GPS accuracy Android app

[Ad_B]

Hi everyone.

I would like to run this by you and see if I'm the only one getting discrepancies or if other people recognize this:

I have two Android phones and for example go for a 2 km stroll after lunch.

Phone 1: Samsung A6 with Google Fit installed, outside I start the app, wait for a GPS and start tracking when I actually start walking.

Phone 2: Moto G5 Plus with Fitbit (paired to my Charge 2) and Google Fit installed. I start maps or GPS Status to make sure the phone has a fix (it's really nice and quick) and when leaving I start a walk from my fitbit.

After walking, and manually stopping phone 1 and fitbit, I get three sets of results:

Phone 1: Google Fit shows 2,12km in 23 minutes

Phone 2: Fitbit shows 2,06km in 23 minutes (17 seconds) while the automatic google fit shows 2,2 km in 26 minutes.

So yeah, automatic google fit added some distance and time from inside the house. But when going for a (for example) 5 km run with the same setup and another Polar watch from a friend, it's always Fitbit coming up short by 50-150 meters and the average pace is always 10-15 seconds per km lower. Anyone else noticing this? Could it be that fitbit is "smoothing" the GPS track too much, to the point where it's cutting corners?

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @Ad_B.

Thanks for sharing all of those details on the matter. Let me help you figure out what is going on.

In this case, it is possible that the connection between the Fitbit and your G5 phone stopped at some point during the run and that caused the difference. When the connection between two stops and is then reestablished then the GPS will guess your movement and thus could reduce the overall distance that you covered. 

When you take the run, are you keeping the Fitbit and the phone on the same side of your body? If not, please try having them on the same side of your body and having them as close as possible to ensure a better connection. 

I hope you find this useful! Let me know if there are any other questions I can help you with.

[Ad_B]

Hi Lanuza,

First of all thank you for taking time reading my post and responding.

While examining the recorder route I could not really see points where the GPS failed and this is just an example, it's pretty much every single time that fitbit is coming up short on distance. Even shorter than the google fit run, running on the same phone (and therefor using the same GPS).

I will try swapping stuff in my pocket next time I go for a run.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @Ad_B.

Thanks for your reply and you are very welcome. Thank you for also checking on the maps to try to find a moment where the GPS stopped working.

Please do try rearranging the way in which you are taking things with you and keep me posted on what happens. It should lead to much more accurate distances and overall tracking.

I look forward to your reply.

[Ad_B]

Hi @LanuzaFitbit 

It was very close but still I had a bit of difference (2,05 Vs 2,12km and just 1 second difference in duration) between the devices. I should really try manually starting Google Fit on the same device to get even more accurate tests.

We'll just keep it at incidental differences between devices. Although, maybe, the programmeurs could take a look at the path filtering or maybe have an option to filter more on less stable devices and turn it down for phones with good GPS receivers (I am still under the assumption I have one of the latter).

[LanuzaFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hello @Ad_B.

Thanks for sharing your experience. 

Please do know that we will take all of the details that you have shared into consideration. We are always looking for ways to improve the overall Fitbit experience. As soon we have any updates on the situation we'll be sure to let everyone know.

Thanks for your understanding and for doing all of those tests. Please let me know if there are any other questions I can help you with.