Fitbit Blaze step count inaccurate

[OmarLittle]

Hey there,

Today was my first full day rocking my Blaze. I went to an outdoor festival and had some solid step count, however, when I got home and checked my step count I noticed that the blaze tracked about 1/4 the steps I actually took. My iPhone health app logged about 10K and my Fitbit did about a 1/4 of that (2500). Also I noticed it did an auto workout and thought I had rode my bike. I think this is due to my sons stroller I was pushing. Any suggestions on how to calibrate? If I go for a run and use the GPS- will that help? Thanks!

[MuzDownUnder]

Yes the Blaze step count is no way as good as the Surge for reliability when walking slowly or not swinging your arms.

You should also check out this

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/Blaze-Distance-Measurement-is-Inaccurate/m-p/1212387#M3908

as the distance measurement is also off by about 10% in my tests.

At a guess fitbit have a few bugs in the Blaze. I have tried contacting them but only get back a bland the-Blaze-is-great-you-must-be-doing-something-wrong type of unhelpful email. What fitbit need to do is acknowledge there is possibly a problem, say they are looking into it and then actually do it.

Jump in anytime Fitbit we are ready to hear from you.

[MsSpammy]

I've just walked full length of my house and step count not moved... not as accurate as my flex.

[Nianya]

Last night I set my stride length in my personal settings. Have not done this for either the Charge or the HR. Today, I'm wearing both the Blaze and the HR. HR is actually 100 less steps so far than Blaze. Yesterday Blaze was 1000 steps less. So setting stride may be the key.

I plan to wear both for the weekend with treadmill, walking and hiking. I will be closely monitoring steps, distance and stair counts.

Nianya

[Rescue141x]

I test my Charge HR all the time when I am at work. When it's dinner time and I go down to the cafeteria I check my steps before grabbing a tray. While I am carrying my tray and I get back to my area from the cafeteria the steps are counted almost all the time. Think I'll be holding off on the Blaze is since my Charge HR can handle my wrist not moving much while seems like the Blaze can't

[Nianya]

Very frustrating. . .step count is more accurate with having my stride set; however, the Blaze now shows an inaccurate mileage count. This may be more trouble than it's worth.

Nianya

[Barbara_F]

I had the inaccurate steps problem today. I was on the treadmill for 45 minutes. The blaze accurately recorded my heartrate (I was tracking it against the treadmill's monitor), but for some reason, it only recorded 204 steps for the whole walk. How can I fix this? 

[RealBlaze]

The problem is that your arms are not moving.  Most people when doing the Treadmill tend to hold the bar.  The Blaze does not know your moving.  Thje only way to fix that is to put it to a Moving part of your body.  Most so in your legs area.

Not knowing your size.  Is it possible to put the Blaze around your ankle?  For me if I'm walking the dogs I put the Blaze in my pocket.  Your thighs move and that works for me.  of course with it in your pocket it will not capture your heart rate.

Now there are Exercise (Sorry I just got this 2 days ago so I'm a bit new to the Blaze's Features.  But I have a Samsung Gear S and I know what makes these things work.  But there is a Exercise section I have noticed.  They even have Elliptical as a exercise.  So I'm sure Treadmill is there as well.  But not sure if that is to compensate for the lack of hand movement or not.

[Barbara_F]

I understand the "arms" moving thing. I have had mine for three days. But we're talking an error rate of over 90%. I generally walk about 5,000 steps in 30 minutes, and my blaze reported 204. That's an incredible error rate. 

and It's NOT my arms that are the problem. It shouldn't require me to move my arms to count step rate. especially NOT with that error rate. I did restart the watch, and I'll be testing it out again this morning when I hit the gym.  But "move your arms" is really not an acceptable answer. It worked fine on the treadmill the two days before when it accurately reflected my step count and I was holding the heart monitor. 

btw, I was using the "treadmill" exercis feature. So it should have been fine on that front as well. And the first day I had it, it counted my steps and I just used auto exercise. 

What Id like to know is how to account for the steps I've lost. Yesterday was the first day I didnt hit 10K in ages, and it was because of this error. 

[Nianya]

I agree. The Charge and the HR work just fine regardless of arm movement.

Nianya

[MsSpammy]

Surely you shouldn't have to put it on a moving part of your body?! My flex was in same place and recorded fine... now the Blaze is supposed to be far superior and it doesn't even count steps without swinging your arms about? I'd say jogging on a treadmill should be more than enough movement for an activity tracker to track.

[VBran]

I have had the Blaze since Monday.  I thought it must be undercounting steps so I tested it.  Walked exactly 100 steps, it gave me credit for 80.   Later did the same thing, credit for 78.  Somethign is certainly wrong.

[Barbara_F]

So today's testing worked much better. and YES, I held the rails on the treadmill, but I still don't see why that is a problem. I had a One for 4 years, and it never required me to put it on a moving part to count my steps.

1) If your step count is inaccurate on a Blaze, restart it. You press the single button and the bottom of the double buttons, holding them until you see the fitbit logo. That restarts the watch. It made a difference. I did 3000 steps in the 20 minutes I was on the treadmill this morning. Another couple thousand when I did my actual fitness class. That's what I hoped to see. 

