How to Track Miles on Apple Watch

Miles on Apple Watch come from GPS outdoors or wrist-based motion indoors; set units, start the right workout, and calibrate for steady accuracy.

Here’s a clear, hands-on walkthrough to make mile tracking reliable across walks, runs, rides, hikes, treadmill sessions, and track days. You’ll set units to miles, pick the right workout, learn where your distance actually comes from, and fix the usual glitches that throw off totals.

Tracking Miles With Apple Watch: Setup That Works

Distance comes from two places: GPS when you’re outside, and your watch’s motion data when GPS isn’t used. When both are available, the watch blends them. That blending improves after a short calibration period. Use the steps below to put that system on solid ground.

What Powers Mile Readings

The table below shows where the numbers come from by workout type. This helps you pick the right mode and know what to tweak when totals look off.

Workout Type	Main Distance Source	Notes
Outdoor Walk / Run	GPS + Motion	GPS traces route; motion smooths stride gaps and tunnels.
Outdoor Cycle	GPS	Wheel size isn’t needed; GPS speed × time builds miles.
Hike	GPS + Barometer	Elevation aids pace smoothing on steep terrain.
Indoor Walk / Run	Motion (Stride)	Needs a quick calibration walk/run for steady results.
Treadmill	Motion (Stride)	Match watch distance to belt readout after a 20-minute set.
Track Run	GPS + Track Logic	Lane choice improves lap length and split alerts.
Pool / Open Water	Pool Length / GPS	Pool uses set length; open water uses GPS path.

Start A Workout That Counts Miles

Open the Workout app, pick the card that matches your activity, and set a distance, time, or calorie target with the three-dot menu. For outdoor runs, Pacer lets you set a distance and a target time so you can see at a glance if you’re ahead or behind. Apple’s guide shows the screens and the Pacer flow (start an outdoor run).

Set A Distance Goal Fast

Open Workout on the watch.
Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want, tap the three dots.
Pick Distance and set miles to your target.
Press Start. Raise wrist to see pace and current distance as you go.

View Miles On iPhone And Watch

During the workout, lift your wrist to see live distance. After you finish, open the Fitness app on iPhone and check the workout card for total miles, splits, and a map when GPS was used. Daily miles from steps and workouts also appear on the Fitness summary page (activity summary in Fitness).

Find Past Mileage

Open Fitness → Summary → scroll to Workouts → pick a day.
Tap a run, walk, ride, or hike to see total miles, pace graph, and route.
Use Trends to see rolling distance changes week by week.

Switch Between Miles And Kilometers

You can set units at two levels. For workouts, go to Settings on the watch → Workout → Units of Measure, then pick miles or kilometers for walking, running, and cycling. For Health data, open the iPhone Health app → Browse → Fitness → Walking + Running Distance → Unit and set your preference. Pick one scheme and keep it consistent so goal screens and history match.

Get Accurate Miles Indoors (Treadmill And Track)

Indoors, the watch relies on wrist motion and your calibrated stride. A short setup lock-in helps:

Calibrate Your Stride

On iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → turn on Motion Calibration & Distance.
Do a 20-minute outdoor walk or run at your usual pace with good sky view.

This teaches the watch your arm swing and stride length so indoor miles match reality. Apple’s support note breaks down the full process (calibrate your Apple Watch).

Match Treadmill Belt Distance

After an indoor set, compare the watch total to the treadmill screen.
If the gap is small, end the workout and swipe down to Adjust Distance when prompted.
Repeat across a few sessions; alignment tightens quickly.

Run The Oval Track

On a 400-meter track, pick Outdoor Run, choose your lane if prompted, and start. Lap alerts show splits that line up with lane length, which keeps mile splits tidy even with frequent turns.

