Alta HR is tracking too many steps

[NanaCorea]

Every week for the past 4 weeks there has been one unbelievable day in which I somehow managed to get over 10,000 steps in just 15 minutes. Supposedly yesterday I walked 17,451 steps while I was driving to work. The week before that I got 18,512 steps in my sleep, and the week before that I got 26,414 steps right before going to bed. But the most amazing of all was 4 weeks ago when I apparently walked 53,277 steps while teaching an afternoon English class. Either I am related to flash, or my fitbit is having fits. Any advice on how to get a consistently accurate step count? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[NellyG]

Hi @NanaCorea Have you tried restarting your Alta HR? If not then do it several times and hopefully the weird days will become a thing of the past.

Restart your Tracker  

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @NanaCorea. Welcome to the Community Forums. Thanks for the details provided in your post about the issue with your Inspire HR. I understand where your concern is coming from. 

Do you have another app connected to your Fitbit account that could might be adding more steps? Mobiletrack maybe? Low-power step sensors inside your phone track your steps and send the data to the Fitbit app. We recommend using MobileTrack if you forget your Fitbit device at home.

Note that adding more than one Fitbit device to your account gives you the convenience of switching between devices while still seeing a holistic view of your daily activity on your dashboard.

Fitbit devices have a finely-tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. When working at a desk, cooking, or performing other activities with arm movements, a device on your wrist may add some steps. When you’re doing activities that involve arm movement—such as working or cooking—you often walk a few steps in-between stationary periods as well, so the device tries to give you credit for those steps. For most customers, the number of extra steps added by arm-based movement isn’t significant when compared to your overall stats. For more information, see How does my Fitbit device calculate my daily activity?

For additional information, see Does the wrist I wear my device on affect the accuracy? and What can I do if my step count seems inaccurate?

Know that you can negate the extra steps in the Fitbit app. For more information, see: How do I add, edit, or delete Fitbit data and activities?