Charge 4 , cannot establish GPS connection

[MrsRamsden]

Hi, I went for my first run wearing my  Charge 4 and it popped up to say “GPS Off. Cannot establish a GPS connection. Turning GPS OFF”

Now won’t display anything else or let me clear that notification. I have tirnednlocation services off and on in the app.  Any ideas?

thanks 

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums. 

Thank you for sharing that you've been experiencing trouble with your Charge 4 device. 

Before considering other options, could you please confirm if you're using the built-in GPS of the Charge 4 or if you're using the connected GPS with your phone? 

In the meantime, make sure that you've followed all the steps listed in here: 

• If you're using the device's GPS, confirm that the exercise type uses built-in GPS. For more information, see How do I start a workout with GPS on my Fitbit device?

• Make sure that you have a clear view of the sky when you start the exercise. Environmental factors, including tall buildings, dense forest, steep hills, and thick cloud cover, can interfere with your device’s ability to connect to GPS satellites. If the signal is blocked—either because you're indoors, underground, or due to another reason GPS won't work.

• Check that GPS is turned on for the exercise. For more information, see How do I turn on GPS for an exercise on my Fitbit device?
• Make sure that your device is charged to at least 80%.
• Confirm that your device is syncing with the Fitbit app. The more you sync your device, the faster your device can connect to GPS.
• Avoid trying to start an exercise with GPS several times in a row, which can prevent your device from connecting to GPS.
• Note that Charge 4 vibrates and a notification appears if the tracker can’t connect to GPS after 10 minutes. You can choose to end the exercise, change the GPS mode, and start the exercise again. To change the GPS mode, see How do I manage the GPS settings on Charge.

Please keep me posted. 

[Jeannie55]

Affects me too 

[DavideFitbit]

@Jeannie55 thank you for confirming that you're experiencing the same inconvenience with your Charge 4.

Let me know if you're able to resolve this after following all the steps mentioned here earlier, this has been useful for other users. 

Hope this helps. 

[GJW53]

I too have had this problem as a recurring issue, I had to return my first Charge 4 last year as it was dropping out on every run, walk, and bike. This second charge 4 has been better, less dropping out initially but often inaccurate with distances, and not the same, sometimes over sometimes under. I have had to follow the steps you listed several times to try and sort out repeated dropping out issues. However, this week the Charge 4 will not connect to GPS, the last time it connected was Monday, it’s now Friday and I have tried to record several walks but none would connect to GPS. I have tried to reboot, I have disconnected reconnected, I have turned my phone off and on again, it has been clear skies and there are no tall buildings near me. Today I went for a run but decided to record it on Strava instead. The charge 4 did not connect with Strava and only automatically recorded a run, no map. Which it had shown on Monday, as I recorded a walk on Strava and it all synced. What am I meant to do now? I bought the Charge 4 for the GPS and with it only bring a year old it’s now going faulty again. 

[Huey_C]

Same here. I also bought the charge 4 for its standalone GPS so that I can leave my phone behind during a run. And it failed in less than 1 year (bought November 2021), which is disappointing

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Community forums, @GJW53 @Huey_C @JamesRingFitBit. 

Thank you for sharing that you've been having the same issue with GPS on Charge 4 and that you already tried all the steps suggested. 

In this case, if you already tried all the troubleshooting steps mentioned earlier in this thread and you continue to experience the same inconvenience, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance. The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected. 

Thanks again for all the information provided. The team continues to work to improve the Fitbit experience and your feedback is big part of that process.