Why do my number of steps keep going down? Charge 5

[jonnabaldres]

I walk a lot in my work. I noticed some of my steps have not been registering and on some days, my steps keep resetting to lower numbers in the middle of the day. What’s happening, Fitbit? I’m really getting upset and disappointed. 

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Community forums, @jonnabaldres.  

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

Keep in mind the algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. When working at a desk, cooking, or performing other activities with arm movements, a device on your wrist may add some steps. When you’re doing activities that involve arm movement, such as working or cooking, you often walk a few steps in-between stationary periods as well, so the device tries to give you credit for those steps. For most customers, the number of extra steps added by arm-based movement isn’t significant when compared to your overall stats. 

Before considering other options, please make sure that you've tried the restart procedure using the charging cable as described in this article, then check if you continue to experience the same behavior. 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. 

I'll be around.