My Versa doesn't always count Active Minutes.

[nhlisa]

Hi.  I'm a little confused by active minutes.  I've been using a Fitbit since January.  Originally purchased for sleep tracking & heart rate tracking.  I have physical issues and a bad knee so don't move much.  Can't be on my feet for any length of time.  Started using the Alta HR and then the Charge 2 (alternated between them).  In June I got the Versa.

I purchased a Cubii which is an elliptical that you use sitting down in any chair.  When I first started using it in June, I was only able to do 3 minutes.  I have been slowly increasing my time.  Today I did 18 minutes.  I finally figured out that I could manually log exercise and started doing that.  Once I got the Versa, I started using the exercise shortcuts (much easier than manually adding).

Anyway, it's strange because sometimes I get no active minutes at all and other times I do get some but not the full amount of time.  I did 18 minutes today and I got no active minutes.  Yesterday I did 16 minutes and again no active minutes.  Last week I had 3 days with some active minutes.  Week before 5 days with active minutes.  I was doing less minutes on the elliptical those weeks.  You'd think I'd start seeing the active minutes more now that I've increased my time.

I did look at the help but find it a bit confusing.  I consider what I'm doing pretty darn good for someone my size who hasn't done anything in years.  It just gets a little frustrating not to get credit for what I am doing.

Lisa  

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[LZeeW · Accepted solution]

@nhlisa  Active minutes are effort related, not just time related.  Fitbit uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent).  One MET is you at rest.  In order to get active minutes, you have to exercise at 3 METs, the equivalent of a brisk walk.  Here is the link that completely describes Active Minutes. 

According to the Help article, you have to exercise for 10 minutes before you get the credit for those active minutes.  But every now and then I get a random  6 or 8 minutes.  So sometimes you do seem to get credit for less than 10 minutes.

Now that you have a Versa, your active minutes are based on you calorie burn calculated while exercising. 

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @nhlisa, I hope you're doing well, it's nice to see you around. It's great to see you around too @LZeeW, thanks for your all your help. 

@nhlisa, I've moved your post from the iOS board to the Versa board to keep the forums organized and your post can get more focused attention. 

Please note that as @LZeeW mentioned, Active Minutes are counted based on the intensity of your exercise, not necessarily based on the time you exercise. As you have a Versa, I would like to suggest you to check that it's well snuggled in your wrist and that you're able to see a heart rate reading, as Fitbit devices with a heart rate tracker recognize Active Minutes more easily for non-step based exercises. Additionally, you can restart your Versa by pressing and holding the Back and Select buttons (left and bottom right) until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen and then monitor it on your next exercise sessions. 

I hope this can be helpful, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[nhlisa]

@LZeeW  Thanks.  I figured it was effort related but I feel that it should also be time related.  I'm morbidly obese and I'm doing the best I can.  For me I'm moving more and faster on the elliptical because I'm sitting.  When I'm on my feet, I not only have an issue with my bad right knee but my left thigh/hip is messed up from the way I've had to walk for the past few years.  I can't be on my feet for long.  Going for a walk wouldn't work because I need to be able to sit down at a moments notice.

Anyway, I'm rambling.  I did 18 minutes today and it did give me 12 active minutes.  It's just not consistent.  I feel like I did the same effort yesterday and got nothing.

Lisa

[nhlisa]

@MarcoGFitbit  I'm hanging in there.  Thanks.

I originally put this post in the IOS board because it was doing the same thing when I was using my Charge 2 and manually logging my exercise.  That's ok though because I don't think I'll be wearing my Charge 2 anymore unless I'm charging my Versa.  I like the Versa too much.  Actually have 2 of them because I couldn't decide which one I wanted.  Got the Silver/Gray first last month and this month the Rose Gold/Peach.  Really love the Rose Gold one.  So the Silver one is now the emergency backup.

I always make sure my Versa (or Charge 2) is showing my heart rate.  I wear it on my right wrist which is my dominant one.  Yesterday I tried wearing it on my left wrist which I definitely can't normally do for reasons I won't go into...however that didn't work because I have a tattoo on that wrist and I kept loosing my heart rate.  Also I have an indent in my wrist below the tattoo so If I put it down lower it sits into the indent and doesn't lay correctly and again the heart rate doesn't work.  None of that matters though, I'm rambling again.

What does restarting the Versa do?  It doesn't delete everything does it?  That would be reset not restart I assume.  I'll try to keep that restart in mind if things go "wonky" with it.  I have to restart my iPhone once in a while.

Thanks.

[liquidbase]

I have the same issue.

For some time now there has been the problem that the active minutes of exercise are either not or only partially recorded. Best example is today. Had a weight exercise like every morning. Yesterday, only 12 out of 35 minutes were recorded and today, 35 minutes were recorded at 0.

In the exercise overview, the exact time is recorded at 34:57.2, but the indication is missing on the clockface. In the app itself, the time for the exercise is also not specified. It is quite annoying when the data is not captured or transmitted correctly, as it is difficult to work out a reasonable training plan here. 

The Versa software is also up to date here (according to app) and the app itself currently has the latest version I can find in the Playstore.If anyone has an idea how to fix the error, I am open to suggestions.

[tcolema61]

I am having the very same issue with the Versa not consistently tracking minutes.  I do the same distance and speed with every walk, and about the same time each morning, and sometimes I get credit for the minutes, and sometimes I do not.  I have restarted  my phone, uninstalled the app, called customer service, and still the same issue.  

I've had to install another app on my phone to track my minutes since the Versa is unable to consistently provide me with data.  The issue is or cannot be that I need to walk briskly for more than 10 minutes.  I do the same walk each day, and yesterday in total I walked almost 4 miles, over 10K steps, and I know I walked faster yesterday than today.  My time recorded is  12 minutes today and yesterday was 0 minutes.  

Customer service was useless in my opinion since the issue continues.  So disappointed in the Versa.