Stopping your Fitbit from counting steps when driving is easy. You can apply several solutions, including three quick and simple ones:
- Wearing the device properly
- Logging a driving activity into the device’s program
- Erasing the extra steps
Here is a brief guide on how the solutions work and other important things to know about how Fitbit works.
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So, How Do I Stop Fitbit from Counting Steps When I Am Driving?
There are several ways to stop Fitbit from counting steps when driving. It is worth noting that you need a Fitbit app to apply these solutions. The easiest and fastest solutions include the following:
1. Deleting the Extra Steps by Removing Active Zone Minutes
Technically, deleting steps and floors from your Fitbit data is impossible. However, the extra steps recorded when driving are a subset of Active Zone Minutes, which is the period spent on a particular activity. As such, deleting the Active Zone Minutes for the time spent driving erases the extra steps.
You can delete Active Zone Minutes via your Fitbit app using the following process:
- Open your app and tap on the tab labeled ‘Today.’
- Tap on the Active Zone Minutes icon.
- Tap on the gear/settings icon.
- Tap on the tab labeled ‘Delete Active Zone Minutes.’
- Choose the period and confirm that you want to delete it.
Ideally, you should track the time when you started and stopped driving to determine how long a period to delete. The process works the same for iPhone and Android apps.
2. Logging a Driving Activity into Your Fitbit App
Deleting the extra steps your Fitbit device counts whenever you drive can become monotonous. Fortunately, manually logging a driving activity into your Fitbit offers a permanent solution. The process is quick and easy but varies slightly depending on your smartphone’s OS type. (Android or Apple)
Here is an overview of how to add a driving activity to your Fitbit device on both apps:
- Open the app and tap on the tab labeled ‘Today.’
- Tap on the tab labeled ‘Exercise.’
- Tap on the ‘+’ icon and then tap on the tab labeled ‘Log Previous.’
- Add driving as the new activity and fill in the required details.
Your Fitbit device will log all steps counted when driving into a different category, preventing driving from overriding your other activities. However, you must open the activity and tap ‘Start’ before driving and then ‘Stop’ when you are done.
3. Wearing Your Fitbit Device Properly
How you wear your Fitbit device affects its accuracy. Remember, it measures your biometrics, and some positions may hinder data collection. To this end, the manufacturers recommend wearing the device tightly around your wrist, where it can track your heartbeat rate and accurately interpret movements. To those with small wrists, do not worry, there are Fitbit for you in the market. The device must have direct contact with the skin, so don’t wear it over clothing.
Why Does Fitbit Count Steps While Driving?
Fitbit tracks and interprets all activities, including driving. It may misinterpret driving as walking or exercising when your motions in the car mimic similar activities. For example, a stiff transmission can cause the car to rock, which the device then interprets as your physical movement. A bump on the road, arm movements can also mimic an up-and-down motion, which the device may interpret as a step or floor.
Interestingly, Fitbit devices can also interpret other subtle movements as an exercise activity. For example, tossing and turning too much when sleeping may be logged as exercising. Fortunately, the manufacturer continually improves the technology’s accuracy, making it more reliable over time.
How Fitbit Devices Interpret Movement
Fitbit uses a blend of technologies to interpret and track movement. They include a three-point accelerometer and a complex algorithm customized according to your biometrics, including the following details:
- Sex
- Age
- Height
- Weight
The three-point accelerometer in your Fitbit device senses your motions in the following three directions:
- Up and down
- Side to side
- Front to back
The algorithm then collects and interprets the data according to various parameters, including the steps taken and distance traveled. The technology is advanced enough to distinguish between movements such as walking and running by tracking your body’s posture and the impact of your fit on the ground as you move.
However, the device is not 100% accurate, as demonstrated by how it counts steps while driving. Fortunately, you can solve this using the tips provided.
How Does Inaccurate Step Tracking Affect Me?
Fitbit is one of the most popular wearables for tracking your overall fitness and health. To this end, many users base their exercise activities, diets, and other health-related activities based on the device’s data. Health and fitness decisions should be based on accurate data, so Fitbit’s inaccuracy when counting steps could be a problem.
Overestimation is the biggest effect of inaccurate step tracking. The device can log more steps than you have taken, misleading you to believe that you have met your exercising goals. It can also overestimate other biometric data, such as your heartbeat rate, resulting in misleading signals about your cardiovascular health. Overestimation can also cause disappointment when you realize that your exercising records are inaccurate and that you haven’t been exercising as hard as you should.
Final Thoughts
Counting steps when driving is a common problem across all Fitbit devices. Fortunately, you can easily and quickly solve this problem by wearing your Fitbit device properly, manually logging driving as an extra activity, or erasing the extra steps. Overall, logging driving into your device as an extra activity is the best solution.
