Apple watch GPS issues during workouts

[eyespii]

Anyone else notice that the GPS on the apple watch is quite a bit off? I know it doesn't have GPS built-in and that it uses the tethered iPhone's GPS, which makes the issue even more strange...here's my setup.

I typically track my runs with the Runmeter iPhone app and a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. Usually, the two are very close to each other - over a 6.2 mile run, they'll be off by maybe .05 miles. Since getting the Apple Watch, I tried to see if I could ditch my Garmin and just run with the Apple Watch and the iPhone.

Run #1:
Runmeter: 5.65 miles, 9:00/mi pace
Apple Watch Workout: 5.17 miles, 9:35/mi pace

Run #2
Runmeter: 5.46 miles, 9:06/mi pace
Garmin Forerunner: 5.47 miles, 9:04/mi pace
Apple Watch Workout: 5.12 miles, 9:45/mi pace

What doesn't make sense is that the Apple Watch and Runmeter are *supposed* to both be using the iPhone's GPS - but when I was tracking a workout with just the apple watch, the triangle GPS icon never showed up - is that why they're off by so much?

 

[lchlch]

Anyone else notice that the GPS on the apple watch is quite a bit off? I know it doesn't have GPS built-in and that it uses the tethered iPhone's GPS, which makes the issue even more strange...here's my setup.

I typically track my runs with the Runmeter iPhone app and a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. Usually, the two are very close to each other - over a 6.2 mile run, they'll be off by maybe .05 miles. Since getting the Apple Watch, I tried to see if I could ditch my Garmin and just run with the Apple Watch and the iPhone.

Run #1:
Runmeter: 5.65 miles, 9:00/mi pace
Apple Watch Workout: 5.17 miles, 9:35/mi pace

Run #2
Runmeter: 5.46 miles, 9:06/mi pace
Garmin Forerunner: 5.47 miles, 9:04/mi pace
Apple Watch Workout: 5.12 miles, 9:45/mi pace

What doesn't make sense is that the Apple Watch and Runmeter are *supposed* to both be using the iPhone's GPS - but when I was tracking a workout with just the apple watch, the triangle GPS icon never showed up - is that why they're off by so much?

Is motion calibration and distance turned on?

Are you using the outdoor running workout?

 

[eyespii]

Is motion calibration and distance turned on?

Are you using the outdoor running workout?

Yes to both.

 

[lchlch]

Yes to both.

Try turning off runmeter. And see if accuracy improves.

 

[eyespii]

Try turning off runmeter. And see if accuracy improves.

I've tried doing one run with just the apple watch without using runmeter. Of course, I ran an unknown route so i wasn't 100% sure about the accuracy, but I will say that stats "felt" off to me (the watch said that I was running much slower than I felt like I was running). I'll try it with my garmin and the apple watch without runmeter and see what happens.

 

[eyespii]

Today's run:

Garmin Forerunner: 5.47 miles, 8:59 min/mi pace
Apple watch workout app: 5.26 miles, 9:22 min/mi pace

So, it's a little bit closer without Runmeter on, but still off by a fifth of a mile by the end of the run. Dunno...

 

[e²Studios]

Until it has GPS built in it will never be as accurate as a dedicated GPS watch. I'll stick to my Forerunner and Mio HRM for training, I need accuracy.

 

[Julien]

Today's run:

Garmin Forerunner: 5.47 miles, 8:59 min/mi pace
Apple watch workout app: 5.26 miles, 9:22 min/mi pace

So, it's a little bit closer without Runmeter on, but still off by a fifth of a mile by the end of the run. Dunno...

For some reason if you are using an App that is actively using GPS like Runmeter then your Watch will not use GPS.

 

[Moria]

For some reason if you are using an App that is actively using GPS like Runmeter then your Watch will not use GPS.

I think OP needs to go out and do the same run twice to test it. Get them done back to back as well to save time. And keep up that 9 minutes per mile pace for both so we don't have to wait too long.

 

[dhy8386]

For some reason if you are using an App that is actively using GPS like Runmeter then your Watch will not use GPS.

This is incorrect. Location for all apps and the AW since its tethered to iPhone is provided by CoreLocation, a framework on the phone for gathering location data. No app has direct access to the GPS. When you want location info you make an API call and the phone returns the data. You can have 5 apps open all using GPS and the AW. It doesn't affect accuracy as it's just asking phone to return positional data.

