TahoeC

Q: Apple watch exercise not counting

I Went for a 20 minute outdoor walk today using the Workout app, with my phone GPS on And I didn't get credit for even one minute. I had my hands in my pockets because it was cold but given I was using gps, shouldn't it have given me credit in the exercise ring?

Posted on May 5, 2015 9:50 PM

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Q: Apple watch exercise not counting

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  • by Runner72,

    Runner72 Runner72 Aug 25, 2015 7:05 AM in response to TahoeC
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 25, 2015 7:05 AM in response to TahoeC

    I've had the exact same issue and it's really frustrating after  you walk/run for 40+ minutes only to watch the data disappear and no credit for your daily goal.   However, I've found a quick workaround that works, but it's kind of a pain and "slightly ridiculous". After putting in real mileage for the day and not getting credit, I'll wait until the evening and while watching TV, turn on the workout app. 

     

    From there select "Other" as your workout, then "Open" as the workout type.   Click "Start" and sit back and enjoy some TV and there you go.

    Based on what I've seen about 5 min of activity (or inactivity) will yield about 25-30 calories, around 2-3 min of "Exercise" credit and what's really odd is that I'll get credit for simply hanging out. 

     

    I completely realize that this is a ridiculous workaround, and I thought this watch was going to give me more flexibility over FitBit, Garmin, Nike Watch, and others that I've invested in over the years.   However, doesn't seem to be the case unless Apple fixes this issue, as for me the workout and heart rate was the main reason I purchased.

     

    Apple Team, PLEASE help!

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Aug 25, 2015 7:18 AM in response to Runner72
    Level 7 (30,896 points)
    Apple Watch
    Aug 25, 2015 7:18 AM in response to Runner72

    I see you joined today - welcome!

     

    Please note that this is a user-based support community.

     

    If you would also like to submit feedback directly to Apple, you can do so here:

     

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

  • by iBagwan,

    iBagwan iBagwan Sep 6, 2015 11:17 AM in response to TahoeC
    Level 2 (354 points)
    iOS Apps
    Sep 6, 2015 11:17 AM in response to TahoeC

    My wife and I both got our Apple Watches and we will regularly take walks together. Her exercise ring will count 20-30 minutes and mine, on the exact same walk, will record 3 minutes! Super frustrating. Apple has hooked me on the crack of "rings" and then I get denied because of poor capture! Driving me nuts, I love my watch but this one thing is so disappointing. No, I do not have tats and I wear my watch pretty snug

  • by mcspellman,

    mcspellman mcspellman Sep 16, 2015 2:59 PM in response to TahoeC
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 16, 2015 2:59 PM in response to TahoeC

    Having the same problem with the Exercise ring not recording the correct minutes of exercise.  Went for a walk using the workout app "outdoor walk" - walked for 40 minutes at a brisk pace - got my heart rate up - and the exercise ring minutes only recorded 23 minutes.  Sort of discouraging when you are trying to meet that goal - have met it - and the watch won't record it.  I can use Runkeeper as well - it records the proper minutes, distance, etc, but the apple Excercise app just won't do it.  Had my watch for a couple weeks and have only 'ringed out' a couple times - even when I know I have exceeded the 30 minutes. Bummer!IMG_6718.jpg

  • by NightFox,

    NightFox NightFox Oct 7, 2015 5:48 AM in response to TahoeC
    Level 1 (30 points)
    Oct 7, 2015 5:48 AM in response to TahoeC

    Wow, this is frustrating!  I just got my Apple Watch and went out for a 5km run today (and took my iPhone with me for the watch to calibrate).  Well, I completed the 5km in 26 minutes.  The Activity app reckons I only did 4.24km which I can maybe put down to it not having calibrated yet (though I would have hoped after the recommended 20 mins it would have corrected itself as I was running with a pretty consistent pace length and cadence) but it's credited me with all of 145 calories (compared to the 454 that Strava more realistically claimed) and on my activity ring it's only given me 13 minutes out of the 26, all of which were at a very active heart rate.

     

    Pretty rubbish first impression I'm afraid.

  • by G3gator,

    G3gator G3gator Oct 7, 2015 7:38 AM in response to NightFox
    Level 3 (571 points)
    Oct 7, 2015 7:38 AM in response to NightFox

    Out of curiosity, are the 145 calories the 'active' calories or the 'total' calories? And, does Strava count all calories consumed during the exercise or just the active calories (i.e. the ones over and above the resting calories)?

     

    It is my impression that many of the other fitness trackers report total calories.

     

    George

  • by NightFox,

    NightFox NightFox Oct 7, 2015 8:29 AM in response to G3gator
    Level 1 (30 points)
    Oct 7, 2015 8:29 AM in response to G3gator

    According to the watch they're active calories, out of a total 188 calories for the activity.

  • by G3gator,

    G3gator G3gator Oct 7, 2015 10:20 AM in response to NightFox
    Level 3 (571 points)
    Oct 7, 2015 10:20 AM in response to NightFox

    What does Strava count? And, do you know that it is accurate?

