Apple Watch and running distance off

[john991]

I run the same route and noticed when I use the workout app and Nike app the distance is off a bit compared to using Apple maps and google maps. (Using walking)

Anyone else notice this?

 

[jhfenton]

No. My Apple Watch Series 2 on-board GPS agrees with my older Garmin Forerunners and with online mapping tools, well within the 1% margin of error that my Forerunners taught me to expect. (I haven't used the Nike app, and I run rather than walk.)

 

[xDKP]

Mine has been a bit off with the Nike Run Club since the betas

 

[ftaok]

I run the same route and noticed when I use the workout app and Nike app the distance is off a bit compared to using Apple maps and google maps. (Using walking)

Anyone else notice this?

I have the same issue. Apple Watch Workout registers about 15% more distance.

My solution is to start the run using NRC+ app on the iPhone. When I do it this way, the distance is accurate when comparing to Google/RunMyRoute/etc. I always bring my iPhone anyway, so it's not a big deal to start the run on the phone.

 

[jhfenton]

I have the same issue. Apple Watch Workout registers about 15% more distance.

My solution is to start the run using NRC+ app on the iPhone. When I do it this way, the distance is accurate when comparing to Google/RunMyRoute/etc. I always bring my iPhone anyway, so it's not a big deal to start the run on the phone.

Make sure you report that as a bug if you haven't already. It obviously shouldn't do that.

 

[ftaok]

Make sure you report that as a bug if you haven't already. It obviously shouldn't do that.

I've not reported it as a bug to Apple, but I have searched the internet looking for an answer. Apple Support boards' standard answer is to unpair and re-pair the watch, but for most of the folks that have issues, it doesn't work.

I'm pretty sure that Apple knows that there are issues with some S2 watches, but there doesn't seem to be a fix.

At some point, I'll probably care enough to try the un/re-pair trick, but since I'm locked into Nike, I have to start from my phone anyway to get elevation data.

 

[jhfenton]

I've not reported it as a bug to Apple, but I have searched the internet looking for an answer. Apple Support boards' standard answer is to unpair and re-pair the watch, but for most of the folks that have issues, it doesn't work.

I'm pretty sure that Apple knows that there are issues with some S2 watches, but there doesn't seem to be a fix.

At some point, I'll probably care enough to try the un/re-pair trick, but since I'm locked into Nike, I have to start from my phone anyway to get elevation data.

15% is so far out of spec, that I'd ask for a warranty replacement if they can't fix it in software. (You might have to wait until watchOS 4 is released, but if you have a Nike Series 2, then you should still have time on the original one-year warranty. My Series 2 was delivered on release day, September 16, 2016, so I'd only a tiny window.)

 

[ftaok]

15% is so far out of spec, that I'd ask for a warranty replacement if they can't fix it in software. (You might have to wait until watchOS 4 is released, but if you have a Nike Series 2, then you should still have time on the original one-year warranty. My Series 2 was delivered on release day, September 16, 2016, so I'd only a tiny window.)

As far as what occurs on my watch, I don't believe it has to do with the hardware. When a run is started on the AW, the milage is way off, but the maps that are generated look exactly like the maps that are generated when using the phone.

I have no idea why two identical maps would be so far off in distance. But I do know that it's not uncommon as others have had the same issues with no solution.

Perhaps I will do the un/re-pair trick the next time I'm on a 1/4 mile track. I do still have until October to get a repair in under the Apple warranty, but I bought it with my Costco credit card, so I get two additional years if it turns out to be a hardware issue.

I posted about this last month. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-s2-nrc-gps-inaccuracies.2063469/#post-24933514

 

[jhfenton]

As far as what occurs on my watch, I don't believe it has to do with the hardware. When a run is started on the AW, the milage is way off, but the maps that are generated look exactly like the maps that are generated when using the phone.

I have no idea why two identical maps would be so far off in distance. But I do know that it's not uncommon as others have had the same issues with no solution.

Perhaps I will do the un/re-pair trick the next time I'm on a 1/4 mile track. I do still have until October to get a repair in under the Apple warranty, but I bought it with my Costco credit card, so I get two additional years if it turns out to be a hardware issue.

I assume that when you start a run on the iPhone, it uses the iPhone GPS, whereas if you start a run on the Watch, it uses the Watch GPS. There could be something wrong with the AW GPS chip. (I don't generally run with my iPhone, but I do bike with my iPhone. In either case, I don't think I've ever started a workout on this iPhone 7.)

I had a defective Garmin years ago that they swapped out because something was wrong with the GPS chipset out of the box. It would fail to find satellites or be up to 30% short on measurements (because it would drop satellites mid-run). A replacement worked brilliantly.

Good luck getting yours working.

 

[ftaok]

I assume that when you start a run on the iPhone, it uses the iPhone GPS, whereas if you start a run on the Watch, it uses the Watch GPS. There could be something wrong with the AW GPS chip. (I don't generally run with my iPhone, but I do bike with my iPhone. In either case, I don't think I've ever started a workout on this iPhone 7.)

I had a defective Garmin years ago that they swapped out because something was wrong with the GPS chipset out of the box. It would fail to find satellites or be up to 30% short on measurements (because it would drop satellites mid-run). A replacement worked brilliantly.

Good luck getting yours working.

I honestly don't think the issue is a bad GPS chip on the AW. It's hard for me to describe what I think the problem is, but it's something like the underlying map data on the AW is scaled down by 15%.

So while the GPS data (long/lat) is correct, it's like it gets overlaid on top of a smaller map.

Who knows what's wrong with it in reality. I think this thread is leading me to do more experimentation.

 

[xDKP]

I honestly don't think the issue is a bad GPS chip on the AW. It's hard for me to describe what I think the problem is, but it's something like the underlying map data on the AW is scaled down by 15%.

So while the GPS data (long/lat) is correct, it's like it gets overlaid on top of a smaller map.

Who knows what's wrong with it in reality. I think this thread is leading me to do more experimentation.

But a underlying map scaling problem would affect all of us?