OP, the AW doesn't actually use GPS to determine position. If you select outdoor workouts from the workout app (run walk cycle), it will use GPS data to improve the accelerometer. This improvement is through better calculation on your stride length. While Apple says calibrate through one run/walk logically to me this will take 5 or more data points for most people whose stride is not consistent every run. For professional runners perhaps less.

I would do a few workout runs on various terrains and then see if the AW accuracy improves.

 

[johny979]

I'm having same issues. I usually run with my TomTom Cardio and now with watch I think the distance and pace are wrong. Maybe is neccesary more runs for watch knows my strades, but I think if I run with iPhone, the accuracy are perfect, but no

So if anytime I want run without my iPhone, the training is a joke

 

[TigerStephie]

This is incorrect. Location for all apps and the AW since its tethered to iPhone is provided by CoreLocation, a framework on the phone for gathering location data. No app has direct access to the GPS. When you want location info you make an API call and the phone returns the data. You can have 5 apps open all using GPS and the AW. It doesn't affect accuracy as it's just asking phone to return positional data.

OP, the AW doesn't actually use GPS to determine position. If you select outdoor workouts from the workout app (run walk cycle), it will use GPS data to improve the accelerometer. This improvement is through better calculation on your stride length. While Apple says calibrate through one run/walk logically to me this will take 5 or more data points for most people whose stride is not consistent every run. For professional runners perhaps less.

I would do a few workout runs on various terrains and then see if the AW accuracy improves.

Thank you for the info! So the watch is not constantly finding GPS then which would make sense to why it has to "learn" and why there's no map data. I just wish apple would let you snooze to use the phones GPS and get map data. Or let third party apps use the HRM... But I went on a run the other day with just run meter since I don't want to have to start two apps all the time. And because I didn't have the workout app running I don't think it counted as many calories or exercise time...

Nothing is perfect I guess

 

[PatrickNSF]

I've logged 51 miles during seven runs with the Workout app in the past week I've had the Watch. I've also tracked three 2-mile dog walks with the Workout app.

I've carried my iPhone 6+ in my running belt. For two of the runs, I also wore my Garmin 620. At the worst, the mileage was off by 0.1 for a 7-mile run. I don't know how the Watch is pulling the data, but the GPS data has seemed accurate for me. I haven't been running any other apps on the iPhone that use GPS. And I haven't tied any of the other running apps on the Watch, as I want HRM data without wearing a strap.

Hope that helpful.

 

[eyespii]

I've logged 51 miles during seven runs with the Workout app in the past week I've had the Watch. I've also tracked three 2-mile dog walks with the Workout app.

I've carried my iPhone 6+ in my running belt. For two of the runs, I also wore my Garmin 620. At the worst, the mileage was off by 0.1 for a 7-mile run. I don't know how the Watch is pulling the data, but the GPS data has seemed accurate for me. I haven't been running any other apps on the iPhone that use GPS. And I haven't tied any of the other running apps on the Watch, as I want HRM data without wearing a strap.

Hope that helpful.

Did you notice that the distance tracking on the watch got more accurate the more runs that you did?

I was really excited about being able to ditch the clunky HRM strap and just use the Apple Watch, but unfortunately my 3rd party running apps can't access the data :-(. Doesn't seem like I'll be able to ditch my garmin either if the GPS tracking on the watch doesn't improve.

 

[tonyau]

More issues

We have been trying out the watch for walking and I am not happy with the result. As you can see from the table below, we have done 2 routes with and without the phone and every walk has clocked a different distance. There should be no difference with the distances between me and Emile as we are walking the same route at the same time.

Something seems seriously wrong.

Route 1
Tony
25/4 4.08km with iPhone
27/04 4.41km
29/04 4.28km with Nike Running
4/05 4.72km with iPhone
6/05 4.37km with iPhone

Emile
25/4 4.14km with iPhone
27/04 4.25km
29/04 4.34km
4/05 4.33km
6/05 4.21km

Route 2
Tony
28/4 4.14km
5/05 4.18km with iPhone
7/05 4.08km with iPhone

Emile
28/4 4.01km with iPhone
5/05 3.99km
7/05 4.12km

 

[Julien]

This is incorrect. Location for all apps and the AW since its tethered to iPhone is provided by CoreLocation, a framework on the phone for gathering location data. No app has direct access to the GPS. When you want location info you make an API call and the phone returns the data. You can have 5 apps open all using GPS and the AW. It doesn't affect accuracy as it's just asking phone to return positional data.

