Charge HR and GPS

[tryitnow]

Does the Fitbit app need to be open on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S7) for it to map my walk or run? Sometimes a map is shown in the exercise details and sometimes it isn't, even though my phone is with me all the time.

[MakMak]

Hi, @tryitnow! Are you sure you're using the Charge HR? The Charge HR doesn't have a connected GPS feature, so the only time you'll get a map is if you start a run/walk from within your app on your phone and use the phone's GPS to map it.

[tryitnow]

Sorry @MakMak!! I'm using the Charge 2 - should have thought about it and written it properly! So the same question. Sometimes a map is recorded and sometimes it isn't, and I just wondered if the phone app has to be open, or if the connected GPS works anyway. Thank you.

[MakMak · Accepted solution]

Okay, that makes more sense! In that case, the phone app shouldn't need to be open, but I've found that the GPS is a little bit flaky with actually staying connected. When you start your exercise, you'll see a phone icon in the top left of the tracker screen. It should either show as just the phone or a phone with a line through it, if I recall. That will give you an indication of whether the phone is connected to be using GPS during the walk/run. In the bad old days, if you ever lost connecting, you didn't get GPS for the walk. These days, in general it seems like it will use whatever GPS you have, so long as it has been connected at several points.

[tryitnow]

Brilliant - thank you. I hadn't even seen the phone on the tracker screen.