In December 2017 the canadian journal of Sports Sciences published a study conducted by a team of University of British Columbia. The article reports that the iPhone does not account for a fifth of the steps performed by the user.
A group of researchers compared the accuracy of the pedometer of the standard Apple application “Health” with the readings of the reference sensor attached to the waist.
It turned out that the accuracy of the measurements depends on the speed of movement. While walking on the treadmill counts the iPhone not less than 5% steps. For a walk in a measured pace, the user does 9.4% more steps than locks the smartphone.
However, the largest error appears in normal everyday use — the smartphone does not account for 21.5% of the steps. Scientists believe that these figures were not only due to slow walking, but the fact that people do not always take the smartphone with you. For example, while at home, most leave iPhone on the table or put the gadget on charge, so the movement in the apartment is often not taken into account.
Understatement of indicators may be good for the health and activity of iPhone owners, the researchers say:
“From the point of view of public health, it is better if the sensor underestimates the number of steps than overestimates. Thus, the people that look after themselves and consider the steps you can be sure that they have made not less movement than shows smartphone”.
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