Charge 3 over counting steps

[Overcounting]

Can a moderator please assist? Will there be a fix for the over counting any time soon? I just bought my mum a Charge 3 and I decided to try it out, and it counts steps even when I am in bed watching TV. I would hate to return this as I think this would be great with the fix of this bug, as with this huge over counting doesn't serve its main purpose. I know there were some suggestions to set it to the dominant hand and wear it on the non dominant ... but that would still not mean accuracy just cheating the bug a bit so it counts less, but still not accurate. Please advise. Thank you

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Wightguy]

I worked all day from my single story home yesterday, apparently I covered 12088 steps 9.38 km and climbed 5 flights of stairs. Last night I covered 438 steps in my sleep. Enough is enough. Product returned to retailer this morning for a refund. Fitbit should understand that customers can be extremely understanding in the event that a product has a problem, provided the company in question acknowledges there's an issue and they are trying to sort it out. I'm off to Garmin. 

[Butterfly1956]

Yes I gave up and returned mine too.

[DiMeola]

I am having the same problem with my Charge 3.  I had a charge 2 never had a problem with the over counting.  My Charge 2 finally died and I couldn't buy another one so I bought the 3 thinking it would be a good replacement.  I hate it.  Its not accurate, I have gone through all the steps to reset and "fix" is there anyway to return this and get a Charge 2?   I have only had this Charge 3 for 2 weeks.  Its a nightmare......

[NewbisFB]

I got a refund on mine and bought the Alta HR it has all the same issues but it was much cheaper. I'm going to return this for a refund also  Never buy fitbit again  Also I'm much wiser to certain product reviews and marketing now. . 

[DiMeola]

I have only had this for 2 weeks. I plan to return to the store and get a
refund. Total waste of my money. Won't ever buy another fitbit again. I
had a charge 2 it worked great for two years and then died, so I thought
the upgrade would be even better. What a let down.

[PittsburghDonna]

Wish they would come up with a solution.


Donna

[TysenM]

I was in bed, assuming this resets at midnight, I was sleeping and it logged about 258 steps, I went to school, it logged 5,900 in just 5 or 6 hours, I was swimming, checked that, it said that didnt give steps, but I counted my steps from one class to another, I counted 150 but read on it 400 or so, 

[Chada23a]

I have replaced my Charge 3 with a Gear Fit 2. It is a nice device and counting properly. There would have been benefits to keeping the Charge 3 but not with the gross amount of over counting and fitbits lack of interest in resolving the issue. I also employ about 50 people and we have a step challenge to lower insurance premiums for our employees. I have taken fitbit off the valid list of trackers to qualify for the program. I will also be writing to the company my wife works for (Cerner Corporation) and telling them about the discrepancy in step count I and others here have found with fitbit.

[DiMeola]

Thanks for the information. How is the Gear Fit at tracking Heartrate?

[Ellie1751]

I can’t remember how but you can change the sensitivity of steps when mine was set on high it used to do it when I moved my arm up and down google it, it’s definitely somewhere on the app. Hope this helps

[Seagu77]

---

@Ellie1751 wrote:

I can’t remember how but you can change the sensitivity of steps

---

Nope, there is no such option neither in the app nor in the device. Fitbit would be glad to advice it instead of asking reset and test-count and reset again, wouldn't it? Only you could do is to play with doninant/non-dominant wrist. But it doesn't help

[Chada23a]

The Gear Fit 2 is accurate at heart rate measuring but there interface to look at the data has taken me some getting used to.

[docliz]

In the years that I have had fitbits, I have taken the step count with a grain of salt. It doesn't really count your steps, but the amount of times you move your arm. Even having on my non-dominant wrist, my steps are way over.  For about a year, I was doing dishes at a school cafeteria. I stood in one place for a lot of the time and racked up a huge number of steps by merely placing lunch trays in the rack to put through the dishwasher. At the end of each group of students that came through the cafeteria(4 groups), we would wipe tables and sweep. Wiping tables did not factor into the count much as I use my dominant hand for that . . . . but sweeping added a lot to my total, again due to arm movement.

I no longer do dishes at school, but still am sweeping 4-5 times a day and wiping tables. I check the step count when I get to work and when I clock out and calculate how many I accumulated at work, knowing that most of those steps are not true steps.  Also, one day a couple years ago it recorded that I did 69 flights of stairs when I had not gone up one!  I went upstairs to show my sister . . . . thinking it would then have 70, but it did not record the only stairs I went up that day.  Now those were all with my alta, charge 2, and zip. I just purchased the charge 3 in hopes that the step issue would have been corrected, but it appears it has not as I have a lot of steps from shoveling snow and removing snow from my roof.

[docliz]

In the years that I have had Fitbit products, I have taken the step count with a grain of salt. It doesn't really count your steps, but the amount of times you move your arm. Even having on my non-dominant wrist, my steps are way over.  For about a year, I was doing dishes at a school cafeteria. I stood in one place for a lot of the time and racked up a huge number of steps by merely placing lunch trays in the rack to put through the dishwasher. At the end of each group of students that came through the cafeteria(4 groups), we would wipe tables and sweep. Wiping tables did not factor into the count much as I use my dominant hand for that . . . . but sweeping added a lot to my total, again due to arm movement.

I no longer do dishes at school, but still am sweeping 4-5 times a day and wiping tables. I check the step count when I get to work and when I clock out and calculate how many I accumulated at work, knowing that most of those steps are not true steps.  Also, one day a couple years ago it recorded that I did 69 flights of stairs when I had not gone up one!  I went upstairs to show my sister . . . . thinking it would then have 70, but it did not record the only stairs I went up that day.  Now those were all with my Alta, charge 2, and zip. I just purchased the charge 3 in hopes that the step issue would have been corrected, but it appears it has not as I have a lot of steps from shoveling snow and removing snow from my roof.

[Bijal]

Same issue.
The solution is that only to use band from another brand except fitbit.

[NewbisFB]

I believe their new products recently released this month contain all the same flaws .They appear to have halted improvements and innovation 

[Phoenix5626]

I too have this problem since replacing my Alta HR with a Charge 3. I've barely moved today and I'm already at 4200 steps. Yesterday it tracked me at over 23,000 steps and all I did was go for a 30 minute run.

I am ambidextrous and wear my fitbit on my marginally more dominant wrist. I am confident this is related.

Would like to see a fix for this since having inflated numbers negates the purpose of tracking steps.

[docliz]

I have had this problem on every fitbit I have owned.

[SunsetRunner]

This is the closest my Charge 3 has tracked. Within 25 steps...problem is I haven’t worn it at all today!! Lol

[natattack77]

Hi,

This problem has not been solved. At least not for me. I've restarted the Charge 3 three times.I've updated the app. It's still over counting my steps. By at least double!

What on earth is wrong with the Charge 3's accuracy?! So frustrating.