Why Pixel Watch Is Miscounting Steps and Fitbit Stats

The latest Pixel Watch update has introduced some troublesome behavior for users who rely on Fitbit for health and activity tracking. Since the March 2026 update began rolling out, several owners have reported unusual or inconsistent Fitbit metrics synced from their Pixel Watch. These reports highlight problems beyond a single sensor reading and suggest broader syncing or calculation issues affecting step counts, distance, and calorie estimates.

When the update first reached devices, a number of users noticed that skin temperature and SpO2 readings were missing from their Fitbit app after sync. As reports continued, it became clear the issues were not limited to those two metrics. Multiple watchers observed inflated or duplicated activity measurements, including step counts and derived stats like mileage.

Several Pixel Watch owners have documented instances where step counts appear to be doubled after syncing to Fitbit, producing totals much higher than expected for the same time period. In some cases this overcounting also affected reported distance, making the mileage figures seem exaggerated compared with the user’s actual movements. Other users reported similarly inflated calorie burn values, with calories shown as significantly higher than the level of physical activity would justify.

These inconsistencies are particularly frustrating for people who use their watch to monitor trends in daily activity. While wrist-worn devices are not clinical instruments and should not be treated as perfectly precise measures, they are very useful for tracking changes over time, motivating increased activity, and providing an approximate picture of daily movement. When the numbers become erratic or clearly incorrect, that value is diminished and users can lose confidence in the device’s tracking.

Update 3/20: Emerging evidence indicates this may not be caused directly by the latest Pixel Watch firmware on every device. Instead, several reports and user experiences point to a potential server-side or app-side problem with Fitbit’s handling of data from Pixel Watches. Some affected users are observing the same behavior on devices that are still running earlier updates, which suggests the issue could be occurring during data processing or syncing rather than being strictly tied to the new watch software.

At the time of writing, Google has not formally acknowledged a widespread problem tied to the March update, and Fitbit’s official channels have not announced a confirmed root cause. Users experiencing inflated metrics can try a few basic troubleshooting steps that often resolve sync or display issues: reboot the watch, force-close and restart the Fitbit app on the phone, ensure both watch and phone apps are up to date, resync or unlink and relink the watch account, and check for any pending updates on the phone. If the behavior persists, documenting the issue and reporting it to Fitbit support with screenshots and timestamps will help engineers investigate anomalies in the data pipeline.

For people who rely on consistent activity tracking, consider temporarily cross-checking results using another wearable or phone-based step counter to gauge whether the problem is isolated to the Pixel Watch to Fitbit flow. Keeping a short manual log of steps or walks can also help identify discrepancies until an official fix is released.

We expect future app or server updates to address this type of syncing and calculation problem. Users should monitor official support channels and update notifications for both the Pixel Watch and Fitbit apps, as a combined fix may be required on either the device or the backend to fully resolve inflated metrics.

If you’ve encountered these issues after the March 2026 update or at any other time, share your experience in the comments so others can compare symptoms and troubleshooting steps. Clear reports from multiple users will help clarify whether this is an isolated glitch, a wider server issue, or something tied to a specific model or software combination.

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