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. 

[slellis128]

I have sent the requested info

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@AHKimFunhaus wrote:

Ditto. I can't find the "send a message" option.

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[lenny4d]

@Nu2_4rum: "I had a single primary reason for purchasing a Versa SE, which was to analyse my sleep pattern, specifically to identify whether I was able to get deep sleep"

Well, the Charge 2 (which is much cheaper) does exactly the same (if not better!), probably some of the other lower-end fitbits too. The new Charge 3 too (which is also cheaper than the Versa). From the above it is not obvious if you need the or even benefit from proper SPO2 data, regardless wether the fitbit can deliver it or not. Given that it is difficult enough to get the heartrate data reasonably correct, I doubt that the SPO2 sensor will ever work accurately enough. Time will tell.

"Distance walked: Sometimes I have been surprised by how far the watch says I have walked."  Do you mean steps or meters/miles? You don't mention you use a connected GPS, so in that case distance is estimated by a stride length, which you either can set manually or fitbit makes an estimate based on weight and height (and maybe age, plus gender). If you care about distance (I personally don't, I only care about steps), you need to review and if necessary set your stride length, otherwise the estimated distance can be wayyyy off.

"I have been through the arduous and longwinded setup process several times now. ... So I have completely given up on this feature too"

It takes maybe 3 minutes to set up a card for the first time, provided your bank is supported. But it does help to check that it works BEFORE you try to pay for something!  Don't blame fitbit for that!

"I wear the watch pretty much all the time, which means I need to charge it every 2-3 days."

Everyone wears their watch all the time - normal time to recharge is 3.5days. That is what fitbit claims and that is exactly what it is for me. Have you installed another clockface? Some may draw more power. Or maybe you are looking a lot at your clockface, turning it on very frequently also reduces battery time (as are using the various apps).

"I think they need to do more than I have seen in their responses on this forum"

That maybe true, but do not discount the gazillions of people with no problems at all.

"a general impression of how much confidence one should place in Fitbit with regard to the likelihood of remaining issues with the Versa being resolved"

To me it tells me there are people that simply do not want to spend a little time to read the instructions and make them work for them, but instead blame fitbit. And neither bother to post in a new thread...  🙂

[Nu2_4rum]

I agree that it is not possible to gauge, from the forum content, what percentage of Fitbit Versa users have problems. It could be a very small number. We simply do not know. So I do not discount your overall optimism. I do however disagree somewhat about the idea that people are reporting non-problems arising from their failure to read instructions.

Below I have attempted to address the points you make, albeit at the expense of wandering a bit off-topic, but I hope this information is useful.

Stride Length

With regard to stride length, that will affect step count, assuming it is distance walked divided by stride length. I am assuming that distance walked, if I am carrying my phone to provide GPS data, is based on actual GPS distance walked, and that in the absence of my phone, it is based on the watch’s estimate of step count. If I were more bothered about this (not being my primary purpose in using the watch), I would set the stride length. (Actually I may have done so already.)

Wallet Issues

I take issue with you, with regard to the wallet setup. I have been through this lengthy process 3 times. Each time I successfully registered a card in the wallet. I confirmed this on the watch and in the Fitbit app. Yes indeed it is important to do this before attempting to use it in a store. However, each time, the watch and the Fitbit app both lost the card information, at a time of their own choosing, and the first I knew was when I tried to pay for something, days later. I am capable of reading instructions and following them. Had I not, I would not have succeeded in registering the card in the first place.

Recharge Interval

If I want the display to stay on longer than the default time when I flip my wrist to turn it on, that’s up to me. If that means the watch needs a recharge after 2-3 days instead of 3-4, so be it. My choice. I have no complaint about the number of days the watch runs before needing a charge. I have never had it run down completely because I get notified at 25 %. Likewise if I choose a watch face that I like, and it consumes more battery power, that is my choice. The one I use is not fancy, it does not seek to report the weather or anything like that.

Manuals don’t deal with everything

After a career of 4 decades in the software industry, I know how to read a manual. I also know a lot about finding my way through problems not mentioned in the manual, the kind of things that get a lot of people stuck.

