Android Oreo GPS Issue

[jdvp]

On Android Oreo, 8.0.0, I have an issue using GPS tracking for walks and runs with my Charge 2. Syncing seems to work and I can see the connection icon on my fitbit when I start the app. However, when I lock the device, the charge shows the phone not available icon and only recconnects to GPS when I unlock and open the app

[Asphodel]

One of the first things I tried.

[AlessFitbit]

Hey, everyone!

Thanks so much for your patience while we investigated this Connected GPS issue on Android - Oreo (8.0). I do have an update for you all and would like for you to adjust the following setting inside the Fitbit app:

1. Go to your Account by tapping the Account icon on the upper-right hand side. 
2. Tap on your tracker tile. 
3. Scroll down and select Notifications. 
4. Toggle 'On' the "Enable Notification Widget". 

By enabling this notification, your tracker should remain connected in the background with your Android device. Please let me know how it goes! I appreciate your cooperation on this. 

[Kurthein]

Could you be more specific with your instructions. I still can't follow your advice. What account settings do I go to?

[Rumpled]

- Fitbit app

- Bottom-left "Account" icon

- Select your device (ie, Blaze)

- Under 'General' go 'Notofications'

- Here, you may be prompted to turn notifications on

- 'Enable notification widget'

I have not tried it yet but will this afternoon

[Oakie194]

Do you have a fix for Android 7.0?

[Goosse1962]

@AlessFitbit, I was just added to the list of users with this issue. Yesterday Android 8 showed up for download. After installation, all features of the Fitbit app that I used worked. I didn't exorcise though. When I got up today, I found the the Fitbit app had been updated to 2.60. When I went for a hike, it was all good until shortly after I crossed the street (86 steps). I think that my phone had just switched from my WiFi to a cell tower. My normal way to reconnect, of forcing a manual sync, didn't work. I stopped the hike. After which I was unable to get either hike or walk to connect.

I just enabled the Notification Widget. No luck. Still no connection.

Before updating to Android 8, I would loose connection when I accessed the Internet with more than Fitbit and streaming music. I have been testing with only Fitbit using the Internet.

I am thinking of turning off 'use phone for GPS' on my Blaze exorcises until this is fixed. It will at least save the power of attempting to connect and avoid the error panel.

Have a Terrific day!

[Asphodel]

Hi @AlessFitbit, the notifications widget trick seemed to work for my past few runs this week, but my Charge 2 crapped out again halfway through my bike ride this evening.

What can we do to expedite a fix for this issue? As it stands, my Fitbit is offering me negative value -- the only thing worse than no stats is wrong stats.

[fitz1j]

Mine is hit or miss, I've tried a couple times and it's worked and a couple times and it doesn't work. I didn't have the notification tray enabled when it *did* work.  When it doesn't work the GPS notification doesn't come on or anything.  You can tell if it's going to work immediately.

[Asphodel]

Unfortunately that is not the case with my Charge 2.. sometimes it starts out fine and shows phone connection at the start of my activity, and then at some point partway through that activity, stops recording GPS data. There is no indication that this has happened until I look at my Charge 2 and observe the little phone symbol with a line through it.

[Goosse1962]

Yesterday no GPS. Today GPS.

I went on three hikes today. Connected right away and stayed connected with music streaming even when I accessed an app that used the Internet. That last used to cause a temporary disconnect.

Yesterday I had some apps update including some Google services some more updated today before my hikes. Last night I charged my blaze while soaking in the tub. After putting the Blaze back on, the app refused to sync. It told me that it couldn't find the device. I attempted to close the Fitbit app. It didn't stop, even with FORCE STOP. I finally restarted my phone. One of the first things to start up was Fitbit running in the background. It was able to sync again. I don't know what actually fixed the GPS issue. I hope it keeps working.

Fitbit App 2.60 running on a Nexus 5X running Android 8

I hope GPS starts working for the rest of you and have a Terrific day!

[Asphodel]

Went for another run this morning, tried to track it with my Charge 2 -- wouldn't connect right off the bat, even with the notifications widget hack enabled. Tracked it with Strava instead (same phone, worked perfectly fine).

Between this and the Fitbit messing up Bluetooth audio, I am running out of reasons to bother wearing it at all.

[Kurthein]

My GPS still doesn't work. 

So I don't use that feature or try anymore on my fitbit. Can I get a refund on my Charge 2? This was the best feature for me, I loved tracking my runs and bike rides with GPS. 

[emiller213]

Tried this.... still doesn't work.

[emiller213]

I tried this and went for another run.  Still doesn't track properly.

---

@AlessFitbit wrote:

Hey, everyone!

Thanks so much for your patience while we investigated this Connected GPS issue on Android - Oreo (8.0). I do have an update for you all and would like for you to adjust the following setting inside the Fitbit app:

1. Go to your Account by tapping the Account icon on the upper-right hand side. 
2. Tap on your tracker tile. 
3. Scroll down and select Notifications. 
4. Toggle 'On' the "Enable Notification Widget". 

By enabling this notification, your tracker should remain connected in the background with your Android device. Please let me know how it goes! I appreciate your cooperation on this. 

---

[Goosse1962]

I am now part of the 'GPS sometimes works' group.

