Charge 3 not tracking floors accurately

[KatieDix]

I've been using a Charge2 for 2.5 years and apart from a couple of blips, probably due to extreme changes in atmospheric pressure, the floors were counted accurately and consistently e.g. 18 floors per working day which I double checked by counting the steps and measuring the metres covered.

Since changing to the Charge3 the number of floors is erratic and often more than actually covered. Sometimes just a few floors more, but several times it has been 20 or 30 floors when I had only covered two or three.

It has also counted the floors when using an escalator although I stood still. My Charge2 never did that.

I rarely take the escalator but did so recently when carrying a suitcase. Although I did not move during the trip, the Charge3 counted the floors.

I've installed all updates and manually reset my Charge3 as I also had a problem with the tracker not automatically recognizing activities. That issue was resolved by the reset.

I am sure that this is not an atmospheric issue as it has now happened several times in the past 3 weeks and only since changing trackers.

I'm very unhappy as counting floors is one of my main health activities and I need it to be as accurate as it was with my Charge2. Otherwise I'm very happy with the Charge3.

Has anyone else noticed this problem, know the solution?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[LizzyFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi @KatieDix. Welcome to the Community Forums. I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for sharing detailed information about your Charge 3, as well for the steps that you've tried prior posting. As you may know, your Charge 3 records floors with an altimeter to detect pressure changes based on elevation gain, however there are other factors that affect its accuracy. Such as a gust of wind, a weather change, or opening a door. That being said, I'd recommend to clean your Fitbit device with the steps described in this help article.

Once that is done, please try performing a long restart, which is different from the regular restart:

1. Plug your device back into the charging cable and hold the button down for 15 seconds.
2. The device turns on and shows a battery icon. Two vibrations occur: first a short vibration, then a medium vibration. 
3. The device turns off.
4. The device turns on and shows a progress bar and short vibrations occur. The progress bar completes. Note: A total of 7 short vibrations occur. 
5. Remove the device from the charging cable. The device shuts down.
6. Important: Plug the device into the charging cable again.

By the way, I've moved your post to this new thread so you can receive more related responses about this situation, and to keep our forums organized.

Keep me posted.

[KatieDix]

Hi Lizzy, thank you for replying and your suggestions which I followed. I will now observe the behaviour of the tracker over the coming week and get back to you with the results.

Katie

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @KatieDix. It's great to see you back and I'm sorry for the delay.

Thanks for taking the time to follow the steps posted above. Nice work and now please monitor your Charge 3. If the issue persists, please reply back so we can continue working on this together!

I'll look forward to your reply.

[KatieDix]

Thank you for your help. Sorry for my late reply.

Sadly, I now have a more serious problem as it no longer tracks exercises from the watch (android works). The face doesn't react e.g. when I swipe to exercise/walk/start/start. Or it reacts but stops recording within a few seconds or an indefinite number of minutes.

I tried your suggested solution which worked a few weeks ago for another small bug but it does not have any impact now. Sometimes it gets "stuck" mid process...

I'm going to try changing the clock face which I read elsewhere.

Very frustrated as I love my Fitbit and I really need it in these difficult times.