As an example, I discovered that sync between my watch and phone worked poorly in the vicinity of my laptop. I switched off Bluetooth on my laptop and things got far better. The phone and the watch could find each other, for a start.

Despite this, the sync between watch and phone is in my opinion lackadaisical. If I open the Fitbit app, typically, despite the All Day Sync, the app is a day or so behind in terms of the sleep data, and I have to manually sync it every time.

Curious this, as the pulsing heart symbol in the app exactly matches my pulse, which I have carefully confirmed. So some data is getting through on a moment by moment basis. My pulse rate is very accurately displayed. Always. And I have never had a problem getting the watch to pick up my pulse. It will even do so if I hold it an inch or so above my wrist, which is surprising. However wrists vary. Possibly someone with a thicker wrist or a different arrangement of subcutaneous veins may be less lucky.

Pulse Oximetry: I still think Fitbit could get some mileage from exposing this feature

I doubt that the spO2 measurement feature will see the light of day, given how much time has gone by since the release of the watch, and no sign of the feature surfacing yet, no official mention. Fitbit may have decided not to expose the feature because, sensing on the wrist, as opposed to from a fingertip, it may not be able to achieve the accuracy and reliability of a purpose-designed medical pulse oximetry device. But enough of speculating on Fitbit’s intent or plans.

Yet the Versa hardware uses the technique that pulse oximeters use, of measuring at 2 different light frequencies. A pulse oximeter estimates spO2 based on the differential data. (Of course any such measurement assumes you are not anaemic. If you are, the spO2 estimate will be an over-estimate.) Putting this capability into the hardware obviously cost money, and manufacturers are loathed to increasing manufacturing expense without a reason. I do not know if the same sensing hardware is in any other models besides the Ionic. I suspect not. And it was a factor in my decision to buy a Versa, and not a cheaper Fitbit model, or an iWatch.

Overnight monitoring of apnoea patients in a home environment typically involves a finger probe to do the pulse oximetry and is performed (say) annually for one night. The spO2 level is recorded during sleep. An automated analysis of the recording is then done by a consultant, looking for dips that are significant in depth and duration. This is pretty critical information to have. A less accurate device on the wrist all the time however might still have value, and I still think there is potential mileage in Fitbit exposing the spO2 measurement feature, which they would need to carefully document as being only a guide and a potential warning to seek medical advice.

Heart Arrhythmia: Opportunity for new feature

There is something else that the watch could be made to do: It could spot pulse irregularities. My BP monitor does that. It can identify arrhythmia. (Missing beats, beats varying in strength, mistimes beats, etc. All very common within the population. But something the medical profession only gets very short peeps at, by infrequent use of expensive monitoring devices.) I would hope that Fitbit considers this as a potentially useful feature, something that the app could be revised to display.

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[lenny4d]

@Nu2_4rum"It could be a very small number. We simply do not know."  Well, given that Fitbit has 1.6B$ (2017) in revenues you can do the math on how many units they sell... vs how many people are here proclaiming that the units are just a waste...

>> With regard to stride length, that will affect step count, assuming it is distance walked divided by stride length. 

The units measures steps and uses the stride length (specified manually or autocomputed) to estimate/calculate distance, not the other way around. It measures steps, and steps do not - repeat not - depend on stride length.

>> Each time I successfully registered a card in the wallet. I confirmed this on the watch and in the Fitbit app.

Just to make sure: by 'confirmed on the watch' you mean that when you press and hold the left button you got the screen with 'your' payment card, right?? Be aware that sometimes you get another screen (music controls, notifications) and you need to swipe left or right to get to the payment card - it may appear as if the card is gone while it is not, just have to swipe. What you are also saying is that after you setup the card in the wallet tile in the mobile app all was ok, but after some time when you went back into the wallet tile in the mobile app the card had just disappeared? (and you never disabled the card in the dashboard on the web of course).

