Step Counter App Checklist: Features, Accuracy, and Common Pitfalls

I’m not sure what it is about step counters that makes them so popular. Maybe we’re all just obsessed with numbers.

Last week a friend of mine got a new phone and downloaded a step counter app. She was excited to be able to track her daily steps, but when she compared her results to those of friends, they didn’t match up. And then the battery life started to drop like a stone in water.

She’s not alone. There are more than 100 Dribbble designs for step counter apps. I can see why people want to count their steps—after all, if you think about it, walking around the house or the neighborhood every day is actually quite a feat. But there are problems with counting steps, and I’ve been thinking about how to address them.

Step counters use the accelerometers on your phone to detect movement patterns. That means they can work without using much battery power, but their effectiveness depends on the device design and the quality of the sensors. The way the device is used also affects its ability to count steps correctly. If you keep your phone in your pocket, it might count steps differently than if you hold it in your hand, which in turn might count steps differently than if you wear it on your wrist. And different phones will count steps differently even if they have similar sensors.

The accuracy of a step counter app depends heavily on the features it offers. It should sync data quickly, detect activity automatically, and integrate with other health data. For example, the Omron HJ-720 has become well known for its accurate step counting. So has the Fitbit One. Both these devices measure calories burned as well as distance, pace, and duration, but only if the step count is accurate.

If an app doesn’t have clear calibration options, or if it doesn’t make it easy to know whether it’s working accurately, then you might not know if you need to adjust the settings or find another app. In addition, while it’s nice to have calorie burn, distance, pace, and duration, they add value only if the step count is correct.

But even if an app does have all these features, it may still give inaccurate readings. A recent post on the Scanwatch website notes that “the Scanwatch counts about 60% of the steps counted by the Fitbit.” On an iPhone, users occasionally report that the phone is registering twice as many steps as they are taking.

It seems likely that the differences between devices arise from miscalibration or from the way the device is positioned. If you’re holding a phone in your hand, for example, it might count steps differently than if it is in your pocket or on your wrist. Some apps also seem to have bugs.

To troubleshoot inaccuracies, check to make sure the device is calibrated properly. Make sure the app is updated. Try keeping the device in your pocket or on your wrist rather than in your hand, and vice versa. You’ll probably get better results. If you do get good results, you can consider yourself lucky. If you don’t, you might need to try another app.

There are plenty of choices for iOS and Android users, and for wearable users too. Each has its own layout, battery consumption, compatibility issues, and syncing features. Choosing one over another depends on your habits. If you tend to keep your phone in your pocket, you might prefer a wearable. If you like to keep your phone close at hand, maybe you’d rather use a phone-based app.

Some of the differences among the apps will matter more than others. Privacy and syncing policies vary widely, and some users will care more about them than others. But generally, the more information you share, the more personalized your experience becomes.

In the end, though, the best way to evaluate any step counter app is to test it yourself. Here’s my checklist:

1. Walk around for a few minutes and compare the number of steps your app registers with the number you count manually. If the numbers are off by a lot, look for calibration settings.

1. Check to see if the app gives you the option to calibrate it, or if it tells you how accurate it is.

1. Watch to see how much battery the app uses over the course of a normal day.

1. Check the app’s privacy and data-sharing policies to make sure you’re comfortable with how it handles your information.

1. Read reviews carefully, especially the most recent ones, to see if users complain regularly about accuracy or reliability.

And then, once you’ve picked your app, keep checking it against reality. It’s amazing how often people forget to move their feet—or how often they forget that they aren’t moving theirs—and how often they miscount.