Charge 5 built in GPS not working

[SunsetRunner]

I don't own a smartphone so I use the built in GPS on my Charge 5. It worked great for the first couple of months but now suddenly it rarely works. I sync with the app on my iPod every day because I heard that not syncing enough might affect it. I always make sure nothing is covering the watch like a sleeve and that it's not too tight. I've tried restarting the watch several times as well. Has anyone else experienced this and has a solution? I have a theory that the cloudy skies might be affecting it, now that Fall is bringing in the usual rain but that's just my wild guess.

[DavideFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @SunsetRunner. 

I appreciate the information provided about this inconvenience with your Charge 5. 

If the GPS is getting disconnected during your activity, the Charge 5 may track different information for the the distance. Before considering other options, make sure to follow the steps suggested in this article. 

As you mentioned earlier, cloudy skies can affect the accuracy of GPS data. All devices with GPS sensors require a direct path to GPS satellites to calculate location. A weak GPS signal might affect the accuracy of your route and other activity data. Your device uses your step count to calculate distance until it finds a signal, so the total distance calculated for a workout may be slightly less accurate when GPS isn't available for the entire time. In particular, please make sure of the following: 

• That you are in open sky and moderate trees
• Adjust how you wear the tracker when you want to use GPS 
• Make sure the Location in your phone settings is set to Always or All the time for the Fitbit app (if you're using connected GPS)

If you continue to experience the same behavior and your GPS is getting disconnected, make sure to try following the steps listed in this article to complete a restart, as this has been useful for other users experiencing something similar. 

Hope this helps, I'll be around. 

[WonkoTheSanest]

Hi,

I have the same issue with my GPS. I have tried changing the aettings and also restarting both my Charge 5 and my app. GPS continues not to work. I run in a park where I know that gps works, due to having used Garmin devices. What other options are there?

Bonus question - is the a way to completely turn off notifications on the watch? Ie. I don’t want to be told that gps does not work, since I know that already. 

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Community forums, @WonkoTheSanest. 

Thanks for confirming that you've been having the same problem with your Charge 5. 

Could you please provide a few more details about the issue? Let me know if you're getting any specific error message or if you're not seeing the GPS map on your Fitbit app. 

Regarding the notifications,  you can completely turn them off by using the Do Not Disturb Mode feature on the device. From the main screen, swipe down and tap on Do Not Disturb. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi David. I've tried following the article and the route I take is always the same. When I first got the watch it always consistently worked even on cloudy days but since I last posted about the problem up until now, it still gives me the same error message that it's not connecting even when there's not a cloud in the sky. Sometimes when I look at the stats on my iPod later it will show the route but usually it's not very accurate. It used to be spot on. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the watch or something else that can't be controlled.