Measuring Distance travelled - which is most accurate

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Just bought an iPhone SE and was checking the distance walked via the Health App and using MapMyWalk. There is quite a difference!

MapMyWalk which uses GPS gave the distance as 2.6 miles while the Health App gave the distance as 2.2 miles. I have read that the Health App does a calculation based upon the steps and the built in accelerometer.

It's quite a difference. I would expect the GPS system to be most accurate but I wondered if anyone else had experience of this sort of thing.

Thanks
 

pigoo3

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You're walking a pretty good distance...and as a long time runner I totally understand that from a workout perspective...the difference between 2.2 mles and 2.6 miles is quite a bit.

Just out of curiosity...assuming the route you walk isn't in the middle of a forest somewhere. What does Google Maps say the distance of your route is...or how far does the odometer on your car say the distance is?

- Nick
 
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It isn't the sort of route you can check easily on Google maps and there would be a few disgruntled people if we tried to drive it.

I had thought to check by Google maps but we haven't done a suitable route yet!
 
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pigoo3

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It isn't the sort of route you can check easily on Google maps and there would be a few disgruntled people if we tried to drive it.

Yes...that's why I qualified my reply above. In case your walking route was "off the beaten path" so to speak.:)

I had thought to check by Google maps but we haven't done a suitable route yet!

This was going to be my next suggestion. As an experiment...choose a walking route that you can check with Google Maps & a vehicles odometer. Then you can veryify both measuring methods on your phone.

Please let us know how things work out...there could be others out there with a similar question.:)

Thanks,

- Nick
 
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I usually just stick with Map My Walk.
 
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Mine never accurately measure the flights of stairs. I'm up and down a dozen times on my house stairs and it will say two!
 
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Still haven't done the check but there has been a change!

I usually just stick with Map My Walk.

Too late for MapMyWalk I'm afraid. I found it much too irritating to use. Under Armour gear might be good but I don't want to see every few minutes exactly how good it is and where to get it online. Sadly, I'm too tight to pay to avoid it so it's in the bin!

And replaced by the Fitbit app even though I don't yet have a Fitbit band. Initial reactions are that it is OK but the suggested calorie usage seems high. However, a 2.99 mile walk on Fitbit shows as 2.8 miles on the Health app. Another undriveable walk but Fitbit mapped it pretty accurately (must use GPS) and there seems to be a pattern emerging!

I will get round to doing the comparison check soon!
 
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I will get round to doing the comparison check soon!


I would have suggested the "Hike & Bike" app by navionics that my wife uses and enjoys and is spot on with distance and elevations, but unfortunately is no longer available from Apple's App Store.

I don't know if it could be obtained directly from the developers or even installed.

See the old page site: https://www.navionics.com/usa/blog/post/hike-and-bike-for-apple-updated-and-still-free/

Too bad it disappeared from the App Store like so many other good apps have done, and for no real apparent reason.


EDIT:
Maybe some of the listed "Similar Apps to Hike & Bike" might be worth checking at:
https://appadvice.com/app/hike-bike/451438401







- Patrick
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Another undriveable walk but Fitbit mapped it pretty accurately (must use GPS) and there seems to be a pattern emerging!
I use www.mappedometer.com to get distances for running trails and such. Now, I don't know if it is more accurate than the apps! I too am looking for a useful app. I tried one biking app but it didn't really work the way I wanted.
 
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I have given up expecting an accurate distance from these apps. My wife and I have set up the Health app to reflect our different sizes but despite that it shows a large difference (0.4 miles) in a walk of over 2.4 miles as shown on my phone which was the shorter of the two distances. It now seems irrelevant to check out the accuracy via Google maps!

I no longer use the Fitbit app. I tried a Fitbit and couldn't get on with it as it irritated my skin. Having thought about what I need I now use the Polar OH1 armband. I mainly want to monitor my heart rate while exercising which is the important thing for me having had a minor heart attack earlier this year. You can use that with the Polar Beat app which will allow distance measurement using GPS but the Polar software isn't great and the readings will register on any nearby phone with bluetooth switched on (ie my wifes phone) which became annoying.

So now I use the Health app as a general indicator of activity levels and use the OH1 armband when I feel heart beat measurement to be important. It is interesting to note that the armband gives very accurate measurements compared to my chestband while the Fitbit Charge 2 was nowhwere near as accurate. Conversely the Fitbit software linking to their device was very good while the Polar software is much less reliable. The conclusion, as always, is that you just can't win and you find yourself having to choose the least annoying alternative!!
 
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I have given up expecting an accurate distance from these apps.


If they allow any sort of compensation or adjustment for distance, can they not be set up and compared to the distance traveled using a rented measuring wheel of at least 10 inches in diameter, but larger is much better.

They are pretty cheap to rent and quite accurate.

Just a thought…





- Patrick
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