Active Calories Recorded on an Instinct Solar or Instinct Solar 2 Not Adding Up Correctly in Garmin Connect Mobile App

trux said:

Is the sum of Active Calories (AC) all right in Garmin Connect Web?

When compared to the widget on my watch and the app, yes, but only if we’re comparing without an activity in the mix. If an activity has taken place (treadmill, core, strength, cardio, hiking, etc…) then no. 

trux said:

When you look up the AC data for past days, is the total of AC also smaller than the sum of ACs from the activities, or does the total change to a greater number, once the day is over?

This one is tough to answer because I burn a fair amount of active calories over the course of the day, period, not including the ones burned through the “official” activities. I’d have to go back through quite a bit to get a full sample size but I’d say the AC are higher BUT potentially not as high as they should be. Keep in mind the differences I’m experiencing are usually between 25-75 active calories +/-, not the 200+ that another user is dealing with, which I guess is good. I just don’t see why it would/should take an entire day for the numbers to sync up. Seems like once those activities are live in the GC app, the numbers should be up to date.

trux said:

did you already try closing the app and restarting, or clearing the cache or data

Yes I have. The problem exists across both platforms (web and app). AC in the watch widget on the watch match both the app and the web. It’s only when adding the activity AC that you see the discrepancy. The problem is once the day progresses and I burn more AC it’s easier to hide the variation since I’m burning more AC. If my discrepancy were higher it’d be easier to see at the end of the day. But because the variation is fairly low I’m usually able to burn enough AC to make up the difference and then some.

Bottom line is this…if I do NOT take part in an activity everything matches just fine. I would’ve never even seen this issue had it not been for the AC in the activities. I’ve even disconnected my watch from my phone by turning off the phone thus losing the connection between the two, done random stuff around the house while monitoring the calories burned widget (seeing ALL numbers increase), then turned my phone back on thus re-establishing the connection, watching both the phone and app sync up immediately with all numbers matching. So it has SOMETHING to do with the activities. Sorry for the long winded response but I just wanted to get it all out. I realize there may be a history with these watches rebooting but I can be certain that is not the case with mine. Trust me, I’m OCD and watch this watch like a hawk. I have as many screenshots on my phone of this data as I do my own children.

3016112 said:

When compared to the widget on my watch and the app, yes, but only if we’re comparing without an activity in the mix. If an activity has taken place (treadmill, core, strength, cardio, hiking, etc…) then no.

OK, I see. But do GC Mobile and GC Web show identical numbers (even if wrong), or not?

Every time I’ve checked they show identical numbers. As I said, the widget on my watch, the GC app and GC on the web all show identical numbers. 

3016112 said:

As I said, the widget on my watch, the GC app and GC on the web all show identical numbers. 

OK, in that case it cannot be a problem of the app. If the data is wrong already on the watch, the problem is on the watch.

Can you simulate the problem any day? For example by making an intensive activity early in the morning? Or does it happen only occasionally?

I’m going to respectfully disagree with you on that based on my conversations with actual Garmin reps and comparing my issue with others. I will await their (Garmins) response. I’ll only finish by adding that I firmly believe the data is correct on the watch. I’ve said everything I could possibly say regarding this issue and don’t feel like repeating myself over and over again, we’re just going in circles at this point. There’s an entire history in this thread for you to go through if you really want to. Thank you for your time Trux but I’m just going to let the professionals do their job in fixing an obvious issue that has been reported by many other (their words not mine). Have a fantastic day. 

3016112 said:

I’ll only finish by adding that I firmly believe the data is correct on the watch

You wrote the values are always identical on the watch, the app, and the web. So if they are wrong in Garmin Connect and identical with the values on the watch, they cannot be correct on the watch.

You can verify very easily whether the error originates on the watch or not - disable the syncing on the watch (option Phone), and simulate the issue, or wait till it happens. If the totals of AC continue being wrong on the watch, despite the watch not syncing at all, then you know where it originates.

3016112 said:

There’s an entire history in this thread for you to go through if you really want to

Sorry, nobody will read 6 pages of old posts. The best would be editing the OP, and keeping all important relevant information there.

trux said:

You wrote the values are always identical on the watch, the app, and the web. So if they are wrong in Garmin Connect and identical with the values on the watch, they cannot be correct on the watch.

I feel like there must be a language barrier between you and I (don’t take that as an insult because it’s certainly not meant that way). I said the values are the same across all three UNTIL I run an activity. That is when the problem occurs which is EXACTLY what the others have reported, on this thread AND on others and is also what the Garmin reps I’ve been talking with have confirmed based on the data they’ve seen and details I’ve given them (the same ones I’ve given multiple times on this board). 

trux said:

Sorry, nobody will read 6 pages of old posts. The best would be editing the OP, and keeping all important relevant information there.

That may be true but at the same time nobody is going to rewrite 6 pages worth of information they’ve already written because some may not want to go read it. Now I have to go to work. I’ll say no more on here until I’ve heard back from Garmin, if at all as it’s unproductive at this point. The only people who can truly help fix this (software OR hardware) is them. 

3016112 said:

I feel like there must be a language barrier between you and I (don’t take that as an insult because it’s certainly not meant that way). I said the values are the same across all three UNTIL I run an activity.

I do not think it is a language problem. The problem is that you change the answers all the time. I asked whether you see identically wrong numbers on the watch, the app, and the web. You wrote:

3016112 said:

Every time I’ve checked they show identical numbers.

So are you telling now, that the numbers differ after the activity? Or are they still identical and identically wrong on all three places? 

I have exactly the same problem. There are one of 2 issues here. EITHER the app/web (garmin connect) doesn't add up the active calories correctly from the activities (because the active calories added up for activities never equal the total active calories at the end of a day) OR the active calories in activities are wrong and the total is right. There are only 2 problems here and it is one of them. I can't say whether it's the watch or the garmin connect that is wrong. I've never seen my instinct reboot since I've had it and granted I don't watch the watch 24 hours a day. So i would agree with 3016112 and it seems far more likely to me to be a garmin connect problem given that's where it is calculating the total calories - so either it's not adding up right or the active calories it's reporting back from an activity are wrong (whether it's the watch calculating it wrong or the app pulling the wrong info).