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Galaxy Watch 46mm Not counting steps

(Topic created on: 09-09-2018 11:51 AM)
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J8cko
Explorer
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Received my galaxy watch on Friday but no matter what I do I cannot get the step counter to work properly, I've tried all the suggested things to fix the problem but nothing works, the step count is so intermittent or dosent work at all. 

 

If I get up and walk around it counts nothing, jog up the stairs and it starts counting, sit down and get up again and the watch stops counting. 

 

I've seen alot of posts with people with the same problem and all of them returning there watches, I love the watch and don't really want to return it if it's a software issue that can be fixed.

 

Anyone else UK having the same issue

568 REPLIES 568
Mikey78
First Poster
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That's fine, I won't bother fixing it then just take it back and buy another in the new year or something.

Cheers 

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Celf
Navigator
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I think Samsung won't repair any watch because, to me, it seems almost impossible to repair. It's eiter  a faulty stepcounter or a software probleme. I think it's the first, a batch with defective stepcounters.

Last week I had two NEW Samsung Watches with the exact same behaviour. No steps are counted when you don't move your arm. So holding something under your arm (the one with the watch) does not trigger the stepcounter. Pushing a shopping cart or something like that does not trigger the stepcounter. Hand in your pocket does count some steps. You have to move your arm while you are walking. I think it's the hardware. When you DO move your arm while walking the steps are counted correct. Tested it with both the Samsung and the Apple watch. After 6 km walking the difference is 8225 (Apple) to 8095.

The first 15-20 steps however won't be registered. To put that a bit in perspective...my Apple watch counts 30-35 steps every morning when i walk 4 meter to the bathroom !! My Apple watch DOES count steps when your arm is not moving while pushing a cart. 

My Samsung watch (both)  also had a problem with the BT connection with my iPhone. According to Samsung it should work (with limited functionality, but that was fine) but the Watch lost it's BT connection after half a hour and wouldn't reconnect.

Was looking forward to use the watch but had to ask for a refund.

 

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Mikey78
First Poster
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This just isnt good enough, pretty poor to be honest from Samsung, it's really frustrating to say the least.

If i knew this was a software fix then i could relax as the watch is brilliant apart from the fitness tracking and be willing to keep and play the waiting game, but due to being limited with time on returning to the store i cannot take the risk and have now decided I'm returning. 

Gutted ..... 😞

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lusan
Journeyman
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You can consider yourself lucky as you can return it. I'm stuck with it.

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Mikey78
First Poster
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You can get it replaced through Samsung ?

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kap
Student
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It seems that thousands of people are affected. I personally do not know anyone who has 'correct' step or floor counter. Everyone has exactly the same problem. I think we should definitely start class action lawsuit so we can be heard.

 

Just bought 2 of these and both have the same step counting problem.

It seems like a pure 100% software issue. Only > 20 consecutive steps are registered.  So if you do more than 20 steps then all steps are counted including first 20. So these steps are definetly counted. The issue is that SW/algorithm decides to ignore them on purpose. It does look like a bug or bad algorithm. I would prefer every step to be counted. I have no idea why they did it that way because it is better to overcount in this case (very few people will complain). Or give us an option so we(users)  can set this parameter. Probaly 2-3 steps should be good default setting. 

 

With current implementation I can spend 4 hours on farmers market and get literally ZERO steps as I did do more than 20 consecutive steps. Even small pause resets the counter.

 

I'm planning to wait for a few week for a SW update or will return the watches (90 days return policy).

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GaryBrett
Voyager
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 - If you read back through some of the posts late August early September you will see the step counter issue is not going to be resolved by Samsung.

 

They told many users at that time the first 15-20 steps being missed is a purposeful feature prgrammed to do exactly that and will be staying.

 

Its in contrast I guess to the Fitbits who count steps when sitting at your desk typing for example, Samsung fall on the side of caution and make you work for the step count that bit harder! Ive had 2 watches in the past 11 weeks and both identical on fitness tracking side, quite poor, that said you either get used to it or return if you still can. I just use the steps a baseline now, 8000 Galaxy steps are 1000 Fitbit steps :smiling-face:

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lusan
Journeyman
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@Mikey78 wrote:

You can get it replaced through Samsung ?


I hit it pretty bad against a radiator and it's got a small scratch on the bezel. I can't even sell it out for a decent price now...

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lusan
Journeyman
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I reckon that is the case and it is quite lousy of them. World class engineers, programmers, coders and mathematicians deciding that the best way to distinguish steps from other hand movements is not taking into account the first 20 moves if there is a break between them... And charge a lot of money for that. Kudos! They must be proud of themselves.

Meanwhile at Cupertino somebody figures out a way to do a full electrocardiogram with their watch...

Regardless of the culprit, software or hardware, this watch is not fit for purpose.

It's not falling in the side of caution when counting... Its failing in the side caution.

I work in a small place where you keep doing short walks and short breaks, my watch won't go over 2,500 steps in an eight hours shift, whereas my colleagues' with similar job reach the 10,000 with ease.

Simply ridiculous


@GaryBrett wrote:

 - If you read back through some of the posts late August early September you will see the step counter issue is not going to be resolved by Samsung.

 

They told many users at that time the first 15-20 steps being missed is a purposeful feature prgrammed to do exactly that and will be staying.

 

Its in contrast I guess to the Fitbits who count steps when sitting at your desk typing for example, Samsung fall on the side of caution and make you work for the step count that bit harder! Ive had 2 watches in the past 11 weeks and both identical on fitness tracking side, quite poor, that said you either get used to it or return if you still can. I just use the steps a baseline now, 8000 Galaxy steps are 1000 Fitbit steps :smiling-face:


 

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kap
Student
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Thank you for you reply, I apreciate it!

But unfortunately I have to disagree with some of your points. 

If issue is known by Samsung but they are not going to fix it then it will make class action easier to win. You cannot have a problem in the product and then just say that it  works by design. Amaging Maserati ads that will promise a smooth ride from A to B but car will not have any engine because company want you to be safe.. in the garage.

 

My statement is that product does not work as expected and I can prove it by doing 3000 steps and have ZERO on my watch.

I just did a test with FitBit charge 2 and found opposite results:

- Fitbit does not count key strokes as steps

- Fitbit does not count steps when sitting and moving hand like I'm walking

- BUT Galaxy Watch DOES COUNT steps when you just move your hand without walking (maybe they treat it as warkaround: just move hands more while sitting to catch up steps number)

 

Fit bit is not perfect in other ways. After their charge 3 fiasco they've lost thousand of customers forever.

 

My assumption is that it is simply done by some middle manager who is not smart enough to accept the issue. I have 20 years of SW experience and I can tell you that it is possible to do in correct way.

 

Samsung is losing money with this. I personally know a dozen of people who is returning GW. It is about $3000. And I can assume that world wide it is millions of looses. 

 

But what is more important that Samsung is losing TRUST which one of the most important things these days. It is easy to lose it but hard to gain back. This will multiply the loss by factor of 10.

 

So I kind of cannot see any reason why Samsung would not want to fix this.

 

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