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!

[Tranloco]

I've had imy blaze since March 4.

[LynnsieGrace]

Someone from Fitbit needs to address this question. Traded my surge for a new blaze and it is terrible. So bad I could cry. Not that the rest of you aren't serious about fitness, but I really rely on my fitbit/myfitness pal in the fitness journey I am on. My surge was perfect. Step for step, dostance, calories burned everything! The blaze has screwed me out of a minimum of 1,000 steps. No calorie burn and active minutes. I too want to know what's going on or I want my **ahem** money back! I'm talking significant differences between surge and blaze.

[Eppeerlym]

I think you have to set the blaze to exercise if you're doing anything other than walking around your house.  If you swipe right 2x there is an exercise icon.  On the app you can set what kinds of exercise you do.  My flex actually gave me too many steps for my daily walking at work at Amazon so i only set it to exercise on my workout days.  I still get around 10k at work but flex gave me 25k most nights.. Then i wondered why i stopped losing. Also make sure you set your stride in the app as well.

Melissa

I have had my surge since the day they came out.

[Teefeb19]

I sent mine back and got a refund.

Sent from my iPad

[Tranloco]

Teefeb19 I have had my Blaze since March 4.

[dawnierae]

---

@Teefeb19 wrote:
I sent mine back and got a refund.

Sent from my iPad

---

Doing the same thing.  Second replacement was just as bad as the original and first replacement, so I'm done.  This thing is such a disappointment.

[Sballenger]

I am waiting on my 3rd one since March 1st.
My second one was also worse than the first if this next one is no
different then in taking it back for a refund and sticking to just having
the Alta.
I wanted one for dressier occasions etc so that's why I got the Alta but it
does better than Blaze.

[ejp316]

I have been through two Blazes. It's just a flaw in the product itself, not
individual units. Very disappointing.

--
Eric J. Pace, M.S., CCC-SLP/L
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist
ericpace.slp@gmail.com
(312) 209-2318

[dawnierae]

Yes, I'd agree that not counting steps accurately (or even consistently) is a definite flaw for a device whose main purpose is counting steps.  

[RKSH2230]

I'm done with the frustration of the Blaze. My husband and I have both returned ours for a refund and we're going to the Apple Watch. Now that the Apple Watch Sport price has been reduced, it's a way better value than the Blaze. If I hadn't returned it, I would have started my own blaze and thrown it in!

[MsSpammy]

What I'm finding really bizarre, from the answers I'm getting from Fitbit support, is that they are either accepting that the Blaze is undercounting (advising customers to put it in pocket, or adding steps manually after a shopping/carrying trip?!) or they are now confessing to the fact that everyother device they have produced before the Blaze has been overcounting by a huge margin... Either way this should be addressed.

One thing is for sure, you shouldn't have to buy one of the most expensive products that FitBit offer, and then either manually count steps to add at a later date, or take it off your wrist and put it in a pocket. Especially when it's meant to monitor heart rate! I'm becoming more and more frustrated with the answers I'm getting from support.  One of the last answers I got from them, was that if you watch the Blaze while walking, it may not count the steps as you are walking (as your arm is not moving) but it will add the steps later... I think this is a rubbish answer, as usual.

[prettylolita]

True. I restock in the morning and my charge hr had no problems counting steps while I pushed a basket. I am very active in the morning and my blaze o my counts half or what my other fitbits counts including my charge hr. I hope this is fixed soon. I'm tired of having to wear one Fitbit in the morning and chafing to the blaze after restocking.

[Topher9]

RKSH2230 you are 110% CORRECT. I thought I was going crazy. Everyone is saying I'm being OCD about the step count, BUT I'M NOT! I had the charge HR for almost 2 years. It tracked every single step I took, I could raise my wrist and walk and watch it count every step. The Fitbit Blaze isn't accurate AT ALL. It doesnt count steps unless you have been walking for a period of time and then it rounds your steps to a random number. Especially if your not swinging your arms it wont track. I just returned mine and I'm waiting for my replacement to come by the end of the week. I'm pretty sure I will have the same issue. If thats the case I will return it for a Full refund. 

[MsSpammy]

My last reply from fitbit support...
We're really sorry for the misunderstanding, because Fitbit Blaze might count your steps and might not count your steps, Fitbit Flex can register them because this tracker more sensitive than Fitbit Blaze. Also when you're walking looking at the Blaze it cannot show your step by step but at end it'll recorded the steps.