On recharge interval - you seemed disappointed that you only get 2 days or so, when it was supposed to be 3.5. Don't be disappointed or suggest something is wrong if you mean it was due to your choice... I was pointing out that it really is 3.5days with normal use (until dead, not 25%), but that some apps or usage can consume more power than 'normal'.

>> As an example, I discovered that sync between my watch and phone worked poorly in the vicinity of my laptop. I switched off Bluetooth on my laptop and things got far better. 

That's spelled out everywhere. Note that Fitbit uses bluetooth low-energy (BLE) and may be more sensitive to strong bluetooth transmitters like those in your laptop.

I agree on your SPO2 comments, of course 🙂

>> I do not know if the same sensing hardware is in any other models besides the Ionic. I suspect not. 

Charge 3, Versa all have the same hardware (slightly different layout on the back side of the watch)

>> A less accurate device on the wrist all the time however might still have value,

Yes, but not if it is all over the place. This is the problem especially with the higher HR readings on the newer models. When people try to train in their HR peak zone and the unit tells they are only at 100bpm then the user and ultimately fitbit has a SERIOUS problem. And they have been there before.

>> There is something else that the watch could be made to do: It could spot pulse irregularities. My BP monitor does that. It can identify arrhythmia. 

Yes. The newest (?) Apple watch has this feature with an electrode on the side you have to hold. It produces a sort of poor-man's EKG but apparently good enough to do some of the analysis as you mention. The problem is that you normally don't do this regularly during the day... So it's a lot of cost and weight for something that you probably want to buy something dediced and accurate for, as you say BP monitor. That also gives pressure at the same time, accurately. I don't think we will see this on a fitbit anytime soon.

[Cljf]

At the risk of again being considered asinine or rude or whatever, I will make a comment.

Indeed no one can tell how many have one or another of the issues described here and in other such posts, and on Amazon reviews. But, there has been a history that when buyers send back a defective unit for replacement, the NEW ones they receive seem to have the same issues. Either this is remarkably coincidental, or the defects are more common than surmised. Yes, consumers do not know, but Fitbit should. By now they must have data on what percent show defects or simply don’t work. And they could inform consumers of that number....

And yes, these are complicated mechanisms. So many ways to fail...hardware, software or mistakes in manufacturing or delivery. But one would hope that many of those issues would have been addressed prior to release. Glitches always show as complex programming is developed, but they are what keeps systems analysts and testers busy prior to release as they search, find and attempt to correct.

Finally, what is troublesome with some of the posts from Fitbit, even the ones that kindly explain why the “vibration” suggestion is made repeatedly, is that they seem always to end with , “if this didn’t work contact customer support so they will know.” Does anyone in customer service not know by now that for many a problem has persisted for nearly eight months?

Many of us have followed these posts almost from the onset; they tell a tale replete with disappointment, frustration, consumer brainstorming, confusion and a degree of annoyance and anger. All want only one thing...a product that does what it is supposed to.

There may well be a gazillion users who are fortunate enough to have a product that does work. But there does seem to be an issue or several for many who paid the same amount for the product. Enough so, apparently, that BEST BUY was concerned enough with the reliability of the product that they discontinued their extended warrantee. Not a trivial observation.

I apologize now for anything said that is deemed offensive. I simply do not understand the endless analysis of the problem from consumers, and the relative quiet from Fitbit.

[Glenmcd]

well said @Cljf

While shopping at my local supermarket, I noticed one of the shelf stacker workers there was wearing a Versa.  So I asked her how it was going, and whether she had had any problems.  Although she said she liked owning it, she had experienced most of the more common problems here (ghost steps, random resets) but thought it must have been her fault and simply wasn't the sort of person to go browsing on forums for every item she buys.  Initially, she said there were no problems until I got down to specifics, such as the step count being way too high sometimes.

Just like many other pieces of technology, most people are not so aware of how they work or even how they are supposed to work, and afraid that if they say something about what they consider may not be right, that it may end up embarrassing them.  Just because the majority are quiet doesn't mean that everything they own always works perfectly.

