How does Apple Watch Count Floors??

[Dino F]

I've noticed that BOTH my S4 Apple Watch and iPhone XS are counting the same floors (as in, stairs climbed) I climb?!?!

So yesterday's counts:

...shows that I climbed 10 floors (totally inaccurate as I only climbed 1 set of stairs at home, before leaving for work!).

And then, when actually going into yesterday's results:

..it shows that both my watch AND phone are counting floors climbed (I ALWAYS have both my phone and watch on me).

So, a couple of questions;

1. Why is this happening?!
2. Why are these counting 'floors climbed' when I 100% know that I ONLY climbed ONE flight of stairs yesterday (I am pretty sure that its counting floors climbed, when I walk up a hill, on my way home from work)??!

EDIT - sorry - I have no idea what that first attached image is (the phone numbers) and cannot delete it???!

 

[Newtons Apple]

By barometric pressure. During a hurricane in Florida, I got like 40 flights and did not climb a single one of them.

 

[gsucyclist]

It uses a barometric sensor in the watch so any change in elevation will pretty much count as stairs regardless if you actually climbed stairs or not

 

[nepalisherpa]

It uses a barometric sensor in the watch so any change in elevation will pretty much count as stairs regardless if you actually climbed stairs or not

That is not completely true. If it detects that you are moving and there is a change in elevation then it counts as a climb. Try this, get in an elevator and go up few floors. It won't count any climb, but, if you go up again while moving your hands (as if you are walking) it will count the climb.

 

[ActionableMango]

I imagine that all of the positional metrics use a combination of information. The motion processor, the barometric altimeter, GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, gyroscope, and accelerometer. None of these things really know about flights of stairs.

AW is just making a best case effort to match its current sensor data with what Apple testing has recorded for various activities, and as you've noticed, "your mileage may vary".

 

[Ntombi]

It uses a barometric sensor in the watch so any change in elevation will pretty much count as stairs regardless if you actually climbed stairs or not

This isn’t true.

Thanks to MS and an injured knee, I use a stairlift in my home to go between the first and second floors. It never counts that as me climbing/descending the stairs. However, when the stairlift needed to be repaired, and wasn’t working for several days last month, I had to climb up and down the stairs. I got “credit” for those flights. Same as I do if I’m somewhere without an elevator/escalator.

 

[bripab007]

This isn’t true.

Thanks to MS and an injured knee, I use a stairlift in my home to go between the first and second floors. It never counts that as me climbing/descending the stairs. However, when the stairlift needed to be repaired, and wasn’t working for several days last month, I had to climb up and down the stairs. I got “credit” for those flights. Same as I do if I’m somewhere without an elevator/escalator.

Yes, I think they should've clarified that if the other watch sensors believe you to be walking/running/climbing IN ADDITION to change in elevation, it'll count those as stairs or "flights climbed".

 

[hologram]

Yes, I think they should've clarified that if the other watch sensors believe you to be walking/running/climbing IN ADDITION to change in elevation, it'll count those as stairs or "flights climbed".

That makes sense. Otherwise, everyone working in a skyscraper would get credit for dozens, or hundreds, of flights they didn't climb.