Exercise Tracking from band or app

[Shiraz1]

Newbie here. I started my Map my Walk app just until I know how to properly track my walks with my Fitbit. I started my exercise tracking using my Fitbit Luxe band. I noticed that the app did not create a gps map and seemed to only display the finished workout with details exactly the same as Map My Walk. 

Am I supposed to start the exercise in the app and then start it on my band or…  Why is there a start option for exercise tracking on the band and another in the app but do not seem to speak in real time?  How do I use the two?

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Shiraz1 to track a walk using your Fitbit Luxe you will need to have your phone with you, but you do not need to start anything in your app.  The Luxe will do this for you.  On your Luxe swipe left to find the exercise app.  If necessary swipe up to find “walk” and tap to open.  

You should see the start screen and at the top of the Luxe screen indication that the Luxe is trying to connect to your phone’s GPS.      You can start walking immediately or wait until GPS - it’s up to you.  If you start straight away, as long as the GPS does manage to connect, it will “back track” so you should have a map of your whole walk.

Your Luxe does not have built in GPS - it connects to your phone’s GPS to create the map of your walk.  Things to bear in mind:

- Make sure GPS (or location services) and Bluetooth are both turned ON on your phone.

- Make sure your Luxe is paired to your phone 

- Make sure the Fitbit app has permission to use GPS or location services

- And, of course, have your phone with you!

Once you are ready, hit the start screen on the exercise app to begin your walk.  When you are finished, swipe up to find the pause screen, tap and then tap again to finish.

When your Fitbit syncs, you should find in the app, in the exercise session, information about your walk - heartrate, distance, calories etc. - and also a map of your walk.

I hope this helps.  Please post again any time you need more information; there is always someone here to answer questions.

Welcome to the forums!

[JohnnyRow]

I'll give you a short answer now; could be much longer detailed explanation maybe later but for now:

Luxe does not have built-in GPS is why you didn't get a map.  But you can use connected-GPS, carrying your phone and having your Luxe connect to phone's GPS.  Do not start from app and band.

Best to start from app.  If use connected GPS, gets distance from that.  If not, estimates distance from step count.

[Shiraz1]

Thank you. This is interesting. I am bringing my phone with every workout but didn’t get a map on my first walk. The next one I did as I had started the phone app exercise function and swiped to find a map with a lock. I clicked on the lock and it seemed to unlock the GPS in the app. I had everything set up to track location so I’m unsure why that step was necessary. Regardless, it seems to work now. 

[Shiraz1]

Thank you. I have been taking my phone but it took awhile before I managed to get GOS working. I like how starting the exercises using the band how it seems to track more than just using the Fitbit app.  

 I noticed on my third walk when starting the workout from the luxe watch that the GPS took awhile to kick in and missed a portion of the walk on the map. It still tracked the distance. The distance was exactly the same as what Map my Walk tracked on my phone. I’m learning. 

Is there a trick to getting the GPS to kick in sooner for a map?  Do I start and wait for awhile and not worry about the slower speed count?  Is there a way to quickly see/tell that the GPS has started tracking on the phone when starting the exercise from the band?