Versa problems not counting steps

[Littlemis]

I have had my versa 5 days and it's not counting steps accurately. It's is very intermittent.  Sometime I can walk for 10 to 20 steps and it doesn't count any.  I contacted fitbit and they got me to do a test.  In this test I had to walk in a straight line and like a solider, it counted 97 out of 100 steps so they said there is not an issue.  I explained that you don't always walk in a straight line and it's very intermittent.   Fitbit don't want to know and are been unhelpful.  Has anyone else had this same issue? Also the exercises are not recording in the app dashboard on workout and circuit training mode, they record stats on the watch but in the app it doesn't show stats for time or calories in the front exercise screen.  The charge 2 used to record time.and calories burnt.  The versa just shows a -- for.calories burnt.  Think maybe there are still some small issues to resolve with the versa. 

[nswint]

Step tracking is off again. 

Apple watch 7673 Steps

Versa 6827

I'm having to perform the restart every 2 - 3 hours due to syncing just stopping. 

My observations:

Dominant hand wear with the dominant hand wrist placement essentially turns off the accelerometer and gyroscope

Steps have to be exaggerated with swinging arm movements to be tracked

Device seems to sleep or go into a low powered state quite frequently

I can take 10 - 15 steps that will not register upon standing and walking until it seems my heart rate increases. 

Suggestions:

Start tracking steps when there is positive acceleration and some gyroscope position change.  Don't wait for the heart rate to kick in before counting starts. I think the Domi ant vs non dominant tracking logic is too agressive and essentially just won't track. 

Once the device syncs with the phone.  Update the phone based on the Versa's onboard stored values and not in reverse .  The Fitbit should be authoritative. 

Don't deep sleep or whatever is going on with the processor .Can you just keep the CPU clock speed low instead of shutting it off?

[Baysidefish]

how do you disable/remove MobileTrack? thanks

[wtchambers]

Open the Fitbit app on your phone, tap the square at the top right, click on Mobile Tracker, scroll all the way down and click Remove this Device.

Sent from my iPad

[Baysidefish]

Thanks for the quick reply. After taping the square at the top right, I do not see Mobile Tracker on mine.

Another quick question, what is Mobile Tracker for? If I disable/remove it, some of the functions will not work, right? thanks

[Joeyc1866]

What is mobile track 

[Baysidefish]

I found it here

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1875#Definition

But I do not see it on my phone though

[HeydyF]

Hey @nswint, thanks for your reply! Let me explain to you how wrist Fitbit products work. They pick up some of the movement of your arms as steps, so sometimes you'll see that even if you are not actually walking but doing some activities with a lot of arm movements, your Versa will track them as steps, specially if you are wearing it on your dominant hand, 'cause it is the hand you use the most so those movements will be recognized as steps. You can take a look at this more technical explanation about how wrist Fitbit record steps. 

Welcome aboard @Mel1965! By any chance did you carry your Fitbit Versa on your pocket, backpack or something like that? I'm asking because this is related with the explanation I gave above. Your Fitbit Versa will recognize some movements as steps. If this wasn't the case, you can always negate that data by following these instructions: 

1. Log into your fitbit.com dashboard.
2. At the top of the screen click Log.
3. Click the Activities tab.
4. Under Log Activities, type in Driving and enter the date, duration, and start time.
5. Click Log. Your steps, floors, and calories burned will decrease for the time period you specified.

@Baysidefish and @Joeyc1866, I hope you are doin' great! Mobile Track is a feature included in the Fitbit app that calculates data such as steps, distance, and calories burned. You can learn more about on the link posted above. 

@wtchambers, thanks for the instructions to deactivate the Mobile Track feature. 

Keep me posted guys! 

[Baysidefish]

Hi, @HeydyFitbi,

Is it possible to let me know how I can find Mobile Tracker on an Android phone? thanks

[nswint]

I'm familiar with how the tracking works. 

What I'm suggesting is that the algorithms for tracking on the Versa might be a bit off. 

