How are steps counted?

Your watch tracks your activity throughout the day using the built-in accelerometer. Based on your wrist motion, the watch estimates your amount of activity as steps.

Tip: To improve the step tracking accuracy, define the position and way you will be wearing your watch when setting up your Suunto or under Settings > General > Personal > Device position. This setting is currently available for Suunto 3, Suunto 5 and Suunto 5 Peak.

Some wrist movements may be interpreted as steps even if you are not walking. It is important to remember that the step count is an indicator of your overall activity. Any movement contributes to your activity.

There may be some variation in results from different manufacturers or devices that use different methods to count your steps.
According to our testing, the step counter in your watch is a relatively reliable estimation of actual steps taken, but it remains an estimation and should not be considered a counter of literally every step.

We continuously improve the software and features of our products, so stay tuned for future updates. Learn more about available updates.