Health App Steps/Distance proving inconsistent

I am now having the opposite problem I had an iPhone6 that was lost in Italy in July. When I returned home, I replaced the phone, and the IOS was updated when I got the new phone. I use the Heatlh app to track my running mileage. I don't care about pace...just the distance. Suddenly the length of all my runs seems to have increased by about 10-15%. I'd love to believe that the previous iPhone was measuring short....but I have a feeling it wasn't, and that there is a systematic reason why the Health app is now overestimating.

I'm curious if others have experienced this.

Both distance and steps vary wildly between my iPhone 6 and and my wife's. For example, other than puttering around the house before she got up, we set out on a walk around the neighborhood. Obviously we travel the same route together. Her steps for this AM are 5,280, mine is 6,386. Her distance is 1.94 miles, mine is 2.94. While i suppose it is possible that I traveled that before she began moving this morning, I am highly suspicious! I consistently obtain higher calculations with both, but this seems excessive. Discussion around Location Services and setting strides have ben unproductive ...i.e. not found. Any insights would be helpful.

I've been posting about this myself on other questions. My health app steps do not match my Up band steps (and i've had no issues with it). It also does not measure my sleep at all, while my Up band does. Not really sure what it is, hopefully Apple will do an update to correct this.

I've also noticed this issue with both iPhone 5s and 6. They've both typically reported only 10-25% of my total steps, compared to what my Fitbit reports. I've tested the Fitbit accuracy many times (yes, I really am that anal & nitpicky) and it's never been off by more than a few steps per hundred … ~95% accuracy. This wasn't an issue before, but now that Fitbit has chosen not to support HealthKit I'd like to use the M8 to track my steps (as opposed to buying a new tracker). And yes, my iPhone is with me at all times.

Has anyone found a way to calibrate the motion chip? Having seen this issue on two different pieces of hardware and many iOS version, please understand I've restarted & restored many times.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Karell

David, I've also seen the issue and note about a 10-30% underreporting of steps. However, your issue is an inconsistency while walking which sounds more like a software failure. I am finding that the Health App crashes repeatedly and that if it is accessed by a number of different applications it crashes more often. This shouldn't affect the motion detection, but it might. Some things that might help with software failures are:

1. Turn off other programs when you go for the walk

2. Reset the phone (settings, general, reset network settings)

3. Back up the phone, restore it as new, then restore it from the backup (presumably cleans up may problems)

4. Check and remove other sources from Apple Health access that you don't need

Even if you get the software to work right there appears to be a high likelihood that the iPhone motion detector will under report compared to a FitBit, JawBone etc. My best guess is that this has to do with the software in the iPhone that determines what is and is not a step (ie the threshold is higher on the iPhone). There are things that do seem to help.

1. If the iPhone is on your hip it seems to be more accurate

2. It could be that it will read better on your arm, but that's just a guess

When distance is calculated from steps the steps have to be accurate for that to work. However, since the iPhone has GPS it should measure distance accurately regardless of steps. You might find the GPS to be more accurate if instead of Apple Health you use one of the other programs like Runtastic, Runkeeper, Wahoo Fitness or even now the FitBit. These programs access the same data from the GPS and motion, but seem less apt to failure and to crash. If this still doesn't work it could be a bad GPS antennae (check to see if the iPhone locates your properly and if it tracks you in the native maps program). GPS may not work as well if you are covered by trees and if the phone is hidden under your clothing. The tracking appears to use GPS antennas which require line of site, but also to a lesser degree information from cell towers (less accurate). So if you are walking between buildings or beneath trees you might have a problem. Now if you have zero reception or poor reception then even the GPS calculation may be off significantly.

I've found that there is a different measurement for steps and distance depending on if the phone is in my pocket vs in my hands. I've walked the same route multiple times with the phone in hand or in my pocket. I also use the mapmyrun app. In my hand the phone registers more distance but less steps. In my pocket I get less distance but more steps. Which measurement is correct?

I have the same issue, step counts and distance is up to 30% incorrect and ratio between step counts and distance covered is mismatched on almost each walk. I have compared the results with other app i.e. Nike. I think health app takes your current location (L1) and then after some time takes your updated location (L2) and calculates the distance in between two locations. But if you have come back to L2 after taking a short round back from another location (L3) exactly when app is taking your location again it will ignore that distance which you have covered between L2 to L3 and from L3 to L2. i.e. you started from L1 and then reached to L2 on both location app has taken your locations and calculated the distance. Now you moved to L3 but at that point app didn't take any reading and you came back to L2 then distance from L2 to L3 and from L3 back to L2 is missed. I am not sure but I feel so.

i find it profoundly dumbfounding that this problem exists and no one even has a solid GUESS as to why. the discrepancies reported (and i'll add there is a huge one between my iphone and my wife's even when we're side by side all day) mean this data is fraudulent.

me too. mine was inconsistent at first (a couple of years ago), then for the past year it was very reliable. I actually considered not using my fitbit anymore. after the ios 10 update, it has been thrown way off again. it's reporting about 10-25% less than my fitbit.

it was working just fine before ios 10!

I Use Pedometer ++ from th app store. It seems to be pretty accurate.

My Iphone6 can see into the future!!! I walk most mornings from my home to a park at the end of the road. I've clocked it with my car odometer as well as GPS. It's .8 miles. When walking, the iphone6 is in my front left pocket. Sometimes it records .8, sometimes it records as low as .57 but this morning was the best. As I left the house the health app report no data yet for today. Good, a fresh start. When I arrived at the park, it said I walked 1.6 miles. That's the distance ROUND TRIP - I hadn't gone back yet. Also said I walked 3,500+ steps when normally it says about 1400 to 1700. But the best part is, on the return trip home, I only walked and addition .1 miles for a total round trip of 1.7 miles. It knew I was going to return home before I did it. What a smart phone...

The iOS 9 health app was close. iOS 10 health app is as much as 25% different from old app and different then the iPod app.

I found a workaround!

Launch Health, open Walking+Running Distance, tap Share Data, and check all apps in here, find them, (BACKUP if you like, ) delete them, and done!

I have compared two iPhone 6s Plus models. One is consistently reporting 25% more distance and steps than the other.

I agree. My iPhone 6+ was pretty close but my new iPhone 7+ is way too low on the count. I wonder how it measures?