Fitbit One not counting all steps

[Michelle00075]

I've had my Fitbit One a few years now, but this week it has started miscounting steps. At first I just thought I was an even lazier slug than usual, but I tested it this morning and it registered 27 steps when it should have registered over 50. It's missing 50% or more of my steps. What's going on?

[MariamV · Accepted solution]

@Michelle00075 welcome to the forums! That's certainly unusual. Please try restarting your One by doing the following:

1. Plug your charging cable into your computer.
2. Plug your Fitbit One tracker into the charging cable, making sure that the gold contacts on your tracker align with the gold contacts in the inside of the charger.
3. Hold down your tracker's button for 10-12 seconds.
4. Remove your tracker from the charging cable and press its button until the screen turns on.

After that, please keep an eye to your tracker's behavior and post back with the results! 

Good luck! 

[Cookieace1]

At 11am I had 5500 steps, then at 3:00 less than 800 now at 6:00 I'm only back up to 1900. This the second time in a week this has been observed. What do you suggest?

[MariamV]

@Cookieace1 thanks for stopping by! Wow, that sounds pretty weird. Just out of curiosity, have you tried restarting your tracker using the instructions provided in the post above? That sometimes does the trick.

Also, you might want to verify that your Dashboard has the correct timezone settings; this is to avoid the tracker restarting by itself during the day. I really hope this helps, keep me posted with the outcome! 

[Cookieace1]

Time zone correct, restarting now. Thanks for the quick response!

[MariamV]

@Cookieace1 thanks for getting back to me! Oh, you are very welcome!  I really hope that your tracker starts working as it should after the restart!

See you around! 

[wannabefitgirl]

This is happening to me as well! I just tried the fix that was offered by Mariam. 

I don't see any changes in the display to indicate that it worked and I still am struggling with the loss of my steps for today!!! After a long my usual 30 minute walk for my lunch break, I looked down to see where I was so far and I only had 38 steps! 

The display on my Fitbit One has been behaving strangely for about a week. It looks as if the device is resetting itself and often it doesn't respond to the button taps. 

I'm getting frustrated because this isn't just for fun for me. My insurance program is tied to my daily step performance. I have to get a minimum of 6K each day or else I pay a penalty. HELP! 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @Michelle00075 , @Cookieace1 has the issue been solved with dear @MariamV 's suggestion?

If the issue remains, it's possible to contact the support team:

http://contact.fitbit.com

@wannabefitgirl the support team can be contacted (see link above).

Wishing a splendiferous day

[Michelle00075]

Resetting my Fitbit solved my problem. Thank you for the guidance!

[Cookieace1]

Yes, it appears to be working now, thanks!

Moderator edit: personal information removed. 

[SunsetRunner]

Fab

Feel free to explore the discussions forums to Share Your Story, Get Fitter, Find wonderful Fitbit Friends, Sharing Recipies and much more.

[bobmac78]

since last update of application fitbit one does not  report steps on iphone or ipad . tried to delete and reload , still  dros not work

[MariamV]

@bobmac78 thanks for joining us in this thread. By what you are describing, it made me think that perhaps your tracker has been upaired for some reason. Please do the following using either your iPhone or iPad:

1. On the Fitbit app for iOS, tap the icon in the top right 
2. Tap Set Up a Device.
3. Choose your One and follow the onscreen instructions to continue.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! 

[SunsetRunner]

I have been having almost the same problem. I used to have a Charge HR and since shifting to the One my step count has more or less halved. I used regularly to hit my target (7.5k, then 8k steps/day) but have topped 5k only once or twice since changing over, and usually it's 4.4k or so. I have just restarted the One (I hope—I haven't noticed any difference) and will see if that helps. Time Zone is right (PCT).

[MariamV]

A warm welcome to our new friend @SunsetRunner! 

Please note that with wrist-based trackers (Like the Charge HR you used to have ), if you move your body a lot and not your arms (or vice versa), you may see a slight difference in step count than you would see if wearing a clip-based tracker (Fitbit One) on your torso. 

So in order to help with the accuracy of your One tracker, ensure that you’re wearing it in the correct location. You can wear your Fitbit One comfortably in or on your pocket or on a bra. The silicone clip will keep it secure.

Always use the silicone holder when clipping One to a bra or waistband; One is not designed to be in close contact with the skin. For this reason, don't wear the One inside your bra.

Hope this helps. Feel free to post back! 

[SunsetRunner]

Apologies for the time I have taken before replying to your suggestion.