Re fitbits sold, all the info you need is revealed in public documents on the fitbit website.  Fitbit had great items that millions of people loved, and it made Fitbit lots of money.  Something happened around 2015/2016, and now they make unreliable flakey devices, their losses are increasing and their sales are dropping dramatically every quarter.  Those that have loved the Fitbit brand (myself included) see danger, and don't want Fitbit to totally destroy all the good they have built up.  Fitbit keep putting on this smiling face and pretending everything is just fine, resulting in those of us trying to get a message to them to revert to more pushy methods.  When someone you talk to doesn't appear to hear, you say it again but louder right?  For many here (including myself), the overly zealous moderators delete posts they don't like.  If I had to pick just one thing that could turn Fitbit around, it would be a transition to a far greater level of transparency.  It's time to purge the cancer in Fitbit management rather than the many well intended honest posts here.

[Nu2_4rum]

Well put.

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[Nu2_4rum]

Well put. Users get upset when companies they buy from behave in ways not commensurate with their long-term success, for which the buck always stops with senior management.

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[RJayR]

The thing that gets me about this counting-steps-while-charging: Who at Fitbit wears the Versa with it's charger while it's charging? Should be easy enough to put a bit of code in that says "If on charger, don't count steps". Next thing we know, it'll think you don't have a heartbeat while it's on the charger and try to call 911.  

[CharlieAllin]

I woke up this morning with 8066 steps, I know I in no way did that many in my sleep! 

[SunsetRunner]

I just got more than 4000 steps by charging.

[Nu2_4rum]

This is exactly what I had mentioned a while back in the forum, ie the watch knows when it is not on a wrist, and it knows when it is on the charger. But for some reason my attempts to report this were removed by the forum moderator. I will be surprised therefore if this post gets through.

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[Glenmcd]

Despite the subject for this thread, the ghost steps observed on Versa are not due to charging.  Numerous other owners have reported seeing ghost steps from simply leaving their Versa off their wrist in a quiet place for an extended time.  Spend a bit of time reading through this entire thread and this will become clear.  Note that this is a firmware glitch, and the solution to firmware glitches is to fix them, and not to add logic to attempt to counter-act the problems they cause.  For example adding logic "if charging then ignore steps" would do absolutely nothing to fix the problem.  The code that gets executed by the accelerometer hardware isn't even executed and isn't reponsible for the ghost steps at all.  Broken code that corrupts data  and not just the steps counter, is the real cause here.

[Nu2_4rum]

Nevertheless, one would expect the software to suppress increments to the step count when off-wrist or on-charger, just as a matter of completeness. The fact that this has not been done is curious.

I mentioned, somewhat off-topic, recently, the loss of card info from the Wallet app, which has happened several times, such that I have given up on the Waller feature completely, as I don’t have the time for such nonsense. If there is indeed some firmware instability that (a) updates the step count by large amounts by mistake then it could potentially also (b) wipe out stored card data. I can understand that tracking down a bug involving a rogue pointer causing data to be written at inappropriate locations could be difficult.

But in-circuit emulation hardware capable of snapshotting instruction sequences leading to such erroneous writes has been around for at least 40 years. I know, because I used it in the late 70s. One also has to wonder about programming methodology and QA for the firmware. I have written firmware myself and faced similar problems. But programming discipline is one of the best defences. Trying to be fair here, the big boys such as Microsoft have had their share of uncaught problems that made it to release, but there we are talking about software on a far larger scale than a watch, plus the fact that they fix their bugs.

There can’t be a shortage at Fitbit of malfunctioning Versa watches on which to experiment. They seem to have an ongoing process of swapping them for other ones that are also malfunctioning. From the forum I get the impression that all such swaps deliver replacements that are just as bad, but this may be because those whose replacement devices work ok are no longer posting on the forum. Impossible to know.

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UPDATE:

<< The units measures steps and uses the stride length (specified manually or autocomputed) to estimate/calculate distance, not the other way around. It measures steps, and steps do not - repeat not - depend on stride length. >>

It also measures stride RATE, and stride length DOES vary with that...

