Apple Watch displays incorrect altitude readings in unusual weather

As reported by iphone-ticker.de, Apple Watch Series 6 and Watch SE may give incorrect altitude readings in unusual weather conditions. Apple, however, has not acknowledged the bug just yet, but it should be fixed in the future watchOS 7 updates in usual fashion.

Users from Germany have taken to Apple’s German support forums to complain about the devices and mentioned that it worked fine, but now their altitude was calculated 200 to 300 meters too high. They found that in low air pressure Apple Watch’s altimeter would record an incorrect altitude reading.

According to MacRumors, “Affected users should still receive correct information when tracking a workout such as a hike since the Apple Watch records altitude relative to the start point. Nevertheless, it is not clear why some Apple Watches are not using GPS information to link barometric measurements to location. This would allow the Apple Watch to identify when there are fronts of weather that significantly affect air pressure and then prompt altimeter recalibration.”

The ‌Apple Watch Series 6‌ and ‌Apple Watch SE‌ feature a next-generation always-on altimeter that provides real-time elevation information. With the updated altimeter, it notes information from GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks to detect even the smallest changes in elevation above ground level.

Apple doesn’t allow users to manually prompt altimeter recalibration so we don’t know yet how often the Apple Watch automatically recalibrates itself. However, users suggest to factory-reset their Apple Watch and iPhone to induce altimeter recalibration.