Bike tracking stops

[Johnny909]

I am a bicycle rider, and have a FITBIT Blaze.  When in exercise/bike mode sometimes the Blaze will not find my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 4) -- eventually after some going back and forth in the Blaze dashboard the phone is usually found.

Additionally, during the ride the tracking stops.  At the end of the ride the  Blaze has only recorded about 1/2 of the ride, or none at all.

I also track the ride and route with an android app "Map My Ride".  So I have the Blaze and the app going at the same time.

I have come to completely distrust the Blaze as it constantly cuts out.

Anyone having this problem or anyone recommend a solution.

Thank you.

[Aclobos]

@Johnny909, the first time I use the gps mode from my phone I had to make sure my Fitbit app was running. I was also using run keeper and some how I turned off my Fitbit app. Fitbit only showed my first mile , run keeper track my complete ride. It took me a while to figure I lost connection from my Fitbit app. So far I have been lucky, I have not experienced any problems using the blaze to track my ride. I don't use any other mapping software and I usually ride the same route so I know how many miles I travel and the blaze has been about 97%

[Johnny909]

@Aclobos  Thanks for the reply and assistance.  Maybe Fitbit won't work if you have another tracking app open and running, who knows.  There are many apps open and running on my Android phone all the time, so this may not be the problem.  The Fitbit software was updated last night, and I'll give it a couple of more tries before relegating the Fitbit to the bottom of the sock drawer. 

[bbarrera]

The latest Android release will attempt to optimize battery life by killing apps, so that might be your problem. Another issue that comes up from time-to-time is momentary loss of the bluetooth connection, and the Blaze has incomplete GPS track resulting in low mileage because it does not attempt to "fill in the blanks" (verified by Blaze users that auto-sync to Strava, which does report correct mileage).

[Johnny909]

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@bbarrera wrote:

The latest Android release will attempt to optimize battery life by killing apps, so that might be your problem. Another issue that comes up from time-to-time is momentary loss of the bluetooth connection, and the Blaze has incomplete GPS track resulting in low mileage because it does not attempt to "fill in the blanks" (verified by Blaze users that auto-sync to Strava, which does report correct mileage).

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Thank you bbarrera, this could be happening.  Hopefully Blaze will be updated regarding subpar GPS tracking.  

[finkmj53]

I have reviewed all the answers and suggestions and I don't believe the correct answer for my problem appears other than the Fitbit needs some kind of update. The tracking and Blaze/S6 connection is fine and GPS signal is strong throughout the ride route. This feature used to work fairly reliably until recently where it randomly just quits tracking at various places during the ride and I lose a few miles or half the miles. I check the Blaze every few miles or so and eventually it just ends the route all by itself and goes back to displaying the clock and when I check the App on my phone it shows a partial map and partial data instead of the whole ride. Very disappointing when I am on an epic route and half or more is lost.

[Johnny909]

I never could rely on my Fitbit to track my bike rides. Although recently
it has been working better. Unfortunately, my Fitbit quit charging and is
about dead and gone. This is my 2nd Fitbit blaze, and both have the same
problem, i.e., cracked face. The glass is not strong.

Good luck with your tracker.

[bbarrera · Accepted solution]

@finkmj53 My recommendation to not lose an epic ride is to buy a bike computer, or use an app like Strava on your phone. 

[finkmj53]

Since posting this note I have had better luck with getting a complete track on both bike rides and hikes. I believe it was a combination of all the factors that were suggested by everyone. Thanks! I would love to switch to the new Ionic but am curious as to whether Fitbit will offer the choice or even automatic switching of the on-board GPS and connected GPS. Seems easy enough to do with a software modification and then you would be less likely to lose your track because of bluetooth connection or phone GPS problems.