Option to turn off step count (or add "Driving Mode") to avoid erroneous steps/floors

[MacWade]

I just got home yesterday from a driving 6 hours in my car and I checked my Fitbit. I was really suprised to see it had given me almost 8,000 steps, 3.24 miles, 134 floors, & way more calories thank I burned while I was sitting in my car.  I looked on the forum to see how to easily delete the steps, miles, floors, and calories so my data would be accurate.  The only way people are fixing it is by manually logging the activity "Automobile or light truck (not a semi) driving" and entering in the duration.  I think that is a cumbersome way to fix the issue everytime I drive because I have to make sure I write down what time I get into and out of my car so I know the start time and duration.  And how does it automatically know the calories burned when everyone burns calories when they are sedentary at different rates.

I think they should add a "Drive Mode" feature that when turned on it won't add steps, distance, floors, & will only add calories burned equal to you sitting in a chair.

You could access the "Drive Mode" either on your Fitbit One or on your phone app to turn it on/off.  If you have a Fitbit One you could press the button till the "Drive Mode" icon appears then hold the button down for 2 seconds to turn it on or off.

On the phone apps you would just go to your device under "Account" and there you could turn it on or off.

You could also have the option to give you an alert when you unlock the phone that reminds you that it is in "Drive Mode" so you don't forget to turn it off when you get to your destination.  It would also be cool if you could use Siri to turn it on by saying "Turn on Fitbit Drive Mode" or "Turn off Fitbit Drive Mode".

[SunsetRunner]

It's really annoying when you ride a scooter. A lot of steps get calculated but you can 'fix' this by adding manually 'driving' activity. 

BUT this does not remove the steps from the challenges your in, so this will most likely give you the winning status but not on a fair way.

Please remove the steps also from the challenges when adding the manual 'driving' activity!

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @fantasticmio thanks for sharing your suggestion.  Watch this space for future updates!

[FMF99]

I recently updated my Versa's firmware, and the step overcounting has dramatically reduced. It would be interesting if a moderator can confirm whether the problem has been addressed.

[ChronoFoe]

My Fitbit is very accurate when I’m actually walking or doing other exercises that involve steps. However it is often far too sensitive when performing basic tasks such as dressing or showering. I have spoken with support and it appears the sensitivity can not be adjusted without decreasing the accuracy of other movements. Their solution is to “negate” those steps via the exercise tracker. They also suggested removing the device whole showering. However part of the reason i wanted the charge is because it’s water proof. And thus I shouldn’t have to remove it in the shower. So instead can a software patch simply be added to allow the Fitbit user to pause step counting? I wouldn’t think it would be overly complex to add another start-stop feature on the Fitbit. Then I could pause steps before the shower/activity, and restart the step counting after. 

[ChronoFoe]

Phenomenal idea. This would be incredibly helpful. Or even having a way to temporarily pause and unpause step counting. Then regardless of the activity (driving, handwashing, etc) the user wouldn’t have to worry about erroneous steps. 

[MerlinStWahgwan]

Being able to pause step count is a very good idea, would come in handy for many things, from driving to making crafts to washing dishes to just about any task where your moving your arms or your body is being shaken but your not actually walking or exercising 

I think a pause button is better than just a "driving mode" or somthing

Would even work for rides at an amusement park, keeps for counting steps while on rides

[Ton]

@ChronoFoe 

Welcome to the club, mate. This has been suggested in this thread years ago. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were in your shoes...😀😀😀

If you take the time to read a few pages back you would see that the company has no plans whatsoever to fix the problem.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @MerlinStWahgwan! Great suggestion, thanks for sharing. I've moved it into a similar request. Hopefully we will have support from other users since more votes and comments an idea has the more visibility and momentum it gains.

[Casey4554]

Yes, i got 14,000 steps the other day and like 54 floors by riding a lawn mower for about 3hrs.... 😞

[Littleunicorn]

I definitely agree with having an option to pause the step count for some activities. 

I get loads of steps and have a record of cycling most days, this would be fantastic but I feel I’m cheating a bit as I’m not actually cycling while riding my motorbike! Lol

I would rather be able to pause the count and have an accurate record of my steps and exercise. 

[Tharoadninja]

Im a truck driver trying to lose weight and get more exercise. It's very frustrating after spending hundreds of dollars I can't pause it from counting steps while I'm driving.  There should be a simple way to pause it any time we don't want it to count no matter the reason. Without having to go in and edit logs several times a day every time I stop. How can it do all these things and nobody thought to add a pause option?!

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Tharoadninja! Great suggestion, thanks for sharing. I've moved it into a similar request. You can also check this other suggestion, post a comment or click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[IceWolf113]

While I would love to see this I am not going to hold my breath. A step counting pause feature was suggested back in 2014 for the one, to help with driving inaccuracies and it's still being reviewed even tho it has almost 3000 votes. Personally I dont see them fixing this any time soon. 😕

[GrumpyCyclist]

Just a quick note regarding some of the alternative options to fix this. I have previously recommended Drivebit and Travelbit on Android. I don't know if it's just on my phone, but neither of these apps come up in a search of the Google Play Store any more. It's possible they've been discontinued or aren't certified for newer phones.

