Galaxy Watch 7 ultra seem to not be recording all steps

[Swtlatina19]

Hi all,

Has anyone had any issues with the watch not logging the steps.  I tried both my fitbit and ultra for an indoor and outdoor walk and the ultra was off by like 1,000 steps.  I did this because the step count on my Ultra did not seem accurate.  

[userVRiF8HC76s]

My Watch 7 Ultra has the same issue. I take many, many more steps that it records. That leaves me to believe it needs GPS to determine how far you travel. Your step count is calculated based on your height and length of step distance. Maybe arm movement can be counted with the accelerometer, but often, as in walking a large box store or shopping mall, especially pushing a stroller, grocery cart, etc., it does not record. I've even thought about a sensor attached to my ankle. Good luck as the software engineers are secret about their algorithms.

[userVRiF8HC76s]

I did a search after my post. My assumption was correct. This is from the AI search...
"Samsung watches track steps using an accelerometer, a sensor that detects acceleration and changes in motion, and algorithms to filter out non-step movements. Distance is calculated based on step count and estimated stride length, which is influenced by factors like height and walking pace."

[userpMgFwKaOxb]

The algorithm takes into account arm swaying as you walk or run. I have found that it works for me in a grocery store with my cart. I don't know if the algorithm is sensitive enough to measure steps accurately with the more subtile start-stop motion of pushing your shopping cart, though. I have thought that that might be a stretch, but even that seems accurate to some degree. I have compared trips through the store, and for me, they tend to be between ~1500 and ~2000 steps, based on whether I've forgotten something (or two, or three....) and have to double back to get those items. These shopping trips seem to be consistent both in terms of steps as well as my visual estimates of distance within the store.

[userCIyGpDMjgP]

There is no Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra. That device doesn't exist. There is the Galaxy watch 7, and then there is the Galaxy watch ultra.

[Eggbutt]

I just received my Watch7 40mm, replacing a loved Fitbit Sense2. After working in the yard for several hours, mowing, dethatching, and raking trash, my Watch7 only showed 2200 steps! Normally, this would have been over 7,000 steps.

I did a web search and found several mentions of needing to sync (had already sync'd), and finally found the watch doesn't count steps when pushing strollers, mowers, carts, anything that keeps your arm stationary. **bleep**???? Seriously? Any workarounds available?

This watch is a real battery hog too! Samsung seems to have a lot of work to do to justify the $$.

[KomboloiKat]

Samsung Health (latest version available on Samsung Store, version 6.29.5.017) no longer tracks steps correctly after updating my S24 Plus to UI 7. All permissions (location, sensors, etc.) have been enabled for Samsung Health, with no resolution to this bug. I have tried the following with no success: 

1.) cleared the app cache for Samsung Health, 2.) cleared the phone cache for the S24 Plus (via the Recovery Menu available by holding down the power button and the increase volume button), 

3.) deleted the Samsung Health app, rebooted the phone, and reinstalled the Samsung Health app and then cleared the app cache and the phone cache again

I'm getting 20 thousand steps a day (as measured by my Garmin watch) & while I don't expect Samsung Health to match the Garmin step count, I have my S24+ in my pocket/hand most of the time I am moving, so the step count should be much higher. Prior to the update to UI 7, Samsung Health was generally accurate when it came to tracking my steps.

I don't really expect a solution, because I didn't find anyone posting anything other than what I've already tried. Just letting people know about this bug, because there's no way of submitting a bug report to Samsung developers.

[realaud]

I don't know.  I have that version of the health app, but I do not yet have OneUI 7, so it may be something with the UI update.  My steps are pretty accurate but, then again, I do not walk and count my steps manually.  I have a Galaxy Watch 7, and it keeps accurate counts and transfers to the health app.  Perhaps your Garmin watch is not properly transmitting the step count?  I see no discrepancy between step counts from prior versions of the health app (not that I know exactly when the app was updated), but I do know my daily activity level.

Have you cleared your phone's cache partition after the update?  Have you cleared the health app's cache?

[KomboloiKat]

Thanks for your response. Per my initial post, I've cleared both caches. There were no issues with Samsung Health tracking steps prior to the UI 7 update. Samsung Health does not accept step counts from non-Samsung step counters/watches in any case, so I'm not really concerned about matching my Garmin step count. But when my phone is showing less than a thousand steps for the day and my watch is (correctly) showing more than twenty thousand, something is wrong with the app. And the tracking steps bug only showed up post UI 7 update, so I have to assume that there's a connection (no other apps were installed or changes were made to my S24 outside of updating to UI 7)

[realaud]

Then it's not the version of the health app that's at fault (as I said, I have that version as well), it's something with the OneUI7 or the Android update interfering.  Put in an error report.