Include Manually Added Steps in Leader Board and Challenges

[THitch]

Please make modifications to show the manually added steps in both the Leader Board and the Step Challenges.  While I understand that the change to exclude the manually added steps (implemented this week on the Leader Board but earlier in the Challenges) is related to individuals who cheat the system, the feedback in the Fitbit community seems to suggest that your core and very active customers WANT this feature for valid reasons and are offended that you've put the need to address cheaters above the desires of your committed users.  

As suggested in the community forum posts, if you feel it necessary to differentiate the steps manually entered, this could be accomplished by showing the total steps as the primary total and including the manual steps as a subset of that total (e.g., Rob H. Total 95,993 (12,000 manual).  That will better expose the "small number" of those who are cheating the system.  Seems it would better to cater to the 95% of the users who are doing it right versus the < 5% who are cheating.

My husband and I have been loyal Fitbit customers since January 2014.  We believe in the product and most importantly, the purpose of the product so much so that we have personally purchased or influenced the purchase of Fitbit trackers for 15+ individuals.  Although some of these individuals have come and gone in our Fitbit world, we still have a very competitive and active group of Fitbit friends.  For different reasons (running, using treadmills, elipticals, forgetting to charge the Fitbit, etc.), we often enter a portion of our steps manually.  The inability to see our total steps, whether manual or otherwise, on the Leader Board defeats what I believe to be the purpose of the Leader Board, which is to encourage activity through friendly competition.  

Thank you for your consideration!

[SunsetRunner]

Do whatever handwaving you want, Fitbit.  Your former customers are interpretting it as a wave goodbye.... and moving on to the likes of Google, Apple, Garmin and others.  It is a competitive market and your treatment of customers as cheaters isn't helping your brand or your future. 

[ProfessorStephe]

Yes, I am well aware of your poor decision.

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[ktousi]

:-).

[DavidLWhite]

Historically - manual steps have always counted Sent from my iPhone

[SunsetRunner]

I don't think that people are getting my point. I DO NOT have cheaters on my friendlist. And I do not want people who add manual steps on my friendlist. Right now I do not even have the option of knowing who does it. So if this is ever changed back, at least give me the option of knowing who records manual steps both on the leaderboards and my friendlist. There should at least be separate columns for tracker recorded steps only vs tracker + manual steps so that users like me could focus, sort and compete with users which do not record manual steps. You all record manual steps for valid reasons anyway so I do not see how that would be a problem and will let people like me choose with whom they wish to compete.That is also a choice that I did not have until now. I am sorry but I have no interest in competing through entering manual steps. My personal opinion is that the current way (not counting manual steps) is much fair to everyone. I too mostly use my treadmill and the steps counts closely match between my fitbit tracker and treadmill (and my other brand bracelet). So please at the very least, give me the choice to be part of challenges, leaderboards or friendlist where people do not enter manual steps. Thanks.

[ProfessorStephe]

I have no issue with your idea, however, I got a direct and blunt response from Fitbit yesterday and they are sticking to the policy of manual steps not counting in any challenge or leader board. You have nothing to worry about with respect to your preference.

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[SunsetRunner]

@Prof Do you have a copy of that response? I still think that they could make a compromise between the two different views. Mind you that if the manually logged steps were not hidden the way they were I would have less of a problem with it. But I would still like to be able to compete with tracker recorded steps only. And I am fully aware that people can cheat in other ways ( do not get me wrong, I am NOT saying that everyone entering manual steps are cheating. All I am saying is that it gives an easy way of doing it to some who wish to). I can understand someone who is very competitive and forget it's fitbit home and would like to enter it's steps evaluation of the workout manually. I would not care at all about that. But when I see on activity groups leaderboards users constantly entering a few thousands steps manually every day, then I have a problem and I see no motivation in competing with these individuals.

[ProfessorStephe]

Word for word. We are happy to answer your inquiry regarding manually logged activities. Currently we do not have a plan to have manually logged activities count towards challenges. The reason challenges do not recognize manually logged activities is to ensure that participants are not adding steps that were not actually taken. By only allowing the challenge to recognize steps picked up by your tracker this ensures a fair chance for winning to everyone participating. We hope this clarifies things. If you have any questions please let us know.

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[SunsetRunner]

@Prof do not worry then and you may well still hope. This is there "canned" answer about challenges which exists since a while. As you can see in their answer they are talking challenges only. And I totally agree with that. How good is a challenge where people can simply add manual steps? I would never participate if that was the case. To me this is still opened as far as friendlist and especially activity groups leaderboards are concerned. Which in return keeps me concerned. 😉

[tajenner]

All I care about is including manual adjustments in the 7 day step leaderboard. I don't have a single problem with them excluding from challenges. I don't use thIs feature to compete. I use it for self motivation and a shortcut from having to add up my weekly total manually. It was seriously the only thing I checked on my app. However, their lack of caring has turned me off and you can call me childish for it. But I am essentially done with fitbit. I was just about to pull the trigger on a Surge and glad I didn't. I just entered free agency!

