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How to calibrate your Apple Watch for optimal performance
April 9, 2025
Fitness trackers are only useful if they’re accurately tracking. Luckily, the Apple Watch is one of the more accurate wearables you can count on (pun intended). Still, you want to be sure you’ll get the best stats possible, and inaccurate ones can be a common Apple Watch problem. Find out how to calibrate your Apple Watch to ensure it’s performing at its peak.
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To calibrate your Apple Watch, ensure Location Services and Motion Calibration & Distance are enabled in your settings. Then, open the workout app and record a variety of outdoor walks and runs.
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How to calibrate your Apple Watch
On a clear day, wear your Apple Watch to a flat, pedestrian-friendly outdoor area with reliable GPS reception. Bring your paired iPhone for connected GPS if you have an Apple Watch Series 1 or earlier.
- On your paired iPhone, open the Settings app, then scroll down to and tap Privacy & Security. Tap Location Services and check to see if it is enabled. If not, tap the toggle.
- On the same screen, scroll down to and tap System Services. Look for Motion Calibration & Distance and make sure it is enabled. If not, tap the toggle.
- Open the workout app on your Apple Watch and begin an Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run.
- Begin walking or running, according to the workout chosen, and keep pace for 20 minutes.
- When possible, repeat with the opposite workout.
Your smartwatch continuously calibrates its accelerometer by tracking your steps and learning your stride length whenever you record a walk or run outside.
Why calibrating your Apple Watch matters
If you are hooked on tracking stats, you probably want them to be accurate. Calibration can improve the accuracy of your calorie calculations during a workout, plus influence the calorie, distance, and move calculations in your everyday activity. It can also keep data accurate when GPS is limited by helping the device learn your stride and fitness level. In short, learning how to calibrate your Apple Watch is simple, with long-lasting benefits.
With that said, wearables are imperfect, and you may notice your Apple Watch counting steps when you are not walking. This could be because your heart rate is elevated and your arms are moving in a pattern that suggests activity such as walking or running. However, this should be a rare occurrence
How to reset your calibration data on your Apple Watch
To calibrate your device from a clean slate, reset your calibration data from your paired iPhone. This permanently deletes your current data and history, resulting in less accurate measurements until you calibrate again.
- On your paired iPhone, open the Watch app.
- Tap the My Watch tab, then scroll down to and tap Privacy. Tap Reset Fitness Calibration Data, and tap it again to confirm.
- Follow the steps above to calibrate your Apple Watch.
FAQs
No. You will need your paired iPhone to reset your calibration data.
As mentioned above, your device will continue to calibrate automatically over time. With this in mind, it’s important always to pick the correct workouts and keep personal information such as weight, height, age, and gender current.
Your Apple Watch uses personal information such as your height, weight, age, gender, heart rate, and movement throughout the day to calculate how many calories you burn.
Absolutely. Wearing your Apple Watch too tight or loose can affect the accuracy of your heart rate sensor. Likewise, wearing your Apple Watch too high on your arm or the underside of your wrist will also affect accuracy.