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.

[bugman21]

Thanks for the advice.
Bugman21

[KisaraKaiba]

I am having this issue as well.  Start a walk or run from Blaze, allow it to connect to phone's GPS from the watch, press green triangle & being my adventure.  Later, after finishing and syncing, I'll see the exercise logged in my phone app and on the desktop dashboard... but no maps anywhere.  Just HR, calories, distance, etc.  I am using a Nexus 6P with the latest Android OS.

Anything I should try to fix this?  Disappointed right now.

[JRiddle]

I keep getting the "Check Fitbit App" error when I go to Exercise > Run. I have followed all the steps provided to make sure my GPS is on and it just doesn't work. When I called Support they weren't able to provide any further troubleshooting steps. Although they did tell me that the GPS feature will only work on a bright, sunny day, with no clouds. 

Anyone have any suggestions? I am wicked disappointed since I thought I was upgrading from Surge to Blaze. I mostly use my FitBit to track my runs and this feature doesn't even work. I did not realize that you have to have your phone on you for the whole run, which I also typically don't do.

When I push the start button, even with the error, it does track my run and seems to track some kind of pace.

[SunsetRunner]

@JRiddle what phone are you using?

[JRiddle]

@SunsetRunner iPhone 6 Plus

[Kmransom123]

@JRiddle  Make sure you have location services on (Under Settings on IPhone) and then make sure FitBit app under location services is set to "Always".

[JRiddle]

@Kmransom123 I did. Turned BT on/off, checked location services, privacy, etc. turned blaze on/off too

[Kmransom123]

@JRiddle - just to rule this out, you do have the FitBit app itself open, correct?

[JRiddle]

@Kmransom123 and @SunsetRunner seems turning BT on/off and forgetting and reconnecting may have done the trick.

It's a verrryy low signal but I am inside.

[JRiddle]

@Kmransom123 yes

[bugman21]

I set up my Fitbit Blaze on my Mac laptop and it works fine.  I then downloaded the Fitbit app on my iPhone6 but I can't set up my Blaze on the iPhone.  When attempting to set it up, I receive the message "The e-mail address you provided is already in use with an existing account."  I tried uninstalling Fitbit from my Mac but that didn't work.  How do I get around this and set things up on my iPhone.

Bugman21

[Meganrigg]

I just bought the Fitbit Blaze about a week ago. So far, there's a lot I really love about it! However, I can't seem to get the connected GPS to work correctly. My Bluetooth is paired, and my location is set to "always on," as it should be. Additionally, in the watch itself, the setting is turned on. Any suggestions? I've got the Fitbit app running in the background as well, so I shouldn't be having problems.

Also, today, during my run, I used it without the connected GPS. The watch itself told me that my pace was 11'15", when I'm a regular 9'30". Yes, it was windy and I was sore, but I sure didn't feel 2 minutes slower than my typical pace.

I really don't want to return this, but accuracy is important to understanding my goals and progress.

[Meganrigg]

I should mention, I have an iPhone

[IsmeneP]

I had the same problem (with a Samsung Galaxy S5) .

I was getting the Check Fitbit App error when trying to use a GPS related exercise.

And I was not getting any notifications (phone ringing or text notifications) at all.

And tried the Bluetooth on/off, changing the BT Classic in the Blaze settings, none of these worked.

ALso when I was logging in the FitBit App on the phone I was seeing an red Exclamation mark right next to the phone.  I could force it to sync, but it was not syncing automatically - even though the setting was 'all day sync'.

So, as a last resort, I restarted the phone, and then all worked breautifully. And worked beautifully since then.

I think the issue was with the phone rather than the Blaze.

[MCOH16]

I held a chat with tech support for over an hour trying to resolve the inability of my blaze to connect to my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. We tried everything to no avail. My blaze just keeps saying check the app, which tells me nothing. And yes, gps and accept data are on. If anyone can offer a solution I would greatly appreciate it!

[azhanmz]

i read this on the blaze manual

Using the Exercise menu When you use the Exercise menu, Blaze can track your activity for a wide variety of exercises including runs, weights, spinning, elliptical, golf, and many more. If you want to use GPS to track an exercise, bring your phone along. Our connected GPS feature works with your phone to map your routes. Note that connected GPS is currently not available with the Fitbit app for Windows 10.

[Rich_Laue]

@bugman21 your getting this message because your trying to setup a new acgount on the phone, what you want to do is press yhe i already have an account. Now log into your account. Once your logged in you will see your Blaze is already sjowing as fonnected to the account. Now the app needs to do the pairing to the phone.

@Meganrigg, im not very good with iPuone, but about your walk, have you set your stride yet? Without GPS the Blaze needs to use the Stride to calculate pace and distance. I however have seen reports that nake it sound like the Blaze is ignoring the stride setting, and will be doing more testing later on this.

@MCOH16 location set to GPS onlyand notifacations are on?

[MCOH16]

Rich - yes to both

[Meganrigg]

Hey everyone,

I found an option to turn off the Blaze through the watch. I turned it off and back on, and it seems to be working now. Thanks everyone!

[Rich_Laue]

I need to file your tip away, @Meganrigg, i wpuld not have thought of this.