app: Indoor Walking

OK. Thanks for your information.

Additional remark:
I was not aware of the fact, that InWalk reports data from firmware. I thought, you carry over the steps and other data and calculate the values within your app.
Now I now, I was wrong...

I've just tested another original Garmin activity for indoor run (Hallenbahn = Indoor Track) - and the distance is unfortunately (or af cause) exactly "same wrong"!
So I think, unfortunately it's not possible with fenix 5S to measure short distances (nearly) correctly.

Probably I could find another simple app that counts the steps "from now on" and calculate the distance manually with my personal step length.

I'm a little bit surprised, that such an expensive watch like Garmin 5S has no standard App only for showing steps + Time + calculated, correct, adjustable distance in 1 screen.

Thanks again for your explanations.

I think I'm going crazy because of the step length!

Now, I've set a personal step length of 0,70m in Android Garmin Connect App. (in the moment both: walking and running) and synced the watch.
(I still don't know, how to set in device directly - and your app doesn't have any possibilities for settings, as it takes over data from Firmware, as you said.)

1. I started InWalk and made a walk - it's about 300m I think...
2. InWalk counted 367 steps (This is nearly correct)
-> normally there should be shown a calculated distance: 367 steps * 0,7m = 256,9m
3. InWalk shows: 0.09km!!! --> That's absolutely NOT POSSIBLE!

Can you explain, what is wrong??

What do you see if you do the same thing with the native app?

I see the same wrong result...

Contact Garmin Support then, as it isn't related to inwalk.

Hello again,
I read different pages and explanation - und I must say: YES - it's NOT related to InWalk.
It's a general "problem" (or some others would say "feature") of Garmin-watches with GPS: In Garmin Connect, it's possible to set a personal option for personal step length, but nevertheless Garmin Watches with GPS will always ignore this setting, because step length depends on activities WITH GPS and will always be adjusted/calculated automatically.
This means: I could calibrate length by walking defined indoor tracks with defined steps - but this would work only for a short time, as after other "slow walks" there will be of cause again another value.

So, my wish for measuring distances with Garmin fenix 5S is not possible - neither with InWalk, nor with other native Garmin Apps.
EDIT: Its funny: I've just seen , that my personal setting for step length in Garmin Connect definitively HAS influence to the distance, but only for the normal daily steps. I've seen it in my export to YAZIO. But there is NO influence to distance for indoor activities without GPS! (Probably it's a bug???)

Another Idea:
What do you think as Programmer of Garmin Activities:

Would it be posible to wtite another App (without GPS) as following:
-> Before start of the action, an "option" appears to set a fixed value for step length (e.g. 70cm)
-> After start, on screen appears:
1. normal time (watch)
2. recorded time since start
3. recorded steps since start
4. calculated distande (steps*option)
5. other screens / other shown data... just as you want

It would be important, also to save the quantity of steps in Garmin Connect. Unfortunately, I haven't found, where I can see it in Garmin Connect for old activities. Do you know, where?

Steps haven't been shown in GC for walking/hiking activities for some time. That was turned off for some reason.

An app that uses a user provided step size, and the data could be displayed on the watch for distance based on step count, and even written to the .fit file as user data, but it will not be used for total distance in GC, so probably wouldn't be that useful.

Just a thought - do you have a footpod? If so, it might be worth trying the native walk activity with that.

Turned off... I really don't understand why. So, I have a lot of InWalks with wrong distances + no steps - and even no possibility to calculate afterwards manually with desk calculator :(

Yes - that would be useful.
BTW: The information I received yesterday seems to be wrong. I've just seen, that normal steps (without activity) are calculated correctly with personal step length!
I set 0,7m in GC yesterday - and now Distance in GC for normal Steps are really shown "Steps*0,7".
Only the distance for indoor-Walks without GPS still is wrong! And you know, also steps for activities are cumulated in total normal steps - and calculation is OK.
That's why I think, it's a bug in Garmin firmware, isn't it?
So, the total distance is no problem - and YES: an App only for indoor walk WITH steps AND korrect distance would be helpful.


No. Don't have a footpod.
I thought, now I have an expensive Garmin watch that is able to do some more things, my old step counter for 10€ does... ;)

So if you want better data, it seems you'll get it by not recording an activity, but just let the watch do it's normal 24/7 activity tracking. It will also be better as far as battery usage too.