I don't think that how I was wearing the tracker is the problem, however. I have been wearing it either clipped outside my bra or inside a pocket, as instructed. The step count continued to be low. Then this:

Last Saturday I walked to a certain shop and back: 5178.

Sunday, took our usual walk: 5199.

Then, on Monday, I forgot to put the One in its clip and continued wearing it in my wristband, as I do at night. Took the usual walk. Bingo! 8883.

Yesterday, wore it in the wrist band again, and walked to the same shop as on Saturday, and back: 9462.

That's not a 'slight difference'. It's about 85% more. It's also closer to what I was getting with the Charge: I was regularly meeting my target of 7500 steps a day, and had just increased it to 8000 when it gave up the ghost. I think I have bought the wrong tracker for me, unfortunately.

[MariamV]

@SunsetRunner thanks for the observation. Please note that Fitbit devices 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, your One 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 One 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. For a more technical explanation, see How does my device count steps?

Feel free to post back! 

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I've done some tests (not very scientific, I know) checking my One count for periods when I was sitting at a desk and working, and only occasional large movements, e.g. when moving large books around, register on it. It picks up other arm-movements too, e.g. when making a bed. I have walked around the room counting, say, 100 or 200 steps and then seeing what the One says, and it has been accurate.

There are other such limitations, I know. My old Fitbit HR, whether it was on the "sensitive" setting or not, was hopeless at tracking my sleep because I am a very active sleeper, while my husband's HR often declared he was asleep when he was working at his computer! (Of course he may have been lying... .) Both our HRs would occasionally refuse to count flights of stairs climbed as well. My husband's stride is, it goes without saying, longer than mine, and as I am in poor health sometimes my steps are very small, while on other days they are "normal". Overall, though, our HRs were consistent over time and with each other. So what puzzles me is that the difference in steps counted between clipping the Fitbit on to my bra and wearing it in a wristband is so very large.

I have one small suggestion to make about this discrepancy. I am what I think they call a "thigh walker", i.e. when I walk I naturally move each leg by pushing each thigh forward with each stride. I think this is less common than being a "knee walker", i.e. moving the leg by pushing the knee forward. I wonder whether "thigh walking" means the vertical and/or lateral movement of the body with each step is smaller and/or smoother? If so, upper body movements will be correspondingly smaller, and while arm movements when walking will (almost) always show up, actual steps may not. But perhaps the Fitbit algorithm already takes this difference into account?

Anyway, I am going to order some more wristbands for the One as the wristband that came with it is beginning to look a bit worse for wear, the material is stretching, and the One has fallen out several times. I like the One because all I want, really, is step count—as I said, I am in poor health and can't do "real" exercise, and the sleep monitoring wasn't working for me—and because its charge lasts so long.

Thank you again for your help.

[retnix07]

I had trouble with my Fitbit charge keeping accurate record of steps,stairs and heart rate .  I followed your recommendations and it works perfect now.  Thank you so much!!

[MariamV]

It's nice to hear back from you @SunsetRunner! Thanks for running these tests.  Actually, your One uses a 3-axis accelerometer to understand your motions. An accelerometer is a device that turns movement (acceleration) into digital measurements (data) when attached to the body. By analyzing acceleration data, our devices provide detailed information about frequency, duration, intensity, and patterns of movement to determine your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and sleep quality. The 3-axis implementation allows the accelerometer to measure your motion in any way that you move, making its activity measurements more precise than older, single-axis pedometers.

All Fitbit devices have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking. The algorithm determines whether a motion's size is large enough by setting a threshold. If the motion and its subsequent acceleration measurement meet the threshold, the motion will be counted as a step. If the threshold is not met, the motion won’t be counted as a step. Other factors can create enough acceleration to meet our threshold and cause some over counting of steps, such as riding on a bumpy road. Equally, it's possible for the algorithm to undercount (not meet the required acceleration threshold). Examples here include walking on a very soft surface such as a plush carpet. Therefore, updating your running and walking stride lengths for better accuracy. Let me know how it goes!

Hey, adding body measurements sound like a great idea; however, this isn't a feature. Therefore, I encourage you to add your votes and comments on the idea called: Body Tracking Feature. If this sin;t what you're looking for then, I suggest adding a new idea. The Feature Suggestion board is constantly being reviewed by our devs and engineers for improvements.Good luck! 

@retnix07 thanks for joining us! I'm so happy to hear that your tracker works as it should now.  Thanks for sharing the good news with us!

Now, I'd like to invite you guys to our Lifestyle Discussion Forums. There are lots of interesting topics; my favorite is "Eat Well" since I love food!

Catch you later guys!