Connected GPS option?

[StrongLucky]

Hey,

is it also possible to use the gps from the mobile phone? On this way it would be possible to save energy on the clock it self.

Lucas

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity

[N8teGee]

I did also wonder this myself. It would be good to have the option. 

[shipo]

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@StrongLucky wrote:

Hey,

is it also possible to use the gps from the mobile phone? On this way it would be possible to save energy on the clock it self.

Lucas

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I'm going to go out on a short limb here and say, "No".  Why?  Well, primarily because the Surge doesn't allow tethering to a phone's GPS and I'm betting that part wasn't changed for the Ionic.

[Ozzie65]

Hi @StrongLucky - Good question. Since the Ionic will be compatible with third-party applications, it is conceivable that there could be a GPS app available at some point. Fitbit hasn't provided any detail as to what applications will be available at launch.

[Julia_G]

You can always use the Fitbit app for GPS tracking.  This feature is called "Mobile Run" and more information is here.  I believe you can use this with the Surge -- you just don't start your walk/run/hike on the Fitbit (don't turn on GPS) -- and I assume it would work the same for the new Ionic.

If you are wearing your Fitbit at the same time, when you sync your Fitbit, your steps will be taken from information tracked by the Fitbit and your map will be created using your phone's GPS and the distance will also be calculated from that.

[ErickFitbit · Accepted solution]

@StrongLucky @N8teGee As @shipo guessed, there is no option to use the phone's GPS like on Blaze's Connected GPS feature as Ionic has a built-in GPS chip so you don't have to carry your phone with you.

As @Julia_G mentioned, you can always use the MobileRun feature to track GPS using your phone as an alternative if you forget to wear your Ionic.

@Ozzie65 At launch, Ionic will offer Weather powered by AccuWeather, Pandora, Starbucks (North America only) and Strava apps. The App Gallery will continue to expand with more popular apps expected this Fall, like Adidas All Day (US only), Flipboard, GAME GOLF, Nest (US, Australia, EMEA only) and Surfline, plus many more apps and clock faces created by our developer community.

[weswanders]

Wait - I would like to clarify something -

I understand the Ionic has integrated GPS of its own, but that of course comes at a significant battery drain when it is on. The Apple Watch Series 2 has GPS but it will use the iPhone's GPS when available to track location to save on battery.

To confirm, are you saying the Ionic will only use its on-board GPS? Even if there's a connected phone within range, it won't use the phone's GPS in the same way a Charge 2 or Blaze will? If that's the case, that seems to be a chintzy design decision, and one that will drastically affect battery life.

[WavyDavey]

Hi @weswanders,

How I read the above posts is:

The Ionic won't have a Connected GPS like the Charge 2. It will use the on-board GPS.

You can use the phone's GPS (similar to Conencted GPS) by using the Mobile Track feature from the phone app. I don't see much disadvantage going this route. You just needs the phone present, which Connected GPS would also require.

The two questions I would ask are: how much power does the onboard GPS really use? And does using Connected GPS actually save battery life over the onboard Ionic GPS? I want to see the answers before judging this one.

[weswanders]

Doesn't the Mobile Track feature mean the run/bike/etc. won't collect heart rate data? That seems to be a disadvantage right there. There's also the general clunkiness of it - instead of just starting a run on the watch, and knowing the phone's GPS will be used (i.e., what happens with the Charge 2), I'd need to start the run on the phone, then my watch is simply along for the ride, not providing much information. I couldn't see my distance, heart rate, or pace, for example.

I would think connected GPS would save gobs of battery life. Fitbit says the Ionic will get roughly four days of battery life, but only 10 hours on GPS. That means GPS uses the battery at roughly *ten times* the usual rate (~96 hours vs. 10 hours). 

Connected GPS would only use the Bluetooth low energy radio to pull GPS data from the phone, which may not be as battery-friendly as normal usage, but certainly would not come anywhere near a 10x cost to battery life (and would instead use the phone GPS and its correspondingly bigger battery).

This seems to be a software feature, really. I would hope an outdoorsy, fitness-focused watch would look to be as efficient as possible with the battery.

[SunsetRunner]

I've used connected gps in the past and to be honest, much prefer having the gps on the watch. When the Apple Watch got it on board, it was so much easier going out without needing to tether the phone, or even worry about the phone. Sure, the gps sucks the battery (worse on the AW than on the Ionic) but given I'm in the shower after activity, I just stick the watch on charge then. Such top-ups are more than enough to keep the watch charged sufficiently.

[davidgalt]

I also strongly encourage Fitbit to add the option of using connected GPS with the Ionic. For 99% of my exercise the watch's onboard GPS would be preferred, but as a cyclist who occasionally does 100+ mile rides having the ability to pull GPS from my phone would be absolutely needed to capture my entire ride.

