Fitbit inspire 2 overcount

[m1inny]

Hey all, I bought my first fitbit, as I didn’t know what to expect I got the most simple, Inspire 2 model and I’ve been loving it so far🥹

However it’s now 24hrs since I first put it on and I got really suspicious of my step count - I got a congrats saying I’ve reached 10k steps, while I know, I wasn’t too active today, and before fitbit, getting 10k steps on my iphone was quite a challenge. So I check my apple health - sure enough it only has 5k steps on there.

I’ve watched some videos and people are saying that the little walks when you don’t have your phone on you quickly add up, so I was like sure, but double the step count thooo????

Then I wore my fitbit in the shower. In the 20mins that I stood there I got 500 extra steps😂😂 what on Earth? I thought maybe it’s cause my heart rate picked up since I was under hot water, but then it kept on counting while I was applying lotion.

I found some advice that changing the hand settings from non-dominant to dominant helps with the sensitivity, which I’ve done. But that just makes me question the validity of this device.. it got me so excited seeing all the incredible data over today, but is it all really fake?

Let me know if anyone else faced the same struggles and how you’ve dealt with it.. I could’ve never guessed that a watch, specifically created for step counting could be so bad at it??

Thanks all

[Odyssey13]

Hi @m1inny it's a bit of a learning time with a new Fitbit. Since these are wrist based devices, they will pick up the hand movements as steps. From experience I can tell you that certain activities, such as winding a skein of yarn will make your step count go crazy. Some musicians, especially drummers and guitarists find their step count higher when they are playing. I don't shower with a Fitbit on because the soap, shampoo and conditioner might not be the best thing to get on the sensors. Why not take that time to charge your device, but be sure to wipe it clean each time you remove it from the wrist to get rid of any skin oils. If the extra steps are a concern, you can remove them, but overall it seems to even out with the times that I walk with my hands in my pocket, which lowers my step count.

[ManuFitbit]

Welcome to the forums @m1inny.

Thank you for taking the time to share all this information and experience that you are having with your Inspire 2. 

I'd like to just add some more details regarding the step count. 

Keep in mind the algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. As @Odyssey13 mentioned, when working at a desk, cooking, or performing other activities with arm movements, a device on your wrist may add some steps. When you’re doing activities that involve arm movement, such as working or cooking, you often walk a few steps in-between stationary periods as well, so the device tries to give you credit for those steps. For most customers, the number of extra steps added by arm-based movement isn’t significant when compared to your overall stats. 

If you still consider the steps are not accurate, please make sure that you've tried the restart procedure using the charging cable, as described in this article, then check if you continue to experience the same behavior. In the meantime, you can find more useful information about the accuracy of Fitbit devices and how to adjust your stride length and dominant hand settings here as well.

Thank you for sharing the knowledge with us @Odyssey13.