Connected GPS with Charge 3 is not accurate

[SunsetRunner]

Hello,

After having a great experience for the last 9 months with my Charge 3, the connected GPS has started playing up badly for the last week with incorrect distances measured with weird\sharp deviations along the way (that I didn't make).  I don't know if it has coincided with an update, but nothing else has changed.  I've tried restarting both my phone and Fitbit at least 2 times each and I've also uninstalled and re-installed the Fitbit app. 

I've had 1 run out of 7 record correctly in the last week.  For example today I completed a 9.7km track that registered as 7.28km.  The only thing different about the run that did record correctly is that I ran it in the morning - the rest were afternoon runs. I've even tried correcting the distance of a couple of runs on Strava and the distance was much more accurate (with the weird deviations though unfortunately - so still incorrect)

I use a Nokia 6.1 that has worked great with the Charge 3 since I got it.  Next time I'm just going to record the run with Strava and see what happens.

Is there an issue recently introduced with an update?  I get so many updates I don't know if there has been an update in the last week or 2.  Is there any more I can do to troubleshoot the app?

Thanks.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Cryptonomicon]

Actually I think this might be connected to a server-side issue.

When this problem has occurred earlier (as well as other problems with the app), it has "magically" been fixed by no action on my own part (no new app update, no reinstallation, no other action as may have been suggested by support). And in all previous cases I've had NO feedback from support to explain what was done by Fitbit to solve the issue.

I'm so fed up with the lack of transparency from Fitbit when there are problems....

My runs the last few weeks are always different distances, even though I run the exact same route every time.

[AdamH0]

I think it's quite unlikely to be server side, as I see the problem on the pace screen on the watch whilst still running.

No one else has mentioned what phones they have or if they recently updated to Android 10. 

For me the problem started with an app update and also phone update on same week, so all not sure which could be the cause, or both.

[LostEchoes]

For my last walk that I tracked with my Inspire HR, I simultaneously tracked the first 1000 meters with the Runkeeper app on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S7, Android 8).

For the 1 kilometer (as it was tracked on the Inspire HR tracker) the Runkeeper app showed 1,14 Kilometers. That is 140 meters more on the Runkeeper.

[SunsetRunner]

I'm using a Nokia 6.1 TA-1050 with Android 9

[SunsetRunner]

Connected GPS is still useless after the latest update.  Why has there been no communication about this issue?  It's been going on for way too long.  Are they even trying to resolve it?  I'm going to have to save for a Garmin.

[LostEchoes]

Distance on GPS map doesn't match with exercise summary

[andrew-mac]

I'm seeing the same issue with my Charge 2. On the map the routes seem accurate (not cutting massive corners etc.) but when I plot the same route on Google Maps or Strava route planner they are about 20% shorter on Fitbit. Using the Strava "Correct GPS inaccuracies" seems to get close to the plotted route. 

[tubby8]

Something I’ve noticed..

I use the Fitbit app on iOS. My partner on android. She’s noticed a change in distance measured while exercising so we thought we would track side by side. 

We’ve noticed that the Android app always reports a shorter distance, even when we walk side by side the whole time. 

zooming in on the map in both apps, the first thing we’ve noticed is the route line in the iOS app is much more granular. It looks like it has many more data points to work with. The route line in the Android app has much longer straight routes followed by a change when a new data point is taken. 

I’m thinking this may be an issue of the refresh rate when using with an android device. Has anyone else experienced this as well?