Ability to use phone GPS instead of built-in GPS on Sense series (Dynamic GPS)

[Scorpionx73]

Fitbit sense offers a "6 day plus" battery life, but not if you actually use it for any exercise with the GPS on. Some of your other trackers offer the ability to use the phone's GPS. This feature is needed on the sense as well. I used the sense for a 4 hour hike and a 3 hour bike ride, and it absolutely crushed the battery.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Scorpionx73. Thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion about being able to use phone GPS on your Sense to track your exercises with us. We rely on feedback like yours to help us develop products and features that we know our community wants to see. If this suggestion receives votes from other customers and gains popularity, it will be shared internally with various teams at Fitbit. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which suggestions get developed, visit our FAQs.

Watch this space for status updates. In the meantime, try visiting Health & Wellness to talk with other members about all things health and fitness.

[CBV2]

Given the GPS chews up a lot of power it makes sense (excuse the pun) for the iPhone to do the heavy lifting. The Charge 4 approach is very, ahh, sensible. Why hasn't this been applied to the Sense? Could the designers please make this a matter of urgency?

[chuckyip]

I live in a dense urban area. 80% of the time, the onboard GPS is useless on the Sense.

When I log the same exercise on the phone app in parallel, the GPS data is very good, but it can't overlay the heart rate data "not enough heart rate data available"

If you could allow an option to use phone connected GPS, it will solve many people's problems. 

Another option would be to use phone Connected GPS first, then if phone is not in range, then use onboard GPS. This will give your premium watch users the same level of experience as low end watches which depends on phone connected GPS only. Right now, your customers are paying more for a worser experience. 

I upgraded recently from a versa 1 to sense, but the exercise tracking is now useless compared to when to the old watch. This is a very big step backwards despite charging top dollars.

I would happily go back to a fitbit without onboard GPS, as it works better with connected phone GPS. 

Chucky

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[rafeiteira]

This suggestion is really important and should be considered with
urgency.

In my case the use of the gps of the sense is very bad, it registers me on average less 500 to 700 meters every 6km compared to the gps on the phone, which normally records the correct distance.

This problem is making me ponder giving back the sense.

[SpO2]

Automatically switch from built-in GPS to connected GPS if available to preserve battery. You have done this for Fitbit Charge 4 ("Dynamic GPS") by popular request, but not for the Sense.

See https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Ability-to-switch-from-built-GPS-to-connected-GP...

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @SpO2, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to use phone GPS instead of built-in GPS on Sense. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[sepculator]

I go on multi day backpacking hikes. I use my phone for gps mapping already and would like to use the phone GPS for hike exercise to conserve battery by leaving my Sense GPS off. The Fitbit app should be able to use the phone gps instead.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @sepculator, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to use phone GPS instead of built-in GPS on Sense. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[Breezybaz]

If this feature is not available soon I will strongly consider returning my Sence and getting the Charge 4 instead. 

[Brianp25]

Can't belive this isn't an option? 

[AzrielK]

In addition to battery usage, the accuracy of GPS on the Sense is much worse than that of my phone's GPS. I had a Charge 4 and used an iPhone 6's GPS, and the error was about 6 feet. Now, I have a Sense and the error is about 30 feet. It's hard to even tell which streets I was on.

[mleis]

I‘m a new Sense user as well and would highly appreciate the feature to choose smartphone GPS over the built-in option. With my old Charge 3 it was perfectly possible to start a one hour run when battery was at 20% or so. It‘s nice to have the option to use internal GPS, but at many times I just don‘t want that. Hiking is another point. The advantage of having a battery time of 6+ days is to do things when I want to and not to worry about having a fully charged fitness watch. 

There are so many improvements over my Charge 3 that I‘m happy about, but this is a MAJOR downstep in experience (for my usage). 

It shouldn‘t be hard to implement this as the Charge 4 already has this feature. So pleeease.. 🙂

[Oscarjqp]

the community need it in sense urgently

[SunsetRunner]

Any updates on this one? I'm still in the return window for my new Sense...

