Distance accuracy

[Technogeek]

Has anyone noticed that the exercise tracker in the Android App V3.6 is reporting larger distances traveled than actually traveled? Walking the same path was .66m on 9/14, .69 m on 9/15, .65m on 9/16, 1.1m on 9/17, .99m on 9/18, 1.05m on 9/19. The last few days the distance being recorded is 70% greater than the actual distance traveled.  

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hi @Technogeek, it's nice to see you again participating here in the Community Forums, welcome back! Sorry for the delay in responding your post.

I appreciate all the information and details that were shared in your post, sorry for the difficulties experienced. Let me share with you that Fitbit devices calculate distance by multiplying your walking steps by your walking stride length and multiplying your running steps by your running stride length. We estimate your stride lengths using your height and sex.

If your Fitbit device uses GPS and you track 1 or more runs using on-board or connected GPS, we evaluate that data to automatically update your running stride length. For best results, run at a comfortable pace for at least 10 minutes. If you prefer to measure your walking and running stride lengths yourself and enter them manually, see How do I measure and adjust my stride length?

Note that when you're tracking an activity with GPS, Fitbit calculates your distance using GPS data rather than steps. If you begin moving before you get a GPS signal, the tracker will calculate distance using steps and stride length as described above until a GPS signal is found.

Keep me posted and let me know if you have any additional questions.

[Technogeek]

Ricardo, thanks for your reply. I think I can provide you with a little more information. I have been using Fitbit Flex since 2014 and it has been recording my exercise accurately since that time. This problem started on 9/17/2019.

I assume the Flex device only measures my step count and is not a GPS device. My stride length is 26.1 inches and hasn't changed since I started. This morning I walked 1.82 miles as plotted on Google Maps (the same map used by the Fitbit app), Bing MapsWalk plotted on Bing Maps in miles, Google Earth and my Samsung Health App. Upon completion of the walk, the Fitbit App reported I walked 2.71 miles or 172,973 inches, almost a full mile further than I actually walked. Also, while my walk path is accurately plotted on the map, the distance is incorrect. In addition, the App recorded my total steps as being 3683. If I divide the total inches Fitbit indicates I had walked by the number of steps recorded, my stride length would have to be 47 inches.

Something changed after 9/16/2019 and I'm not sure what is causing the problem. My phone is a Samsung  SM-G920 which is running Android V7.0 and the Samsung Health App plots my walking distance accurately. Therefore I must assume the GPS function of the phone is accurate.