If you're already using either of these apps on your current phone make sure you transfer it across when migrating or you may not be able to download it afterwards.

[SimoneKing]

I would love a pause or at least a drive mode. I have found, even when I took the watch off, that it still log steps while I was in my 35 to 45 minute car ride. While for me this isn't a big issue I still don't like to think that I have to take off a few steps. If this is my only complaint about Fibit than I shouldn't really complain. (In the long run 500 to 1000 steps isn't going to harm my weight loss. I can walk 10k a day or more.) However, I would like to have a driving mode added to this fitbit if possible. 

[Seriously729]

Please fix this issue. This seems like a simple software update. I love the product, otherwise. 

[Redwing149er]

I get in and out of my truck 20 times a day during work and creating an exercise for driving to negate the steps it ridiculous to do 20 times a day cause I still want to count the steps I do outside my truck when I am out...a simple app that allows me to pause my steps when I get into my truck and start button when I get out would be so much easier...and if you for get to turn it on you could have a notification on your phone the next time you open the phone stating it is paused until you unpause it the notification stays on the phone...negating forgetting to unpause it....I worked for 6 hours and said I did 14000 steps and 112 flights of stairs yeah I maybe did 3000 steps throughout my work day....and definitely didn't climb 112 flights of stairs maybe 3 flights doing 3 steps to get in and 3 steps to get down 20 times

[JuanFitbit]

Hi @Redwing149er , Thanks for sharing your idea. I moved it here, to this similar one, to get the attention needed.  Please keep sharing your suggestions

[GrumpyCyclist]

@Redwing149er  I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. This has been on people's wish lists for about 5 years now. They have absolutely no intention of fixing this it seems. I'm led to believe that ALL trackers suffer from a similar problem but a lot of them to a much lesser extent than Fitbit, to the extent that in some instances it really is hardly noticeable.

I use an app called Drivebit on my Android but it seems to have disappeared from the Play store. If you're comfortable downloading the app package from elsewhere and sideloading then it's still available. Don't know about the status of the iOS version.

I'm definitely considering maybe moving to a Samsung watch next time, once this Versa dies.

Huh, seems you aren't allowed to use the term A P K here. Considering we're trying to help people fix a problem Fitbit do not want to fix then I think that's a bit rich.

[Karen0901]

I think drivebit has been replaced by travelbit

[GrumpyCyclist]

Also not available in my Play store. I can buy the aTravelbit Premium 'unlock' but can't download the actual app anymore.

[Ton]

Guys, after reading the umpteenth "boring" post about this issue, I had a funny thought. By "boring" I just mean that it's been repeated times and times again but has lead to no results. This thread is well over 4 years old now, 99.999% of posts are either complaints or suggestions about the problem, 0.001% are from moderators saying "Oh yes, that's a good idea, thank you" as in "Why nobody ever thought about this before?". We finally know that Fitbit have no intention of fixing it as stated to one of us (for the newbies just read a few pages back). I have never seen a more stale and now ridiculous thread in any forum over my 23 years surfing "career". Now my conclusion and suggestion to moderators or whoever in charge is: WHY DON'T YOU CLOSE AND DELETE THIS THREAD? It serves no other purpose than just wasting time for both writers and readers. I'm pretty sure nobody will miss it.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”... 😉

[MrsToady]

This is  becoming a deal breaker for me, 63 floors apparently climbed during a 20 minute motorbike ride yesterday. I'm now looking at other options, like Garmin.

[2Paps]

I've added my voice to this forum a number of times and am ready to jump ship with those who have led the way.  My question is why is Garmin the next product of choice?  

[marky_marx]

So due to this great engineering marvel that Fitbit made I looked for other
options. Found a clearance Nokia/Withings Steel HR. How interestingly
different the counts are (Withings does not count floors which we know
Fitbit has trouble with). The feature I most wanted was a 'samrt alarm'
that would wake me at an optimal time in my sleep based on movement and HR.
Well the Fitbit Charge 3 did not do that and I have no faith that it ever
will. Withings does. Guess what? happy wife not being woken up every
morning to my alarm and I am being woken up when my body is ready not just
when the time on a clock is right.

Now for the steps comparison....I wore both for 6 days. 3 on each wrist.
For info, my commute is 60 miles round trip in a care that is old and worn
out and vibrates a lot. More than once I had the Fitbit go off saying I
reached my goal when I had been in the car fro 20-30 minutes....I don't
think so!!!


Withings
5182
4752
5986
6406
5150
4496
Fitbit Charge 3
9841
9314
10288
10929
13661
9963
Fitbit count divided by Withings count to understand the magnitude of the
difference.
1.899
1.960
1.719
1.706
2.653
2.216
So there you have it...On average the Fitbit counts twice as many steps as
one of its competitors...But hey, their devices are the most accurate ever
made *rolling eyes*