Different readings - different devices, same distance

[HelenParr]

My friend and I both have the blaze. I have an android and she has an iphone.  We walk/run side by side, same time, same distance. Why are our blazes not reading the same. Mine is consistently reading less mileage, longer run times and longer pace times.

Moderator edit: format

[Rich_Laue]

Im not sure if i understand, have both of you setup your stride? When walking do you use the connected gps on the phone, or let the walk autodetect?

Which readings are yoy reverting to,  it is unlikely that your step count and calories will match.

[HelenParr]

we are both using our phone gps. the gps automatically sets up our stride.

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information

[Rich_Laue]

I know that when tracking the run on the Blaze with the connected GPS your stride will be determined by the distance the GPS said that you ran, and the steps the Blaze said you took

 Im not sure if this is so when using the run tracking of the Fitbit app, but either way when using the GPS durring running the distance is measured by GPS, not the stride.

I'm still not sure what measurements are different, the OP looks like it was cut off.

[HelenParr]

What is OP?
This morning our first 3 miles showed 3 miles on her iphone. On mine it
showed 2.77....
The farther the distance we travel the larger the descrepency

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information

[Rich_Laue]

OP is original post.

Did you start the  exercise would the phone or the Blaze? You said walk/run so I assume it was tracked as a walk, i ask this because we see evidance that suggests that tracking a walk with the Blaze doesnt use GPS to record miles.

[HelenParr]

My friend has an iphone, I have an android. We use our gps from our
phones. We track through the "run" exercise as we are training for a
marathon. The strides are automatic with the gps. So the question/issue
is why is my friend consistently recording longer distances, short pace
times and longer mileage than I am. We start and stop at the same time and
the same place.

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information. 

[AngelaMa]

Hello @HelenParr welcome to the Fitbit Community! 🙂 I haven't heard of any report similar to what you are experiencing. I would like to ask more questions to better understand your issue. Are both apps up to date? Also have you noticed if the app stops during your run?  Next time you are running please keep an eye on the app to make sure it didn't pause or stop during the activity. I would also appreciate if you can post a screenshot of your app and your friend's app showing the discrepancy so I can further investigate. @Rich_Laue thanks for your amazing cooperation! 🙂 

I'll be around if you have any questions! 

[kimwhite81]

My blaze does the same thing, its doesnt record distances accurately, i go on the same 2 mile walk every day, and fitbit records the distamce anything between 1.5-2miles, i laos use Strava for the same walk and it records it accurately at 2 miles.

I used to have a HR Surge, and never had any problems.

[HelenParr]

Thank you so much.

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information. 

[Rich_Laue]

I've done some testing. Mapmyrun, Mapmywalk, Mapmyride, Map myfitness, Charity Mikes, Strava, the Blaze, the Surge, the car, Google Maps, and the Fitbit app, rarely agree, there close but not spot on.. Which is interesting considering the first four mentioned are the same program by the same author, Under Armor, just different names, and they still don't agree. 

[HelenParr]

I think we'll just have to be satisfied with the readings we get.....I
suppose nothing will be totally accurate.
Thank you so much for taking time to help me with this.

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information. 

[Rich_Laue]

With the Blaze there are two ways to get the distance. 

GPS and step count multiples by the stride. 

In theory gps should be more accurate. 

Step count and stride depend on many things. 

Accuracy of the the steps counted, easy to confirm with a step count test. 

Stride using several tests to determine the average stride can give close distance

Your stride will vary based on the terain, hills, how you feel, even what is going through your head at the time may affect the speed your moving at. 

[HelenParr]

0551 is June 20, my friends iphone
13311 is June 23, my friends iphone
The screenshots are ffrom my android

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information. 

[kanerz · Accepted solution]

I often run with a friend/colleague. I have a Samsung he has an IPhone. We are allways out by either .1 .2 or .3 of a mile (android less than ios). I did read that the GPS is built into the phone and has nothing to do with the fitbit. It's just that the iPhone and Samsung have different GPS receivers built into their hardware, so there will be a slight inaccuracy.

So it's likely nothing to do with Fitbit and is related only to the type of phone you have.

[HelenParr]

My android is off by .5 then grows as the distance gets longer.....but it makes sense.

Thank you.

[PhotoAngel]

I am having the same issue. I have compared it to downloaded apps on my phone and the aps register between .20 and .25 more than my Blaze. My husband also has the Blaze and we walk the same distance and his registers .25 higher per mile we walk. Having two different phones should not make a difference. A mile walked is a mile walked. Even if there were a slight difference, I would understand given all the factors. However, .25 miles? That means my 4 mile walk was a 5 mile walk for him?

[HelenParr]

I'm not real pleased with this new blaze and it's readings.....the distance
has never been close. I've also compared to other phone apps. I realize
there will be slight differences, but this is just to far off

--
Blessings,

Laura Matlock

Moderator edit: removed personal information

[Rich_Laue]

Please rememberctgevblaze without the connected GPS doesn't measure miles, they are calculated.. As for step count, different people will have different counts for the same distance.
I haven't done any tests recently, no updates for the Blaze.. I have found the Blaze within 30 steps on a 1000 step test, the problem is that it is within the same 30 on a 100 step test.
I need to get somebody to anilyze this.

[PhotoAngel]

I wore both watches and mine read 1.01 miles, his read 1.50. Half a mile! I am so frustrated.

I also looked in the FitBit Help section and did not find an answer. Where else is there to go to get help, other than calling directly?

I cannot wrap my head around why there would be such a huge discrepancy between "calculated" and GPS. For the amount I paid for the Blaze, it should be darn close.