Hi
Apple Watch cannot track your walks at a standing desk accurately unless you are swinging your arms.
During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record Indoor Walk, Indoor Run and certain outdoor workouts when GPS reception is poor or unavailable, the Activity app and Workout app rely on tracking your arm motion (measured by the built-in accelerometer) for the purpose of estimating results including Active calories.
For the most accurate estimations from the Activity app and Workout app, the following steps may help:
Check your personal information:
- On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Health > Edit - tap and adjust items, then tap on Done.
Check your Location Services settings (including in order to enable accurate calibration - see below):
- On your iPhone, go to: Settings > Privacy > Location Services:
- Check that Location Services (the main setting at the top) is turned on.
- In the list of apps beneath, check that Apple Watch Workout is set to While Using.
- Also enable options under System Services including Motion Calibration & Distance, Wi-Fi Networking and Mobile Network Search.
Reset your existing calibration data and recalibrate your Apple Watch:
- Calibration can improve the accuracy of estimations made by Activity app and Workout app, including when GPS reception is not available.
- Calibration teaches your Apple 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 Walk and/or Outdoor Run workouts that are recorded via the Workout app, by comparing data from the accelerometer with GPS (Location Services) data.
- To calibrate your Apple Watch - and to reset existing data - follow the instructions here:
- Resetting existing data and calibrating your watch by following the detailed instructions can be equally as helpful for Series 3 models and will not erase your Activity history.
Allow the arm on which you are wearing your Apple Watch to swing naturally during calibration and as you move around during daily wear and to move as expected during workouts:
- During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record workouts when GPS data is either not relevant or not available, the Activity app and Workout app track your arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) when estimating results including Active calories.
When recording any specific fitness activities, be sure to use the Workout app and to choose the activity type that most closely matches your workout:
- This includes choosing Other for any workouts that are neither included within nor sufficiently similar to those in the main list.
- This enables your watch to use the most appropriate sensors and data sources when tracking results.
- When recording an Other workout, the Workout app 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.
- Work out with your Apple Watch - Apple Support
More information:
Use the Activity app on your Apple Watch - Apple Support
Work out with your Apple Watch - Apple Support
Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support