[SimonPlayzYT]

This suggestion would allow Fitbit’s with built in GPS to use phone GPS as from what I know the phone GPS is only available on Fitbit charge 4.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @SimonPlayzYT, we wanted to let you know that the ideas you recently posted already exist on the Feature Suggestions Board. You can see one of them here where you can add your vote:

-Add Dynamic GPS option on Versa 3

Please try to make sure you only post one idea per suggestion, so we can keep the board organized, easily searchable and see which idea other members are voting for.

Thanks for participating in Feature Suggestions.

[sepculator]

Its a shame. Seems like this feature that already exists on other Fitbit watches won't be available on the flagship model. I don't understand why, but I think its safe to assume Fitbit will not implement this as this request has been standing here a long time without receiving an official response.

I like my sense, but if this isn't resolved it will be my first and only fitbit device. Next time I'll shop smarter. The eda and heartrate stuff isn't as useful. For instance if you have a real issue, it refuses to generate a ECG.

Will get a simple tracker next time and stop recommending this to friends.

[Dave96]

Please make this option available. My main concern is battery life, for long runs it really crushes the battery life and this is a big problem that can be avoided by using the GPS on your phone. This one also is more accurate than the one on the watch, so it's a Win-win for costumers like me.

I hope you are able to enable this soon.

Thanks! 

[JB-G]

I just bought the sense, thinking it would have the same feature as the charge 4, what a disappointment!!!  I did a 5K walk/run for 50 minutes and it used up 15% of my battery.  Fitbit needs to fix this so we can use the phone GPS.

[SunsetRunner]

Please do this for Versa 3

[Alfinch]

This really needs to be implemented on the Sense. I bought one because I assumed it would be the complete Fitbit experience - I'm honestly disappointed that I paid more and the lower end models already have a feature which would be incredibly valuable to me.

[Keturah3011]

I'm really disappointed with the sense's in built GPS.  Not only does it take an age to connect.  It drops signal a lot and completely screws up the tracking, map, distance and pace. 

Today was the final straw (I've only had it 5 days!!!!) when it was loosing connection, reconnecting, loosing it again etc etc, near the end of my exercise, I waited till it had reconnected and the ended the session.  Only to find that my finish flag is 1/2 a mile down the road before where I actually finished.  So my distance is wrong, again.  Also, the accuracy is no where near as good as using my phone gps and my old versa 1. the lines are all over the place and more often than not walking through peoples houses.  This never happened with connect gps.  

This was supposed to be an upgrade.  So I'm pretty unhappy that I've paid for a premium product that doesn't not do what it says on the tin.  I would much rather use my phone gps for accuracy, consistency and reliability.  It should be an option to use built in or connected.  But whilst you're at it vastly improve the built in GPS...or stop selling it.

I'm close to returning the sense as it really isn't giving me the elevated tracker experience I was expecting at all.

[bobby2478]

My thought is Fitbit should incorporate the same GPS settings on the Charge 4 on the Sense and Versa 3.  Charge 4 has the following options:

• Dynamic (uses phone GPS if available, otherwise device GPS)
• Device
• Phone

Using GPS on the device, whether Charge 4, Sense or Versa 3 is very slow to acquire a signal. Using phone's GPS it acquires a signal lock much faster, plus it uses less battery.

Since these options already exist on the Charge 4, it shouldn't be much effort to make them available on additional devices like Sense and Versa 3 (especially considering they are Fitbit's flagship devices)

[sepculator]

Hi Bobby,

yes that would be fantastic. You can record an activity from within the Fitbit app (pressing + on the exercise tab) and record a hike or walk (later you can reclassify those as a bike ride too), but I feel that some detail is missing afterwards (heart rate zones etc). Its a poor workaround I use for now to be able to keep my fitbit GPS off, track the activity (on fitbit without GPS) and in the app and then have it sync up to show the route and calories etc. 

Its not great, hope Fitbit implements the same GPS options from the other devices.

S.

[CTerp]

I would like to be able to select which GPS source should be used in a workout (watch or from my phone).
Using GPS data from my phone would improve battery life on my watch and improve the GPS accuracy when I am running with my phone.