     

    George

  • by NightFox,

    NightFox NightFox Oct 8, 2015 3:12 AM in response to G3gator
    Level 1 (30 points)
    Oct 8, 2015 3:12 AM in response to G3gator

    I use quite a few different services for my exercise analysis, Strava being just one of them.  They all use slightly different algorithms for calculating calorie burn, but all fall within about a 10-15% range (i.e. 420-460 total for this run), apart from the Apple Fitness app which reports 188.  I realise that these other services have access to more data about my run than the Apple app does, and some of them license professional algorithms for the calculations so I'd expect them to probably be more accurate, but this discrepancy isn't what I'd consider a margin of error - it's just massively wrong!

     

    The most basic calculation that's commonly used to calculate energy expenditure are Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) values, which give a multiplier based on the level of effort required that you can apply to the number of calories normally expended at rest (BMR).

     

    So, my watch is telling me that for this period my baseline energy use was 188-145 = 43 calories.  The MET value for a 6mph run is 10, so my total energy expenditure for the run is 43x10=430 calories, actually almost spot on what the more precise calculations gave me.  So if even such basic and generic MET values can get it right, how does Apple get it so, so wrong?

     

    Ironically, this isn't really my biggest complaint - it was more that I only got 13 minutes activity ring credit for 26 minutes of running!

  • by mspeag,

    mspeag mspeag Feb 7, 2016 9:09 AM in response to iBagwan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 7, 2016 9:09 AM in response to iBagwan

    My husband and I have same issue.  Is there a fix other than other exercise?  Did yours get resolved,  someone said there were 40 with this issue in threads.

  • by rdwild,

    rdwild rdwild Apr 12, 2016 1:44 PM in response to TahoeC
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 12, 2016 1:44 PM in response to TahoeC

    Hope this helps everyone, I tried the un-pair device and then re-pair as a new device and that seemed to work for about a couple of days and then it went right back to no activity even though I was going on long walks.  I was able to figure out today that another way that seems to resolve this issue is to clear and re-calibrate your watch.  You can do this on your phone via the following options.

     

    1. Go to your watch icon

    2. Select Privacy

    3. Select Motion & Fitness

    4. Select "Reset Calibration Data" in orange.

     

    That is it, at this point it should start working.

  • by CaseyJames03,

    CaseyJames03 CaseyJames03 May 24, 2016 6:39 AM in response to rdwild
    Level 1 (8 points)
    May 24, 2016 6:39 AM in response to rdwild

    This fixed my problem, thanks for the help. 

  • by cparry,

    cparry cparry Jun 2, 2016 1:09 PM in response to rdwild
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jun 2, 2016 1:09 PM in response to rdwild

    Thanks, this worked for me too  

     

    Hopefully Apple will fix this problem permanently, we can only hope!

     

    I guess we'll have to repeat this every few weeks or months?!

  • by jataylor27,

    jataylor27 jataylor27 Jun 15, 2016 10:19 AM in response to TahoeC
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jun 15, 2016 10:19 AM in response to TahoeC

    I am having the same issue, but only with the Outdoor walks. I walked for 35 minutes today, and the app is showing 16 minutes of exercise time. this has been happening for a few weeks. It calculates about half the time I actually exercise on outdoor walks. One user suggested just using "other" so I'll guess that will have to do.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Jun 22, 2016 7:42 AM in response to jataylor27
    Level 7 (30,896 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jun 22, 2016 7:42 AM in response to jataylor27

    Hi

     

    To credit progress towards the daily Exercise goal, the Activity app aims to identify activity that equals or exceeds the intensity of a brisk walk. This requirement applies both during general daily wear and when recording workouts via the Workout app.

     

    The definition of a brisk walk depends on your personal information. To check that this is accurate (and to update it over time):

     

    • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Health > Edit - tap and adjust items, then tap on Done.

     

    If you have not yet done so, it may also help to update your iPhone and Apple Watch to the latest software (starting with your iPhone). After updating from earlier software versions, some users reported seeing increases in the proportion of their activity that was credited as Exercise.

     

     

    During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record Indoor Walk, Indoor Run and certain outdoor workouts when the iPhone is not taken along, the Activity app and Workout app rely on arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) to track movement for the purpose of estimating results including Exercise credit, distance and pace.

     

    For the best results, allow the arm on which you are wearing your watch to swing naturally as you move around and, where relevant, during workouts. If the iPhone is also taken along during outdoor workouts (with Location Services and Bluetooth enabled), the watch can also access GPS data to help inform estimations.

     

    Calibrating your watch can improve the accuracy of estimations made by the apps by teaching your watch how your arm movements relate to your stride lengths at different speeds when walking and/or running. It does this by comparing data from the accelerometer with GPS (Location Services) data from your iPhone. Instructions for calibrating your watch are available via the link below. The article also includes instructions for resetting any existing calibration data and starting the process afresh. For the best results, calibrate for at least 20 minutes at each of the speeds at which you typically run and/or walk.

     

    Also ensure that you wear your watch snugly on the top of your wrist during workouts. Apple suggests that you consider tightening your watch band before workouts and loosening it again afterwards.

     

    If you would prefer to receive Exercise credit for workouts regardless of their intensity levels, track them via the Workout app using Other as the activity type. This will credit one minute of Exercise for each full minute of the workout. Active calories will be estimated at a rate equivalent to a brisk walk or based on data recorded by the heart rate sensor, whichever is higher.

     

    More information:

    Use the Activity app on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

    Use the Workout app on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

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

    Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support

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