Fitbit Ionic double counting steps

[Andymacd]

All: 

i have found that my Ionic seems to be doubling up steps quite regularly, and not always tied to exercise.  I notice this as I look in my steps and see the exact same step count (usually as Very Intense) in back to back 15 minute increments.  Like many other postings I have seen on his board I also have free steps showing up for me in the middle of the night.  I have restarted my Ionic and it has not made a difference?  Please advise!  Thanks!!!

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @Andymacd, hope you're doing great! As you may know, factors such as tracker placement, dominant or non-dominant wrist, and stride length can all affect the number of steps recorded. Note that if you're pushing a stroller or shopping cart, you might try putting your wrist-based tracker in your pocket.

Fitbit trackers have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. 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 doing other arm movements, a tracker on your wrist can pick up some extra steps if it thinks you're walking. Many of these situations—such as working or cooking—do include a few steps in-between stationary periods so the tracker tries to give you credit for those steps. For the vast majority of customers, the amount of stray steps accumulated is negligible when compared to the entire day.

On bumpy trails it's possible that your tracker will register steps but these should be negligible in your overall stats. Since you have a tracker with multisport mode, make sure you choose the Bike exercise before starting your workout. If you're relying on SmartTrack to automatically detect your bike ride, make sure the Outdoor Bike exercise is on. 

After taking the above into consideration, please try a step test:

1. Put your wrist-based tracker on your wrist.
2. Walk 100 steps, making sure to count a step each time one of your feet hits the ground.
3. Pause, then check your tracker to see your step count.

Test this out and let me know the outcome! 

[SunsetRunner]

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@

OK so I have the same issue and followed the advice given:

1. Put your wrist-based tracker on your wrist.
2. Walk 100 steps, making sure to count a step each time one of your feet hits the ground.
3. Pause, then check your tracker to see your step count.

Test this out and let me know the outcome! 

I counted for 70 steps at my normal walking pace on a flat surface.  My Ionic registered 180 steps!!!

Is there a solution to this? I love the Fitbit ecosystem, but if it can't count steps at least fairly accurately it doesn't really serve its primary purpose and there are plenty of alternatives out there (although it is very easy to win the weekend warrior challenges!)

Anyone found a solution yet?

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[Andymacd]

I did the test too and my results were actually very good: 99, 102 and 102.  My double counting seems to be happening less frequently, but it still happens enough that I put zero faith in what I see in the report.

[KevinKenna]

I have this issue after upgrading to Android 9.0. For me, the steps double when: 

1) I wear my ionic in the morning for working out. 

2) I leave it home during the day. 

3) I return in the evening. 

As soon as my watch and phone are within range, it seems to think the steps counted on my phone for the entire day are now in addition to the steps already counted in the morning routine (phone and watch are within range during the morning).

As a test, I kept the phone and watch together all day yesterday, and step count was again accurate. 

I have enabled MyFitnessPal as a bridge between FitBit and Google Fit to see if that helps, and will test the devices apart again today. 

Anyone else seeing this issue?