GPS, and auto recognize.

[SunsetRunner]

Hello. I just spent the better part of 10 minutes with online chat, just to be given links to things i've already done and are NOT part of my question. 

I have been using the fitbit app since 2015, or 16. 

Loved my Charge 4 and am ready to return the Charge 5 for a new Charge 4. I have GPS ON.  I have it set to "built-in".

I have only had the Charge 5 2 days. My issue is, why does this picture say "GPS WILL NOT BE TURNED ON"? (im not shouting, just to be clear of what im talking about.)

[Wibby]

Hello @SunsetRunner 

I would guess the Auto Recognized activities emphasize that the GPS will not be switched on is because it’s a known battery drainer.  If it turned on without the user actively choosing to use it and their battery died or ran down dramatically every day, they’d probably be angry.

 I’m out and about walking all day. If my Charge 5 used GPS for all of those, I’d have to be charging it all the time.

It makes sense for it to be something you actively control yourself and turn on with specific exercises.

In my case, if I use GPS for an hour my battery goes down about 10% so I generally don’t use it for jogging unless I want to try to get a clearer cardio fitness score.

 I hope that makes sense to you.

Edited to add:

If you set up an Exercise Shortcut for Run or Walk etc you can select GPS to turn on when you manually start your activity.  It takes seconds and it’s good to have control of the GPS function.

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

This link may provide you with more clarity:

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1785.htm?Highlight=settings%20for%20the%20Run%20...

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks!!  

[SunsetRunner]

@SunsetRunner report back if you experience something different.  Personally, I just start and stop each activity manually. On days when I'm distracted, I like having the auto recognize feature if I forget to manually start.  Most of my workouts with fitbit are indoors so I have limited experience with auto recognize and GPS for runs.

[LZeeW]

@SunsetRunner   It looks like the information provided by @SunsetRunner helped you. so I marked it as the Best Answer.  @Wibby -- your suspicion about the battery drain is incorrect, so I will give you some additional information.  SmartTrack has been around for a while now, since 2015 or so.  At the time, Fitbit's top tier products were the Surge and the Charge HR.  It allows users to track those exercises without the need for users to log them manually.  Fitbit created other trackers after 2015 that don't have an Exercise app on the tracker.  These include the Flex 2, Alta and Alta HR.  It's not a battery thing.  It is the fundamental design of the feature.

I rely on SmartTrack for most of my outdoor exercise.  They are all familiar routes.  I only use GPS for something new or different.

[Wibby]

Hello @LZeeW 

I'm sorry if my writing wasn't clear.  I was saying that GPS is a drain on the battery not SmartTrack and suggesting a theory as to why GPS isn't added to it.

@SunsetRunner  I'm sorry if I did misunderstand your question, but thought you were asking why GPS isn't on Auto-recognized exercises. I paid careful attention to my battery levels so I could give some exact figures to show how the battery is used up when using GPS.  Yesterday I charged my tracker to 99% (I can never get it to100%).  I had a normal day's usage and 3 hours of walking auto-recognized (with no GPS).  This morning, when I left my house, my battery was at 89%, which I feel is reasonable for 24 hours of use.

I went jogging for about 50 minutes with GPS on and when I got back my battery was at 74%.  After that I did a weight training class for 55 minutes with Always On display (but no GPS) and my battery was at 73% when I finished. GPS does seem to drain the battery quite a bit in my case.  Also, GPS shouldn't be used indoors and an Auto-recognized walk could well be taking place indoors in a shopping mall or underground as much of mine did...

That was the reasoning behind my theory.  I'm sorry if I was wrong about that. I hope that made sense and I hope I haven't offended anyone by explaining myself.