Steps counting while driving

[Rumblebee]

My fit bit counts steps while im driving. Even on a smooth road. So i never really know how far ive gone.

[Finnmad]

Hello, can you please tell me if there is any other way at all to stop my charge 2 from counting steps when driving other than charging it or logging driving in as activties. Is it possible to turn off the watch? Or anything at all!

[GanapathyS]

You can't turn it off unless it runs out of battery. You can use travel bit
app. It will log the driving automatically into fitbit. No other option.

[Ton]

Just got a Fitbit mail about the new Goal Setting feature about to be implemented... It sounds like a nice sophisticated feature. But I can't help wondering... if the developers are capable of adding such complicated features via software, how come a simple switch on/off option is still so hard/impossible to add? The fact that the periodic updates have the power to switch off and reset the tracker via software, makes me think that the idea is not really impossibile as they would want us to believe. Just beyond me... 

[winalightning]

This is ridiculous! Why don't they just add a start/stop driving button? Did the developers of this device not realize that people drive nowadays? Seriously I'm supposed to go back and try and remember the times I was driving so I can manually edit it? This is supposed to be a seamless device I put on and not have to worry about it. Another good idea that was poorly executed. Looks like I'm going to have to return it.

[rugersmom]

Just purchased charge 2. Not real happy I did 😢 step counting is very inaccurate! I’ve placed it on non dominant hand, but set that hand as dominant in hopes of solving over counting. No luck. Lowered my stride settings too. Still over counting! Glad I didn’t invest in the blaze or ionic as I believe issues will persist. 👎🏽

[Ton]

@rugersmom

If it's just miscounting your real steps (no other activities included) and you have checked it repeatedly, it might be faulty, so if you get in touch with the customer service, they will probably be willing to replace it.

[rtplusk]

I have the Blaze and it's very inaccurate with steps on a vehicle. I can only guess that the others are the same way, being that they are all typically the same device in different variation.

[IanButty]

I've just purchased the Charge 2 - just done my first drive wearing it and discovered it is logging steps while driving.  NOT GOOD.  

I've done a bit of research and from reading this thread and others there appears to be three solution.

1. Charge the fitbit while driving - not ideal

2. Manually enter driving time - how do people know what times to put in for that.  I go Geocaching so can often be in and out of the car - drive for 5 or 10 mins - walk for 10 or 15 mins - repeat multiple times.  How do you keep track of which times to log driving for?

3. A few posts have talked about a "travel bit app" - this looks like it might be the only option.  I've looked in the Apple app store but can't find it - can anyone point me in the right direction.

Overall I like the fitbit charge but can't believe there isn't an off/stop button to stopping logging when you don't want it to.

[Rich_Laue]

There is also DriveBit @IanButty

Another option would be to replace the stuts/shocks in the car if they are worn out. 

Unfortunately steps while driving is a problem with any tracker on the market especially if the car has a stiff suspension

[IanButty]

@Rich_Laue - you are clearly not in the UK - nothing wrong to do with the shock absorbers - everything to do with the number of potholes in the UK roads these days - it is horrendous.

Does DriveBit actually work? - the most recent reviews on the app store suggest that it no longer works?  If it does still work that could be a good solution.

[Rich_Laue]

When Fitbit upgraded their API it took a couple of months for the developer of Drivebit to update his interface .that is why travelbit was written. 

It has been working fine for over a year. 

They both work and one of them can auto detect driving. This gives a hands free drive logging. 

[IanButty]

According to iTunes, TravelBit is not available on the UK App store. Do you know if there are any plans to make it available in the UK?

I've purchased DriveBit as a stop gap but the auto detect is really what I need (DriveBit doesn't appear to do that) - I am often doing lots of short journeys and in and out of the car.

