People wear smartwatches to get iPhone functions on their wrists and to feel virtuous about their step counts. The Apple Watch can measure pace, heart rate, calories burned, distance, and more - and I regularly use mine to monitor heart rate zones while weight training, running, walking, cycling, practicing yoga, and dancing, all in the name of recovering well before my next intense workout split.
Apple has invested millions in making its health trackers accurate, but there’s a hidden setting that makes them even more so. Calibrating your Apple Watch is the tech equivalent of getting your clothes tailored: once done, both fit a little better. The feature improves distance, pace, and calorie measurements, especially in areas with limited GPS - like a park where your signal goes to die. A calibrated watch can still track your stride even when the GPS is sulking.
To start, enable Location Services on your iPhone via Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then scroll to System Services and turn on Motion Calibration and Distance. Next, find a flat outdoor area with good GPS (check Google Maps for a blue dot indicating strong signal). Open the Apple Watch Workout app, select Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run, and move at your average pace for 20 minutes. If you both walk and run, you’ll need to do this twice: 20 minutes per activity.
Apple explains in a blog post that whenever you walk or run outside using these steps, your Apple Watch continues to calibrate the accelerometer by learning your stride length at different speeds. If things go sideways, you can reset fitness calibration data via the Watch app on your iPhone: select Privacy, then Reset Fitness Calibration Data.