2) this "arm movement" thing. As I said, I had a One for 4 years. I  bought the Blaze because I wanted a heart monitor and step counter. I could have saved over $100 just buying a heart rate monitor if the Blaze can't do both. It was advertised as something that can do both. I'd like it to live up to that promise. 

I'm currently taking fitness classes 3x a week. I would like to monitor my HR with some sense of surety. But I also make sure to get my 10k steps (or better) every day. Please help us out with this. It's really disappointing to think I should go back to wearing multiple devices. 

I like the Blaze. I'm fine with it's form factor. I like seeing my heart rate. I'm sure my cardiologist is going to love it. I like that it inspires me, even more to move. Now I'd like it to do it's job. Count my daggone steps as well as my heart rate. Or tell me, honestly, that you can't do that. 

[Rich_Laue]

In the csse of the One it does have to be put on a moving part of the body. It is your waist, bra, neckline, etc. As you run or walk the body core bounces dlightly up snd down, it is this movement the One is looking for.

[11butterscotch]

I'm not an expert on their algorithms, but I don't think the One needs to be on a moving part of the body per se, unless by definition one counts the whole body as moving - legs swing hips rotate core rises, shoulders rotate head bobs - and coupled with the forward motion (force resistance) tracked by the accelerometer then steps are accrued. So body movement plus forward motion = step count i think. The wrist- based devices have many more motions to process (different types of arm/body movement processed as different activities or filtered out as 'noise') but for treadmill running i can't imagine perceptibly none-swinging arm motion has not been algorithmically considered. In other words the traditionally considered moving parts of a body - legs and arms - where the Blaze resides should not be required to move much given that the whole body (legs hips core etc,) is still perceptibly moving enough.

[MsSpammy]

Ok, I've just been to the supermarket. Pushing a trolley stops the Blaze counting steps. So how are we supposed to even go shopping and it count steps?! This has got to be a fault in its build... this is after a reset yesterday.

[Koshka]

Just to update.  I had posted about my low step count on my Blaze.  I restarted it on Thursday evening and wore it yesterday with my Charge HR (Note both on different accounts so that is not a problem).  The Blaze actually counted a bit more steps than the Charge HR.  So restarting did help a lot.

On the treadmill or pushing a shopping cart thing I can say this as someone who previously used a One, Charge HR and now has a Blaze and my husband has a Charge HR and had a Flex.

The One counts more steps than any of the wrist based trackers.  Arm movement is a factor for any wristbased trackers.  DH and I have both gotten good at the store at pushing the grocery cart with the arm that our tracker is not on.  That is just an issue.

On the treadmill (I have one at home).  I don't usually hold on but when I need to do so I hold on with the arm that the Blaze (or Charge HR) is not on.

With all of the trackers -- One, Charge HR, Blaze, and DH's Flex -- we found that steps are undercounted a bit on the treadmill.  My treadmill has its own step counter that is very accurate and all of the trackers seem to undercount by about 10% (and this is without holding on at all).  My understanding is that this has to do with the smaller amount of movement and the motion you are making on the treadmill which doesn't exactly mimic regular walking.

I've lived with all of that because what is most important to me is the relative difference between one day and another.  Oh, I have sometimes threaded my charge HR through the laces on my shoe and that helped but I had to give up HR monitoring so I don't usually do that.

[Rich_Laue]

@11butterscotch the One does not look at the legs moving, but look at the movement of the core of the body. Watch someone walk, as their body goes passes over the foot, the body and head raise up a little, then goes back down when planting the front foot onto the ground.

[11butterscotch]

I think you missed my point. The original reference somewhere above was that the Blaze shouldn't need to involve arm swinging to count steps, the arm being a moving part, unlike the One, which does not need a 'moving part". You said the One indeed needs a moving part. I countered with sure since the whole body is essentially one big moving part (legs/hips/core/etc) your statement is correct, but probably a poor clarification when trying to discuss whether swinging motion of the moving part called an arm is necessary for Blaze step counting.

[Rich_Laue]

The Blaze doesn't need arm swinging to count steps bit out needs to see an up and down motion, holding on to a rail, or cart, or carrying a heavy box can prohibit any up/down motion, and the Blaze will think your gliding across the floor.
You'll find the Blaze will count fine while on a pocket, since that pocket will be going up and down with every step.

Dieing a normal walk the hand is in the rear. As a person steps forward, the arm/hand swings down and backup, staying on step with the opposite foot. Now on the next step the bodt moves forward past the arm, note that the arm stay stationary with relation to the groind and the opposite foot. But as the body goes by the arm, the arm will go down and maybe up.

https://youtu.be/XXpTGxzqNtU

[Rescue141x]

I just went down to cafeteria at my work, checked my step count with my Charge HR. Grabbed a tray and got food. Went back to my area and I checked my Charge HR again and it counted the 250 steps I took holding my tray and my arm barely moving. If the Charge HR can count steps with my arm not moving, the Blaze should be able to do the same thing