native running app not very accurate?

There are a number of threads on this topic. The watch measures short compared to measured distances. In my case, it is consistently about 2% shorter than the actual distance. Other posts are similar for accuracy. In my case, I am comparing the AW distances to a known distance of 5.07 miles as measured by two Garmin dedicated GPS watches with a standard deviation less than 0.01 miles.

There are a few posts with differences higher, like yours, but I suspect that the baseline distances are inaccurate.

 

Sorry... The baseline is the reference distance you are comparing to. So, that would be mapmyrun and routemyrun.

In my experience with GPS-based running apps and devices over many years and thousands of miles, I have found that phone-based running apps are pretty inaccurate. They can be close at times, but they are a crap shoot compared to a dedicated GPS watch.

 

mine was inaccurate at first. but after a few 6 mile runs with my iPhone and watch it seems very well calibrated and I trust it. been running with GPS watches for years.

 

What I keep wondering is whether two apps can read GPS data at the same time.

I've tried it before, using Nike+ Run and Asics's running app together, and only the first-launched app was able to gather GPS data. The second-launched app never made it from my starting point.

I'd say to try again (if you haven't already, that is) using only the AW's native app and not launching MapMyRun or any other running app.

That's my guess, anyway.

 

I agree it's weird that there are discrepancies from within the same GPS unit... however, from my own experience they have been much, much closer than your experience. I'm a pretty avid runner (just finished my second half marathon since owning the Apple watch) and I use the Nike+ app. I think for the first month or so the distances were a bit off from each other (Maybe about 0.15mi off on a 3.5 mi run), but they have definitely closed the gap. In fact both half's that I've ran (13.1 mi) they have been spot on with each other. Today I had 13.2mi on Nike+ and 13.19 on the apple watch.

 

I'm in agreement with this post. I normally run on my treadmill and it was different than the watch but I had no idea who was right and who was wrong or if they were both wrong. I went to a track and over the course of about 2 weeks, I calibrated the watch with the GPS on the phone knowing the distance was accurate. After 2 weeks and 6 recordings, the watch is now very accurate. I ran 12 laps and the watch said 2.99 miles. Now I feel like the watch is right and the treadmill is wrong but I really don't care. I did some runs and walks outside in a very wide open 1 mile stretch and the watch is spot on whether I am walking or running.

 

I found my distances to be off from what I was used to, but then realized it is probably more accurate than what I was used to.