GPS Not Tracking When Screen Off

[Jbe77]

Until the most recent iOS update, the Fitbit App on my iPhone 11 Pro would accurately track my distance using GPS when I manually started a run.  It would continue to track even when I locked my phone screen. As of the iOS 17.4 update, GPS stops tracking through Fitbit when my screen is locked.  I confirmed that my Fitbit location services are set to “always on,” but it’s still not working.

Anyone else have this issue or a solution?

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Fitbit released an app update three days ago (version 4.13), but unfortunately it didn't address this issue.  It has to be a software problem. I would be interested to know if anyone who hasnt updated their iPhone to ios 17.4 and uses the fitbit app on their phone to track walking/running is having this problem.

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Just curious, did you also update your iPhone with ios 17.4?

[JuanFitbit]

@Jbe77 , A warm welcome to the Community! Thank you for your message and efforts. 

Please on the settings on the phone go to apps> Fitbit App and make sure that "background app refresh"  is on. This will allow the Fitbit app to run in the background and even with the display off. 

[Jbe77]

Thank you for the response. Unfortunately that function is already on. I
tried unselecting and reselecting it again, but it's still not working
properly. I'll keep experimenting with other settings, but please let me
know if you have any other suggestions.

Thank you

[JuanFitbit]

@Jbe77 , Thank you for  your reply and for your confirmation. 

1. Swipe right or left to the Exercise app , then swipe up to find an exercise.
2. Tap to choose an exercise, then swipe up through the exercise settings.
3. Tap GPS to turn it on.
4. Swipe down to return to the exercise screen.
   
   

[Jbe77]

Thanks. I’ll try that if all else fails, but I prefer to run the start/end
of an exercise from my phone app. The exercise is less prone to
accidentally getting shut off or paused by incidental contact with the cell
screen than the Fitbit.

[kelliebeans]

I’m having this issue too but even when I have my phone open and I’m looking at the screen while I’m running or walking it’s not tracking at all. I walked around the block with my phone open to the Fitbit app and it showed 0.00 miles the entire time.

I’ve tried restarting the Fitbit, including plugging it into the charger and holding the buttons for 10 seconds, I unpaired it from my phone, deleted the Fitbit app, restarted my phone, re-downloaded the app and made sure all location services are turned on, still zeros. Please help or fix this Fitbit! 

[kelliebeans]

@JuanFitbit hi, could you please see my comment from last night and let me know how to fix this issue? I’ve tried everything I can think of. Thank you

[JuanFitbit]

@Jbe77 , Thank you for your reply! I assume that you are using MobileRun. The feature in the App where you can choose only between walk, run or hike, right?

 This feature  will not use the info from your Inspire HR but the one recorded by your phone. 

@kelliebeans , Thank you for your messages. Just to confirm and avoid confusion. 

Do you start the activity on the Fitbit app or your Inspire ?
If you start the recording on the app, are you wearing your Inspire ?

I ask, because if you were not wearing the device, the Fitbit app should recognize your steps. But if you are wearing a Fitbit and you started the activity on the app, the data on the app can overwrite the data on the Fitbit or viceversa .

Could you plese describe the steps you take to start a recording?

[kelliebeans]

Hi Juan thanks for your response. Yes I keep my Fitbit on my non-dominant wrist during exercise. I open the Fitbit app on my phone, select “start exercise” and choose walk/run/hike, then go on my merry way and usually get the voice alerts every half mile even when my phone display has been off the entire time. I’ve been using this feature for YEARS and have never had any problems until now - and I saw your response above that the phone display needs to be on for this feature to work. This was never the case before? I’m so confused and frustrated as to why this just stopped working entirely. I’ve tried unpairing the device, deleting the Fitbit app, restarting both my phone and my Fitbit, and even when I started the exercise in my app yesterday and kept my phone display on the entire time while I walked, it showed 0.00 miles for the whole 15 minute walk. What gives?

[JuanFitbit]

@kelliebeans , Thank you for your reply and further info. 

I apologize for my mistake in my previous post. 

MobileRun, does not need to have the display on, but the app needs to be running in the background. Normally we recommend using MobileRun, when you  are not using a Fitbit device (eg. While charging). We have seen cases, where if using both methods, a Fitbit device and MobileRun the data can be overwritten or mixed. 
Try turning your phone off/on. 
Put your Inspire device to charge and use the phone to track any hike/walk or run with MobileRun. 
Finish the activity on the app, independently of the data shown on the display. 
After finishing the activity, verify on the summaries if any data from that walk/run/hike is shown there. 

This will help me confirm that the data is being tracked but bot shown during the activity or the app is not taking any info from the phone. 

[Jbe77]

I agree. The cell phone app has tracked GPS with the cell phone screen
locked for years and only recently stopped. The only thing I can think of
is that it relates to the recent iOS 17.4 update. Sometimes apps behave
differently after a cellphone software update, which sometimes gets
corrected by subsequent cell phone updates or sometimes by the app owner.
If enough people report the issue, Fitbit might take a closer look at it.

[kelliebeans]

Hi Juan, I followed the steps you listed, restarted my phone and left my inspire 3 on the charger at home. Went on a walk and when I went to finish the exercise I got a pop up that said “not moving yet? To finish and save, Fitbit needs a longer activity with a change in location” and it makes me choose either discard or restart. I clicked restart and exited out of the exercise page, and there was no new data in my summaries - step count was the same as it was before I started my walk and it did not show a record of any exercise log. I also noticed during my walk that the pink dot on the map showed where I was, and it moved as I moved, but it didn’t have the pink line tracing the path I had walked. 

[JuanFitbit]

@Jbe77 , Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. 

@kelliebeans , Thank you for your effort. What phone are you using? What's the version of it's operating system?

[kelliebeans]

It’s an iPhone 12 Pro and iOS 17.4. Thanks for your help on this!

[kelliebeans]

Yeah I think you’re right. It seems like the Fitbit app isn’t corresponding with the phone’s gps correctly anymore. A few people on Reddit also said they’re having this problem so hopefully it’s wide spread enough where Fitbit will fix it 

[kelliebeans]

@JuanFitbit hi Juan, is there any update here?

[JuanFitbit]

@kelliebeans , Thank you for your message. I've informed our team. They'll be investigating this. Hopefully it will be solved soon. 

I'll update the thread, should I receive further information. 

[ImpatientMe]

I'm having exactly the same problem with my Charge 5 and iphone 12 running iOS 17.4. It started after the iOS update. I'm following this thread. 

[JuanFitbit]

@ImpatientMe , A warm welcome to the Community! Thank you for your report and information. I'll add yours to the one I gave our team. 

I appreciate your collaboration. 

[waterpolo_mom]

I too have a Charge 5 - on March 10 the live tracker worked perfectly in lock screen mode and on March 11 it stopped working. I thought it was because we moved into Daylight Savings Time. It hasn't worked since no matter how many times I've rebooted my Fitbit or iPhone 14. I have tracked this walk for years without problem... now, unless I leave my phone on the whole time (holding it in my hand), it doesn't register anything at all! Incredibly frustrating...