Steps count

[GazLeeds64]

My last post regarding Steps counter was not answered fully. 

Someone claiming to be a community legend wasn't very helpful at all.

I tried to reply to his answer but to no avail.

The page kept jumping back to the top.

I kept receiving messages in red about html flooding, which I did not understand.

It asked me to change highlighted areas in my answer, but there weren't any!

My original post regarding Steps being counted whilst my watch is charging. I asked whether my phone App would recognise my steps if I carried my phone with me. 

I know that there is a mobile tracker in the exercise section. I do not jog nor run. Besides, this tracker requires your App remain open whilst you exercise.

I do not want that! 

I simply want my phone to be able to recognise any steps I've made whilst carrying my phone, whilst my watch is on charge.

I must point out that I have searched every section of the App but to no avail. There does not appear to be anything that I enable for this to take place.

It seems that no watch on my wrist, no steps will be counted.

If you kindly reply please read my message fully. Make sure that you understand what it is that I'm attempting to resolve. Please don't mention Mobile Tracker. I do not want this! To reiterate, I do not jog nor run. I do not want to leave a section of my App open in order to have my steps counted. I want to go about my day, whilst my watch charges, knowing that as long as I carry my phone with me, my steps will be counted, then synced to my watch when fully charged.

Surely, I cannot make it any clearer. 

Please, no so called Legends replying basic stuff in order to massage your ego. If you do reply, ensure you read, understand, then give an absolute fully comprehensive answer that even a layman could have no trouble understanding. Provide step by step guides (pardon the pun). Allow me to reply too if I need to. Don't block me from doing so with html flooding nonsense. 

Yours,

An extremely frustrated Fitbit wearer. 

[LZeeW · Accepted solution]

Hello @GazLeeds64 and welcome to the Help forums.  I'm sorry that you had problems posting a reply.  Your experience posting happens from time to time.  I don't understand why this happens on this site.  It was nothing personal.

Fitbit has two features that are easily confused.  They are MobileTrack and MobileRun.

• MobileTrack is the feature that uses the motion sensors in you phone to track the basic stuff, like steps.
• MobileRun is the feature that uses the GPS sensor in your phone to create a map of your run/walk/hike.  There are older Fitbit models, still in use, that don't have any GPS capability.  This feature is for them.
• It sounds like you were starting MobileRun.

@Rich_Laue did give you the correct answer.  You want to use MobileTrack.   I see that you first asked your question in the Android app Forum.  The bad news is that not all Android phones support MobileTrack, due to an Android hardware requirement.  Also, there is an error on the linked Help article I gave you.  You can't check on your phone's compatibility there.  You need to try to set it up.  To set up MobileTrack, tap on you profile picture on your phone app, then + Set Up a Device.  If your phone supports MobileTrack, that option will be on the bottom of the page.  If it's not there, then your phone doesn't support it.

If your phone supports MobileTrack, there is another issue.  According to this Help article, you can't use MobileTrack and a device on your account at the same time with an Android phone.  I can't confirm how this works.  I am an iPhone user and I don't have this limitation.

If your phone doesn't support MobileTrack, then I recommend using some strategy to keep your Fitbit charged.  I tend to charge mine when I am showering and getting dressed.  It gives my wrist a rest and I can clean my skin.  I also clean the sensor area daily,  It seems to collect gunk, even when I don't exercise heavily.  For me, a couple hundred steps getting dressed is minuscule in the big picture.

I hope this helps.

[SunsetRunner]

The issue with two devices (watch andobile track) on Android is only new and seems now intermittent. I cant see any posts that cover that aside from your reply here. Do you have any more clear/technical advice on this as we know it works (your suggestion of a few ateps while getting dressed isnt always accurate, eg if you forget your watch and your whole day is them not counted thanks to the app.)