OP, the AW doesn't actually use GPS to determine position. If you select outdoor workouts from the workout app (run walk cycle), it will use GPS data to improve the accelerometer. This improvement is through better calculation on your stride length. While Apple says calibrate through one run/walk logically to me this will take 5 or more data points for most people whose stride is not consistent every run. For professional runners perhaps less.

I would do a few workout runs on various terrains and then see if the AW accuracy improves.

This does sound more plausible and I was skeptical of the 'no access' claims that I read. However my on running experience seemed to confirm this. I wish Apple would change to using full GPS mapping when GPS is available. I vary my running speed (stride length) depending on the run and this makes my Watch less reliable.

I use my Garmin as my 'real' running recorder and use my Watch as my fitness recorder.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Did you notice that the distance tracking on the watch got more accurate the more runs that you did?

I was really excited about being able to ditch the clunky HRM strap and just use the Apple Watch, but unfortunately my 3rd party running apps can't access the data :-(. Doesn't seem like I'll be able to ditch my garmin either if the GPS tracking on the watch doesn't improve.

Distance measurements for me seemed pretty close during my initial runs. So far, each of my (as of today) eight runs and numerous dog walks have recorded distance that are good enough for my purposes.

When I start training again for my next marathon this fall and need to pay more attention to pace, strides, Yasso 800s, hill repeats and all rest, I'll likely use my Garmin 620 as my primary tool, but just for that specific run. I'm satisfied with the Apple Watch for all my other activity tracking.

 

[Break81]

no cycling data

i have a problem with outdoor cycling. The watch is only counting calories and time but no speed or distance. It totally works with running and walking.

any ideas?

 

[extricated]

I've only done a couple using both the Apple Watch workout app and the Nike Plus app (which supports Apple Watch). Very similar data points.

Not sure what my final solution will be.
I'm not crazy about fumbling with launching two apps from my watch while starting a run. I really like the simplicity of Apple's offering, but I have a few years invested in my Nike data and don't want to just ditch it.

 

[lchlch]

i have a problem with outdoor cycling. The watch is only counting calories and time but no speed or distance. It totally works with running and walking.

any ideas?

Did you bring your phone with you?

 

[daydayvol]

I've only done a couple using both the Apple Watch workout app and the Nike Plus app (which supports Apple Watch). Very similar data points.

Not sure what my final solution will be.
I'm not crazy about fumbling with launching two apps from my watch while starting a run. I really like the simplicity of Apple's offering, but I have a few years invested in my Nike data and don't want to just ditch it.

I don't have my watch yet but this is where I stand as well. I have thousands of miles on the nike plus app and would like to just continue using that app on the phone and watch. Apple has me cornered until they let developers use the heart rate monitor b/c I feel forced into using the apple workout app. Maybe by June they will give access to third party apps.

All of the reports about the watch not showing the correct distance doesn't really bother me because I tend to run in the same places and know the distance with or without GPS. I do wish apple would allow the user to fix the distance after a run because that would just help with the calibration process imo.

 

[Break81]

Did you bring your phone with you?

of course!

 

[Ries]

Wouldn't put it past Apple to lower the GPS update rate to the watch and try to interpolate using the accelerometer between the points to save battery. Each time you turn, it properly guesses wrong and smoothes the turn causing it to be a "shortcut" of your real distance. Either that or a calculation error in the filters calculating distance and speed.

 

[BD1]

Wouldn't put it past Apple to lower the GPS update rate to the watch and try to interpolate using the accelerometer between the points to save battery. Each time you turn, it properly guesses wrong and smoothes the turn causing it to be a "shortcut" of your real distance. Either that or a calculation error in the filters calculating distance and speed.

I think Apple is doing something like this. I did a 26 mile outdoor cycle workout yesterday and the results exactly matched prior rides without the AW. But cycling is not doing any calibrating.

While running it seems to be doing something like what you suggest. Also Pace seems off during the run but final Pace is a bit more accurate. During my bike ride Speed and Distance were spot on a different points but there is no calibration going on.

 

[tivoboy]

similar

I was having similar issues at the start, but having done about five long walks now with the iphone in my pocket (and also using motionx on the iphone) the watch seems to give pretty much the exact same distances as motionx and my garmin forerunner. Maybe it's because I'm doing the same walks, but at least it is getting very consistent.