6

Sep 19, 2026 5:37 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

Yes! This is so frustrating! I do YouTube indoor walks, and for years, main walks I do have constantly recorded correct steps. Until this updating iPhone 16 Plus and Apple Watch 11 and today my new 12 to 27. Totally broke indoor walks, only gives me HALF the steps! Exact workout and exertion. I did the outdoor walk calibration. Outdoor walk correct. But didn’t help indoor walks at all. I’ve turned in the problem/complaint

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Answer 7

Sep 22, 2026 4:05 PM in response to happyladi

Trust me, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been reporting the issue almost daily through the feedback link. I’m frustrated as well, and I’m trying to spread the word about the feedback link another user shared with me so people can report it directly to Apple.

Apple feedback: Feedback - Watch - Apple

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Answer 8

Sep 22, 2026 4:06 PM in response to Mariaismith1

Trust me, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been reporting the issue almost daily through the feedback link. I’m frustrated as well, and I’m trying to spread the word about the feedback link another user shared with me so people can report it directly to Apple.

Apple feedback: Feedback - Watch - Apple

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Answer 9

Sep 20, 2026 6:13 AM in response to Ingo2711

Thank you for the information. I wasn’t sure where to start; I’ll submit feedback. From the number of replies so far here and out on Reddit, it does appear I’m not the only one experiencing this issue. I’ll try what was suggested. It stinks because when I walk while I work, I strap my watch to my ankle because my wrists are normally on my desk, but I want to get my steps in and counted for. I have reset the fitness calibration on both my Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Watch 10 but they are undercutting my pace for runs and steps for walks.

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Answer 10

Sep 20, 2026 12:44 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

Ok I’ve done everything I know to do. Unpaired. Reset watch, used a backup from 26.7. No use. Have done 2.5 miles indoor walk, gave me .25 miles. I’ve paused my rings until October and going to use my daughter’s FitBit! So wrong!😡

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Answer 11

Sep 22, 2026 3:07 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

I have the same problem since I have updated to Watch OS 27. Also my indoor walking is not counted in the training minutes anymore, because the number of steps is too low. This is very frustrating, instead of doing my training I am wasting time here. I have an Apple Watch 9, which is still working very well. I hope Apple fixes this soon, this is really a bug!!!

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Answer 12

Sep 22, 2026 4:01 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

I have the same issue happening on my outdoor walk as of today. It’s tracking way less steps and mileage on the same walk I’ve done for the last five years with different watches - so I know the distance is incorrect now.

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Answer 13

Sep 27, 2026 7:57 AM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

I indoor walk for 50 minutes and with iOS 26 on watch nine that would be about 5 miles. On the same watch doing the same thing for the same length of time, it’s less than 2 miles

And please don’t tell me I need to keep moving my arm to make this right

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Answer 14

Sep 27, 2026 4:42 PM in response to JustAnAppleUser_1

I did just that today…purchased a Fitbit Air! Awkward for an Apple user. The Air has no screen, so everything’s managed thru a Google health app. I did my first indoor walk, video on YouTube, and the count was off only 100 steps from when my Apple watch kept track. 😢 Those were the days. Sigh. In a bit, I’m taking it for a walk at a park with nice trail. I’m giving this a few days, and if nothing improves on Apple’s end, I’ll turn in one more complaint and tell them what I’ve had to do. I still wear my Watch 12, but just because I love all the other features, but I won’t be upgrading like I used to.

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Answer 15

Sep 27, 2026 5:53 PM in response to happyladi

Outdoor walk was a huge success! The Fitbit Air is lightweight and absolutely correct step/mileage. You can communicate with a “Coach” and he said my indoor walk will be more accurate if I çount it as a “workout “ rather than walk. It is just a tracker, not a smartwatch, so it’s still at 92% battery, so won’t have to charge it for “sleep”. Nite all.

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