Connected GPS Information Post

[EmersonFitbit]

Hey all!

I've been seeing a ton of great conversation about Connected GPS- the technology that will allow you to see your maps, as well as pace/distance using your phone's GPS. Ahead of launch of the device, I'd like to provide a bit more information about Connected GPS in comparison to our built-in GPS technology (found in Surge) or our existing GPS functionality in relation to other devices! The following is an in-depth look at Connected GPS, and and opening of the floor for questions!  Are you ready? Let's do it!

• What is Connected GPS? 

Connected GPS is a new part of the Fitbit ecosystem! Using Connected GPS, Blaze connects with your phone's native GPS capabilities to plot routes and activity stats screen as the pace and duration.

• How do I use Connected GPS?

The necessary components for initiating a Connected GPS exercise are: 

1. Your charged tracker
2. Your compatible Mobile device with GPS capabilities
3. The Fitbit App

To initiate a Connected GPS exercise, open the appropriate exercise (exercises that offer GPS connectivity on the Blaze will have a gear icon on the tile). Once you select the exercise type, you'll see that your Blaze will begin to look for your phone's GPS services. Once the device establishes a connection, you'll be notified that you're ready to go. You can always bypass the connection if you'd like, much like on Surge. 

• How is this different than Surge? MobileRun?

GPS is built-in on the Fitbit Surge, meaning that you could initiate a GPS activity without your phone in proximity. The MobileRun process works a bit differently; you'll have to open the Fitbit app and select Track Exercise > Stopwatch Icon > Start. 

• What errors might I run into? 

Phone Not Found: Users may see the following error state if their tracker is unable to connect to their phone. If this happens, please ensure the following: phone is within range, your app is open, phone is charged up, Bluetooth enabled and bonded, and Internet connection is present.

Check Fitbit App: If you come across this error, there may be a bit of action required. Please ensure that your app is open, you are logged into your account, and that location services are enabled.

• Location Services and Permissions: 

Location services are required for Connected GPS to function properly. Please ensure that location services are enables, and set to "Always" if applicable. 

Permissions are requested upon setup of the tracker. Users who intend to use the Connected GPS feature should accept the permission requests. If you switch phones during the life of your Blaze, you'll be prompted to run through all of these permission requests again before being able to successfully use Connected GPS.

[MuzDownUnder]

@Danianya81 "Try turning off your wifi. My runs were all out compared to the surge and it was driving me nuts. Turned off my wifi so my phone was constantly trying to connect and now it maps my runs perfectly. Hope it works for you!"

This doesn't work on my Samsung S7. My distance error is a very precise +10% compared to the Surge and phone apps & a Garmin and has been consistant on three different android phones on three different versions of Android (4.3, 5.0 & 6.0). Fitbit have acknowledged there is a problem (but not on this forum interestingly) and I am now on my forth Blaze but there is no sign they are doing anything about fixing the problem.

[Danianya81]

Sorry Muzdownunder. It was frustrating as hell for me when my Blaze wasn't working esp going out with my friend who had the surge and comparing. Guess I was hoping this would be a solid quick fix for everyone! Fitbit you need to sort this properly! As runners we like to know how far we've run!!!

[MuzDownUnder]

@Danianya81 🙂 Run while you can... We are down to walking now but we still like to know how far we go.

Here's my prediction.

Fitbit will do nothing to fix this as it is not really effecting sales much. Sure there are annoyed people returning product but in the big picture they are a very tiny number and not effecting the bottom line. In a years time there will be a new model that actually works and muggins like me will trot off and buy it. It's all about sales with Fitbit. Look at the Surge, it has a tired old menu system that looks clunky in comparision to the Blaze. It could very easily be updated to look and work much better but never has. Fitbit don't bother investing in existing product development as that isn't where the money is.

[Danianya81]

@MuzDownUnder it's just such a shame because spin/ weights/ calorie wise it's spot on. I wouldn't have the surge as it's just bulky for me but if my distance goes off again ( so far fingers crossed so good but we'll see) ill be looking at a garmin vivo fit. Which would be a shame we have a large group of fitbit users within our group. Hopefully fitbitters will put it in their reviews so others can be warned.

I love my walks too 😊 but my runs keep me sane.

[Khalid_khan]

Yes i have experienced it...it would not connect to my phone gps unless there was internet connection availble on fone..thats pretty shame we dont always have internet when we r out on run....even u need internet to synchronise watch with the mobile api

[Passenger]

Hey gang! First post here on the community (and thus likely to be in the wrong place) but I'm wanting some help debugging the connected GPS. 

I just got my Fitbit Blaze this week and went for a run on Tuesday which was successfully mapped using the connected GPS. However, I went for a run today and connected my phone successfully and got the "Okay Let's Go!" message but when I got back there was no map. I also don't have the Splits, Lap Splits tabs either. 

Any insight? 

Thanks!

[runnergirl1417]

I understand that you have to connect to your phone for the Blaze to track your route. Will the Blaze track your distance and pace without connecting to your phone? Basically what I am asking is, what will the Blaze track on my run, without being connected to my phone?

