Incomplete Map and Distance

[IanTi]

I've just been for a jog of approximately 4.6K. Gps and bluetooth were switched on the phone and I started the run from the watch (Charge 2). When I finished and the syncing updated, it doesn't show the complete map on the phone (or computer dashboard)! Today it says 4.17K covered and misses out a portion of the map. The same thing happened on Sunday, where even less of the map was showing, yet it registered 4.6k being covered.

After about a minute of running I noticed some icon of the phone showing, which I pressed the button, but really am not going to be messing about reading instructions when running. 

Anyone have an idea what this issue is?

Cheers

Ian

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @IanTi.

Thanks for bringing this up! 

Our team is aware of this situation and it is being looked into. While at this moment we do not have any news or updates on the matter, we'll be sure to let everyone know once we do have any news.

Let me know if there are any further questions.

[IanTi · Accepted solution]

Hi Lanuza

I don't suppose that there's anything that I can try to prevent this from happening could I?

It seems really bad that it's happening on such a product as Fitbit that is geared for sports activities. I am having to use the watch merely as a glorified stopwatch then, seeing as the data produced would be incomplete.

Thanks

Ian 

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @IanTi.

Some users have had some success by trying to use a different activity other than the one they use. Hike or Walk, for example, could yield better results. 

Alternatively, you could use only your phone and use the MobileRun feature, if available, to get your information into your account.

Let me know if there is anything else that I can help you with.

[IanTi]

Hi

Thanks.

Went for a run earlier and the map was complete. Distance seems to be less than previously although the same as Thursday - 4.13km. Was previously 4.6km which I am sure I measured it to be on Google maps. Will check this distance again.

If I use Walk instead of run will it not impact things?

Cheers for your help again and any idea on when the fix is due?

Thanks

Ian

⁣Sent from TypeApp ​

[fueledbycoffee]

what version of the fitbit app are you using? might want to rollback to a previous version... 

[IanTi]

2.79. Is this ok, any known issues?

How do you rollback?

⁣Sent from TypeApp ​

[fueledbycoffee]

the last version I have found worked consistently was 2.74.2 (don't do 2.74.1 that one drained mobile data like crazy!)...   I haven't tried 2.79 actually came onto the forum to see if there was anything about 2.79 - based on your post I am assuming 2.79 still has the same broken GPS they introduced in 2.75 sigh... 

to roll back use android police - they have a good library of old android versions.. they got good reviews when I checked them out.. they will probably delete my comment if I give you more details 😞

[IanTi]

Ok, cheers.

It was fine today.

Would be nice to know when there's a fix for this, as I noticed someone asking about it backin June. This is a major issue for a sports smartwatch maker as fitbit are.

⁣Sent from TypeApp ​

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hey @IanTi and @fueledbycoffee.

@IanTi Logging a walk could impact the total amount of calories burnt and how it is saved on the Forums. Having said that, since it has HR tracking, the calorie differential shouldn't be too big, if there is one at all.

Glad to read that it seems to be working better now. As for a date, I'm afraid we do not have anything on the matter. If I receive some news on that I'll be sure to post about them in here.

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

[KellyManVoice]

Check if your phone is in a battery saving mode! Mine was and as soon as I changed it back to normal in settings the GPS worked again! 

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hey @KellyManVoice.

Thanks for the suggestion. 

@IanTi, please do give that a try and it seems to have helped @KellyManVoice. Maybe that could be what is going on.

Feel free to let me know if there are any further questions.

[Matlocker]

It is eight months since you said the team is looking into it, but I have exactly the same problems, viz, the map showing only the first kilometre or so of a 5-kilometre run, and the distance being out by up to a kilometre. This is UNACCEPTABLE for a fitness tracker (Charge 2) of this cost and alleged quality. I look for ward to a clear response as to what is being done about this.

[beamerdogz]

My wife recently purchased an Ionic for me. On my MTB ride this morning, my Ionic only logged 1.12 miles of a 5.23 mile ride. I even selected bike as my exercise before beginning my ride.  I agree this is unacceptable.  I really had high expectations for fitbit. Now I'm left with a device that isn't even close to accurate. Luckily I was also running MapMyRide on my phone during my ride. I don't think I can wait for Fitbit to figure out why a their flagship device is so inaccurate.

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@Matlocker wrote:

It is eight months since you said the team is looking into it, but I have exactly the same problems, viz, the map showing only the first kilometre or so of a 5-kilometre run, and the distance being out by up to a kilometre. This is UNACCEPTABLE for a fitness tracker (Charge 2) of this cost and alleged quality. I look for ward to a clear response as to what is being done about this.

---

[beamerdogz]

The logic of your recommendation is flawed.  Choosing an exercise other than the one actually being done defeats the purpose of having a fitbit that is supposed to calculate other data points based on exercise type.

[Rocktropolis]

Why is this post being marked as "answered" and the "answer" comes from the original poster who isn't answering the question at all...

So, after months and months of the "team" looking into this situation, is it resolved? I'm using a brand new Charge 4 and half the time my walks and runs are only mapping portions of the route. The whole purpose of getting this thing was record my route without having to take my phone along with me. This is absurd.

[Aeolian1000]

I have a question, has this been resolved?

Nearly 2.5 years after the initial question and your reply that you'll "let everyone know" after looking into it, my Charge2 also intermittently fails to map the course, distance and speed of my walks on my smartphone.

So are y'all fixing this or not?

[SunsetRunner]

I just purchased a brand new Fitbit sense, and was looking for answers to why half of my mapped walks are missing. Disappointing to see this has been an issue for a long time with still no answers!? 

[Aeolian1000]

Yes and I still have yet to hear back from anyone at Fitbit, which just
adds insult to injury. For the record, while it still omits sections of
the route on the map, it seems to record my mileage accurately. Go figure
that lack of logic!

[Dunerulez]

Reading more into the content as I am looking to replace my current Ionic as it regretfully was damaged. Being an early adopter I tended to go forthe Sense but knowing the issues I experienced thought to first do some homework. To add:

I also experience that halve of my runs miss a big part of the route and sometimes not being recorded (visualized on a map) at all. Appears that in later and even last gen devices this is still an issue. Adding to this, and seeing it proved again in this thread, Fitbit support lacking and in general hardware knows quite some issues; e.g. first 10min of a  run heartrate measurement being unreliable and basic function of storing spotify downloaded playlist or at least some music was removed. 

Missing out on these KEY functionalities which are to me and many other people THE most important reason to by the device is regretfully pushing me into the direction of alternative solutions. A pity as I did like the dashboarding / info provisioning.....anyway gradually see it moving behind a paywall 😞