Ionic vs Charge2 step count

[PremekK]

So I made a test of step count with my old Chage2 and new Ionic. I had them on one hand side by side and it seems that Ionic undercounted the steps. Mainly it is apparent in the small step batches like roaming around house or office. The 100 and 1000 (marked by grey) step test outside was quite correct for both of them. The difference showed on my chart is around 13% but it would be considerably more on days with not much share of longer outside walking. I have to say I am not really happy with this. I have checked the forum and it seems that there is quite a lot of people having similar issues. As the Ionic is out for some time, it seems there is no working solution. 

[N8teGee]

This is probably an obvious question, but have you made sure they are both set to the correct wrist placement in settings (dominant vs non dominant)? 

[MickeyDaMixta]

I’m having the exact same problem with the Ionic undercounting. So frustrating. I just did a factory reset and re-update but it still doesn’t seem to be counting accurately. What gives?

[SAgirl]

I was wondering the same thing. With my Charge 2 I was able to hit my daily steps and mileage  goals but my with my Ionic I have yet to met my mileage goal because the step count is off. At first I thought it was as simple as changing the setting from auto detect stride to manual (the auto detect was incorrect) but it hasn’t made a difference. What are the chances that the Ionic is more accurate than the Charge?

[PremekK]

Sure. Everything is set to same. I had made some of these comparisons before as I had One, Charge HR and Charge 2 before.

It seems that the difference occurs as the Ionic does not count steps if you make just a few of them. Like if you stand from tv and go for five to ten steps they are not counted.

Well, the only outcome I could take is that these let's say "daily service steps" do not really have an impact on your health. So if you want to get your goal you have to really move. But I'm not sure if I am not just lying in my pocket to justify 315€ spent 😕

[N8teGee]

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wrote:

Sure. Everything is set to same. I had made some of these comparisons before as I had One, Charge HR and Charge 2 before.

It seems that the difference occurs as the Ionic does not count steps if you make just a few of them. Like if you stand from tv and go for five to ten steps they are not counted.

Well, the only outcome I could take is that these let's say "daily service steps" do not really have an impact on your health. So if you want to get your goal you have to really move. But I'm not sure if I am not just lying in my pocket to justify 315€ spent 😕

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I know what you are talking about, I can best describe it as a buffer of some sort (ignoring those initial 5-10 steps as erroneous unless you fill the and exceed the buffer). I think this is programed into the software to try to avoid false steps. Maybe the algorithm differs between the two trackers for some reason.

Have you tried setting the Ionic to the non dominant setting to see how it compares to the Charge2 set on dominant? I can only imagine the non dominant vs dominant setting changes the threshold of this software buffer, making the device more or less sensitive to those initial steps. I really don't know why both devices would differ though, only fitbit can answer that. 

[jlynnjaxon]

I'm noticing a lot of non-steps, too. I have also noticed that when I am set for a workout, it barely counts any steps.  I mean, I was doing yoga earlier today and got 0 steps counted the entire time. Same with when I'm actually working out. I get that there could be erroneous steps due to lifting - but I'm working out at least 2 hours per day (two 1 hour split sessions) and I have yet to hit my steps for any day.

I also noticed this the first or second day I had my ionic, when I got out of bed and then walked all around my house - it only counted 6 steps (bed, to back door to let dogs out, to bathroom, to let dogs in, then into the living room).  I know you don't know the layout of my house - but I hope you can see how absurd 6 steps is!

[Julia_G]

I agree with the general assessment here that the Ionic does not always count what I call "putterint" steps very well.  

However, I think this is a GOOD thing.  It is very unlikely that, for example, getting up to change the channel on the tele (oops -- who even does that now),go to the loo, or opening the door to let the dog out adds very much to one's fitness level...  So I am quite happy that when I have basically been a couch potato, I don't get the idea that I have "walked".

Not all steps are created equal!

@jlynnjaxon, you probably don't take many actual steps during a yoga session, though, depending on the type of yoga you do, you may have a pretty significant workout.  That is why the Ionic allows you to. track your yoga session using the multi sport mode , so that even though you don't get step credit (which you probably shouldn't), you will get exercise credit.

[jlynnjaxon]

@Julia_G - you are right, not all steps are created equal.  However, i would have expected some steps during a yoga class, with all the movement into different positions.  However, I literally got "0" steps for the full hour.  I'm also getting very low numbers of step when I'm walking all over the gym during my  workouts.  

And, I just spent the past 20 minutes walking back and forth, all over my kitchen prepping food for the week and I got 23 steps.  Not okay with this.  I spent way too much money for this to be horrible at what it's supposed to do.

[NellyG]

I agree that the Ionic counts less steps than my other trackers (flex 2 and Alta HR). I always regarded my flex 2 as a good step counter and the Alta HR as slightly less accurate. On step tests of 100 steps the Ionic is consistantly 1 to 3 steps under and the flex 2 1 to 3 steps over. Where i find the Ionic shines is the huge difference in false steps when out on my bike. With the flex 2 I got thousands ( 3 to 4 thousand over a 20 km ride). With the ionic I get 2 to 3 hundred. So yes, I think it does slightly undercount (mine anyway) but it is actually (a lot) more accurate when you look at the whole picture.

[SunsetRunner]

I have been noticing this as well. I'm actually starting to believe it's an error. I'm trying to meet my 250 steps/hour goal at an office job, this means a few trips to get coffee / water just to get steps in. Now after having gone there and back after first raising the ionic to check how many steps I have (as in activating it and turning on the screen) it counts steps as normal, mostly. But if I start walking without doing so it always seem to miss the first 50-100 steps. It's as if it is in energy save mode when the screen is off and thus always messes up the counting if you don't "wake it up" first so to say. 

