Stand activity doesn't work with standing desks (oh the irony)

I used to get up and do things like carry dishes from my home office to the kitchen and other ways of moving around. Unless I carry a coffee mug down by my leg, instead of up by my torso, it doesn't think I stood and moved.

I don't think it works like that it works on movement that it detects with its' accelerometers. If you don't clock up anything when you are carrying a mug of coffee around, it's because you are keeping it rather still, not because your arm is horizontal.

Winston -

Nice name, by the way 😉

Based on weeks of experimentation, it works EXACTLY that way. I've done entire sinks full of dishes, stood up and folded laundry, all manner of things where my forearm is horizontal and moving and I'm standing and walking and the only thing that makes a difference is ... is my forearm pointing in a downward direction? If my forearm is pointing down (or I trick it into thinking my forearm is pointing down ...), I get credit. If my forearm is horizontal, I don't get credit.

And it was suggested, weeks ago, that you take your watch in for evaluation. Your assumption that, if the hardware was faulty, you wouldn't be able to trick it is flawed.

Meg -

The hardware is perfectly fine (except all the known problems with the hardware, like low battery life and overheating while charging and ...).

I don't know what more needs to be said. The Watch has a 3-axis accelerometer and it is able to detect its orientation as well as movement in all 3-axises. All of that works like a dream. Except, the Watch has to detect that the forearm is pointing in a downward direction (or tricked into thinking that). I'm really not the only person reporting problems with the "Stand" feature.

It really would be nice if Apple would just monitor this forum or respond to bug reports.

like low battery life and overheating while charging and ...).

I'm afraid this does indicate a problem with your watch not the Apple watch per se.

Running an exercise drains the battery more quickly than other things, I've been out walking for well over an hour this morning and clocked up 1,400 calories so far today and my watch is still on 79% (it's 3 pm here) I've gotten 5 hours cycling in a day before and still managed a full day on one charge. My watch doesn't overheat when I charge it.

julie78787 wrote:

The hardware is perfectly fine (except all the known problems with the hardware, like low battery life and overheating while charging and ...).

If the hardware were perfectly fine, you would not need to be "tricking it" into recognizing something it's supposed to recognize. I really don't understand why you're so resistant to the idea of having your watch looked at. My watch generally has about 50-60% charge left at the end of the day and has never gotten much more than slightly warm when charging. There is something wrong with your watch.

This is a user-to-user forum. Apple doesn't respond here. In fact, they don't really read here. If you want Apple to know you have a problem with your watch, you will need to have them look at it.

Winston -

Your Watch isn't warm to the touch while charging (not on your wrist, just sitting there attached to the charging cable) and each charge lasts more than 24 hours? I have an IR temperature sensor I'll use on it the next time so I can get the actual temperature, but it's most definitely over 100F / 38C while charging, which it shouldn't be.

My Android watches were good for 36 hours or more, and my Pebble was good for a week. The Pebble is pretty dumb, as smart watches go, but I can't get much more than 18-20 hours from my Watch.

And don't gloat about your Activity - compared to every other device (except a treadmill!) - my Watch under-reports activity calories by 20-40 percent. Even with all the correct values - weight, body fat percent, distance-over-time, heart rate (now that I'm wearing the Watch so tight the band has stretched 2 holes in a month ...) - the model is just plain wrong. It only underreports "Indoor Walk" activity by about 10%.

julie78787 wrote:

Your Watch isn't warm to the touch while charging

It is normal for your watch, power adapter and charging cable to become warm when connected to power.

More information:

Check your battery and charge your Apple Watch - Apple Support

And if I tell you the hardware is perfectly fine, why do you insist I keep having someone tell me the hardware is perfectly fine? Which part of "the hardware is perfectly fine" aren't you understanding?

And just to be clear - you get more than 24 hours from a battery charge and you exercise an hour more a day? If you get more than 24 hours per day from a charge, and that includes at least one hour per day of "Move" activity, I will demand that Apple replace my Watch because it is broken.

julie78787 wrote:

Your Watch isn't warm to the touch while charging (not on your wrist, just sitting there attached to the charging cable) and each charge lasts more than 24 hours?

Apple states that the watch should have up to 18 hours of battery life so I'm not sure why you'd expect it to last for more than 24.

Right, but it should feel COOL to the touch, not WARM.

Lithium chemistry batteries don't like heat and they suffer from premature death if they are charged at high (which isn't much over body temperature -- 37C) temperatures. I need to put the Watch on the charger soon and I'll take its temperature when I get a chance.

While I've got you here - how many hours per day do you get from a charge, and how many total "Move" minutes of activity do you have in a typical day? Apparently my Watch may actually have a defective battery, which while inconvenient could give me an excuse to have it replaced.

julie78787 wrote:

And if I tell you the hardware is perfectly fine, why do you insist I keep having someone tell me the hardware is perfectly fine? Which part of "the hardware is perfectly fine" aren't you understanding?

I'm understanding that, from your description, the watch is not working the way it is supposed to. To me, that means everything is NOT perfectly fine. However, as it is your watch and as you seem to have found a solution that makes you happy, I'm not going to argue with you about it. However, I will, if I notice you telling people that you know the truth, that your watch is most likely faulty and they should expect better from their watches.

No, I don't get more than 24 hours without charging it, mostly because I charge it every night. But, even if I didn't charge it, as noted, it's not expected to get more than 24 hours use on a charge.

julie78787 wrote:

Right, but it should feel COOL to the touch, not WARM.

To reiterate: It is normal for your watch, power adapter and charging cable to become warm when connected to power.

More information:

"Be aware that Apple Watch, its power adapter, and Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable warm up when plugged in to a power source."

Keep Apple Watch within acceptable operating temperatures - Apple Support

Right, so 18 hours isn't even a DAY. That's a hardware design flaw -- "bad hardware". To use it all day, I have to charge TWICE a day. I have this down to an exact science - I charge in the morning and again in the evening.

Every other smart watch I've owned (3, so this is my 4th) lasts well over 24 hours. Two different Android watches averaged 30+ hours on a charge and my Pebble last about a week. All are smart watches, all have radios (BT or WiFI), all accept push notifications, have apps, screens, etc. All three even have "always on" displays. They all last over 24 hours -- minimum -- on a charge.

Every other Apple device I own (about a dozen) that runs on a battery (about half of those has battery life far longer than competitor (Android ...) products with the singular exception of the Watch.

Right, but it should feel COOL to the touch, not WARM.

No. If the recharging process were to generate no heat it wouldn't be recharching, they shouldn't be hot to the touch though.

Calories burned can only be a guide, no device is going to be accurate, If you think otherwise you are deluding yourself. I find the Apple watch to be reasonably consistent with some other devices and not others.

Sorry, I think you have read too much nonsense on the internet.