[Johnnypop]

Hi IanButty

U can find an app called “Drivebit” in the IPhone App Store. I
drive an 18 wheeler for a living (a lotta driving) and this works well for
me. Download the app, log into your Fitbit acct, as the app will prompt
you to authorize its use for your Fitbit charge 2. It’s very simple to use.
It will display a “Start” button for when u don’t want to record steps, and
then a “Stop” button for when you want to start recording your steps again.
How it works is when u select the start button, it will continue to record
activity. When u hit the stop button it then erases the activity between
the time u hit start and stop, so it’s based on time. Hopefully this helps
😊

[IanButty]

Thanks @Johnnypop for the info.

Everyone, I'm finding Drivebit to be a bit unreliable.  About 50% of the time it crashes when it comes to log the driving activity.  Oddly enough, the crashes have been when I log a journey that finishes back at home.

I really like to get hold of the other app that does something similar but it appears it is not available on the UK iTunes store.

I am now wondering if there is any mileage in logging an activity via the fitbit that I KNOW I won't do (Yoga in my case!) while I am driving, then afterwards changing that activity to "driving" to negate the steps?  Has anyone else tried this?

Ian.

[Domingo1865]

Frankly I think that the Fitbit charge3 sucks, I had a charge 2 and I never experienced the kind of issues I am facing with this

1-Stopped reading my resting heart rate for the last 5 !!! Days

2- I am reaching 10 thousands steps even while I drive a taxi all day

3-I have to input my exercise manually because the Fitbit will not, I repeat will not track my exercise on his own.... I realize I just wasted my money and if Fitbit wants to reimburse me my money I’ll gladly send back this piece of junk to them

[Domingo1865]

My fitbit

1- stopped reading my resting heart rate

2- won’t track my exercise

3- give 10000 steps even when I drive a taxi all day

so if Fitbit wants to reimburse me my money I’ll send this junk to them

[Rich_Laue]

@Domingo1865 may I ask which of the 4 possible modes to track exercise are you using to track them and what type of exercise are you doing.

I'm not sure how it would stop reading your resting heart rate when it will read your heart rate throughout the day.

Yes there will be times a vehicle with stuff or sloppy suspension will give false steps. This time may be recorded as driving or you can use one of the apps that are designed to do this. Both have a way to auto detect driving.

As for returns please look at the bottom of the page where you will see a link to the warranty and return policy 

[Blagadan]

its ironic that this topic is listed as solved when it clearly is not. I would suggest the drivebit or travelbit apps are "patches" to workaround the poorly executed firmware. 

I was given a charge2 for christmas but i've been struggling with the step accuracy. I think its completely unrealistic to expect folks to manually start or stop the step counter via an app. This should work automatically in the background. 

My $10 hip mounted pedometer is way more accurate than this expensive fitbit wrist watch.

[Ton]

@Rich_Laue

About suspensions: there is no vehicle that will not generate false steps, and yes, driving can be recorded as an activity once in a while, but think of taxi or bus or lorry drivers... I myself have a paid app but I don't use it anymore because either I forget or I can't be bothered when I drive several times in a day. Also, I don't see why customers should use 3rd party apps for something that would be so easy to implement with a start/stop trigger. I'm not speaking about automatic... Just a simple start/stop option. And let me say it again, I feel it's a shame that those in charge, after almost 5 years and countless posts pointing out this problem, still keep hiding and ignoring it.

[Rich_Laue]

Apparently there is not enough consistency in the way the tracker bounces around during a drive for Fitbit to come up with an algorithm to detect driving.

Yes I can understand your thinking and at the same time I see that all of fitbits competition including the AW have the same complaint while driving.

@Blagadan a thread gets marked solved by the original poster, to understand why a thread was marked solved, one must first read and understand the original question. Then after understanding the question we need to look at the marked solution and try to look at it through the eyes of the original poster.

Often I notice that the ones who complain about a thread not being solved is because they are asking a question that the original poster did not ask. Yes if a thread gets hijacked, the new subject most likely will not be covered by the solution.