I don't think it's a buffer to ignore 'non-steps' because you don't get them back when you exceed said buffer, they're just never counted. Also, I've had a charge 2 , blaze and others and their buffer counter has been working fine and never mess things up like this.

So, seems like a software error or bug? Don't see why the ionic would handle the buffer differently from all their other trackers, just doesn't make any sense to program it differently from the others ...  

[N8teGee]

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wrote:

I agree that the Ionic counts less steps than my other trackers (flex 2 and Alta HR). I always regarded my flex 2 as a good step counter and the Alta HR as slightly less accurate. On step tests of 100 steps the Ionic is consistantly 1 to 3 steps under and the flex 2 1 to 3 steps over. Where i find the Ionic shines is the huge difference in false steps when out on my bike. With the flex 2 I got thousands ( 3 to 4 thousand over a 20 km ride). With the ionic I get 2 to 3 hundred. So yes, I think it does slightly undercount (mine anyway) but it is actually (a lot) more accurate when you look at the whole picture.

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I agree, no one wants false steps, so there has to be a balance. If that means negating a few initial steps incase they aren't actually steps then ok. I guess there isn't really any other way to do it.

I have my devices set to dominant arm regardless of placement. At work I drive a bumpy vehicle and this setting helps against the false steps I may earn. I guess if anyone wants it to be more sensitive and count more of these "steps", the best option is to keep it set to non dominant. 

[N8teGee]

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wrote:

I have been noticing this as well. I'm actually starting to believe it's an error. I'm trying to meet my 250 steps/hour goal at an office job, this means a few trips to get coffee / water just to get steps in. Now after having gone there and back after first raising the ionic to check how many steps I have (as in activating it and turning on the screen) it counts steps as normal, mostly. But if I start walking without doing so it always seem to miss the first 50-100 steps. It's as if it is in energy save mode when the screen is off and thus always messes up the counting if you don't "wake it up" first so to say. 

I don't think it's a buffer to ignore 'non-steps' because you don't get them back when you exceed said buffer, they're just never counted. Also, I've had a charge 2 , blaze and others and their buffer counter has been working fine and never mess things up like this.

So, seems like a software error or bug? Don't see why the ionic would handle the buffer differently from all their other trackers, just doesn't make any sense to program it differently from the others ...  

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Yes good point about exceeding the buffer and then getting the buffered steps back. That would be expected behaviour. It could very well be a bug in the software, I don't think it's a hardware issue. I shouldn't imagine it's too hard to fix, but knowing Fitbit, who knows.... 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @jlynnjaxon, as @N8teGee mentioned, the wrist worn trackers won't count steps until a certain number is detected (I think it is about 8 - 10 minimum).  If you carry on walking, it will back count (and that is why if you watch your Ionic while you are walking it will seem to do nothing, and then suddenly have a jump in steps.)

If you are preparing food in the kitchen, walk a few steps to the fridge, stop and butter some bread, walk a few more steps, stop and slice a tomato, walk, stop and look through your cupboard, etc etc, you may never trigger enough steps to get it counting continuously.

This is to keep it from counting too many false "hand" steps (it wants to see you WALKING in order to count).  You may find this unacceptable, but it is, in fact, working exacty as it is designed to.  My impression is that most people want to use the step counting facility as a way of improving their fitness and getting more active.  If it counted every puttering step you might get a very exaggerated idea of your level of activity...

To check whether your device is working properly Fitbit advises you to go outside and without carrying anything and with your arms hanging naturally by your side, note the step count on your device, then walk normally, taking 100 steps.  Count each step as you walk, then check to see how many your Fitbit has counted.  Fitbit claims 95% accuracy, so you should see 95 to 105 steps for your actual 100.

If you see something different, you might want to get in touch with Fitbit Customer Support on contact.fitbit.com .  (Note that they will always begin by advising you to restart your tracker, so it is worth doing that before you get in touch.)

Also, if you have had your Fitbit for less than 45 days, and you bought it from Fitbit directly, you can return it if you just don't like the way it works.  Other stores may have different policies.

[MattFitbit]

Hi all! 

@MickeyDaMixta Welcome to the community! 

Just wanted to jump in here to take this opportunity to thank you all for your feedback. 

I can confirm that Ionic's algorithms have been fine-tuned to better track steps during certain daily activities and to avoid miscellaneous steps throughout the day.

As a result, if you are comparing steps with an alternate Fitbit device, you may notice your daily step count decline slightly with Ionic. 

For more information, I can recommend checking out the following article: How accurate are Fitbit devices?

@Julia_G @NellyG Thanks so much for the assistance! 

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know! 

[Spaniard71]

Im having all sorts of issues as wellw many exactly like ones posted above, noticed today my Ionic is not tracking steps going up or down stairwell....frustrating since charge 2 did so well.

[Ericws]

How does everyone know that the Charge 2 wasn't over-counting steps?  Not sure why the Ionic is automatically perceived as wrong.  Maybe you were getting credit for steps you did not take on the Charge?

I have tested my Ionic against a pedometer on my phone, and when I count steps myself.  It is always spot-on.

[Spaniard71]

I just went up and 4 flights and Ionic did not register anything while when I had the charge 2 same stairs and would accurately count all...no problems in the past. Same has been happening when using treadmill Charge 2 was very accurate

[Sue2995]

All the people with the steps not equal. Fine if your not in a challenge against  others using the other Fitbits that either counts right or overcount. Makes it so they get a big lead just every day cleaning and such. I’ve been going to a strength and balance class ,and on the day of the class don’t meet my goals.