Apple Watch 3/Watchos 5 - Swimming not counting laps or calories correctly.

In swimming parlance and in the Apple Watch swim tracking, a “lap” is one length of a pool. So if you’re swimming in a pool that’s 12 yards in length, one “lap” is 12 yards. Swimming back and forth is 2 laps. If you swim two lengths (back and forth) the watch should say you swam 2 laps and 24 yards (which might make it look like it’s halving the distance, if you’re thinking a lap is returning to your point of origin).

I love my iwatch3 but I too am very frustrated with IOS 5.0.1. No matter what I have tried, I swim for 30 minutes and it shows a few laps and 100 yds. Apple please help. I have turned everything off, unpaired, etc... It would be helpful if Apple either fixed the software or provided clear solutions.

I too have a series 3 and have had some issues but none as bad as this! Mine was displaying 3k yards right when starting my swim but then would be correct at the end of the swim. My main issue is that my watch missed 25 yards almost every single swim. It’s super annoying but now after seeing all these problems, I have nothing to complain about lol. It seems to have resolved with the latest update but will keep an eye on it. Hope everyone gets theirs resolved too!

And I second - 6,500 5 times a week is BEAST! Were you a Collegiate or US swimmer? I swam 3,100 in 64 mins the other day and felt like Michael Phelps lol

The issue I'm having is slightly different. While I'm swimming, the app displays incorrect information regarding laps and distance. So I ended the workout to turn it off and on. When it saved the info, all measurements were correct. So for me, only the display while using the app was wrong. It saved the right information when I ended the workout.

The same thing happened to me during my swim yesterday. The watch counted calories but distance and laps stayed at 0. When I stopped and save the workout it gave me the laps and distance. Second time round still didn’t display laps or distance and it didn’t save the laps or distance. Very frustrating as I upload my workouts to Strava and Training Peaks for my personal trainer and no data was uploaded other than the time!

My apple watch 2 is doing this also during swimming ...since last update. In addition to not tracking the yards, time and laps properly, the workout screen itself turns off during the work out and goes back to my regular watch face. Making it impossible to access the work out screen while swimming because of the waterproof feature. If I turn off the waterproof feature to get back to the work out face. It appears as it’s still running the workout. But it’s definitely tracking incorrectly. Has anyone figured out a fix for this yet?

I have similar problems. Yesterday I swam 66 laps in 25 yard pool and the watch didn't show my lap count (however recorded the work out). This has been happening off and on since the upgrades. I now have the most recent Apple Nike + watch, so it is not a hardware issue, but rather software. Additionally I run and my watch periodically stops, literally stops, recording my run in the middle of my run. Happens at least once a week. I start my work out and don't look at my watch until I finish, but nowadays I have to be looking at it to make sure it is recording the run. The swimming issue is far more annoying, although I am used to counting laps, but one reason I bought the watch was to have it count the laps while I adjust to a new pool....any help Apple? All this is sad because the CEO of Apple (Tim Cook) is a big swimmer! Wonder if he has the same issues?

I updated my watch to OS5 last night. Tonight I swam. I could see that it was tracking my swim while I was swimming, but when I looked later all of my activity data for the day had disappeared - including my swim!! The only ring that has any data in it is for standing. Walking and swimming are both gone :(.

My problem is slightly different. I have an endless pool, so I use the watch to count strokes. It's been working fine for the last year. The last two weeks, I've been doing solid swims, and I should be getting between 800-1000 strokes. Twice now, the watch has counted more than 60,000 strokes (I wish!). I just tried a force quit of the workout app and hard set of the watch. I have an Apple Watch 3 and software is up to date. The calorie count in the workout app seems to be about right. Guessing that's because it's based more on time than the number of strokes.

My problem is similar with Series 4. . There are times when the timer and the counter just stops while I am swimming. This has happened several times lately. There are also instances when the distance is not correctly measured, especially when I change my strokes. The current os is 5.1.3.

I had a similar experience. I swim 60 laps (25m) at least 5 days a week and follow basically the same sequence and my time is around 1 hr. There was a time i changed my sequence or drill and also used a different tech paddle. It counted only 51 laps. Also there are times when while swimming it switches to music app.

Using Iwatch 4. Indoor swim never worked. After 4 months of checking, Apple replaced the watch. The new one was the same. Did not count laps, or distance. Love the watch, but since I swim every day, it would be great if the swim app worked as advertised. Apple took lots of info etc, but never came up with an answer.

Purchased Iwatch 4 in Nov. 18. Swim app would not record anything correctly, also showed zero laps. After 4 months of correspondence with Apple, the watch was replaced, however the swim app. malfunctioned the same way. The info. was given to Apple engineers 3 months ago, without any result. I have been an Apple user for 33 years, and this is the first complaint about Apple service. I feel that I am being completely ignored.

With Apple Watch 4, have the same problem. During 5 months of corresponding with apple tek, I sent a movie of my swim for 6 lengths. Like you I swim 1/3 mile 5 days per week doing the breast stroke. They told me that because I glide after each stroke, the recording is disturbed, which is nonsense. Because there are so many similar malfunctions posted, I am convinced that the software is prone to change. In using Apple products for 32 years, this is the first time Apple has let me down. Other that the indoor swim App everything else works. Very disapointed.

I had another experience today. I swam 50 laps and it recorded only 46 laps!! I average less than a minute per lap. This has happened so many times and i have even joined the discussion previously. What is disappointing is we have not heard anything from apple. Do they care? I am thinking of getting a garmin instead!!