[shipo]

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@davidgalt wrote:

I also strongly encourage Fitbit to add the option of using connected GPS with the Ionic. For 99% of my exercise the watch's onboard GPS would be preferred, but as a cyclist who occasionally does 100+ mile rides having the ability to pull GPS from my phone would be absolutely needed to capture my entire ride.

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How long does it take you to ride 100 miles?  By all accounts the new Ionic can operate for eight to ten hours while in GPS mode.

[WavyDavey]

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@shipo wrote:

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@davidgalt wrote:

I also strongly encourage Fitbit to add the option of using connected GPS with the Ionic. For 99% of my exercise the watch's onboard GPS would be preferred, but as a cyclist who occasionally does 100+ mile rides having the ability to pull GPS from my phone would be absolutely needed to capture my entire ride.

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How long does it take you to ride 100 miles?  By all accounts the new Ionic can operate for eight to ten hours while in GPS mode.

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It's not just the time for the ride. The tracker has to have enough juice left to make it through the rest of the day until it can be charged. The option to extend battery life by using the phone's GPS sounds like a useful option to me?

[shipo]

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@WavyDavey wrote:

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@shipo wrote:

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@davidgalt wrote:

I also strongly encourage Fitbit to add the option of using connected GPS with the Ionic. For 99% of my exercise the watch's onboard GPS would be preferred, but as a cyclist who occasionally does 100+ mile rides having the ability to pull GPS from my phone would be absolutely needed to capture my entire ride.

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How long does it take you to ride 100 miles?  By all accounts the new Ionic can operate for eight to ten hours while in GPS mode.

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It's not just the time for the ride. The tracker has to have enough juice left to make it through the rest of the day until it can be charged. The option to extend battery life by using the phone's GPS sounds like a useful option to me?

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As I understand the life span of a single charge on the Ionic, you should have no problem riding 100+ miles in GPS mode while still being able to have enough juice left for the rest of the day.  That said, if you are planning on a "double century" in a single day, that's likely a different story.

[davidgalt]

Note the "+"

Okay, a typical 100 mile only ride may take the group I'm riding with about 8 hours so I could still squeak by using the watch GPS. Although, when that watch is 8 months old and the battery gets weaker, forget about it. Also, forget about 130 mile rides. 

I'm sure there are ways of getting around the problem. Century rides typically include a 1 hour meal break where I could take off the watch and use a power bank to charge it, but then I would have to split my century into 2 smaller rides (yuk). It would be more simple to use the phone. 

[shipo]

I don't see why you'd have to split your ride into two if you charge at the meal break; while I haven't tried it on my Surge, I'm say, 90% sure you can pause the exercise mode, plug the tracker into the charger, eat, pop it back on your wrist and hit resume.

[davidgalt]

This could work. But, if I'm switching from Polar to Fitbit, I want something better. After many years of using Polar I am seriously considering switching to Fitbit. I have many family and friends that use Fitbit and I was always intrigued by Pebble and their community. If Fitbit can recreate what Pebble had and I'm able to share my goals/accomplishments with my network that almost has me pulling the trigger on the switch, but I want something that just works. I don't want workarounds. I don't want to be charging my watch mid-ride to get to the end. 

[shipo]

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@davidgalt wrote:

This could work. But, if I'm switching from Polar to Fitbit, I want something better. After many years of using Polar I am seriously considering switching to Fitbit. I have many family and friends that use Fitbit and I was always intrigued by Pebble and their community. If Fitbit can recreate what Pebble had and I'm able to share my goals/accomplishments with my network that almost has me pulling the trigger on the switch, but I want something that just works. I don't want workarounds. I don't want to be charging my watch mid-ride to get to the end. 

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Around my neck of the woods folks insist on having AWD for their cars even though we typically only get a handful of days per year where the roads are impassable due to excess snow.  Using the above analogy, how many times per year do you imagine you'd have to charge mid-ride?

[davidgalt]

Not too many, but it is for the most important rides. I don't want technical difficulties when I'm reaching new physical heights. Yes, I still road that 150 miles. I know it. God knows it. But, I want Aunt Betty to know it too, which will never happen now that the watch's GPS caused my ride to go dark at mile 117.

Also, as the watch ages and the battery gets weaker, having the option to use connected GPS will make a huge difference even on shorter rides. It seems like a no-brainer to include this as an option. It's a software fix, as all the hardware is in place to accomplish this. My 2 cents.

[N8teGee]

It absolutely should be an option! It would also be very simple to include. Just like on the Blaze workout selection screen, you have a little gear icon which allows you to select GPS on/off. The ionic could have the option of GPS Device/phone/off. Why would anyone not want this option? If you are carrying your phone anyway then why not offload some of the load to it?

I have preordered the ionic but will still be keeping my blaze in service for situations like this. I hope fitbit do address this though as it really is a simple fix.