For our watches there are two conditions which are essential for detecting a step: an amplitude and a periodic pattern. If the steps tracked by your Steel HR / Steel HR Sport do not seem to be accurate:

• Make sure that your wristband is comfortably tight. If the band is loose, all of your steps may not be counted.

The steps tracked by my Steel HR / Steel HR Sport don't match the steps of another activity tracker

It may be due to the way that different activity trackers are worn (wrist, belt clip or pocket). While walking, thanks to our algorithm, the impact of the foot on the ground is clearly visible to the accelerometer.

The Withings algorithm is capable of minimizing false detection with great accuracy. As such, it is possible that other step trackers may result in a different step count than your Steel HR / Steel HR Sport.

The steps tracked by my Steel HR / Steel HR Sport don't match the steps of your phone-based activity tracker

The number of steps may be higher on your smartphone because the data processing method is different from the Steel HR / Steel HR Sport. It is expected behavior for the phone to have greater step count.

Our goal is to be as close as possible to the number of steps you actually take by reducing the detection of false steps. As such, it is possible that other step trackers may result in a different step count than your Steel HR / Steel HR Sport.

The steps tracked by my Steel HR / Steel HR Sport don't match the steps of another person with a watch when walking the same distance

Everyone has a different stride length: two people can walk the same distance, but it may take them a different number of steps to cover that same distance. This may explain the difference between the number of steps between two users. We incorporate the height and gender you have entered in the Withings App when calculating your stride length.

The step count is different between my Withings Tracker and the Withings App when doing a GPS-tracked activity

When using GPS tracking for activities with the watch, you may notice that the distance shown in the app differs from the distance shown on the watch for the same activity. This is due to post-processing that happens with the data in the app (steps, GPS data, etc.) the results in a more accurate measurement of your total distance after the activity is finished.

The data shown in the app should be regarded as more accurate than what was shown on the watch.

Note on running and the use of stationary exercise equipment (elliptical, treadmills):

As with other activity trackers, your Steel HR / Steel HR Sport uses an accelerometer to count steps. On a treadmill or stationary equipment, the movement has a reduced impact of the foot on the ground, which can result in less steps being counted. On the elliptical, the impact is actually eliminated. This impact when repeated at certain intervals, gives a characteristic shape to the step. This separates your steps from random movement.