RESOLVED: Steps count increase while charging Fitbit Versa

[AlessFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 9/09

 Hi, Versa Fam! 

Thanks so much for your patience while our team continues to investigate and work on this issue. We're still working on this and I hope to have more information for you all very soon. 

As soon as there is a fix in place, I will make sure to announce that here. Please stay tuned and subscribed to this thread for updates. 

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Fitbit Update: 7/25

Hey, everyone!

I know many of you are wondering what the status on this bug is and I'm here to reassure you this is still being worked on by our team. For anyone still getting ghost steps on their Versa's, we are definitely working towards a fix. I don't have a timeline for when the fix will be released, so I appreciate everyone's patience for the time being. I recommend if possible, placing your Versa on a different flat surface without any vibrations to prevent the extra steps. 

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Fitbit Update: 6/21

Hi, everyone!

Sorry to hear that some of you are accumulating unwanted steps while charging your Versa's. Thank you for taking the time to report this issue here on the forums. Our team is aware of this affecting some of you and is working towards a fix on a future firmware release.

Thanks for your patience for the time being. 

[wetdog1965]

Already done...

[carla1989]

My versa has been okay for a few days now, i charge if for an hour before i go to bed then leave it on my window sill in the bedroom havent had any ghost steps for a while 🙂 

[slellis128]

Well, I returned from a business trip today. Replacement Versa #4 had been delivered while I was away. I've got it all set up and charged and my fingers crossed that the 4th ones the charm... 

[winnie1280]

I am waiting for 2nd replacement. Hoping it works. Hope #4 works for you.

[meatburger]

I've had mine for about a month and its been counting ghost steps from the onset. I posted here ages ago. I don't even bother looking at it now, it vibrates and tells me how good i'm doing and i just ignore it. Yesterday i did 8.7k steps and i basically drove around all day. 

Unfortunately i purchased it to track my sleep - which it is doing adequately. I am doing a very severe insomnia program so i need something like this. 

Can someone give me a bit of a heads up on the return / refund policy? 

Have i missed the refund period?

Is there really any point returning it for a replacement? Will my sleep data be maintained?

Are there other fitbit products that track sleep just as well?

How about any competitors? 

What annoys me is i have never had a fitness product, and i actually would enjoy looking at my steps if they are at all reliable.  

Thanks 

[geepondy]

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Yours is an interesting case.  There are those who think this problem is limited to a low percentage of units sold but if this was the case, it would be unlikely a second replacement unit would exhibit the failure and much, much, less three three units in a row.  From reading through this thread and a few others, I'm not convinced that the possibility doesn't exist for every sold Versa to have the potential to  exhibit this failure at some point.  Some units fail immediately and fairly often, some do not fail for the first time until until after the user has owned the Versa fora couple of months.  They have failed both on and off the charger.  They have failed in both IOS and Android phones.

Did your three previous units all exhibit the mystery steps in the same manner, meaning thousands of unaccounted for steps?

@slellis128 wrote:

Well, I returned from a business trip today. Replacement Versa #4 had been delivered while I was away. I've got it all set up and charged and my fingers crossed that the 4th ones the charm... 

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[slellis128]

Yes, all three of my previous ones have exhibited the same issue. I got thousands of ghost steps daily on each of them. For me it usually happened in the evenings less often during the morning or early afternoon. I have to wonder how I could have had so many defective units also... I wonder if there are just a lot of people who are very active and wouldn't notice if they had 5 or 6 or even 10 thousand extra steps. You have to be still for a period of time to notice it. Or you have to leave the fitbit on the charger or on the table so when you pick it up you know it increased for no reason. I wonder how many people would really see the issue if every single Versa user was to leave their unit sit on the table for three days checking it daily for ghost steps.

Anyway, my Versa number 4 has not added ghost steps since I put it on last night. I'm past the 12 hour mark! Lol... wish me luck with it.

[Nu2_4rum]

The other possibility is that the failures relate to use with certain phones. I am thinking here of how GPS is supported on the phones being used by people who are having the problem. Perhaps the GPS location data jitters and confuses the watch. It would be interesting to see if the Ionic, using its own GPS, has the same problem.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[slellis128]

After sitting a while, i checkes my VersaSE and noted that at 8:28am i had 623 steps; stayed still and at 8:33 am i had 692 steps. Got on a chat with support to report the issue... at 8:48 am, still sitting still I had 855 steps... my case is being escalated to s higher level. I copied the message from the support agent  below. I am hopeful that them escalating it to a higher department means it will help figure out what's going on!

"Since a Fitbit with this inconvenience is not going to help you reaching your goals, and it is not normal, I'll need to escalate your case to our high department team and someone of them will contact you via email as soon as possible."

I will let everyone know how it goes with the higher level team...

[Runtu]

I am going on almost 3 weeks since receiving mine, today no ghost steps, however not charting stairs, I should be at 5 and registering 3, not a big deal at all. My watch is charting steps almost like my husbands who has a Charge 2 (2 years old). Still no ghost steps to report. Those of you experiencing ghost steps I know many people say to me it is not the Gps, but it is the most logical to me that it has an effect on it.  Also just because you have the gps turned off in the Fitbit app, does not mean it is not still connecting to your device that is recording it with what ever it is paired too.  I have my gps off on my devise in the settings too for Fitbit app.

anyways I am still recording by hand daily steps and comparing.

I feel so bad for the people having this issue, it is not worth the cost of this watch, must be so aggravating.

[emilysiemens007]

 the same thing happened to me a couple times. I plugged it in to charge one night with maybe 100 steps from Midnight and when I woke up and unplugged it I had 65,000 steps.

[SunsetRunner]

I would agree, this appears to be a very difficult issue to troubleshoot, with the number of variables involved.  I pre-ordered my Versa and have never seen the issue.  One thing I normally charge my equipment, either from a battery pack, or my couch that contains a USB charging function (I'm assuming just a power supply, but haven't really looked into it.  I wear my Versa all the time unless it is charging, or I'm taking a shower.

[SunsetRunner]

I charged my Versa yesterday morning and i got one thousands ghost steps.

But they didn't show up in the diagram.

[Stormyam]

I had not had this issue until today when it was charging on a flat surface and not close to vibration. Has an update happened as yet?

[vanessamango]

I am on Versa #2 and still having this problem! Would I be better off returning the Versa and waiting for Fitbit to become more knowledgeable about constructing a Versa that works properly? Or is this guaranteed to be solved via a software update?

[Runtu]

Not sure what you can do.....I know that in the warranty, if you return it you are not guaranteed a new Versa back, you might get a refurbished one. You will need to contact Fitbit in regards to your agreement.

I am going on 4 weeks of my New Versa and have not seen ghost steps, I have been watching it close, comparing my Versa with my husbands Charge 2. 

Since the new update a few days ago, we have experienced slow syncing, missing Floors and maybe a few ghost steps but not enough to complain about.  Updates usually cause syncing issues at first, but nothing big.

[Runtu]

Congratulations slellis128, so glad for you!!

[slellis128]

Thanks, I'm actually kind of sad... I really wanted it it work. But the accuracy issues and lack of timely remedy made this my only alternitive.

[Runtu]

I understand, 😞

[Runtu]

Wow, since update of software, I have been receiving a ton of Ghost Floors, about 1000 ghost steps.  Man, not only on my Versa, but also my husbands Charge 2.  Bummer