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Activity App - outdoor walk distance

Hi,


My husband and I both have an apple watch, we went for a walk yesterday together and the distance measurement came up as 4.7km on my watch and 6.5km on my husbands watch. This is a pretty big discrepancy, how do we know whose it correct and how do we correct the other watch.


Thanks

Apple Watch, iOS 9.2

Posted on Jan 3, 2017 2:43 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 4, 2017 12:20 AM

Hi


The discrepancy in the distances recorded by your watches may be explained by differences, during your walk, in how you each moved your arms and/or by the availability of Location Services data.


Apple Watch uses different sensors and data sources to track the results of workouts, depending on the activity type.


For example, with Apple Watch (first generation) and Series 1 models, the watch can access Location Services data (including GPS information) from the paired iPhone if it is taken along during outdoor walking workouts that are recorded via the Workout app. Series 2 has built-in GPS, which it uses for this purpose if the paired iPhone is not taken along.


During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record workouts when Location Services data is either not relevant or not available (eg Indoor Walk / treadmill), the Activity app and Workout app track your arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) when estimating results including 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 during workouts (where relevant to the activity type).


Calibrating your watches can improve the accuracy of estimations made by Activity app and Workout app. Calibration teaches your watch how your arm movements relate to your stride lengths at different speeds when you are walking and/or running. It does this - during outdoor walks and/or outdoor runs - by comparing data from the accelerometer with GPS / Location Services data.


More information and instructions for calibrating your watches are available via the link below. The article also includes instructions for resetting existing calibration data and starting afresh. Resetting your calibration data will not erase your Activity history.


More information:

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 4, 2017 12:20 AM in response to m_a_winny

Hi


The discrepancy in the distances recorded by your watches may be explained by differences, during your walk, in how you each moved your arms and/or by the availability of Location Services data.


Apple Watch uses different sensors and data sources to track the results of workouts, depending on the activity type.


For example, with Apple Watch (first generation) and Series 1 models, the watch can access Location Services data (including GPS information) from the paired iPhone if it is taken along during outdoor walking workouts that are recorded via the Workout app. Series 2 has built-in GPS, which it uses for this purpose if the paired iPhone is not taken along.


During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record workouts when Location Services data is either not relevant or not available (eg Indoor Walk / treadmill), the Activity app and Workout app track your arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) when estimating results including 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 during workouts (where relevant to the activity type).


Calibrating your watches can improve the accuracy of estimations made by Activity app and Workout app. Calibration teaches your watch how your arm movements relate to your stride lengths at different speeds when you are walking and/or running. It does this - during outdoor walks and/or outdoor runs - by comparing data from the accelerometer with GPS / Location Services data.


More information and instructions for calibrating your watches are available via the link below. The article also includes instructions for resetting existing calibration data and starting afresh. Resetting your calibration data will not erase your Activity history.


More information:

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Activity App - outdoor walk distance

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