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Apple Watch S4 is giving out stand hours way too easily

mr_phillip

mr_phillip

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 3, 2016
31
13
Scotland
So I've noticed since I've had my S4 that the Activity app seems to be crediting me with stand hours, even when I've been sitting on my ample rear for hours without moving.

For example, I wasn't feeling too well this weekend and spent it mostly on the sofa catching up with TV shows and not really moving much at all. So I was surprised to see that the Activity app had given me credit for every single stand hour that day. Is anyone else seeing this? Could it be an accelerometer issue? I've rebooted the watch but it's made no difference. Watch and phone are both fully up to date re software. For info, everything else seems fine — the pedometer seems right, the exercise and move rings seem to be filling (or not) as normal. Weird, no?
 
I haven't noticed any difference between S2/S4 stand hours. I still have to move to get credits. (But I have always thought that AW gives those stand hours way to easily. Personally I think you should move more than 1-2 minutes to get stand credits).
 
kappaknight said:
Did you really not stand up at all though? Bathroom breaks, grabbing snacks, find the remote, anything?
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This. If you are moving your arms at all, it will count them.
avkam said:
I haven't noticed any difference between S2/S4 stand hours. I still have to move to get credits. (But I have always thought that AW gives those stand hours way to easily. Personally I think you should move more than 1-2 minutes to get stand credits).
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I agree, it is a completely useless ring that would be absolutely impossible not to close daily. I typically get 16 - 18 hours standing unless I slept in. Quite useless.
 
avkam said:
I haven't noticed any difference between S2/S4 stand hours. I still have to move to get credits. (But I have always thought that AW gives those stand hours way to easily. Personally I think you should move more than 1-2 minutes to get stand credits).
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Hmm, I definitely have a difference. Looking back over my activity I’ve only missed one stand hour since my first full day wearing the watch. And I don’t recall getting a single stand notification either, which is weird. I might try resetting my activity calibration and see if that changes anything.
 
My experience is that my S4 and S2 watches both give stand hour credits under the same circumstances. Wearing one this morning, I got a stand credit for walking a precise distance around the office at work, and in the afternoon, I got a credit at exactly the same spot.

As to whether these credits are given out too easily, I think the point of them is that getting people to stand and move every hour is the goal, not to necessarily encourage a particular degree of exercise. A degree of exercise might well be rather more than, say, an office worker who isn't able to move around much at any speed, but would still benefit from standing and moving a little for a minute each hour. My understanding is that Apple intended users to stand briefly each hour in the first instance to score a blue credit, and if possible to move rapidly enough for at least a minute to score one or more green credits.
 
My series three watches have always given stand credits as they were free candy. So many days I get 24 stand hours as if I walk in my sleep going back at least a year now. I see it's the same on the S4 watches. I don't own any s4 watches yet.

I've also noticed that I easily meet my move goal without doing any excercie, especially on my days off when I am extremely lazy. I got 100 calories just laying down last night watching TV. This started happening with the latest watch OS.
 
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I don't think mine gives them out especially easily, but I wonder how meaningful one minute is.

My move goal/calories is very similar to what my Fitbit gives, so I don't think it's a crazy number.
 
Don’t have series 4 yet but my series 2 has given credits for literally just driving.
 
mr_phillip said:
Hmm, I definitely have a difference. Looking back over my activity I’ve only missed one stand hour since my first full day wearing the watch. And I don’t recall getting a single stand notification either, which is weird. I might try resetting my activity calibration and see if that changes anything.
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You would not get a notification unless you are closing in on an hour without any activity.

If you talk with your hands and motion a lot, you will get activity for it.
 
It doesn’t require any standing or walking. In the morning, before getting up out of bed, I’ll twist my arm back and forth. Somewhere between 20 and 40 times is usually enough to get credit for the hour.
 
And yet, the Apple Watch (any version) is super stingy when it comes to the active calorie ring.

I walked about 3 miles indoor at a reasonably fast pace and couldn't get it to move past 3. Yet a leisurely 25 minutes on the elliptical was able to give me the full 25 minutes even though I clearly was exercising less strenuously than when I walked. So annoying.
 
jbachandouris said:
And yet, the Apple Watch (any version) is super stingy when it comes to the active calorie ring.

I walked about 3 miles indoor at a reasonably fast pace and couldn't get it to move past 3. Yet a leisurely 25 minutes on the elliptical was able to give me the full 25 minutes even though I clearly was exercising less strenuously than when I walked. So annoying.
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That's not universally true.

Every time -- every single time -- I do a walking workout I get 30 minutes of exercise and the movement calories that go with it in 30 minutes of clock time.
 
I can also wave my hand back and forth while laying down for 30 minutes and get 30 exercise minutes as well as calories and a few thousand steps.
 
I’ve found the exercise and stand rings to be very accurate. It is true that waving your arm/wrist will get you your stand hour, but I’m so fidgety I haven’t needed it lol
 
I keep getting goal achieved, stand 12 hours. I sit the vast majority of the day.
 
It's a watchOS 5 thing as I'm getting the same thing with my Series 3. I'm getting credit even while sitting and not even hanging my arm by my side.

Edit: I am running 5.1 beta though.
 
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cwanja said:
This. If you are moving your arms at all, it will count them.
I agree, it is a completely useless ring that would be absolutely impossible not to close daily. I typically get 16 - 18 hours standing unless I slept in. Quite useless.
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Often while sitting at my desk and typing, writing and answering phones it will not register me standing. So it’s not useless.
 
Mansu944 said:
Often while sitting at my desk and typing, writing and answering phones it will not register me standing. So it’s not useless.
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I work at a desk job as well, and if I don't stand up for that hour it will definitely warn me 10 minutes before the hour is up. I agree, its not useless, and is a nice reminder to get my lazy butt up and move around while at work.
 
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millerj123 said:
It doesn’t require any standing or walking. In the morning, before getting up out of bed, I’ll twist my arm back and forth. Somewhere between 20 and 40 times is usually enough to get credit for the hour.
Click to expand...

As sophisticated as the Apple watch is, it is still a dumb device running on a few bits of hardware and some algorithms. As such it will always be possible to fool it, particularly if you try to. Thus, well done for outwitting a watch.

It is really just a tool to try and help those who want to be helped to make better choices for personal fitness. In that role, it seems to perform really quite well.
 
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mr_phillip said:
So I've noticed since I've had my S4 that the Activity app seems to be crediting me with stand hours, even when I've been sitting on my ample rear for hours without moving.

For example, I wasn't feeling too well this weekend and spent it mostly on the sofa catching up with TV shows and not really moving much at all. So I was surprised to see that the Activity app had given me credit for every single stand hour that day. Is anyone else seeing this? Could it be an accelerometer issue? I've rebooted the watch but it's made no difference. Watch and phone are both fully up to date re software. For info, everything else seems fine — the pedometer seems right, the exercise and move rings seem to be filling (or not) as normal. Weird, no?
Click to expand...
Next Apple will be awarding "participation awards" so everyone with Apple watch feels good! No need to put in any physical effort.
 
za9ra22 said:
As sophisticated as the Apple watch is, it is still a dumb device running on a few bits of hardware and some algorithms. As such it will always be possible to fool it, particularly if you try to. Thus, well done for outwitting a watch.

It is really just a tool to try and help those who want to be helped to make better choices for personal fitness. In that role, it seems to perform really quite well.
Click to expand...
Very, very well said.
 
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