Without Connected GPS: What is available is step rate, stride length figured entered into the app, and duration of walk. Result will be approximate.

With Connected GPS: What is available is as above plus actual distances and actual velocities. Hence the means to auto-compute stride length as a function of velocity. Note: Stride length VARIES with velocity. In this mode I find a pedometer app matches the watch close enough. I also note that both successfully discount time/distance in vehicles. [[ However an interesting phenomenon occurs when pushing a shopping cart: Because it prevents arms swinging and smooths out velocity, my iPhone warns me not to use it while driving. ]]

I do not know if the watch is clever enough to use a graph of stride length versus stride frequency (that it would be able to accumulate when using Connected GPS) to adjust its calculations when not using Connected GPS. I suspect not, on the KISS principle.

I am not interested in step counts. My doctor tells me what distance I should walk daily, not how many steps to take, and says I should aim for a brisk pace. Not sure why you prefer steps. Same distance at brisker pace requires fewer steps.

(It is clear from the above that I am not getting the spurious step-counts that some users get.)

<< What you are also saying is that after you setup the card in the wallet tile in the mobile app all was ok, but after some time when you went back into the wallet tile in the mobile app the card had just disappeared? (and you never disabled the card in the dashboard on the web of course). >>

YES. I am a seasoned adult with an IQ of 135 and a mild degree of Asperger’s Syndrome. This sort of attention to detail is the kind of thing people like me ALWAYS get right and makes us such a pain in the **ahem** when asked to fill in forms because we spot all the ambiguous questions that no one else notices. Your pedantically-thorough questioning sounds like what I am capable of myself when trying to get accurate info out of non-technical people.

<< On recharge interval - you seemed disappointed that you only get 2 days or so, when it was supposed to be 3.5. Don't be disappointed or suggest something is wrong if you mean it was due to your choice... I was pointing out that it really is 3.5days with normal use (until dead, not 25%), but that some apps or usage can consume more power than 'normal'. >>

I was perfectly clear that I was not disappointed. I think you’re splitting hairs.

<< Yes. The newest (?) Apple watch has this feature with an electrode on the side you have to hold. It produces a sort of poor-man's EKG. >>

What I am talking about is, for example, recognising a pulse rate of 52 bpm in which 1 pulse in every 4 is missing or mistimed (ectopic beat; quite common in the population; causes panic leading to adrenalin rush which further disturbs the regularity). I am not talking about a full-blown EKG. My BP monitor can detect irregular beats, and it is not an EKG.

I’m not talking about absolute proof here, I’m talking about a high probability, and something of sufficiently high stakes to report to the wearer. Question is, whether a watch that correctly identifies (in my case) every pulse can figure out when they are irregularly spaced. I would have thought it could, and that it’s just a matter of writing the software, prioritisation of which of course depends on a cost/benefit analysis.

But thank you for mentioning that, during a work-out with high pulse rate, the watch misreads the pulse rate. That’s not something I personally do any more. Not since a cross-trainer bleeped and refused to let me continue using it when the sensing circuitry attached to its metal handles detected an irregular beat (which I felt too), flashed all its dashboard lights, and emitted a very loud beep, during a brisk walk that was not taxing me. But I can appreciate how, for some other users, this failure to read high pulse rates correctly would be more than inconvenient.

As for Apple and their EKG feature, my doctors tell me that the minimum number of electrodes for anything useful to be discernible is 3-4, and prefer to use 12. And those are purpose-designed electrodes, painful to remove from hairy skin. So I am surprised Apple are able to do anything useful. [[ Seems to me the primary thing Apple do that is useful is make loads of money for Apple, but that’s not directly useful to me. ]]


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[geepondy]

Much discussion and speculation about cause of mystery step problem but regardless, after a good six months now, why hasn't this problem been solved?  As one member stated they certainly must have enough samples by now.

I wonder just how resource starved they are?  I agree that customer service has deteriorated.  I've been a Fitbit member since the original Ultra.  Based on dialog I've had with them the past year or so, concerning a failed One and my Versa troubles, the best I can say is that it's inconsistent.  

