Charge 5 does not count steps accurately. Loosing steps.

[bpedrant]

Hello all,

My new Charge 5 does not count all my steps.

This is not a syncing issue. I can literally watch the tracker and see it loosing steps all day long.

To test this, I put my Charge 4(not paired) on the same wrist.

I recorded the number of steps on each. Started waling around my house. Not little baby steps, big-boy steps with shoes on.

After I counted 500 steps, the Charge 4 was within 1 or 2 steps of 500.

The Charge 5, was low by about 15-50, depending upon the time I tested it.

(1 or 2 or even 5 steps is OK, but 10% off? Not what I paid for.)

Is this a bad tracker or a Charge 5 issue?

Thanks,

Brian

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @bpedrant.  

I appreciate all the information that you've shared about this inconvenience with your Charge 5. 

Before considering other options, please let me know if you already tried the three pulse restart method described here below: 

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times (end of the USB cable), pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.

In the meantime, you can find more useful information about the accuracy of Fitbit devices and how to adjust your stride length and dominant hand settings here, as this has been helpful for other users.

[bpedrant]

I was able to reset the tracker successfully.

Testing still shows the issue. As best as I can tell, it loses about 10% of my steps.

It seems to lose most of them when I go from standing still to starting to walk.

Is this a support issue on this tracker or do all of the Charge 5s have this issue?

Thanks,

Brian

[Rich_Laue]

What happens during a longer walk outside? 

Have you tried with both trackers on the same arm? 

[DavideFitbit]

@bpedrant Thank you for confirming that you already tried all the troubleshooting steps suggested earlier. 

In this case, since you already tried all the recommendations mentioned earlier and if you still consider the number is steps recorded is not accurate, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance with this. They will let you know how to proceed. 

The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected.

See you around. 

[SherrieB]

I noted that my Charge 5 seems to freeze up while I am doing laps to get in my full 250 steps in last ten minutes of the hour. It happens most when I am holding up my wrist to look at count. As an experiment, I did a few laps while holding my arm still as though carrying something in that arm. Step count didn't advance much if my arm wasn't swinging freely. Then, while sitting in a chair, I swung my watch arm back and forth as though I were walking, and the step count climbed steadily even though I was seated. I'm looking for a different device and probably won't use a Fitbit for step tracking any longer.

[DavideFitbit]

@SherrieB Thank you for sharing your feedback and experience with this. 

If you already tried all the recommendations mentioned here earlier, I would still recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team so they can let you know if there are any options available for you or so they can provide you with the next steps. Click here to get connected. 

Thanks again for all the feedback and comments that you've provided. The team continues to work to improve the quality of products and services. 

See you around. 

[SherrieB]

I've had several models of Fitbits over several years and have noted with each one that step count is based on arm swing more than actual walking. I can walk 500 steps but if I'm carrying something that doesn't allow my Fitbit-wearing arm to swing freely, those steps will be under-counted. If I am standing still but moving my arm mildly aggressively, as in raking around me or repeatedly reaching into my dryer to remove clothes, steps are counted although I remain stationary. There are many Fitbit features I like, but it is simply too unreliable for accurate step count.

[Rich_Laue]

@SherrieB considering that the unit is on the arm, not the waist or leg, what did you think the device counts? 

Frankly I'm surprised at how accurate my step counts are. I've done tests, over 6+ months. 'with waist mounted units and find that over the month to be normally within a few thousand. With one month's totals where within 100 steps. 

[DavideFitbit]

@SherrieB Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback and experience with the step count on the Charge 5.