GPS on Ionic not working

[Lou8blue]

I’ve had my Ionic for about 6 months. When I go out running, it just keeps flashing connecting and never seems to connect. So when I finish my maps are all over the place and missing long sections. I am not running in an area with tall buildings as others have suggested. I am very disappointed as this was why I bought this watch in the first place. Any ideas?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

Thanks for stopping by @Lou8blue! Also, thanks for letting me know you're not running in an area with tall buildings. Nice way to start! 

As you may already know, the GPS requires a direct path to the satellites in order to receive their radio transmissions, and there are several reasons why GPS data could be negatively affected.  The accuracy depends on both your environment and the weather; the GPS signal could be affected because you're underground, near many tall buildings (doesn't apply in your case), or as a result of atmospheric effects. 

I'm aware that you probably already tried all the basic troubleshooting steps, however, it won't harm to take a look at all the information here about the requirements, error messages and troubleshooting steps that could help to improve GPS accuracy. They could also be useful for other users checking this thread for the first time. 

Give this a shot and let me know the outcome! 

[gladtobe]

I have had my ionic for over a year and it has basically worked GPS connection wise all the time. On Sunday Wednesday and today it has dropped the connection ( after waiting for a gps connection at the start) for moat or all of the run. The stats are poor. 

What is happening? 

[Fei_d]

Hi there, I'm having the same problem. Have reset, uninstalled, reinstalled, tried in different locations and it simply will not detect the GPS. It also doesn't autodetect when I rub.

What can I do?

[Ionic2018]

My GPS worked very well until last month it couldn't connect to GPS. It get's stuck on "searching for GPS". I've shut down & restarted & also reset it to factory settings but still same problem.

I bought this watch primarily for the built-in GPS tracker, but sadly it fails. I've had it & will return it for a Garmin forerunner & pay the price difference. Fed-up now!!

[SunsetRunner]

@Ionic2018 I experienced that a couple of times. I pretty much stopped tracking anything except for walking which is detected automatically without GPS ( well, sometimes I do track Workout and Bike if I remember to turn it on ). Since the first time that I reported constant "Searching" state, the issue occurred several times and it discouraged me from using the tracking feature. Additionally, connecting itself takes a lot longer than with other devices I use for which establishing the GPS connection is just instant. I haven't found a solution except one - not using the feature. Works quite well and reduces my stress levels 😄

[Treyjoe]

Exact same issue. 

Fitbit needs to figure this out.

It's such a large sample size of watches that have the GPS function fail after several months of use.

I'm searching for answer, like my watch keeps searching for a signal.

Very frustrating. 

Trevor

[YGKuan]

I have the same problem. I thibk it occurs aftee the ipdate. Any solution?