I wonder what Fitbit's priorities are these days?  As someone who has been thru it, I wonder how long the majority investors will put up with a depressed stock value before exploring options such as putting the company up for sale?

Are new sales and profits either thru repeat member purchases or first time Fitbit users increasing faster than people leaving the Fitbit family either by disgust or migrating to a real smartwatch?  I would think the time is here or soon coming when a good multi-purpose smart watch can do fitness features as well as a device dedicated strictly to fitness.  If Fitbit decides to remain in the lower priced, fitness priority first devices then they are not doing a good job of hardening their product or providing quality customer service to their end users, in my opinion.

It will be interesting to see what path Fitbit follows in the upcoming year or two.

[lenny4d]

@RJayR: "The thing that gets me about this counting-steps-while-charging: Who at Fitbit wears the Versa with it's charger while it's charging? Should be easy enough to put a bit of code in that says "If on charger, don't count steps"

Remember that many people do NOT wear their fitbit on their wrist but in their pocket! And in fact, SOME may want to charge the unit at the same time (using USB-battery) so not to loose data. Of course, in theory it could be made optional, but the idea has always been that when the unit is in a steady place when charging it doesn't record steps. Steps can only result from vibrations, and similarly too steps-while-driving I suspect there is a kind of 'singularity' in the step-counting algorithm that make it susceptible to a kind of micro-vibration that seem to play up with a few people.

@CharlieAllin"I woke up this morning with 8066 steps, I know I in no way did that many in my sleep!"  Have you checked the 'steps tile' in the mobile app for today and checked when these ghoststeps happened? It might help to troubleshoot the issue. Feel free to post a screen capture, here or in a new thread.

@SunsetRunner"I just got more than 4000 steps by charging."  See comment above. Check your charger placement, and experiment with it. If that resolves it, you know where it comes from 🙂

@Nu2_4rum"ie the watch knows when it is not on a wrist, and it knows when it is on the charger." See my comment above. It may help you, but work against many others. But in theory it could be an option, although in reality it should not be necessary

@Glenmcd"Broken code that corrupts data  and not just the steps counter, is the real cause here."  Are you an annoyed ex-software engineer from Fitbit 😉 Everyone has the same software image, still only few people experience the problem. Now that can indeed happen with a bug that magically affects only certain people, if say it is dependent on personal parameters or whatever. But it is a very hard claim that the code is broken and it is code-bugs that cause this. My take is it is a 'singularity' in the counter algorithm making it susceptible to micro-vibrations. But indeed if you can show me that when you bolt the watch to a heavy block away from absolutely every source of vibration and still does the same, I concur and maybe it some weird bug. If you have a pointer to a thread that demonstrates it is a bug and nothing else, please share! 🙂

@Nu2_4rum"Nevertheless, one would expect the software to suppress increments to the step count when off-wrist" No, absolutely not, many people wear the tracker in their pocket. Which again shows you have not really understood the whole thing. But good luck. "It also measures stride RATE, and stride length DOES vary with that..." Whatever, point is that stepcount is a fundamental measurement, as is distance if you have connected GPS (build in GPS for Ionic). Everything else follows from that. And not the other way as you wanted to have it. "I am not interested in step counts. My doctor tells me what distance I should walk daily". Fair, then you need to use connected-GPS. Using stride without anything else is very approximate. Using the wrist-based step-counter AND stride-length (manual or otherwise) to see if you match a certain distance goal per day is not a necessarily a good idea if used and trusted blindly. I hope you realize that!! ONLY GPS can help with exact distance goals. "As for Apple and their EKG feature, my doctors tell me that the minimum number of electrodes for anything useful to be discernible is 3-4, and prefer to use 12." Apples pseudo-EKG is FDA approved.

