wickerman5

Q: Exercise Tracking - Total Fail

I've been using my Apple Watch for fitness tracking as advertised for 2-3 weeks, with generally okay results, but this weekend it has totally gone off the rails.  Friday it worked fine.  Saturday when I got up and removed it from the charger, the 'Move' and 'Stand' metrics were back at zero, but the watch had me 'Exercising' all night while the watch was charging (and no, I did not leave a 'workout' running).  That morning I went kayaking for over an hour, with a 'Workout' set to 'Other' and while the heartbeat rate seemed to be working, I got credit for only 13 calories for 'Move' which is absurd.  Meanwhile the 'Exercise' ring kept giving me credit as though I were running an all-day marathon.

 

I tried re-starting the watch by holding both buttons in until the apple logo appeared -- no help.

 

Sunday -- the same thing -- getting close to no credit for active Calories in 'Move' but now have credit for 376 minutes of Exercise despite spending most of the da on a sofa.

 

I get the feeling the 'fix' is going to be for me to wipe my Watch and start from scratch, re-pairing it to my phone?  Does that mean all the settings I put in place for my Apps will disappear and I'll have to go through all of that again?  I won't have to start from scratch with my Workout history, will I?

 

This is very disappointing -- continuity of experience is really important for this fitness tracking stuff.

Posted on Jun 21, 2015 3:38 PM

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Q: Exercise Tracking - Total Fail

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  • by Jason L,

    Jason L Jason L Jun 23, 2015 12:48 PM in response to wickerman5
    Community Specialists
    Jun 23, 2015 12:48 PM in response to wickerman5

    Hello wickerman5,

     

    From what I gather the measurements that you’re getting from the Workout app on your Apple Watch are inaccurate. Try taking a look at the article linked below and using some of the suggestions that it provides for getting the best measurements.

     

    Use the Workout app on Apple Watch - Apple Support

    Get the best measurement

    Your Apple Watch will estimate your measurements during workouts based on the information that you entered during setup, but you can further improve its accuracy using these tips:

    • Wearing your Apple Watch regularly can improve the accuracy of the Activity and Workout apps.
    • Choose the Workout that best matches what you’re doing. For example, if you're running on a treadmill, choose Indoor Run.
    • For GPS accuracy when you walk, run, or cycle outdoors, select the appropriate Workout and bring your iPhone.* This will also help calibrate the accelerometer in Apple Watch for times when you don’t have GPS, such as during treadmill workouts or when you're running outside without your phone.
    • To get the most accurate heart rate measurement when you use Workout, make sure your Apple Watch fits snugly on top of your wrist. The heart rate sensor should stay close to your skin.
    • You can also use another heart rate monitoring device, such as a chest strap. To pair an external heart rate monitor with your Apple Watch, tap the Settings app on the Home screen, then tap Bluetooth and select it under Health Devices. Learn more about the Apple Watch heart rate sensor, its accuracy, and its limitations.

    Learn more about how to wear your Apple Watch.

     

    Take care,

    -Jason

  • by wickerman5,

    wickerman5 wickerman5 Jun 23, 2015 2:42 PM in response to Jason L
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jun 23, 2015 2:42 PM in response to Jason L

    Uh . . . no.

     

    This is not an instance of the fitness tracking being somewhat "inaccurate" -- and the Workout app isn't even involved.

     

    The Watch is LOGGING ACTIVE WORKOUT MINUTES WHILE IT IS CHARGING.  And it is ignoring actual exercise, under-calculating caloric bur by an order of magnitude.

     

    I called support -- as expected, the fix was to re-pair the watch.  I was able to backup my past fitness data . . . but that means also that the metric for "Most Minutes in a Day" is pegged at over 500, so that's a fitness record goal that will be for practical purposes 'dead' -- unless I elect to wipe the entire data record.