[Rich_Laue]

It will work like any of the other trackers, count your steps, use the stride to determine the distance. The better you set the stride, the closer the dust bff will be. It will auto detect some exercises, or you may use the manual exercise tracking. I would turn the GPS option off if no phone is nearby.

[runnergirl1417]

Just making sure- it will not provide my pace on a run without being connected to my phone. Correct?

[Danianya81]

Only thing my Blaze doesn't tell me when I don't have a phone is a map of my route everything else is on there. Milage, pace, steps and calories. You may have to spend a couple of runs tweaking you stride length - id go on a run and the use map my run to see the distance as mine was slightly longer I reduced my stride. My blaze is now bang on and reads the same as my friends gps enabled surge with hardly any battery use. I don't need the map so I hardly ever run with my phone and I still get the info I need. Hope this helps

[runnergirl1417]

This helps a lot! Thank you.

[Rich_Laue]

I would just go outside and try it, you know what you want to see.

[bbarrera]

---

@runnergirl1417 wrote:
This helps a lot! Thank you.

---

@runnergirl1417 just keep in mind there is only one running stride, so if you run without a phone and do slow recovery run on one day, and then a fast run on another day, the estimated distances will not be as accurate as GPS tracked run.

[Hisham_mlk]

As for me, I was having high hopes to sync with phone GPS and thus update my Strava. This to share my fitness activity information with my friends as all of them are doing the same with their Garmin fitness trackers.

[CoastalRunner]

This morning i opened MapMyRun and got my surge opened to exercise and connected to my phone just before i left. When i started my run, i started Map, but forgot to start the Surge (that's a bit of pain having to start a couple different things, too). As a result, a few miles into my run i realized i hasn't started my surge and started it then. Fitbit only logged that i ran 1.5 miles when Map logged that i ran 4. It seems to me that Fitbit should recognize the discrepency in distances and ask which one should be used. The option to edit an exercise entry to make corrections for something like this would also be helpful.

[Rich_Laue]

@CoastalRunner are we talking about the Surge with the built in GPS or the Blaze that uses the connected GPS? This is the area for Blaze discussion.

If the Surge tracking was started late I would expect the miles to be low. 

As for MMR I'm not sure, does it send your runs to fitbit? 

[Belletabbycat]

This is the GPS map from my run this morning. It's the third time that this has happened. I waited until I had all of the bars green when I connected my phone but it went crazy after the first KM and has got my pace and distance totally wrong which is really frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this and does anyone have a fix? I do love my blaze but accurate data while I'm running is something I really want

[OleMarius]

I too would like to notify my experience with the gps loging while in activity.
Even tho i made a post of my own (dint see this one was around).

When im out running with the Blaze, i have the GPS conection alternative that is ment to automaticly give me the stride lenght. But as seen in the picture below it does not work. Left side is the Fitbit software who tracks my run, right side is the direct log of google maps from the very same tour.

The top picture is from my last running. Fitbit gives me 15,86 km, Google maps log shows 8,4 km.

The lower picture is even more off. As seen on Fitbit. 30,78 km compared to 14,3 km. Beside that the logging is really off and logging the incorrect rute as shown on Google map log. It is so off that most of the rute is missing. This is for me a big issue. Is Fitbit even worth keeping if this problem is somthing that last?

The ironic part is that while Google map log is correct, the Fitbit who use Google map is incorrect.

[HollyF]

I've skimmed through the last few pages of this thread trying to find out if there has been a solution to the Blaze showing inaccurate distances and pace.  Maybe I am just misunderstanding, but is the issue being caused by the Blaze only recognizing one stride length?  Are we supposed to go in and adjust our stride to what we think it is???  I thought fitbits used GPS to determine distance and pace.  I've had several fitbits over the years, and this is the first one that I have been super disappointed in.  When I go on my normal run (well known route and distance), my Blaze will show that I ran up to a 1/2 mile less than I actually ran. Since the distance is wrong, and the time is right, my pace is way off.  Sometimes by as much as a minute per mile.  I've gotten in the habit of starting Strava at the same time as my fitbit, but to be honest, I find it super annoying that I have to do this...the Blaze should do it all, and do it accurately.

One other question, is there any place on the app that we can go back and see our distance and pace from previous runs?  For some reason I find this...even thought I'm certain I've seen it before.  I've been leaving the details of my run up on my Blaze until I can get home and enter them in my running journal, but I'm sure there is an easier way.

[Danianya81]

Hey Holly. I've adjusted my pace and thought it was working did a 10k race on sat in 59.27 my Blaze said I was running a 12:30 pace the whole freaking time!! So I've given up. I love the Blaze in every other aspect I think calorie count / indoor exercise and stepping it's perfect.....so I just bought a garmin forerunner 10 for £30 for when I run. I've looked at a lot of reviews for other step watches gps and assisted and they all seem seriously lacking in the firmware to make this accurate. I've heard issue from the vivo and surge wearers. Hopefully one day they'll issue the perfect firmware update but until then I'm left wearing two watches when I run!!
U mentioned linking it to strava have you found that to work?
Thanks in advance