@geepondy"It will be interesting to see what path Fitbit follows in the upcoming year or two."
Yeah!! Good post! 🙂  Will Fitbit be the next "Palm Inc"?  Who will survive in the fitness-tracker-smart-watch segment is unclear. Garmin is hi-end for the sports-fanatics, which is not where fitbit wants to be. Apple, well we know, they have more cloud, but do they have the fitness customer understanding. Fitbit is ahead on batteryendurance, fitness styling and ecosystem, cost. But have basic technical challenges that frustrate a good portion of customers. Some will endure it (and put up with it), others probably just put the watch to bed. That is sad.

"Much discussion and speculation about cause of mystery step problem but regardless"  I really want to see screencaptures of these mystery steps on the step-tile display for the relevant time, so we can analyse and get into some depth. I only read that people have them, but never see solid evidence. Pictures of setup, tape the thing to the floor and show me that you get phantomsteps. That is what I want to see. If you have pointers to threads with solid evidence instead of loose comments, then please share. That could be helpful to dive deeper.

[RJayR]

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@lenny4d wrote:

Remember that many people do NOT wear their fitbit on their wrist but in their pocket! And in fact, SOME may want to charge the unit at the same time (using USB-battery) so not to loose data. 

  Not sure what pocket I'd want to put the versa on it's charger in - it's a small, somewhat sharp-edged brick.  

[Glenmcd]

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@lenny4d wrote:

@Glenmcd"Broken code that corrupts data  and not just the steps counter, is the real cause here." 

Are you an annoyed ex-software engineer from Fitbit 😉 Everyone has the same software image, still only few people experience the problem. Now that can indeed happen with a bug that magically affects only certain people, if say it is dependent on personal parameters or whatever. But it is a very hard claim that the code is broken and it is code-bugs that cause this. My take is it is a 'singularity' in the counter algorithm making it susceptible to micro-vibrations. But indeed if you can show me that when you bolt the watch to a heavy block away from absolutely every source of vibration and still does the same, I concur and maybe it some weird bug. If you have a pointer to a thread that demonstrates it is a bug and nothing else, please share! 🙂

I'm not an annoyed ex-fitbit software engineer.  My applicable background is detailed in a post in this thread.  To find it quickly go to my profile and see the list of my posts there.

Every Versa has the same software image?  Every casino has the same roulette wheel.  The outcome of a roulette wheel spin could be reliably predicted using physics, maths and science.  So could the performance of a Versa.  In both cases apparently it's too hard.  One of these was intentional.

About your "micro vibrations" theory: this wouldn't explain why the steps change in an instant, including from zero to over sixty five thousand, yet then do not change until the wearer puts.  If you have a software background and you read this entire thread, you'll agree that the micro vibrations theory can't work.

[lenny4d]

@Glenmcd  that with the sw-engineer was a bit of humour! 😉

>> this wouldn't explain why the steps change in an instant, including from zero to over sixty five thousand

Obviously. ok, I might scan the full thread, I simply haven't read those claims even less so substantiated with clear screen dumps that show this. I only read claims. (*)

I did notice (in this or another thread) people suggesting it may be some kind of interference from the charger. Well, then put this thing into the PC usb port or better in a USB battery brick and compare. And share/show the results. That's the only way to get the facts instead of hearsay.

Yes, I am HW/SW engineer. And I do appreciate that there can be several causes for strange things to happen, in various circumstances. And that one person's ghoststeps are different from someoneelse's, even if potentially all lumped into one problemclass. 

And above all, I am sure that if all those problems where solved, a lot of people would be a lot happier 🙂

(*) in some threads on erroneous HR readings, people share very detailed graphs and comparisons of HR readings to analyse what it is going on and be able to give better feedback to Fitbit. It makes things so much easier than "something is wrong".

[Nu2_4rum]

“Apples pseudo-EKG is FDA approved.”

So is beef full of antibiotics.

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UPDATE:

This surprises me. I find it easy enough to put the watch on the charger while I take a shower. Other than that, the watch is on my wrist, so I can see the display when I need to. I could be very wrong but keeping it in a pocket sounds a bit of a rarity.

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UPDATE 2:

Enjoyed your post.

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