So they're admitting it doesn't count steps all the time...

[dabberz]

I sadly must agree with most on this thread.  I have been using the Flex for 2 years. I recently 'upgraded' to the Blaze.  I have been taking the same 5 mile / 10,000 step marked/measured track everyday for the last 10 years.  The blaze is logging 1/4 the steps, and the mileage is off to boot.

In addition, I use a Polar chest strap to measure pulse/bpm.  The Blaze is 45 bpm off from the Pulse.

So far, I am not impressed with the Blaze.  Hopefully there will be a decent update to resolve these issues soon.  I will continue to test and decide before my 30 day window, if I will keep this.

[MuzDownUnder]

What gets me is all Fitbit have to do is tell us that they are aware that there are reported concerns with step & distance measuring and that they are looking into it. Instead they are keeping silent which looks like they do not care and so people are returning product & causing Fitbit bad PR. Not a good look Fitbit and sending out endless replacements that do exactly the same thing is expensive & dumb. I'm on my third. The competition must be loving the way Fitbit are dealing with these issues.

[ejp316]

Thank you. Could not agree more. If FitBit wants to continue to be the
fitness band industry leader they NEED to acknowledge this and correct it.
They are digging their own grave with this.

--
Eric J. Pace, M.S., CCC-SLP/L
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist
ericpace.slp@gmail.com
(312) 209-2318

[runbobrun]

Beyond annoyd with this issue. I just got one this weekend for my birthday and I have had the Charge HR for over a year. I loved Love Loved my HR and I really like the blaze but **ahem** it couldn't be any more far off. Wish I saw this post before my fiancee bought me this. I would have just put it towards something else. I am hoping for a fix soon or I will be returning this product!

[Gordon-B]

I have noticed with my Charge HR and Charge (and I suspect it's relevant to all the trackers) that in two situations steps get undercounted: Pushing a grocery cart with the hand my Fitbit is on, and pushing a lawnmower with the hand my Fitbit is on.  It's logical:  if you anchor your hand to a reasonably fixed object, it won't move with your steps much.  The problem doesn't seem to happen if I use the other hand, and it's lessened if I use both hands.  SmartTrack has called some of my lawn mowing sessions "Outdoor Bike" as I may not walk much (I'm pushing a heavy lawnmower over somewhat irregular terrain, but my heart rate goes up) and may spend some time in corners of the lawn standing still but pushing the mower around in the corner.  I suppose that's the closest description it has.

This does not have anything to do with stride as the step count isn't affected by stride.  I can manually count steps as I walk and compare it to what's registered, and see reduced step count.

I don't know what Fitbit does (or what it's supposed to do) when you have two different devices on the same account and wear them both at the same time.  I do know that it seems to add steps after sync when I use one device OR the other and switch back and forth (say, to charge the battery).  I think that someone mentioned that if you use both at the same time, you get credit for the most steps in any 5-minute period, not the sum of the counts.  I have not wanted to mess up my stats to test that, and it's too much like cheating.  That algorithm seems to have an anti-cheating effect but limits the penalty for those who switch devices for various reasons, such as to charge the Fitbit or one device is more aesthetic in the office than another.  None of this is an issue if you check the step counts *BEFORE* syncing.  Obviously my comment about pushing with the hand the Fitbit is on doesn't apply to differences in counts to trackers worn on the SAME hand.

If you have two devices on the same account, you can use one and every time you sync both the step count gets updated on the other one. 

[dabberz]

I did a bit more testing today. I have been a Flex user for over 2 years,
so my stride for this path I walk every day for the last 10 years is set
and has been verified using my Flex. My 5 mile, 10,000 step daily path
(official field measurement/marked path) results: Flex = 5 miles and
10,000 steps (give or take a handful), versus the Blaze (same walking gate
/ profile as my Flex) 3.5 miles and 7100 steps. That is a huge
discrepancy.

To their credit, Fitbit support has offered a replacement. But we paid $200
for this device (received it 3 days before contacting support), and now I
am offered a probable refurbished device for the full $200 ? And if there
is no admittance to a defect in the product, then it will probably have the
same issue, which others who have had theirs replaced have confirmed.

I am probably just going to return it and stick with my 2 year old Flex
while I look into another device.