SOLVED! Google Fit Not Counting Steps

Everyone needs to exercise or do activities that will help maintain a healthy lifestyle. While we are pretty much hooked with our phones every single day, it’s a good idea to integrate health-related apps on our mobile devices. Apple has a Health app, so Google Fit is its counterpart in Android mobiles. And, while this app worked most of the time, some users complained Google Fit not counting steps or recording any activity.

How Google Fit Works?

As mentioned, Google Fit is the Health app on Android devices. It’ll allow you to automatically track activities like walking, biking, and running. To give you information about these health-related activities, your devices have sensors installed to automatically track such activities. In addition, it’ll also allow you to keep track of your fitness goals or your progress in the weight-loss program that you’ve been working on.

It has a free app you can easily download in the Play Store. If you’ll buy Android Wear watch, it’s preloaded in its system and can be easily connected to the Google Fit app on your phone. The good news about having an Android Wear is that, you can include swimming in your routine. Or, if you want to get more comprehensive data about your workout and all the activities you’ve done, you can access them from Google’s website.

Unfortunately, some Android mobile users have trouble getting more accurate data from the app. And, the worst case, Google fit won’t be counting steps for no obvious reason. The following sections will allow you to determine the possible cause and the fix that you can make. Having tracking and a reminder of your daily exercise routine makes a big difference. So, let’s get started.

Google Fit Not Counting Steps

Whether you want to lose weight or just maintain your beautiful body figure, it’s always nice to see some upward projection of your progress. The more structured your workout activities are, the more like you are to quantify your progress. But, what if all of a sudden Google Fit just won’t work for no reason?

Before discussing the reasons, just a quick backgrounder again. Google Fit, like any other similar apps, records your steps. If your morning stroll includes a combination of jogging and walking, it should give you the estimated percentage of your walking and running activities. So, if your Google Fit won’t count steps, that means you don’t get useful information.

There are three major reasons why the app won’t work — sensor, setting, and compatibility.

Setting

You shouldn’t easily panic when Google Fit or any app won’t behave as expected. Probably because you accidentally turned its tracking activities functionality off. You can turn it on using the instructions in the next section.

Compatibility

Google Fit is already compatible with Wear OS devices (because it’s the default fitness app for such a device). However, if you encounter this problem upon installing a major update on your smartphone, then, it could also be the problem. Lastly, if you are using a smartwatch other Wear OS device, you can check if they’re compatible to ensure that you’ll get a working Google Fit. Among the Google Fit-compatible devices are Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and 4, Withings Move, Fitbit, and more.

Sensor Hardware Failure

If you aren’t using any device (which means you rely on your phone for the tracking your exercise habits) and you turned on the tracking activities function of the app setting, probably it’s a hardware issue.

The input in your Google Fit app relies on the hardware sensors on your device. If your sensor hardware failed, because of any reason, chances are either it’ll give erratic data and eventually fail to count your steps.

Getting Google Fit Counts Steps Again

Troubleshooting the problem on your Android mobile is also a process. You need to start from the very obvious. To deactivate/activate step counter on your device, you should do the following:

1. Launch Google Fit from your Android mobile
2. Go to Profile>Settings.
3. Go to Tracking Preferences>Tracking activities
4. Make sure that it’s turned on.

If upon checking, it’s already on, try restarting your phone. You can try turning the option off/on and then, try to restart your phone. If through this process Google Fit won’t still count steps, then, perhaps it could be another problem.

If you think compatibility is the issue with your smartwatch, you can try tracking your progress using the phone. If it works, then, it’s confirmed, but if it won’t, probably, it’s a compatibility issue with the software and the Google Fit version that you have. You may check the Google Fit website to learn more about it.

Lastly, if the issue persists, the culprit could be the hardware sensors. There’s nothing you can do to alleviate this than to get help from either the customer care of your phone manufacturer or Google Fit.

The Final Say

Each time you walk, run or jog, Google Fit is designed to capture every single step. You can track your progress, get some tailor-fitted fitness activities to help you stay fit and healthy. However, it’s not a failure-proof app. Some users complained about Google Fit not counting steps. This is quite frustrating especially if you are the kind of person who wants to see progress — even just slow progress.

So, we find and compiled solutions to this problem and how you can just enjoy the benefit of Google Fit. We found three possible reasons for such behavior of the Google Fit app — sensor hardware failure, setting, and some compatibility issues. The last two can be solved by following the abovementioned procedures, while the first one needs technical support.

Every software app has flaws and limitations. That’s why in one way or the other you may encounter irregularities and unusual behaviors. For Google Fit, you already know what to do in case it fails to count your steps. It always pays to know and learn about your phone. And, for Android mobiles, all problems are solved here, so keep posted.