CEO Tim Cook speaks at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino
Apple Watch users report their smartwatches gives them faulty altitude readings during unusual weather conditions. (Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

Several Apple Watch users report their smartwatches to give them faulty altitude readings, particularly during unusual weather conditions.

Apple launched the Apple Watch Series 6 and the much cheaper Apple Watch SE during the "Time Flies" event in September last year. Both devices offer users several benefits, which makes them a better option compared to their predecessors. Recently, however, some Apple Watch users noticed their smartwatches are giving them faulty altitude readings, particularly during unusual weather conditions.

   

Users said that the issue affects both the Apple Watch Series 6 and the cheaper Apple Watch SE. During their launch last year, Apple revealed that it implemented dramatic changes in the two new Apple Watch models, which include the next generation always-on altimeter. This feature allows the smartwatch to provide users with real-time elevation or altitude readings. The Cupertino tech giant also revealed that the Apple Watch altimeter cross-references its information from nearby GPS and WiFi networks to provide users the most accurate and even the littlest changes in elevation levels. Industry observers say this might play a role in why some Apple Watch models show faulty altitude readings, especially in unusual weather conditions.

In a report by iPhone-ticker.de, most of the users who experienced the issue of the Apple Watch showing faulty altitude readings are in Germany. The country is among those known to have unpredictable conditions. This prompted some industry observers to think that the unusual weather conditions in Germany may have caused Apple Watch to display faulty altitude readings, which in some cases, are in huge margins.

Several Apple Watch users in Germany say elevation levels on their Apple Watches are sometimes between 200 and 300 meters above the actual altitude. Strangely, their devices correctly reported the elevation in the past. When users reported these bizarre happenings on the German support forum of Apple, some users noted that the display of faulty altitude readings occurred during periods where low air pressure is present. Some say this unusual weather condition may hold the key as to why their Apple Watch displays faulty altitude readings. Compounding the problem is that Apple does not allow smartwatch owners to manually recalibrate the altimeter on their devices and it is unclear as to how long does it take the device to automatically recalibrate itself.

According to industry observers, the Apple Watch must display correct altitude readings whenever it is tracking a hike. This is because Apple Watch records elevation relative to the point of origin. At the moment, Apple Watch is not using GPS data to reference barometric measurements to the user's location. Doing so would allow the Apple Watch to identify unusual weather conditions, which some say may cause it to display faulty altitude readings. If it will use GPS data to link barometric measurements vis- -vis the location of the user, this may prompt the Apple Watch to automatically recalibrate the altimeter. A short and easy workaround is to factory-reset the Apple Watch so it can immediately recalibrate the altimeter, though it may not be a permanent solution to the issue.