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. 

---

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. 

---

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. 

[Nu2_4rum]

My watch locks the screen when I take it off. This implies that it recognises an absence of heart-beats. It is also able to recognise when it is on the charger, because it tells me the charge level.

As the watch KNOWS such things, if it still records motion when (a) not on wrist or (b) on charger, a SIMPLE software change could inhibit incrementing motion counts at such times.

With such a change, there would be far fewer ghost steps. If it were my software, I would feel a terrible compulsion to make the change. If that is the problem.

If a developer has a spare moment to comment on the above, I think a lot of customers might appreciate it.

[winnie1280]

I truly would!

[officejedi]

I researched the floors and they only register 10ft in altitude/pressure change ...so most places have 8ft ceilings ..so it doesn't register a floor until you go another 2 feet down or do multiple flights of 8ft stairs ...

buildings with 10ft or higher staircases should register accurately based on this "10ft" rule they are using .

but again, why did they choose 10ft? most places have 8 or 9ft ceilings max.

guess they went with standard office building heights and not our homes???

[slellis128]

---

@SunsetRunner wrote:

What type of phone do you have?  I'm curious, I have an iPhone and have never seen ghost steps, and have have the Versa since release (pre-ordered).

---

I have an android phone...

[wetdog1965]

Because the ceilings may be 8 foot, but there are spaces in between the
ceiling and the next floor to accommodate floor joist or rafters and
possible plumbing and electrical. 10 foot is more accurate.

[Rachel8210]

Yes so many times, it’s very annoying!! Glad to see it’s not just mine because I was going to return it thinking it was defective. I hope they get this bug fixed soon 

[wetdog1965]

We turned off notifications..seems to help, but a few more days and if no
updates or fixes we are sending ours back and buying another brand.

[Runtu]

Looks like I got about 1000 extra steps this morning and 4 extra floors. This is a new development since yesterday. So now I am getting more ghost steps and not sure if the extra stairs are being counted as ghost steps.  I am going on the 3 rd week of owning this, got one more week after this and will draw a conclusion on return.  So strange that this did not take till this amount of time, you would think if it is a hardware flaw it would have shown up sooner, maybe software is the key.  I have not changed anything about charging or wearing it, all is the same.

[KB9WNS]

---

@wetdog1965 wrote:
Because the ceilings may be 8 foot, but there are spaces in between the
ceiling and the next floor to accommodate floor joist or rafters and
possible plumbing and electrical. 10 foot is more accurate.

---

Modern truss floor joists are almost 2 feet high.  Older structures used 2x8 to 2x12 floor joists depending upon local building code.  Allow for flooring and ceiling materials and it is very close to 10 feet between floors for modern residential structures that have an interior ceiling height of 8 feet.

Commercial structures vary typically from 12 to 16 feet between floors.

[geepondy]

---

I believe the ghost steps will not show up on your step graph as being accounted for.  For example I woke up to 9K steps one morning but upon viewing the graph none of these were accounted for.  Likewise the distance was stated as being 0.  If steps were accounted for then distance would have been probably 4 plus miles.  So I would check your step count to see if the 1000 steps show up.  If not then ghost steps, if they do then I would have to guess some sort of vibration is fooling the tracker.

@Runtu wrote:

Looks like I got about 1000 extra steps this morning and 4 extra floors. This is a new development since yesterday. So now I am getting more ghost steps and not sure if the extra stairs are being counted as ghost steps.  I am going on the 3 rd week of owning this, got one more week after this and will draw a conclusion on return.  So strange that this did not take till this amount of time, you would think if it is a hardware flaw it would have shown up sooner, maybe software is the key.  I have not changed anything about charging or wearing it, all is the same.

---

[Nu2_4rum]

Turning off notifications helped? Hmm. Wonder if it picks up is own vibration when it buzzes?

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[KB9WNS]

---

@Nu2_4rum wrote:
Maybe it’s 10 feet between floors in the USA, but the UK is different.

My UK house, built in 1987: Ceiling height 91 inches. Inter-floor gap 13 inches, ie 104 inches from floor to floor.

And 104 inches is a lot less than 10 feet.

---

Council housing?

[Nu2_4rum]

I don’t know what the measurements are for council housing.

I do know that houses get smaller the further south you are in the UK or the more modern they are.

[Stayingfit1]

Did they give you a solution to the problem? I just starting noticing the same problem.

[KB9WNS]

I have several friends in London and Newport and they talk about the low ceilings in the council housing when they visit here in the states.

---

@Nu2_4rum wrote:
I don’t know what the measurements are for council housing.

I do know that houses get smaller the further south you are in the UK or the more modern they are.

---

[wetdog1965]

Nope, trying to figure it out on our own. We have owned 7 Fit bit products
and have been very happy. The Versa so far has been a let down. I don't
think it was ready for release. Fit bit may lose 2 loyal customers. My
wife's is the main problem, but we will send both back soon. If this is not
solved...looking at competitors products now. Sad thing is we still have
friends in our Fit bit community.

[adriennelutz]

Yes!! I had my Versa charging all morning and it was completely out of battery, and when I took it off the charger, I had magically walked 35,573 steps! I'm so glad someone else is having the same issue because I thought I was just going crazy. 

[winnie1280]

I followed all of the advice they gave me about no fan or other devices
close trying other locations and nothing worked. They sent me another one
which has the same problem. They are in the process of sending me a third
one. I am hopeful this one will work.

[Tavi1234]

No. Just the same line of "we are aware and working on it".

[slellis128]

I get ghost steps with notifications turned off...

---

@wetdog1965 wrote:
We turned off notifications..seems to help, but a few more days and if no
updates or fixes we are sending ours back and buying another brand.

---