Inaccurate heart rate

[SunsetRunner]

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in my Fitbit and I'm seriously considering going back to my under armour! I've notice that it never accurately tracks my heart rate while working out, which is why I wanted it! While I'm running I'll look at my heart rate and it will say something silly like 80!!! I've also noticed that the 'steps' are not just steps but can be any slight movement of the hand! Not what I was expecting for the price!

[FerdinandFitbit]

I'm sorry to hear that your heart rate and steps don't seem to be counted accurately 😕

When it comes to heart rate, something that is very importante to keep in mind is the placement of your tracker. 

For all-day wear when you’re not exercising, your tracker should usually rest a finger’s width below your wrist bone and lay flat, just as you would wear a watch. Fitbit’s PurePulse heart rate tracking system is designed to be most accurate when the tracker is worn on the top of your wrist.

For improved heart rate accuracy keep these tips in mind:

1. Experiment with wearing the tracker higher on your wrist during exercise. Because blood flow in your arm increases the farther up you go, moving the tracker up a couple inches can improve the heart rate signal. Also, many exercises such as push-ups cause you to bend your wrist frequently, which is more likely to interfere with the heart rate signal if the tracker is lower on your wrist.
   
2. Do not wear your tracker too tight; a tight band restricts blood flow, potentially affecting the heart rate signal. That being said, the tracker should also be slightly tighter (snug but not constricting) during exercise than during all-day wear.

Now, when it comes to steps, your tracker works with an accelerometer that relies on movement to detect steps. Something that I can suggest to make sure your steps are being conted more accurately is to choose the dominant or non dominant option in the settings.

If your dominant hand is the right for example, and you wear your tracker on your left hand, you want to choose "Non dominant" so the algorithms work better in this situation.

Try out these suggestions and see if that makes any difference.

Anything else you may need, I'm here to help. Welcome to the Community Forums.