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

[shipo]

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@N8teGee wrote:

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. 

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Speaking strictly for myself, I virtually always run and ride phone free; why would I want such a feature?

The good news here is the march of technology will eventually get us to the point where wrist based GPS trackers can run for days with GPS mode enabled.  We just ain't there yet.

[N8teGee]

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@shipo wrote:

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@N8teGee wrote:

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. 

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Speaking strictly for myself, I virtually always run and ride phone free; why would I want such a feature?

The good news here is the march of technology will eventually get us to the point where wrist based GPS trackers can run for days with GPS mode enabled.  We just ain't there yet.

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I understand that and accept some won't use or need the feature, but it's definitely nice to have the option of being able to extend the GPS usage beyond 10 hours if one needed to. It's literally a few minutes of coding so why leave it out? Like a previous poster said, that 10 hours will soon become a lot less when the  battery starts to deteriorate.

I don't use the Fitstar integration on my blaze, it doesn't mean I'd want it left out though...

[Julia_G]

Got to agree with @shipo and @SunsetRunner on this one.  I find the "connected GPS" just too unreliable -- SO often I find it has disconnected part way (or even almost immediately) during a run or bike ride.  With the Surge I always end up with the map and the stats I expect.  I have used it for 6 hours and it is still going.  

Edited to add: And my friend's almost new  iPhone SE, using Map My Walk, has already given up the ghost...

[shipo]

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@Julia_G wrote:

Got to agree with @shipo and @SunsetRunner on this one.  I find the "connected GPS" just too unreliable -- SO often I find it has disconnected part way (or even almost immediately) during a run or bike ride.  With the Surge I always end up with the map and the stats I expect.  I have used it for 6 hours and it is still going.  

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Yeah, compared to my fellow runners with Blaze and Charge trackers, the Connected GPS mode leaves a lot to be desired versus the in-built GPS in my Surge.  Connected GPS ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[N8teGee]

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@Julia_G wrote:

Got to agree with @shipo and @SunsetRunner on this one.  I find the "connected GPS" just too unreliable -- SO often I find it has disconnected part way (or even almost immediately) during a run or bike ride.  With the Surge I always end up with the map and the stats I expect.  I have used it for 6 hours and it is still going.  

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That's perfectly fine, you would just set the option to use the built in GPS. You wouldn't lose anything by also having the option available to switch to connected GPS if you wished to though, even if you never used said option.

Personally I've found connected GPS to be very reliable, but I think it comes down to which phone you have. The only reason I can think of them not including it is to keep things simple. I won't hold my breath though, like I said I will be keeping my blaze along side my Ionic for certain scenarios. 

Don't get me wrong though, the built in GPS is a very welcome feature for me. I'm just someone that likes to have options lol. 🙂 

[Julia_G]

@davidgalt, my 2 year old Surge is still doing 6 hour hikes.  I think you are too pessimistic.

[davidgalt]

Julia_G, I'm 43 year old guy who has run a lot of batteries into the ground. I am pretty sure I'm just pessimistic enough.

[Julia_G]

@davidgalt, I've got exactly 20 years on you.  Maybe when you are as old as I am a new optimism will bloom.  Meanwhile my 2 year old Surge is doing pretty well, as I said.  There's hope!

[WavyDavey]

With its extra sensors and apps, I wonder what the Ionic battery life will be compared to the Surge.

Seems like the battery overhead on a smartwatch would be a lot higher than a fitness tracker?

[shipo]

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@WavyDavey wrote:

With its extra sensors and apps, I wonder what the Ionic battery life will be compared to the Surge.

Seems like the battery overhead on a smartwatch would be a lot higher than a fitness tracker?

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Keep in mind the Surge is four year old technology; a heck of a lot has happened over that period of time and I'm betting the draw level on the batteries is lower than the Surge, even with the extra sensors.

[bbarrera]

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@Julia_G wrote:

Got to agree with @shipo and @SunsetRunner on this one.  I find the "connected GPS" just too unreliable -- SO often I find it has disconnected part way (or even almost immediately) during a run or bike ride.  With the Surge I always end up with the map and the stats I expect.  I have used it for 6 hours and it is still going.  

