This really needs a pause/resume step counter on the watch

[james5272]

I am a drummer, which means when I am alone I will get a lot of "steps" in from drumming on myself absentmindedly.  I got hundreds from this this morning while waiting for my coffee to brew, and on days where I am by myself listening to music, I will basically have to take the watch off to prevent throwing my step count off by the thousands.  I will also have to take it off while drumming since that will count toward steps too.

What would be easier than having to take my watch off and put it back on multiple times a day, is if I could just tap it to stop step counting when not doing an intentional walk or workout, then tap it back on when going to do one.  I see posts from as far back as 2018 asking for this and employees saying it will not be implemented - I seriously hope you reconsider, as there are plenty of jobs+hobbies that can count the activity toward steps (I'm sure lawn mowing or people who drive a lot on bumpy roads have this issue) and give them an inflated sense of accomplishment due to highly inaccurate stats.

The only reason I bought a fitbit was because I was hoping for more accurate step counting than my phone, and since my phone doesn't count my drumming as steps, it is actually far worse for this purpose.  Is there no way to use the stride measurement to measure distance and if the "stride" is 5cm (how far my wrist probably moves when drumming on myself) instead of near the 78cm it says it should be on my phone, it doesn't count as a step?

[Odyssey13 · Accepted solution]

Hi @james5272  these are wrist based devices and each movement of our hands will count as a step. People who knit, sign ASL or play the drums will have a higher step count. If you're pushing a stroller or shopping cart, holding something close to your chest or put your hands in your pockets, the steps aren't always counted. The only solution would be to substitute an activity for those unwanted steps - click to learn how.

You should put this in the Feature Suggestions area where members can vote and Moderators keep an eye on hot topics.