November 29, 2025 –Google’s Pixel Watch is facing scrutiny after multiple users reported significant inaccuracies in its distance tracking during walking workouts, while running and cycling metrics remain reliable. The issue, first highlighted by Reddit user almosttan in the Pixel Watch community, reveals a stark discrepancy between recorded walking distances and actual measurements, with some tests showing the watch logging less than 25% of the true distance.
In a detailed comparison, almosttan tested identical routes across different activity modes. When set to “cycling,” the Pixel Watch’s distance data aligned closely with Google Maps’ measurements. However, switching to “walking” mode resulted in drastically underreported figures, even when GPS signals appeared stable. This gap, the user noted, couldn’t be attributed to typical GPS drift, as cycling and running sessions on the same device showed no such issues.
Further investigation pointed to a potential flaw in the watch’s algorithm for walking. almosttan speculated that instead of relying on GPS, the device might default to a basic step-counting method—multiplying recorded steps by a preset stride length—to estimate distance. This hypothesis gained traction after analyzing Strava data, which displayed a complete GPS track but an incorrect total distance, suggesting the software ignored real-time positional data during walking sessions.
The problem underscores growing concerns about the reliability of wearable fitness trackers, particularly in scenarios requiring precision. While Google has yet to issue an official statement, users are urging the company to address the algorithm’s reliance on outdated calculation methods for walking, which could undermine the Pixel Watch’s credibility as a health and fitness tool.
For now, affected users are advised to cross-check walking data with third-party apps or switch to activity modes like cycling for more accurate measurements—though a software fix remains the most anticipated solution.