Yesterday and today I lost connection just after 1 mile. In both cases I was unable to reestablish the connection. Yesterday it was the first of two hikes, and my Blaze failed to connect for the return hike. Both connection losses had what looked like different characteristics. Yesterday the Fitbit app was no longer on the screen. Nor was available to switch to. The message for 'Fitbit Notifications' was gone and Fitbit was no longer listed as running in the back ground. Today I just lost the Fitbit app on the screen and in the app list to switch to. It was still listed as running in the back ground and I still had the message for the notifications.

Last night the Fitbit app reset while I was using it and required me to login again. I discovered that it isn't just the tile layout and New Feature pages that reset. The Notification Widget was turned on, but not starting the widget. Closing and restarted the Fitbit app didn't restart the widget. Nor did restarting the phone. I needed to turn the widget off in settings and back on to get the widget going.

From what I see, this doesn't 'look' like code is missing for keeping GPS running. It looks to me like a stability issue. It might even be more than one. The need to login 1 to 3 times a day started several updates ago. At first it appeared to occur when an update was pushed out. But with 2.60, it is happening almost daily, and no updates have been pushed out for Fitbit. Until yesterday, I don't recall the Fitbit app completely crashing since about the second update after Marshmallow's upgrade. That upgrade caused issues with many apps that I use.

Although the GPS issue (and frequent login issue) is annoying, Fitbit is only one of two apps that I have noticed issues with after upgrading to Oreo. This situation is very much better than after the upgrade to Marshmallow where several apps would routinely crash and connections were frequently lost for both Fitbit and my music.

For now, I will verify that the widget is running before I start a GPS exorcise and keep watching for the next update.

Have a Terrific day!

[Asphodel]

---

@AlessFitbit wrote:

Hey, everyone!

Thanks so much for your patience while we investigated this Connected GPS issue on Android - Oreo (8.0). I do have an update for you all and would like for you to adjust the following setting inside the Fitbit app:

1. Go to your Account by tapping the Account icon on the upper-right hand side. 
2. Tap on your tracker tile. 
3. Scroll down and select Notifications. 
4. Toggle 'On' the "Enable Notification Widget". 

By enabling this notification, your tracker should remain connected in the background with your Android device. Please let me know how it goes! I appreciate your cooperation on this. 

Any update on this? As it stands, the advertising material for the Fitbit Charge 2 is false, since it does not actually have (functioning) Connected GPS. This was one of the selling features for me, as I am sure is the case for many others in this thread.

[SunsetRunner]

I'm on a Nexus 6P running Android 8.0.0 (Oreo) with a Charge 2. I've also noticed that as of upgrading to Oreo, my connected GPS is pretty broken (Fitbit tells me "Check Fitbit app" and then shows a phone icon with a diagonal line slashing through it).

I realize this doesn't fix the underlying issue, but one workaround that I've used is to record my activity from my phone using the Log Activity process. My Fitbit will still record my heart rate, steps, and so on, but will rely on the phone's GPS to tell me where I've gone, elevation, etc. It's not very elegant because I have to whip a 5.7" phone out of my pocket (or armband) to check my progress or pause my workout, but it's better than nothing.

I still feel like @skendrot was on to something with his feedback:

"FYI: Oreo now limits apps access to location (by default). An app can opt in to better location tracking when not being used. Fitbit will need to release a new version that allows for background location tracking. More info: : https://developer.android.com/about/versions/oreo/background-location-limits.html"

@AlessFitbit would you please tell us if your developer team is investigating this possible cause (or any other leads at the moment)?

[Goosse1962]

@AlessFitbit,

The 2.60.1 update rolled out to me last night. I restarted my phone afterward. Fitbit started in the background and Fitbit Notifications started. A quick test showed a connection for a hike. Shortly after that the Fitbit app reset. I was still seeing Fitbit in the background as well as the notifications running. Today I went for a hike using my Blaze and connection failed. I disabled and re-enabled the widget. Still no connection. I went on the hike without GPS.

At the destination I restarted my Nexus 5X (Oreo). Fitbit started in the background and started the widget. Hike connected to my phone for a short hike and again for the hike home. However, on the way home I lost the connection just after 2 miles and it didn't come back. Fitbit and the widget were both running.

After returning home and finishing out the hike. I am able to connect with the hike.

My current observations are:

1) The widget now stays running longer than before the last update.

2) When the Fitbit app resets, that might be the cause of not getting a connection later.

3) Restarting the phone will restore the ability to connect.

4) A connection was lost even though the app and widget kept running.

I hope my observations aren't just coincidence and that they help get to a solution.

Thank you for your help with this issue and have a Terrific day!

[forgettoclick]

Also just got 2.60.1, so here's my observations. I think there's two bugs...

Bug #1: the fitbit has a hard time connecting to the phone. This one seems to have gotten worse with the last couple releases. Lots of posts here about what does or doesn't help this one and it seems to be a mess.

Bug #2: the original bug i posted about, the fitbit, when the connection works, has a pretty inaccurate GPS track which also throws off the distance and speed. I think by 2.59 or 2.60 .. this one has gotten a lot better! For me it still "round off" corners where I turned, presumably because it's not sampling every second, but the errors are now smaller and overall it's kind of close enough. It also does the start/stop points correctly, which I previously observed to have larger errors.

So good progress! They just need to get bug #1 fixed so people can appreciate that bug #2 is mostly fixed.

[JasonAnder]

Add me to the list of Android users with busted connected GPS as of this week.  I hope a fix is coming soon!