GPS in SmartTrack Mode

[ranveeraggarwal]

Is there a way to enable GPS tracking in the Smart Track mode? I walked for nearly 45 minutes today and while it tracked the activity well, it didn't track the GPS track. 

[Rich_Laue]

No there isnt, in smart track mode, most of the magic happens in the Fitbit cloud, after the event is over and after a sync.
The tracker is simply recording steps, if you have noticed the display does not show the event is happening

[AlvaroFitbit]

@ranveeraggarwal Welcome to our Community! To further explain @Rich_Laue's point remember that the Charge 2 doesn't have a GPS chip so while it could auto detect your activities it won't have a way to record your route. You will need to use your phone to have the map recorded and (I am guessing here) if you would like to have the map automatically recorded it would need a permanent activated link between your phone's GPS and the tracker and this could cause a great battery drain. This is why a manual setting is required when using Connected GPS. Still you have the option to activate it whenever you want this information.

Let me know how it goes.

[SuperSauceMan]

Why can't Fitbit autodetect exercise function then tell Fitbit phone app to activate GPS tracking (if phone is available)?, once activity is over then deactivate GPS tracking. This sounds "easy" enough. The charge 2 tracker doesn't need a GPS chip to do this isn't it already recognizing exercise type and communicating this the phone app when it starts? If not why couldn't it do so?and at the same time GPS phone tracking could be activated/deactivated.

[Rich_Laue]

The Charge 2 by itself does not recognize the exercise type automatically. The Charge 2 records the motions counts the steps, etc. Later in the day when the Charge 2 syncs with your Fitbit account. the cloud based server does its magic and detects the walk/run etc and at this time it gives credit for the activity. By now it is to late for the GPS to be turned on .

As for communication. until the button is pressed to manually start an exercise tracking, the tracker is only listening for notifications and not comunicating. 

[SuperSauceMan]

Thanks for response. That makes sense if it's syncing at the end of the day...but isn't the point of "all day sync" and "always connected" settings to ensure  more continuous syncing? If the auto-detect of exercise type starts at 10 minutes minimum can't the Charge 2 sync at this time and activate GPS tracking? 10 minutes of data is obviously enough to recognize the activity.  Then again you'd miss out on 10 minutes of tracking if the min time to activate is 10 min. It's just hard to believe that something so useful can't be done. It's not hard to set an exercise type and start gps tracking manually but it's not "ideal". Thanks.

[Rich_Laue]

The problem is, is that Charge 2 does not auto detect the walk/run. 

The calculation/detection comes after the tracker syncs and happens in the cloud. 

The tracker is not where the walk is detected .

This has been changed with the ionic and yes the GPS is suppose to start with an auto detected run .I have not been able test this yet. 

[Sillypapa]

I was able to activate SmartTrac and could see mad tracking walk on phone. Question, Next day how can I get back to see map?

[Rich_Laue]

I'm not following you @Sillypapa. the user can not actuvate smartrack. 

If you could see the walk on the phone while walking, you would have been using the mobile track option on the app. 

To go back and see this walk tap the exercise tile to get to a list of your past exercises. 

[Sillypapa]

Rich, thanks for that. I followed your advice, found activity with pulse, etc. However, could not find map of trip. Was not shown in log. I would like to review route. Haw is that done?

Silly papa

Sent from my iPad

[JackPe]

Hello, is someone going ti answer this question in the near future?

Would be very helpful to me too.

Can't find the map of the walk in the fitbit mobile app either.

Sure phone and gps were on and connected with the charge2.

Walk was automatically registered.

Thanks in advance.

Kind Regards. 

Jack. 

[Rich_Laue]

@JackPe  your question was answered above, as mentioned above if you would like a map of your walk/run you will need to carry the phone with you and use the multisport mode. 

The auto detect of a walk/run will not start GPS since the Charge 2 does not detect your walk/run. This detection happens after the walk/run has ended and the data has synced to the Fitbit server. It is on the server that the magic happens, and by then the walk/run has finished and it is to late for the server to tell the Charge 2 to turn on it's GPS.

Please read the solution above.

[JackPe]

Rich_Laue, thank you to point me to the answer.

I must have been too fast reading and so I missed it.

Many thanks!

[Krisje]

I have an ionic for about a year now. The auto recognize is really not as good as it should be. One day when i’m horseback riding the auto recognize “run” starts (i feel the watch buzzing) and i can see gps data after i finished. But when i start cycling its does not start (it is enabled, i double checked!) and i can see my time and heart rate, nothing more.. 

[SThomsonx]

Hi, sorry to jump on this.. I've recently got the Fitbit Versa which does advertise "built in GPS" yet I've just completed a walk and although the exercise has "auto-tracked" the map of my walk hasn't. Do you know if it is meant to track your location/route on an auto-recognised exercise or not? Thank you.

[Rich_Laue]

Hi @SThomsonx while the Versa 3 has built in GPS, the Versa does not. 

However for an auto recognized walk, on the Verses 3 there is no option to turn on GPS. 

Through the Fitbit app, tap the exercise tile, now tap the setting cog. Tap walk and read the note. 

 

[Larrybud28]

I have the same issue on the Charge 5, that "GPS will not be turned on" for Auto recognized / Smart Track exorcises.  Had I realized this, I'd not have purchased the Charge 5, and stuck with my old Alta HR.  So in the end, the Charge 5 is no better than my Alta HR, just has a nicer screen.  The main attraction of Fitbit's is the auto recognition, and it makes no sense that you cant have the benefit of GPS when it recognizes an exercise. 

[Rich_Laue]

The Alta HR doesn't even have the option to record with GPS, you can manually start the GPS recording with the Charge 5. 

BTW this is not the board for the 5

[LZeeW]

@Larrybud28   I hope a little explanation about Fitbit features will help you understand that the Charge 5 is very different from your Alta HR.  SmartTrack is an older tracking feature.  The first tracker that got it was the Charge HR.  It didn't need that "GPS will not be turned on" phrase, because no tracker had any GPS tracking feature.  Fitbit put an exercise app on the Charge 2 -- in addition to SmartTrack.  So that phrase was added.  The Alta HR was considered an entry level tracker and has SmartTrack, but no exercise app.  Your Charge 5 has both features.

The Exercise app on the Charge 5 gives you that ability to track specific activities on greater detail, far more than SmartTrack.  You need to use the Exercise app to do any GPS tracking.  Please look at this Help article for more information.  How do I track my workouts with my Fitbit device? 

[ElleBeeE8]

It may not be but Fitbit help does seem to filter by device despite asking you which device you have a question for. Newbie user (2 days) about to return it because Fitbit is just frustrating!