Health App Step Length

My wife and I also went walking today. We walked on a flat path with measured quarter-miles. We also counted steps for a bit (200 each). We each have an iPhone in a tight front pocket, and I don't believe in that "extra-jostle" theory. It overcounted one of us and undercounted the other by enough (about 30-40%) that the results were meaningless. We also checked the miles. We first did it for 1/2 mile - mine was exact, wifes's was about 25% off. Over two miles, both were off, mine by 35%. Bottom line - it seems to be so unreliable and inconsistent that it has no value, other than as a toy. I will continue to test, perhaps holding both phones in same pocket. And it shouldn't need calibration if it uses GPS for miles and accelerometer for strides.

James C Austin wrote:

As others have pointed out, it cannot possibly be true that IOS/iPhone uses GPS for distance.

Yes, it's true.

To call this question "solved" is simply wrong. This issue remains unsettled.

The original poster gets to mark the thread as "Solved". I'd suggest you start a new thread and describe your particular issue. You'll get more attention to it that way. Explain what's happening and what troubleshooting steps you've already taken.

Best of luck.

The Apple health app in nothing more than a toy and using it to measure activity is a huge waste of time. On 8/27/2017 my wife and I went on several walking tours in Washington D.C. We were never more than 30 feet apart the entire day and her phone (both are iPhone 6+) registered more than 7.5 miles walked and mine registered 5.1. . There was also a large discrepancy in stairs climbed. I understand that there is a difference in the length of our strides but supposedly the app uses GPS for calculating distance. If that's true then this app is woefully broken and just a flashy, useless bauble.

MY husband (6 ft) and I (5 ft) hike frequently. Yesterday we had a discrepancy of over 2,200 steps and 5 flights between the 2 of us. I could understand if I got more steps than him since my stride is shorter but he is always getting more steps.

what is going on?

HI,

I really appreciate your responses. It's been most helpful in understanding how the Health app works. Taking a drive on a 'rough' road meant going" above and beyond"! Thanks!

Hal

PS: I tried to mark your last post as 'helpful', but for some reason it wouldn't take. But, as I said above, it was very helpful!

Yes, I Am FrencH! But the problem is shared. Try taking the Métro in Paris and you will see how quickly the Health App (Santé) records distance and steps...while you are standing still. Kinde of useless...

I appreciate your answer. It does provide some insight.

However, I find the iPhone GPS tends measure distance on the light side. I have compared the distances recorded in the Health app to distances measured by my Garmin Oregon GPS device and known distances and I find the iPhone distances are significantly on the light side.

i would tend to expect this as I would fully expect the iPhone would be blocked from GPS signals at times due to cover from trees, tall structures, etc. Adding to that issue, I carry the iPhone in a pants pocket. If I were to guess, the phone is probably filling in gaps by assuming a straight line. This probably produces a reasonable result on city streets, but not on a hiking trail.

MY husband's and my steps are always different as well, even when we've been to the same places. Today mine was 14k steps and his was 22k. We'd been together all day.

Settings/Privacy - Location Services.

Thanks

i knew Siri did an Internet search, but I didn't check further. Her "sources" are usually pretty good! :-)

Hal

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do you uderstang french