Make GPS Miles As Accurate As Possible

Outdoors, clean GPS and a few habits keep distance solid:

Wear the watch snug on the top of the wrist; loose bands bounce and dull motion data.
Wait a few seconds after pressing Start before sprinting off so signals settle.
Avoid tucking the watch under thick jackets mid-run; fabric can hinder readings.
On forested or urban-canyon routes, gentle curves read better than sharp zig-zags next to tall walls.
Keep iPhone at home or in a waist pack; swinging it in a loose pocket can add noise when the phone’s GPS is used by a third-party app.

Use Third-Party Apps When You Need Extras

Apple’s Workout app is fast and reliable, yet some runners and riders want live segments, social leaderboards, route building, or training plans. Popular choices include Strava, Nike Run Club, and MapMyRun. When you use those on the watch, distance still comes from the same sensors; the app just records and displays it differently. Be aware that starting a third-party recording while the watch is still leaning on the phone signal can shave early track points on the saved file. If a saved route starts late on a map and the total looks short, that’s one common pattern seen in support threads.

Troubleshooting: When Numbers Look Off

If miles don’t match your route or treadmill belt, work through the quick fixes below. Most issues clear up with one or two changes.

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Outdoor miles look short	Recording started under cover; phone GPS used briefly	Start in an open area; let signals settle; record from the watch.
Route line starts late	App pulled a few points from the phone	Disable phone-only GPS use; begin from the watch app itself.
Treadmill miles don’t match	Stride not calibrated	Do a 20-minute outdoor set; adjust distance after indoor runs.
Split times bounce around	Loose band, covered sensors	Wear the watch snug; keep the face uncovered while moving.
Units switch between mi and km	Watch units differ from Health units	Set both in one scheme: Workout units and Health unit for distance.
Miles stop updating mid-workout	Battery saver or app pause	Charge past 20%; check Low Power Mode and auto-pause settings.
Track laps don’t line up	Wrong lane set	Pick the correct lane at the start; keep lane changes steady.

Reset Data Paths That Affect Distance

On iPhone: confirm your height and weight in the Health app; these feed stride math indoors.
Turn off then on: Bluetooth and Location Services; this refresh often clears GPS hiccups.
Restart the watch and the phone; then start a short outdoor walk to rebuild a clean track.

Quick Reference: Mile-Tracking Tips By Activity

Outdoor Walks And Runs

Pick the matching workout card; set a distance goal for easy pacing.
Let signals settle; avoid tunnels in the opening minute.
Use Pacer when chasing a time over a set distance.

Road Cycling

Mount the watch where it can read motion cleanly; forearm rotation is fine.
Auto-pause helps when lights stop you; confirm it’s set the way you like.
Check the map afterward for bends and U-turns that can shorten or lengthen totals.

Hiking

Pick Hike so elevation smoothing matches the terrain.
Bring a power bank on long days; distance depends on steady logging.
Turn off low-signal cellular searches if you wear a cellular model off-grid.

Treadmill

Warm up a few minutes, then keep arm swing natural; hands on rails flatten motion.
Use the post-workout prompt to align miles with the belt readout.
Repeat across sessions to tighten watch-to-belt agreement.

Track Sessions

Pick your lane at the start and stick with it when possible.
Use lap alerts to keep splits steady without staring at the screen.
If you change lanes, swipe to update so lap length matches the new path.

Calibration And Maintenance Checklist

Motion Calibration & Distance: keep it on.
One clean 20-minute outdoor walk or run after a reset or new watch band.
Band fit: snug above the wrist bone; wipe sweat and dust off sensors.
WatchOS and iOS: keep both current for GPS and Workout updates.
Apps: if a third-party app shows short routes, try recording with Apple’s Workout app for a few days to compare.

Plain Mile-Tracking Wrap-Up

Set miles as your unit in both Workout and Health, start the correct workout, give GPS a moment to lock, and calibrate with one outdoor walk or run. Indoors, adjust distance to match the treadmill for a few sessions. With those steps, totals line up day after day, whether you’re pacing a 5K or logging an easy loop around the block.