Edited to add: And my friend's almost new  iPhone SE, using Map My Walk, has already given up the ghost...

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In my humble opinion Fitbit should have implemented connected GPS by adding cycling to the app's MobileRun, and then let MobileRun record the GPS. The weak link is Bluetooth between phone and tracker. Sure that means the pace on tracker might be wrong from time to time if BT is unreliable, but at least you would get a reliable map.

I've had zero issues with getting 14+ hours on my iPhone, and still having plenty of battery life at end of hike or ride. For rides I use RideWithGPS app, it has offline maps, and I just switch my phone to airplane mode. Easy to temporarily disable airplane mode and send a text update to my wife. Really handy when riding in the Sierra foothills and mountains, where there is limited or no cell coverage. 

[bbarrera]

@Julia_G just ran a quick test of iPhone 7 GPS battery life with RideWithGPS app. Started with 97% battery, launched app and started tracking a route (with turn-by-turn instructions), enabled airplane mode, set on my desk, and after 1 hour I had 92% battery. Thats about 5% an hour for a GPS app while in airplane mode. That was with crappy GPS coverage inside my home office. I vaguely recall getting a little better battery life last year on iPhone 5s when outside and excellent satellite reception (while on rides my phone is in a jersey pocket on my back, with clear line of sight to the sky).

My longest ride this year was 12 hours and 45 minutes, but GPS was running for 16.5 hours. That puts iPhone battery at about 15% remaining after a long day outside with GPS running and in airplane mode. Less if I toggle cellular back on to send text updates and pics. My phone/bike computer/rear radar are easy to charge during a long ride or hike using just a small Anker lipstick style battery pack. 

Given your phone likely has far more GPS battery than your Surge/Ionic, as someone suggested earlier I'd try using Fitbit app's MobileRun with phone in airplane mode. And don't enter exercise mode on Fitbit tracker, just let it count steps.

[finkmj53]

I just want to add my vote again here to encourage Fitbit to add Connected GPS as an option to the Ionic. It is very very simple to do with a firmware update and I dare everyone to find a downside... For anyone who values tracking their adventures and understands the pros and cons of only a phone or only the  Ionic GPS by itself, to have them both working together with some sort of simple synchronization can only be a vast improvement. Thanks!

[bbarrera]

My phone GPS, in airplane mode, gets about 2x the battery (about 18 hours) versus Ionic GPS tracking ("up to 10 hours"). Plus I have offline maps on my phone. For apps I use Gaia GPS for hikes, and RideWithGPS for cycling. Both work great in airplane mode, and have offline maps so no cellular connection is needed while using it. 

Therefore, a workaround for Ionic users needing longer GPS tracking could be using Fitbit app's MobileRun feature for long hikes and runs. You should try it on a short walk around the block, to confirm MobileRun works in airplane mode. If it does, then just let your Fitbit track steps and don't put it into GPS exercise mode.

[finkmj53]

I ride my bicycle a lot. I carry my phone in one of the back pockets of my bicycle jersey. When I start my ride I turn my wrist, connect my Blaze to my phone's Fitbit App and press Go on the Blaze. Very elegant. If my Ionic could do this and save it's battery by using the phone GPS when the phone has a good signal, and Ionic if not, then you have a simple and elegant "best of both worlds." You solution has extra parts I'd rather avoid.

[bbarrera]

@finkmj53 completely agree if you only care about tracking in Fitbit dashboard, getting longer Ionic battery life, and don't care about offline maps.

Also, some folks keep posting in various threads (including this one) that cellphone batteries don't last as long as Surge or Ionic. Wanted to set the record straight -  your cellphone probably has longer GPS battery life when used with the right app, and cellular/BT/WiFi radios turned off ("airplane mode"). 

I ride my bike 4-5 days a week, about 6-10 hours a week on average. I can't imagine riding without a GPS bike computer. That is another way of saving Ionic battery life - use a GPS bike computer for tracking instead of the Ionic. If you do that, you might want to add a manual workout, although that will result in not having a map on Fitbit dashboard. Unfortunately the Fitbit app's MobileRun doesn't support cycling, and Fitbit doesn't allow importing GPS/HR data.