Background information
When is a step a step? Science examines when activity trackers are worth it
by Michael Restin
Not all smartwatches count steps accurately, and why that doesn’t matter
24/4/2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
Are the fitness functions of smart watches pointless because they’re not really accurate? In my opinion, they play a bigger role. Plus, the gadgets I tested didn’t do too badly.
I keep hearing the criticism that all health and fitness functions are nonsense. Plus, they’re totally inaccurate and even counterproductive. The smartwatches exaggerate the numbers so that users are satisfied with far too little movement.
Various studies seem to prove the critics right. A meta-study summarised 31 research papers in 2022 and came to the devastating conclusion that trackers are totally inaccurate. In addition, the often propagated daily target of 10,000 steps has no scientific basis, it’s just a marketing gimmick.
How good are pedometers really? I recounted
I’m on the hunt for answers. Just like Winston once said – the only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself. And as I currently have four different smartwatches available for testing, the opportunity was ideal. My test candidates are a range of inexpensive smartwatches and fitness trackers for the average Joe.
In my test, I clicked every step with a hand tally counter. I started off walking 500 steps. All four trackers counted too many steps. For three watches, the difference was low at one to three per cent. Whereas Coros clearly counted way too many at 10 per cent more.
To avoid any falsification, I swapped the position of the watches and tested them again. This time I clicked exactly 1000 steps. Once again, there was no measurement that was too low, and the Apple Watch tracked most accurately. Right down to the last step too. It’s reassuring to see the Coros shows a less pronounced deviation this time and, like the other models, is one to two per cent too high.
Why it doesn’t matter
Technically speaking, the smartwatches work quite well as motion sensors. Even if the deviations are likely to be greater in everyday life. Toasting with a beer, waving goodbye, leaning on the sofa – everything could be counted as a step.
But it doesn’t really matter. Because fitness trackers and smartwatches have a completely different purpose for me and many users. It’s about motivation and awareness.
If you exercise regularly, you don’t need a tracker. If you do, then use a proper sports watch or technical aids such as a chest strap to collect precise data on your training sessions. But if you have an office job and tend to move too little, a pedometer like this can certainly help.
First of all, it’s a daily reminder to get enough exercise. Second of all, it confirms you’ve done something. Walking more, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, an extra walk in the evening – it all counts, literally. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what number is on the display. The important thing is that I may have walked 8,000, 9,000 or more steps – and not 2,000 or 3,000.
Source: Lorenz Keller
You can read about how the data collected by trackers should be classified from a scientific perspective in this article by my colleague Patrick:
Do you use a smartwatch and the health data it collects? If so, what do they do for you? Let us know in the comments
Header image: Lorenz Keller
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
lorenz.keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.