Game Golf Draining Battery Quickly

[pb01]

Since Fitbit 3.0 Upgrade Game Golf Drains Battery Life - Tested twice now while playing and from a 100% Charged Ionic (with Fitbit Default Clock face) battery life is only good for 2.5 hours - meaning Iconic is flat dead by 10th to 12 hole. Currently running Game Golf 1.0.9 - the latest version.

Can anything been turned off etc.. or tuned to increase battery life ?

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity/Format

[Appin]

Hi @SantiR. I haven't used Game Golf for a few weeks having previously had no difficulty. Today I played a round and I have not changed anything on the iPhone 7 or added/deleted any apps from Fitbit. I managed to complete the round but only just. Previously I would have managed the round with 30% battery to spare. It is now clear to me that the OS upgrade (or the subsequent Game Golf fix for the course loading problem) has done something to cause the battery to lose charge faster than previously when using Game Golf. On a long or slow course I would not now have been able to complete the round. This was an important reason to me for buying the Ionic and I would be grateful if it could be resolved asap.

[Appin]

Hmmm...good idea pb01. I had no idea that I had "active" clubs until I checked on the Game Golf website. Hopefully you are onto something here. Like you I have now made everything "inactive" but I won't know for a week if it will make any difference. 

[MattFitbit]

@pb01 So long as you are charging using a UL certified wall adapter, your Ionic should charge as normal. I am interested to know if deactivating the 'Golf Bag' feature will increase battery life. Let me know how it goes!

@Appin Thanks for posting about your experience. As mentioned, I have raised this issue to our product team who will be in contact with Game Golf directly. I will be sure to keep you updated as more info comes in. 

For anyone who is still experiencing rapid battery drain when using Game Golf, please take a moment to contact the developer using the link in the app description. This will help to have this issue prioritized on their end as well. 

Thanks! Let me know if you have any additional insights as to what may be causing this experience. 

[pb01]

My frustrated golfing friends - Fully charged Iconic from USB + All clubs set to not activated on GG My Bag - and result was the same - iconic is dead in just over 2 hours. So we can scratch those 2 items from being the cause.

[Appin]

Och, that's disappointing. Thought you had it there. I have reported the problem to Game Golf as well as Fitbit. Will just have to back to the old-fashioned way of judging distance. Mind you, found myself checking my watch for distance last week then realised I was standing next to the 150 yard marker!

Sent from my iPad

[SantiR]

@pb01  Thanks for your reply and for sharing those details. Please take a moment to contact the developer using the link in the app description. This will help to have this issue prioritized on their end as well. 

@Appin  Thanks for reporting this to Game Golf and Fitbit too. Thanks for sharing your experience. I will let you know once I get any updates about this.

See you around! 

[Blasko]

I fought with Game Golf until the last Fitbit upgrade and got frustrated.  I gave Golf GPS a try and find it to be a much better option.

Golf GPS loads courses easier, auto advances, and has an amazing shot tracking feature.  I recently had cataract surgery performed and had both eyes set for distance.  The beta version has larger fonts that this 69.5 year old can read without cheaters.

If you like Fitbit's tracking and fitness features (I do), and prefer not to wear two watches, I recommend Golf GPS.

Blasko

[DesertGranddad]

Game Golf did not run down the battery of my Ionic AFTER I went into Ionic settings and shut off pulse monitor and notifications. Played 18 holes on a very slow public course -- 4 hours easy -- and had 31 minutes left after driving home and putting the thing on its charger. Prior round with pulse and notifications ON took its toll by 15th hole. Gone. Dead.

[Bikerdog]

DesertGranddad

Do mean Settings on the watch itself? There is a Notifications but don't know what you mean by pulse monitor (Heart Rate?)

I had the pleasure today of the watch dying after 2.5 hours. As others noted here the problem is the display is now always on which was done to fix the reset issue ( whew ! ). I must admit I didn't have the reset issue up until the battery died.

I'm willing to turn a couple things off during a round of golf if it gets me through without dying. 

[DesertGranddad]

Yes....Setting on ionic....pulse = HR, Notifications, too, on ionic
Settings...

[Appin]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing that. I will try it out tomorrow. Mind you the weather is driech in Scotland today and if it’s anything like this tomorrow I will not be golfing?