I noticed the step tracking was off on the Versa within about 2 hours of use and quickly started wearing my apple watch again to have some tracking.  

In addtion to the apple watch, I have a iPhone 6 and a Google Pixel in my pockets and both are tracking more steps than the Versa. 

My steps are tracked with the Versa when I have deliberate arm swinging .Ie  a great deal of acceleration. 

[Heybre]

I just got an extra 600+ steps while I was folding laundry, Standing in the same spot

[HeydyF]

Thanks for your reply @Baysidefish! To activate the Mobile Track option, if you already have a Fitbit account, log into the app and tap or click the Account icon: Choose the option for setting up a new device and follow the MobileTrack instructions.

@nswint, thanks for your insight my friend. I understand what you are saying, however, I will suggest you not to compare the steps tracked with your Versa with the steps tracked with your Apple watch for example, because they both use different algorithms to track its data, but let me suggest you this, what if you try to do a step test accuracy just with your Fitbit Versa. Just follow these instructions: 

1. Put your wrist-based tracker on your wrist. 
2. Walk 100 steps, making sure to count a step each time one of your feet hits the ground.
3. Pause, then check your tracker to see your step count.

@Heybre, I hope you are doin' great! As I previously explained, the wrist Fitbit watches calculate most of your steps based on the movement of your arms. Are you wearing it on your non dominant hand, right? Could you please try a step test accuracy as I previously suggested? And let me know how it goes! 

Have a nice day guys! 

[Mel1965]

Hi

I had not even worn the tracker it was just sat on the table when it counted all the steps

[HeydyF]

Hey @Mel1965, thanks for your reply! Ok, let me ask you something else, was there a fan or anything that may have been buzzing or vibrating on the same surface that Versa was placed on? I'm asking because those vibrations must have been recognized as steps by your watch. 

Keep me posted! 

[Jujube289]

I was just sitting at my desk working at my laptop, and chalked up 200 "ghost" steps.  It doesnt make sense to talk about hand movements that get counted as steps. My previous Blaze, Charge, and Charge HR did not have this issue.

[sarah_lin8]

@Littlemis me too, they aren't popping up. I do the same thing everyday (because of school) and on my Charge HR, it has always counted to 11,000 and I know it's right because I do a huge amount of running in athletics. Now? It can hardly hit 9000 and that's a HUGE difference. I think it's because we are starting our 'Olympics' Team Challenge and we are starting volleyball so it makes sense for it to be lower. But yesterday, I had 9000+. Today, we ran for 15 minutes which we don't do since we started this challenge and I have 8901. I should have a lot more because we didn't run for 15 minutes yesterday and I didn't do a lot of running yesterday. If anything, we did more running today so I should have more today.

@HeydyF I compared my versa with my charge hr, that counts right?

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[Kknuth]

I am also having issues with the Versa not counting Steps properly. I noticed it right away. 

It seems to be under counting them or not counting them at all. Very frustrating since this is the main purpose for this. 

[Littlemis]

It's is very frustrating. @Kknuth but what was more frustrating was fitbit not accepting this as an issue and saying that's how it works.  

I hope you get your issue resolved.  I didn't and in the end returned mine.  Which was a shame cause I think the look of the versa is great but at the moment there are too many glitches that need to be resolved.  

[dsd153]

I'm having the same issue. My new versa is recording very few steps. I have used the fitbit one for years but lost the last one I had, was excited to get the Versa, have had it for a couple days but not impressed so far.

[phyllis.r]

I don't know how to fix it, sorry. I am just joining in on the frustration with the Versa! I couldn't get it to track any steps for the first week I had it. The second week it tracked it then I tried to sync it and it went from 24K+ steps to a meager 477 steps!!!! I got no credit for what I did all day and I became very discouraged. This being the third week I just tried to sync my steps hoping if I did it throughout the day it would make a difference and it did not!!!

I had approximately only 1+ steps and now have 196 steps. UGH!!!! Makes me want to return it and stick to a simple FitBit... 

[NH77]

How do you delete the mobile tracker? I can't find it on my app.