Inaccurate Exercise Tracking in Ispire 3

[PresbyPastor]

I walk the exact same path every morning at the same pace. But the tracking varies.  For example: over the last three days the distance has been recorded as 1.8, 2.06, 2.23 miles; the speed has been 16.42, 14.43, and 13.56.  How can the accuracy be improved?  

Moderator edit: clarified subject.

[Heather-S]

@PresbyPastor Hello! Do you track this by using the Walk exercise on your Inspire 3? Or are you allowing it to automatically track it? Below is an explanation of how Fitbit calculates distance. You can also check out a few of these help articles:

How does my Fitbit device calculate my daily activity?

How do I track my workouts with my Fitbit device?

[Dave-in-Decatur]

@Heather-S , I'm having a similar problem. I have a regular 1-mile walk that I do in our neighborhood. I have measured it several times using the Fitbit app on my phone to track a walk, so I'm confident of the distance. I just got an Inspire 3 last week, and the two times I've used the exercise app on the device to do this walk, it only recorded .8 and .6 miles, respectively. I have GPS/Location turned on on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra). I just checked my stride length, and it was set to 1 inch less than it should have been; I fixed it, but I don't think that's likely to cause a 20% or 40% shortage in measured distance. What about WiFi? If the phone's WiFi is turned on, could the device app think I haven't left the house while it's in range of it??

[lmacmil]

Do you have the app set to run in the background?  Is location set to "always" on?  If you don't, I don't think it will track accurately.  Wifi on or off shouldn't matter.  I also have a 1 mile walk through the neighborhood and it tracks accurately as long as the app settings are correct.

[Dave-in-Decatur]

Thanks for responding, @lmacmil . The thing is, this is not the Fitbit app on the phone, but the Exercise app on the Inspire 3 itself. So it's not a matter of running in the background (it doesn't have that setting). But I did go into Location services in the phone's settings and turn on WiFi scanning, and the next time I used the Inspire Exercise app it measured the distance correctly. We'll see if it persists. I feel like I'm pinging all my neighbors' WiFi now, but I guess that's OK.

[lmacmil]

I rarely look at the Fitbit itself to see my exercise.  When I stop, I hit pause, finish, and done and let it sync with the app.  Then I look at the app to get my stats.  If I'm walking, especially if not my regular route, I'll take the phone with me and the app will give me a map of my route when I'm done (as long as location is set to always and the app is set to run in the background.)  The app works with the phone's GPS.  You're not connected to your neighbor's wifi just by walking by.

[Rubywaugh]

Yeah its weird, l only walk but it says l swimm alot but l don't swim ay all?

[PresbyPastor]

So, today I opened the app on my phone and walked hoping between the phone and watch I’d get a better reading.  It only got worse.  Thursday I walked and the watch tracked me at 1.83 miles, a speed of 16.5 minutes per mile and a heart rate of 128 bpm.  Today, same route, the phone and watch combine to track me at 2.38 miles, a speed of 13.5 minutes per mile and a heart rate of 93 bpm.  I walk the same way, the same speed, and the same distance everyday.  Frustrating.  I don’t know if anything this watch tracks is correct except maybe what time it is. 

[lmacmil]

When you hit start, did you see the arrow outline in the upper right corner of the screen?  And after a few seconds, did it turn solid?  That's when the GPS is connected.  My app has been very accurate, especially when connected to the phone GPS.  I've had some heartbeat data that was clearly wrong but that's been rare.  I'm using an iPhone 11.

[Heather-S]

I've heard that Android can close the Fitbit app running in the background, which would explain possible inaccuracies. I use an iPhone as well and don't notice large discrepancies which might be the reason @lmacmil and I aren't having the same issues as @PresbyPastor. The Fitbit app does need to stay open running in the background for a more precise GPS reading.  

I'd be curious to know what OS everyone is using. 

[PresbyPastor]

iPhone 12 mini; OS 16.4.1

[Dave-in-Decatur]

@Heather-S , I've got a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra running Android 13. Androids do like to do "battery optimization," which will shut down apps that aren't being used. But I've got everything I can find in that regard turned off. There doesn't seem to be a setting in the Fitbit app itself to keep it running in the background. When I use the app on the phone to track a walk, it generally does quite well. Since I turned on WiFi scanning in the phone's Location services settings, the Exercise app on the Inspire 3 itself seems to be doing better at getting distances right.

@lmacmil , thanks for the tip on watching the arrow outline in the upper right corner of the screen on the Inspire 3. I noticed that, and will keep track of it now that I know what it's for.

[lmacmil]

On the iPhone, the option to keep the Fitbit app running in the background is in the app settings, not the app itself.  Also there's an option of when it's using location and that has be set to always for the app to give you a map of your exercise route.  If you have a route of a known distance, you can adjust your step length in the Fitbit app so that the number of steps x step length gives you the correct distance.  I have found this to be pretty accurate and useful since I don't take my phone with me when I run.

[PresbyPastor]

So, here’s an update.  I set my phone to auto-detect my exercise.  I also opened the Fitbit app on my phone and tracked my walk.  When I was done, the Watch auto-detected a run of 2.02 miles at a pace of 15’31” per mile while the phone tracked a 2.46 mile walk at a  12’18” pace.  Something is not working correctly which is the reason I would never pay for premium. 

[lmacmil]

I have 3 different running routes.   I've mapped them all with Google Earth. I'm really only interested in the time and my average heart rate.  I can calculate my pace if I  want it.  The number of steps is pretty consistent for a given route. I'm not sure what premium gives me.  I got 6 months free and don't plan to renew. 

[ManuFitbit]

Hi Everyone. A warm welcome to the new members in the Community Forums.

I appreciate all the information that you've shared about this inconvenience you're experiencing with your devices. 

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, and if you still consider the steps are not accurate, please make sure that you've tried the restart procedure 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.

[Dave-in-Decatur]

Thanks, @ManuFitbit . However, both @PresbyPastor and I were having a completely different issue, related to walking exercise, not work household activities. I've found that the Inspire3 app is now measuring my walks accurately, possibly because I turned on WiFi scanning in the phone's Location services settings.