Some Apple Watch Users Report Missing GPS Data in watchOS 7

A number of Apple Watch owners who have updated to watchOS 7 are reporting an issue involving missing GPS mapping data after recording exercise in Apple's wrist-based Workout app.

watchOS7 hands on feature2
Several MacRumors readers have been in touch to highlight the problem, which was first noted in a thread on Apple's support communities by a user who upgraded their iPhone XS Max to iOS 14 and Apple Watch Series 4 to watchOS 7.

Later, I went for a walk. I used the Outdoor Walk activity on my Watch, but this time didn't take my iPhone. When I returned, and attempted to upload the activity to Strava, I received a warning that no GPS/route data was present. I checked the Fitness and Health apps, and sure enough, there was no route on the map - only the starting point.

I spoke to someone at Apple Support and they suggested I turned off/back on a couple of related privacy settings. I have since tried another Outdoor Walk activity, without the phone present, and the problem persists - no GPS/route data.

My wife also tried the same this evening, after upgrading her iPhone X and S4 Watch too. She had the same results - i.e. with just the Watch, no GPS/route information was saved with the activity.

The thread currently runs 16 pages and includes multiple users reporting similar issues with tracking GPS data on Apple Watch Series 3, 4, and 5 models.

In the majority of cases, users record a workout on their watch while leaving their iPhone at home, but when they later look at the Activity app it only shows the workout's starting point on the GPS map, and nothing else. Some users are also reporting sync issues with Strava and problems with additional workout stats, including heart rate information.

It's not clear what's causing the problems, but Apple is apparently aware of them, so hopefully a solution is on the way in watchOS 7.1, the beta of which went out to developers last week.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, watchOS 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

ghanwani Avatar
55 months ago
Go to:
Settings -> Apple ID -> Find My -> Find my missing GPS data

(haha)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SW3029 Avatar
55 months ago
Not only does watchOS 7 have GPS data problems, it also reduces your Resting Energy by up to 70%. Under watchOS 6 my Resting Energy averaged about 2400 calories a day. Under watchOS 7 it averages about 800 calories a day, which implies I'm in a coma and near death but just don't know it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
markfc Avatar
55 months ago
Yes, I have the same issue, no heart rate data, no gps tracking and calorie counting is all to pot. Battery life is terrible on iPhone XS Max. I workout first thing with 100% battery. After an hour it's now 68% where as I usually leave the gym with 90-92% battery.

This is the most garbage release Apple has ever done.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack Taylor Avatar
55 months ago
Both the GPS and severe battery drain issues on watchOS 7 were fixed for me simply by in-pairing and re-pairing my watch. Both issues resolved themselves immediately after as noted in many of the support groups
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Biglethal69 Avatar
55 months ago
How the hell can we go through so many betas and there seem to be more bugs then what there was in the betas. Shame on you Apple.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
indychris Avatar
55 months ago

It’s generally a good idea not to install the n.0 version of any operating system.
I see this statement all the time. It's no different than those who say that people should never buy the first model year of a redesigned auto, etc.

All one has to do is ask, "What if everyone followed that recommendation?"
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)