Charge 4 GPS isn't working

[727adriel8632]

Hello Fitbit, I got a Charge 4 and when I click on walking it takes forever to say connected and if I hit play it goes along with no GPS. How can I use connected GPS instead since this GPS doesn’t work. Thanks 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[AlejandraFitbit]

It's great to see you aorund, @727adriel8632.

If you are having issues with the built in GPS in your Charge 4, I recommend checking the article: Why isn't GPS working on my Fitbit device? and follow the instructions provided there. Keep in mind that there isn't an option to select connected GPS since this the device has this option already.

Let me know the outcome. 🙂

[JohnSCA]

"Keep in mind that there isn't an option to select connected GPS since this the device has this option already."

I have feedback on this - I was about to purchase the Charge 4 to replace my current Charge 3 due to the inaction of FitBit to fix the dim screen issue of the Charge 3.  I was excited to see that it had an onboard GPS, but when I saw the the GPS will only last for 5 hours, I simply assumed that I could tether it to my phone as I'm doing now.  I kayak for 8-10 hours at a time, relying on the GPS distance traveled for navigation as well as fitness tracking.  At this time, neither the Charge 3 or the Charge 4 is doing the job that I need them to due.  Both issues should be EASILY fixed with program changes.

I earnestly request these updates.  If there is no action from FitBit, I will need to find another option.

1) Charge 3: Change the program to allow settings to be changed for the brightness of the watch face.  I work out in the sun and recently found that I cannot see the face during my workouts.  I need a brighter display, and this should be a settable option other than the simplified selections currently available.

2) Charge 4: The GPS of the watch may not always work, drains the battery too much for extended workouts, and is mostly unreliable.  Change the program to allow connection for GPS tracking to a cell phone as in the Charge 3.  This should be an easy selection in the settings.

Thank you for your consideration,

John S

[peverett07]

First my Ionic turned into a brick after less than 2 years. I buy the Charge 4 and pay the extra $50 because of the on board GPS. What a disappointment. I get three hours bat life with it on (if I am lucky) and much of the time the gps is spotty at best with portions of my run missing after completion (without me ever touching the watch). Get it together Fitbit or I am on the next train to Garmin Town! You have built a pretty good user community - don't treat us this way with poor tech.

[DN19]

Having the same problem for about 2 weeks now. It was working perfectly fine before. I will wait a couple more days to see if it gets resolved with a software update and then using the warranty 😞

[bradner]

I noticed the GPS issue about 7 days ago (7/30/20). Connected GPS works fine. Built in GPS has been terrible. On my last 4.5 mile run, it only picked up about 0.5 mile. This was on a perfectly clear day. Something is wrong. Please investigate. 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi -  If you look round this Charge 4 forum you will note many threads with GPS in the title. Since the update at the end of last month, the C4 GPS has not functioned properly. The Update was designed to reduce the drain on the battery when using GPS. Up until this update, my C4 typically drained 50% of the battery on a 2-hour walk. Since the update, GPS has been very unreliable and Fitbit have acknowledged there is a problem and are looking into it. There is thought to be a workaround, originally posted by @ASHKSU go into GPS settings and set GPS to built-in GPS, GLONASS on and GPS low power mode off. I've just tried it for two days now and it and it worked, will it work tomorrow? who knows? This will drain your battery so make sure you have 90%+ when starting. Note also that when starting your run/walk you must wait until the demented GPS arrow says "connected" which can take a "few" minutes".

Pending resolution of this issue by Fitbit we all want the most accurate record of what we have achieved. If the GPS is not working the C4 uses your stride length to calculate the distance traversed. Mine was about 12% out but I calculated the correct value Distance/number of steps ( if you have multiple examples of a particular run/walk work out your average) and entered the value in the App at account > advanced settings> stride length. disabling the automatic setting. 

We wait for Fitbit to resolve the issue, as they say, patience is a virtue.

I like my C4, its the third activity tracker I've had and certainly not the most expensive. I think Fitbit has a good reputation and I'm looking forward to the demonstration that it is well deserved.

Cheers

[denzik]

This is what Fitbit think: 

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-4/GPS-keeps-dropping-on-Charge-4/m-p/4724636#M34601

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hey @denzik, it's great to see you around.

Thanks for sharing that link, as you were able to read about the GPS dropping issue, our team is aware of the problem and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible, sorry for any inconvenience it's caused and appreciate your patience and look forward to getting you back on track.

Please let me know if there's anything I may do to assist you in the meantime.

[MikeTen]

I had the same issue on my Charge 4 and I almost quitted Fibit altogether after what happened to my Charge 3, which became permanently dim.

At last minute as I was so close to giving up and ready to return my Charge 4 under warranty, I found that the GPS was disabled by default when you are in the “walk” exercise mode. To turn it on, go to “walk” exercise mode and swipe up the screen. There you will find an option to turn on GPS. This also works for other exercise modes too.

It’s as simple as that, but the assistance from Fitbit in the help forum was going nowhere. It just references the protocol troubleshooting which doesn’t even address the problem.

I think I’m done with Fitbit. This shall be my last.

[BJAMAL]

@AlejandraFitbit we have been facing this issue since May 2020. Could you please indicate what does 'as quickly as possible' mean? 

Another year? two years? 

[Aleš]

Hi

i had long gps connection problems also and what bother me the most after 1 km it was disconnected and i had to continue with no gps 😡

then i realized because i wanted to preserve battery life i put low gps mode on and glonass off.

I tried now just with glonass on and it works fine (in clear weather) but still preserve battery life.

Hope that helped

Greetings Alex

[MJUL]

All I did was go to settings GPS settings and then turned GLONASS On

[balajijayalal]

I did the same, but it is taking forever to connect GPS..

[coffeelove]

So what's the status?

My charge 4 fitbit, which I have had since June 2020, no longer connects to GPS at all ever.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @coffeelove, welcome to the community, this is a very old thread and to a certain extent progress was made with an update to the "Charge 4" (I'm not sure when that was in this timeline - you should look for newer threads) The best way to use GPS on your Charge 4 will be to utilise your phone GPS as the dynamic setting shuts down GPS if the phone Bluetooth is lost and built-in uses a very small antenna and can lose signal even when GLONAS is on.

I hope this is helpful.

Cheers