Inspire 2 is tracking too many steps

[Esther20]

I wore my Fitbit on my ankle today . It registered 17579 steps. My phone was always in my pocket, it registered 10749 steps. That is quite a difference. Can anyone explain the difference?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Rich_Laue]

Your phone is counting the up/down movement in the pocket. I don't know what app you are using on the phone. 

Your fitbit is counting the movement of the leg. Fitbit is not programmed to properly count steps when worn in the ankle. 

I don't know what type of activity you have done today. 

[Esther20]

I spent the day working sheep, walking and occasionally running. Even on my non dominant wrist, I had an enormous amount of steps. On my phone I am using google health. 

[ManuFitbit · Accepted solution]

Thanks for stopping by @Esther20.

I appreciate the details regarding your Inspire 2.

As@Rich_Laue mentioned, the tracker is designed to be worn on your wrist, in order to get accurate information. 

If you are wearing it in your wrist, keep in mind 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 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. 

Before considering other options, and if you still consider the steps are not accurate, please make sure that you've tried the restart procedure 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.