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Q: How to use Apple Watch with treadmill desk?

Wearing an Apple Watch while working on a treadmill desk is a frustrating experience. While you basically walk all day, none of your effort is recorded. The watch even prompts you to stand up on a regular basis...

 

I keep my iPhone in my pocket so that at least the Health app records my steps. But the Activity app does not import any data from the Health app. Health data therefore shows lots of steps but the Activity app remains almost empty and I feel I'm missing a large part of what makes the Watch interesting.

 

Anyone has a solution for this?

 

Thanks!

Watch Sport 42mm, iOS 8.3

Posted on May 26, 2015 12:10 AM

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Q: How to use Apple Watch with treadmill desk?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim May 26, 2015 5:50 AM in response to srrge
    Level 9 (55,622 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 26, 2015 5:50 AM in response to srrge

    No wrist worn activity tracker is going to handle this well as they all rely on the the movement of your arm to measure paces while walking. There is really no way around this limitation. As long as your arms are more or less stationary (on your keyboard, etc.) while using a treadmill desk, the watch has nothing to measure as far as activity goes.

  • by srrge,

    srrge srrge May 26, 2015 5:56 AM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac App Store
    May 26, 2015 5:56 AM in response to KiltedTim

    Yes, your answer is quite obvious.

     

    But is there a way around it? Share the Health data to the Activity app for instance?

  • by Bill Geraci,

    Bill Geraci Bill Geraci Jun 4, 2015 7:21 AM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 4, 2015 7:21 AM in response to srrge

    My own setup is similar but worse: I don't want to keep my iPhone on me as I treadmill-it--I want it charting on my (non moving ;-) desk....

  • by Randall Keith,Helpful

    Randall Keith Randall Keith Jul 2, 2015 5:40 AM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jul 2, 2015 5:40 AM in response to srrge

    Same issue with Fitbit Charge was solved by sticking it in my sock. It matched up quite nicely in terms of steps and distance. I'm now trying both sock and pocket with the Apple watch. The sock method was off by a fairly wide margin -- 4 miles on the treadmill desk was seen as nearly 6 miles on the watch Workout app. Next test is putting the watch in a pants pocket.

  • by srrge,

    srrge srrge Jul 2, 2015 5:49 AM in response to Randall Keith
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jul 2, 2015 5:49 AM in response to Randall Keith

    Thanks Randall. I read that watchOS will allow 3rd party apps to push data to Activity. This would allow to keep the watch on wrist and have the iphone in the pocket maybe. Then feed the data from Health app to Activity app.

  • by Randall Keith,

    Randall Keith Randall Keith Jul 2, 2015 6:37 AM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jul 2, 2015 6:37 AM in response to srrge

    The test of the watch in the pocket was a failure. The workout app recorded no additional distance after I switched from my arm, where it was tracking a little distance when my arms moved, to a pocket.

  • by stivbators55,

    stivbators55 stivbators55 Aug 5, 2015 12:21 PM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 5, 2015 12:21 PM in response to srrge

    I've had good success attaching the apple watch to a hip belt loop while using the treadmill desk.  Experimenting between the step counter on the LifeSpan treadmill desk and the Apple Watch attached to the belt loop I notice <500 step differential per 12000 steps---( the watch is a little higher than the treadmill tracker) but that is I think much better than wrist or pocket wear.  Im still tweeting it---ill report back

  • by Randall Keith,

    Randall Keith Randall Keith Aug 5, 2015 2:17 PM in response to stivbators55
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 5, 2015 2:17 PM in response to stivbators55

    I'll give it a try.

  • by Apple in Iowa,

    Apple in Iowa Apple in Iowa Apr 7, 2016 2:41 PM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 7, 2016 2:41 PM in response to srrge

    I finally figured it out after four months!

     

    you need to use the Workout App with the setting on indoor cycle. The indoor walk setting doesn't work with the walking desk because it needs the arm to be swinging.

     

    I just turn on the indoor cycle setting and start the app. I monitor elapsed time which moves fast enough that you can switch to the move ring and actually see it increasing.

     

    hope this works!

  • by Mirabiles,

    Mirabiles Mirabiles Sep 21, 2016 11:22 AM in response to srrge
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 21, 2016 11:22 AM in response to srrge

    Another alternative is to push a rubber band through one of the watch band holes, pull it through until the two ends are even and then connect the two ends of the rubber band to the watch band post.  This acts like a stretchy extender for the watch band which gives it enough extra length that you can then wear it on your lower leg.  That will pick up the treadmill motion and should be able to read your pulse through your leg skin rather than your wrist skin.  Not sure if this leg method is more or less accurate than the indoor cycle option.  I guess I need to test both.