The value you see on the main screen (My Day, left screenshot) in Garmin Connect, is the live value, usually the same as shown on the watch. The value shown on the Steps screen (right screenshot) is the number of steps that was already synced to the server (to your Garmin Connect account).
When the syncing of the steps fails, only the last synced value is stored on your account. It can happen for example:
when your watch reboots, resets, or crashes before syncing
when the watch upgrades the firmware in the night and restarts
when the sync of the steps to the server fails due to connectivity problems
when the sync fails due to a difference of time on the watch and on the phone
when the storage on the watch is full or damaged
when battery is depleted
I recommend always syncing and verifying the steps on the Steps screen, before going to bed. If syncing to Garmin Connect fails to update the steps (or other data), try syncing over the USB cable to a computer with Garmin Express, and verify again whether the steps went through.
There are some steps that can help preventing it to happen:
Verify that the Date & Time settings both on the watch as well as on the phone are set to "automatic", not using a manually set time. Sync the time on the watch with GPS (you have to step out of the house for that).
Clean up the storage - connect to the watch over the cable, and delete all files from the folder //GARMIN/Activity/, //GARMIN/RemoteSW/, //GARMIN/Debug/, remove unneeded files from //GARMIN/Text, //GARMIN/Workouts/, //GARMIN/Courses/
As written previously, always check on the Steps screen, or with Garmin Connect Web, whether all the steps were synced to the account, before midnight
Try uninstalling Connect IQ watchfaces and apps
Do a soft-reset of the watch regularly (i.e. once a week). Soft-reset = on most watches, syncing, then pressing and holding the Light button for ~30s till the device shuts down, then waiting a few seconds, and restarting it. No data and no settings get lost in this way.
If problems persist, try the master reset to factory defaults with deleting the data. No worry, synced data remain in the Connect account. After the full reset, watch will have to be added to Connect and configured again
The problem is the Garmen Connect would go over 10000 steps along with the watch, but then they would sync up and watch would go back to 9148 and the app would drop back down as well. It did this repeatedly. I was even getting an alert on the watch for attaining the goal. I went to bed with it over 10k then looked at yesterday in the app and it shows 9148. I just got the watch. Memory is not an issue because I didn't add anything. I have been outside. It is set to auto and not manual. I guess I will just see what happens today
The problem is the Garmen Connect would go over 10000 steps along with the wat
As I explained there are two values in GC - the live one, and the synced one. The live one can regress, if the syncing fails, the synced one will only increase. Follow the advices in my previous post, if you want to avoid continuing to have the problems.
I appreciate all the advice, I am just trying to figure out why my phone would show a number greater than my watch. Wouldn't the watch have to sync to the app and it make more sense for the number on the app/phone to be less from a sync issue than what is happening? I hit over 10K several times on my watch and the phone was showing the same but then they just kept resetting despite already syncing up. I just never had an issue with any of my previous Garmin watches so I don't know if during setup I missed something. Following all your notes, I don't think I did but anything is possible. I appreciate the feedback and will go through it all again
I appreciate all the advice, I am just trying to figure out why my phone would show a number greater than my watch.
Data syncs from the watch to Garmin Connect, as well as in the reverse sense. If there is a problem with the setup, such as listed in my first post, then it can indeed happen. One of the likelier reasons is a discrepancy in the time, date or time zone settings on the watch vs. the phone. Please reread my initial post, and apply the troubleshooting steps (including the last one, if the remainder does not help).
