Why your step counter stops counting when the screen is off
Short answer: on most Android phones the step counter stops because battery optimization closes apps running in the background. Set the step counter app to "Unrestricted" (or "Don't optimize") in battery settings, keep its notification on, and it will count with the screen locked.
1. What is happening
Android and phone makers such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei put apps to sleep when the screen is off to save battery. A step counter needs to keep listening to the step sensor, so when it is put to sleep the count freezes until you open the app again. That is why reviews say things like "if you don't check it every 15 minutes, it stops".
2. How to fix it
- Most phones: Settings → Apps → your step counter → Battery → Unrestricted.
- Samsung: also remove the app from Settings → Battery → Background usage limits → Sleeping apps / Deep sleeping apps.
- Xiaomi / Redmi: App info → Battery saver → No restrictions, and turn on Autostart.
- Keep the notification: the small ongoing notification is what lets the app run in the background. Don't block it.
- Don't swipe it away from recent apps with "clear all" on phones that treat that as force stop.
3. Check that it worked
Note the step count, lock the screen, walk 100 steps and look again. If the number went up, background counting works.
Doing it with Stepblaze
Stepblaze counts with the screen off while a small notification shows today's steps. If it detects that counting stopped, it shows a short guide that takes you to the right battery setting for your phone. Counting uses the phone's step sensor, with no GPS or internet.
FAQ
Why does my step counter only count when the app is open?
Your phone's battery saver is stopping the app in the background. Exclude the app from battery optimization so it can keep counting with the screen off.
Does turning off battery optimization drain the battery?
A step counter that reads the phone's step sensor uses very little power. Allowing it to run in the background mostly just stops the system from killing it.
Will I lose the steps I walked while it was stopped?
Steps walked while the app was fully stopped usually can't be recovered, so fix the setting once and counting continues from then on.
Get Stepblaze, a step counter that keeps counting with the screen off (Google Play)
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