Gps not accurate on Charge 2

[Star13]

I track my distance using the app on my phone and it has always been accurate. The last 3 runs I've done all between 9/10k and it has tracked it as 11/12k. Which then makes my pace a lot quicker than it really is. Can anyone help me to rectify this problem please 

Moderator edit: clarified subject.

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @Star13, welcome to the Fitbit Community!  This is something that some of our Charge 2 users are currently experience with the connected GPS, but don't worry as our engineers are already aware of the problem and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. Please be guided that this issue relates to our Fitbit app and rest assured that your tracker is working the way it should be.

While our team is doing the best to improve your overall experience with the app, please continue to use the connected GPS when needed and observe if there will be changes through time. Kindly wait for our updates as these will fix issues and provide improvements to our app service as well as with your tracker's performance.

However, I'd recommend just trying the following:

• Make sure that your Fitbit App is up-to-date
• Log out of your Fitbit App
• Force quit the App
• Turn off the Bluetooth
• Shut off your phone and turn it on after 1-2 minutes
• Turn on the Bluetooth
• Log back into your Fitbit App

I appreciate your patience and look forward to getting you back on track. 

[Mjwerner]

I am having the same trouble. I've had my charge 2 since April 2017 & run every morning. Sometimes I get a map that accurately depicts where I ran but most of the time I don't get a map or I get some of my run. But the distance is always wrong and there in lies the problem, what good is this device if it doesn't accurately track my distance and pace when I am asking it to. How can it be doing it automatically?  I don't know...

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @Mjwerner, thanks for stopping by! I totally understand where your concern is coming from. However, this is an issue which our team keeps working on. Please refer to my post above to do some troubleshooting steps. 

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

[samlk]

My GPS on my charge 2 is not working properly what is usually a 4.9 mile walk is only showing as 3.5 miles. Is this a known problem and how do I fix it. I have reset my charge 2 but that hasn't made any difference.

[Postie01]

Your team has been working on this connected gps issue for months now. The distance is inaccurate and the GPS keeps dropping in and out. Nobody is capable of giving an ETA on having this issue resolved...

when will it it be fixed.. my charge 2 is pointless without GPS.

What your tracker shows...

What I actually ran.......

[here4now]

This really needs to get fixed.  I just rode 25km on the bike and my fitbit app is showing 7.56km total trip.  I'm running the most up-to-date version and the app is running on my Pixel2XL.

[Mjwerner]

Spring is almost here!!  I'm not trying to troubleshoot this piece anymore. If it doesn't work correctly I will be counting my losses, switching to a different tracker, and trash talking Fitbit on every and any platform available to me. Thanks for your time .

PS

I'm a two time U.S. Army  combat veteran, JS.

[here4now]

So I just wanted to report back as I believe I have fixed my issue with this.  Here's what I've done.  Also note that I recently switched phones which may have been causing some of the issues experienced. 

- Removed my device from the fitbit app, done in settings

- Removed my device from the bluetooth settings

- Uninstalled the fitbit app

- Rebooted the phone

- Plugged the charge 2 in and did a reset (not a factory reset) which involved plugging the device into the charger and then holding the button for 10sec until the fitbit icon appeared

- Reinstalled the fitbit app

- Added the charge 2 as a new device and followed the setup

After doing this I've noticed a much better increase in accuracy with connected GPS.  And by better I mean 99% better.  I have yet to test this out while jogging but I have a feeling it should be good.  I plan on doing a 5km job tonight and will comment back. 

[Calibisto]

Unfortunately this didn't work for me.

[99mkw]

I didn't get a new phone but following here4now's steps made a huge difference for me! I knew my charge 2 connected runs were shorting my distance by quite a bit, maybe measuring a mile as 0.6 miles. My run used to measure out as 4.3-4.8 miles but today clocked as 6.9 miles. The measured mile along the route measured 0.98 miles on the way out and 0.99 miles on the way back. THANKS!

[Csmi]

Hello. I am having this same problem for the last few weeks. It seemed to happen after the fitbit app update with the new layout formatting. I ran 5 miles it said I ran 6. I ran 10.5 miles it said I ran 12. This is very frustrating for training because up until now (3 years as a Firbit user) it has been accurate and my race is 3 weeks away. I will try the uninstalling and reinstalling. These previous posts aren't very recent so wanted to let Fitbit know this issue is happening again.

[Leonie695]

Hi there, 

I have also had issues with mapping my runs. Several runs either too short, and on the map show a straight line in some places, or I have only the 1st kilometre mapped. I link to a Google Pixel2 phone. 

Seems to worse since last update beginning of October.

Hope it's fixed soon!

[Endo1]

I have the same problem.  In the past it used to make my runs shorter than they actually were.  Now it tells me they are longer.  I don't bother using fitbit to track my runs anymore and use map my run as it's much more accurate.  I only use Fitbit to get heart rate data but it had stopped doing that!

[LisaH12]

Add me to the list of those having GPS issues.  For the last couple of weeks the GPS is short-changing me in my runs, which I also track with my Google Pixel.  I did a 5 mile run yesterday which my Charge 2 tracked at 4.78 but which was actually 5.0 miles.  This obviously made the pace information inaccurate, and I have also noticed a drop in my fitness score.

[Mjwerner]

***Update

It has been four years since this post and I have since purchased, and used a Fitbit Ionic and a Fitbit Versa 2 (+one for my wife) in that order. I have also been a Premium member for the past 3 years. One day the Ionic just stopped working, for no apparent reason. All the troubleshooting in the world never turned it back on. Having become dependent on these trackers I went and purchased the Versa 2's. None of these trackers consistently map or accurately account for my running distance or steps for that matter. I decided two years ago to start using UA's Connected running shoes and have had AMAZING results so far. I still wear my Fitbit tracker however, I do not rely on it for much other than comprehensive heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking. 

Peace

[panz4ever]

So........my wife bought me a new fitbit. The problem is that the GPS is about 1/2 mile off of the accurate distance (the distance on the watch is greater than the known distance). Of course this affect split times (miles) and average1/4 mile times as well. I am working on training for a half marathon. I am about ready to dump the watch if it can be  fixed to be accurate.

I really like it it for all that it does, but it is useless if it is not accurate for GPS. And if it is not accurate for GPS how do I really know it is accurate for the other functions.

This problem seems to dat to at least 2017. Are there updates that really fix the issue. You mentioned above (05/23/17) that the issues were being addressed. 5 years later, the problem persists.

[Endo1]

My Fitbit uses my phones gps. I use map my run on my phone using the same gps but getting different distance. No up date yet has ever fixed it.

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[Tal321]

Unbelievable - its been 5 years and a company like FitBit can't resolve this basic issue. My Charge 5 is brand new (May 2023) and overstates the running distance. GPS is STILL inaccurate.

[Endo1]

Hi,

Yep, they don’t seem to be able to fix this. My personal experience starting 5 years ago was that it was underestimating my run. I did all the suggested things to ensure accuracy and it made no difference. A few years ago I got very sick and am now limited with the speed I can run – meaning I’m going slower and therefore taking smaller strides therefore more steps to cover the same distance. My fitbit has been over estimating my runs since then. I used to run with map my run open and fitbit so my charge 2 would use my phone GPS. Map my run was much more accurate and consistant. Fitbit was clearly prioritizing steps over the GPS reading. Earlier this year I bought a Charge 5 thinking that with a built in GPS it would be better however there has been no change. It still overestimates my runs. I use it but more for heart rate etc. Distance I still rely on Map my run.


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