[DesertGranddad]

So, Game Golf Fitbitters, this just in: A day or so ago I reported battery success over 18 holes after shutting off heart rate and notifications via Ionic's setting thingy. I reported that I emerged with 31 minutes remaining.

New trial: Today I used Golf GPS and finished 18 holes with 51 minutes left, also with HR and notifications off. (But I'll leave them on next time.)

Moreover, Golf GPS automatically moves from hole to hole without the tinkering that Game Golf requires. 

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hello all, I hope you are doing fine.

@Blasko, thanks for the information about Golf GPS. I know that our friends will find it really helpful.

@DesertGranddad, @Appin and @Bikerdog, if your saw that the battery issue is directly with your watches, I recommend taking a look at the help article Can I improve my Fitbit device's battery life? and follow the instructions provide there.

Just keep in mind that we are moderating this thread for users who are having battery issues while using Game Golf. If you are experiencing other issues or have a feature suggestion or improvement, I encourage you to find a similar thread, check out the feature suggestion board or start a new thread.

Let me know if you need anything else. 

[pb01]

Hey Success at last - I played 18 today with HR turned off as well as ALL Messaging turned off - made it through easily. Next week I'll try with HR on and All Messaging off. - I carry my phone in the bag on the buggy when playing so wonder if it is the the iconic listening over bluetooth to the phone causing the battery drain - not the GPS chip.

I've been in corporate software game for 30+ years - I bet both Iconic & Game Golf use Agile Methodology - Nothing ever gets tested properly - it is always hope for the best......

[KH7733]

The problem is not the GPS or the Bluetooth, it is clearly the fact that FitBit changed something in OS3.0 which broke the Game Golf app. Game golf then put in a "fix", (I use that term loosely it was more like a hack), which prevented the display from going off, which drains the battery. 

The issue has now been going on for 3 months and neither FitBit or Game Golf seem to be able to fix it.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @pb01! I'm glad to hear you made it through. Thanks for letting us know the outcome.

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @KH7733! If you're experiencing rapid battery drain when using Game Golf, please take a moment to contact the developer using the link in the app description. This will help to have this issue prioritized on their end as well. 

Our team has raised this issue to our product team who will be in contact with Game Golf directly. 

Note that we will be sure to keep you updated as more info comes in. 

[Bikerdog]

That's good news. I play twice this week so hopefully I'll get similar results with Notifications off. I'll report back later this week.

[DesertGranddad]

Well, as the old adage goes, you win some, you lose some, and I'm not
meaning golf necessarily here. Out on the links today with Golf GPS at my
side (you're right, on my wrist), I got a little more than halfway around
when I noticed -- I may have been on 13 -- that my wrist said I was back
at #1. Did NOT know then that clicking the upper right button will move
you hole by hole back to the place you (and your wrist) expect you to
be.... I discovered it back at the car by just fooling around. Aha! And
drats!

That was the losing part. There's a glitch in there somewhere to have had
it go on a walkabout all by itself in mid round.

The winning was two-fold: My upper-right button discovery was huge. Then,
when I finally reached home and my charger, I found about 60% batter-power
left, albeit the last few holes were monitored by nothing more draining
than my Ionic's clock.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @DesertGranddad  and @Bikerdog! Thanks for sharing the last outcome after playing with the Game Golf app.

If you are experiencing other issues or have a feature suggestion or improvement, we recommend you either to contact the developer using the link in the app description or to find a similar thread, check out the feature suggestion board or start a new thread.

If there's anything else we may do to assist in the meantime, let us know. 

[Blasko]

DesertGrandad,

I’m using the beta version of Golf Gps.  It has bigger fonts and a clock.

To use club tracking, tap the characters just below the hole number before or just after you hit the ball.  That drops a GPS waypoint at the spot and resets to zero.  When you get to your ball, it reads how far your ball went.  Golf GPS “Classic” could sense when you hit the ball.  I’m not sure that’s working since Fitbit’s last update 😖

Sometimes Golf GPS crashes back to hole #1.  If you keep your phone close by / in your pocket,  it almost never does that.  It seems to need the Fitbit app up on your phone with the screen on dashboard as well.  Just my experience playing around with it, didn’t read that anywhere.

The bottom right button makes the holes decrease in number, handy for a crash to #1 on the back 9!

Blasko