MobileTrack plus FitBit on Pixel Watch (watch doesn't count steps due to mobility aid)

[SamBC]

Hi,

My Fitbit hilariously undercounts steps when I'm out and about as my wrist doesn't move much, as I walk with a rollator. Seriously, if I tell it I'm going for a walk it estimates my stride length at around 33 feet.

When I changed authentication on my Fitbit account, my watch got disconnected and I didn't realise for a bit, and the phone started MobileTrack automatically - this seemed to track steps more accurately. However, once the phone was signed back in for a day MobileTrack stopped running (though it was still in the device configuration), at least as far as I could tell based on the lack of background notification. Given that is apparently necessary for it to track steps etc, I can only conclude it's not recording anything.

I removed it in the hope that re-adding it would make it work alongside the watch, but it doesn't appear in the list of what you can add. This despite the fact that the help page about MobileTrack says, and I quote, "Note that you can use Mobile Track in addition to your Fitbit device."

My hardware is a Pixel 7 and a Pixel Watch. I have a screenshot of the account page in the app and the bottom of the add device list, but adding them makes the forum refuse the post.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi there, @SamBC. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums.

Thanks for sharing all those details in your post and for checking the information on the Fitbit help articles. I understand how you're feeling about this and please let me give you a hand with this. I'd like to mention that your watch uses different sensors to determine the frequency, duration, intensity, and patterns of your movements. When you wear a wrist-based device and move your body while keeping your arms still or in one position as in this case when using your rollator, you may see a slightly different step count than what you track with your phone that is located in a different part of your body. 

If you feel that your step count or distance are inaccurate, confirm the following are correct in the Fitbit app since this might help:

• Your wrist settings, see Does the wrist I wear my device on affect accuracy?
• Your height, see How do I manage my Fitbit profile?

Since it uses height to estimate your walking stride length, you may want to measure and manually adjust these values as well. For more information, see Can I change my stride length in my Fitbit account?

You can try to turn on Mobile Track following these steps:

1. Make sure your phone and Fitbit app is updated.
2. Remove all your devices from the Bluetooth settings.
3. Turn off other Bluetooth connections that are nearby.
4. Force quit the Fitbit app and reboot your phone.
5. Open the Fitbit app, tap on your profile picture > Tap 'Set up a Device'.
6. Choose Mobile Track and follow the steps on the screen.

You can also manually log your activities in the Fitbit app when walking or performing any other exercise.

[SamBC]

If I follow those instructions, I would end up without my watch connected to FitBit at all, wouldn't I?

My height is correct. And my step counts aren't slightly lower than they should be, they're tiny. If I'm out walking and my heart goes up enough for it to auto-recognise exercise, it assumes I'm riding a bike. I try to remember to tell it when I set out that I'm walking - and then when I finish it tells me my stride length for that walk was 33 feet or thereabouts, which would suggest it's likely off by around a factor of ten in terms of its step counting (or at least around that order of magnitude). This is not being "slightly" off.

Sorry to sound strident, but your answers - apart from the possible way to get the phone-based sensor working properly - seem rather to miss the point, or at least to minimise it.

[YojanaFitbit]

@SamBC Thank you for your reply and sorry if my previous post seemed to minimize the issue you're having, all comments are important for us.

I'm using a Fitbit watch and I just followed the suggested steps above to turn on MobileTrack and I was able to connect both options on the Fitbit app. I think you can also turn off auto-recognition for this exercise to avoid getting bike activities on the app. Please try this: On the Fitbit app >  Activity and Wellness > Exercise > Auto Recognized Exercises > Outdoor Bike >  Turn off and Save.

Did you try to edit your stride length? At the moment there is no other way to do so. I really hope you can keep using your Pixel Watch to track your daily activities.