[allan473]

Like tajenner - I look at just the leaderboard. I don't compete with my friends but I like them to know how I am doing. Since buying an Apple Watch a week ago and wearing it part of the day I have friends wondering how I have gone from 132000 steps a week to 11000.

Frankm09 seems to think there is still hope. I can see how he might thick that from some of the comments made by moderators "at this time,"  but in another post - on requested features, this request has been denied, jius tlike requests for entering body measuremnts like waist size.

[jja262]

I don't think Fitbit management is paying much attention to the users posting on this blog.  May I suggest you consider posting your comments/concerns on Fitbit's Facebook page?  Please go to: www.facebook.com/fitbit

They may start paying a little more attention if we utilize a more public forum.  

[techiegrl]

I use the manual function for when I ride stationary bike as Fitbit does not accurately capture cycle revolutions. I also occasionally forget my Fitbit but have a smart watch so I know my number of steps and would still like to log them

[cpadad]

Please please change this feature back.  You completely ruined my experience with fitbit.   We are going to shut down our commuinty at our workplace becasue so many people are upset about this issue.    You can post the name a different color -  there are hundreds of easy ways to indicate a portion of the miles were entered manually.   To stop counting the is so draconian.

[chiuser]

Bump.. This should be prioritized or followers will start to drop

[ktousi]

I got a replacement for Christmas. Not sure if the app that comes with it will fully replace the leaderboard but I am deactivating my FitBit and giving it away. Good luck to the rest of this group!

[chiuser]

Please make modifications to show the manually added steps in both the Leader Board and the Step Challenges. While I understand that the change to exclude the manually added steps (implemented this week on the Leader Board but earlier in the Challenges) is related to individuals who cheat the system, the feedback in the Fitbit community seems to suggest that your core and very active customers WANT this feature for valid reasons and are offended that you've put the need to address cheaters above the desires of your committed users.

As suggested in the community forum posts, if you feel it necessary to differentiate the steps manually entered, this could be accomplished by showing the total steps as the primary total and including the manual steps as a subset of that total (e.g., Rob H. Total 95,993 (12,000 manual). That will better expose the "small number" of those who are cheating the system. Seems it would better to cater to the 95% of the users who are doing it right versus the < 5% who are cheating.

[vjlynch]

While I understand the motivation behind not counting manually entered and 3rd party steps to deter cheaters, it punishes loyal users. For example, I prefer to use my Garmin while running and my Charge for daily activity tracking; It makes no sense to run with both in order to have my steps count toward challenges. It makes more sense to spend $100 on a Garmin activity tracker to be within the same ecosystems as my GPS watch, than $250 on a GPS enabled Surge. Particularly when I don't want optical HR.

Please include manually entered and 3rd party steps in challenges, I like my Charge on the Fitbit user experience. But the cost-benefit analysis may just make me switch to Garmin.

[RedStepper]

I have been a loyal user for a long time and in fact just bought a replacement One this week. Had I known about this change re. manually entered steps, my buying decision might have been different.

Some days I simply forget to put it on, which is frustrating to find out midway through a good 20 mile hike in the mountains. In the past I would just manually log the miles as recorded on my GPS and all was good in the friendly leaderboard I have going with family. So now with the leaderboard no longer accurate, it is also no longer a meaningful tool.

PLEASE, Firbit folks, bring back this feature and while you are at it allow the manual entry of stairs as well.

[MLLLLLLLLLL]

Agree 100% Sent from my iPhone

[gailfit]

No one at Fitbit is listening or cares. I only use the friends challenge. Because I live in a climate where walking outside in winter is often dangerous, I am retiring my Flex for another wearable app with social media. Too bad I enjoyed the simplicity even realizing it's many limitations with accuracy

[ShParsons]

Agreed. Manual entries should count. I hope that Fitbit will make this change. My tracker does not track my runs accurately so I enter them manually. I run 40k a week, it would be nice to see this reflected on my profile.

[jja262]

Fortune Magazine recongizes the inaccuracies of the Fitbit in this January 1, 2016 article. see, http://fortune.com/2016/01/01/fitbit-jawbone-fitness-tracker-study/

So why the reluctance to allow manually logged steps to be included on the leaderboard?  Makes no sense.  

[Debvurlis]

Agree. Please re activate including manually entered temps. Soon.

[amanda0207]

I am also very upsew with this change. I understand not allowing it in challenges but i have to work in enviorments that are not ok with my fitbit and have always added the activity and now it really messes me up. I am thinking about changing over to garmin due to this change....