Distance on GPS map doesn't match with exercise summary

[Andyn1970]

Hi all

Firstly love the Fitbit Versa does everything I need also the app is great.

BUT over the last couple of weeks the distance recorded by the app is way off. 

I use it connected to my Samsung Galaxy S9+ and its always been very accurate to a tenth of a mile or less. 

But on my last few runs of about 3.4 miles it can be a whole mile out, but just the distance the route it records is spot on but the mile points are in the wrong place for example it recorded 2.44 miles in 30.29.

My wife who also has a Versa connected to an IPhone recorded 3.43 miles in 30.30 this is correct and matches our pace of about 9.30/m

Prior to the last weeks it has always been almost exactly the same as my wife as we run together. 

I have Re started the Versa and the phone, I have cleared the data in the Fitbit app and I have also uninstalled the fitbit app. 

Same result its not always out the same, a couple of runs back it got to 2.89m on the same route. Then on Tuesday it was spot on. 

Any ideas it seems like a small thing but not having an accurate record of your work turns out to be extremely frustrating.

Anyone else had this? 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[RunHolmanRun]

The forerunner 45 is a great running watch. Is has some other good features but is really focuses on running. Is isn't expensive and suits me just fine. My only issue is the transitions between screens isn't as smooth as the 245 but I hardly switch screen and I wish the screen was a little bigger but I'm being nitpicky.

[Davie1888]

I've got the 735xt, it's an older model but its Triathlon ready so handy as I'm toying with moving into that eventually or swim runs at least. It has GPS & GLONASS onboard with makes it really accurate. It's not touch screen but I'm not really bothered about that to be honest. The battery life when running on GPS and Glonass is probs about 6-8 hours which does me fine bit may not be long enough for Ultra runners. 

[Markmoll]

@TheJBird, I went with the fenix 5x. Like a previous comment, an older version, but great features and at half or more than half off on price. I liked the touchscreen features of the ionic and versa 2 but I do OCR's / Spartan's and I sweat alot, 🙂 and noticed after I finished the race, my watched had stopped/paused in the middle of the race. Also, before I switched, I did a run and since I sweat so much, it also paused inadvertently. I thought I wouldn't like just the buttons to navigate through the menus on the fenix 5x, but I love it since it doesn't shut off, is built bullet proof and is just a great unit with many features and add ons for FREE in the garmin connect. I also, really liked the fitbit app and was skeptical of the Garmin/Myfitnesspal combination, so I started using it before the Fenix arrived. It took some getting used to, but I really like it. I hope this helps. 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

I posted complaints about this issue on 20-4 and 24-4. The days after 24-4 sometimes the Versa again missed accuracy. But since the begin of may, every day seems to be correct or nearly correct. Maybe i'm positive to soon, but the Versa performs okay now.

If the problem stays away or happens less frequently, it is (for me) uncertain why things changed. There were no updates, no restarts, nothing. Hoping for the best!

[SunsetRunner]

Hi guys, as regards the distance tracking it would appear that Fitbit relies heavily on your stride length and only uses GPS to 'fill in the gaps'.  Also it has a rather aggressive smoothing algorithm that really smooths out any bends.

If I just use record the Strava distance the difference can be quite substantial but I trust Strava more as it uses the phones GPS exclusively.  Problem is it won't have the HR data so is nowhere near as useful for tracking fitness and progress.

[DawnH1]

Ok I think I may have finally got somewhere. I remembered reading somewhere about battery settings on your phone, so the last two runs I have set my phone battery to high performance on my runs. Both times the versa distance has been bang on with Strava. Finally!

Over all my settings are:

Battery- high performance 

GPS connected

Wifi and data- off

Stride length- automatic

It's so shoddy that it is up to the community to trouble shoot Fitbit dire GPS tracking. One things for sure when I replace my versa, it will not be another fitbit tracker.

[4faithc]

I have the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Same issues for me.

[Stooksed]

I too am seeing improvements.... when it connects!  After the update I mostly get "Check Fitbit app" when I try to connect the watch to the phone GPS, even though Runkeeper has a good GPS signal and the app is syncing with the watch.   I found out, through trial and error, that restarting the watch usually solves that, though I had to, remove and reinstall the app on one occasion too. 

However, *even when* it connects, that doesn't always result in a GPS tracked run. 

[MarreFitbit]

Hello everyone. Sorry for the late response.

Thanks for continue reporting the issues you experience and also for every single step you've done already. I apologize that this issue continues affecting your stats, as well for the experience with our Support Team. As you have been informed, we’re aware of the "Distance on GPS (connected) map not matching exercise summary" for some of you and also with the "No GPS map in Run activity summary" for some others, we are working to identify a resolution as quickly as possible. 

Please note that our main purpose is to avoid negative experiences to our customers, we're always willing to help and provide troubleshooting steps. 

Besides that, I must say that I really appreciate all of you are helping each other. However, one thing I'd like to advise you, is to please try avoiding multi-posting, this refers to consecutively in the same thread, which can make conversations less readable for others. If you wish to add something to an existing post, you can click the three dots at the top right of your post to edit it. You can also mention users directly by using the @ sign and typing their usernames. Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future. 

In addition, we ask that posts stay relevant to the thread's subject, be productive, and follow our Community Guidelines. The Community is designed to empower users to achieve their goals by connecting with friends, other like-minded people, and Fitbit in a trusted environment. Keep your comments constructive and relevant to the topic, and please refrain from posting content that would constitute advertising, spam, or any other form of solicitation. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping this a welcoming and constructive place for all members. 

If your issue has nothing to do with the two I described above, but more with the GPS accuracy, please note that Fitbit devices calculate distance by multiplying your walking steps by your walking stride length and multiplying your running steps by your running stride length. We estimate your stride lengths using your height and sex. Track one or more runs using on-board or connected GPS, we evaluate that data to automatically update your running stride length. For best results, run at a comfortable pace for at least 10 minutes.

To update your stride length, track a run with GPS or measure your stride length manually. For more information, see: Can I change my stride length in my Fitbit account?

When you're tracking an activity with GPS, Fitbit calculates your distance using GPS data rather than steps. If you begin moving before you get a GPS signal, the tracker will calculate distance using steps and stride length as described above until a GPS signal is found.

Keep in mind that your Fitbit uses your step count to calculate distance until it finds a GPS signal. In this scenario, your total distance calculated for the workout may be slightly less accurate than if GPS data were available for the entire duration. For more information, see: How accurate is my GPS data captured by my Fitbit device?

While reading your post I was wondering if the mobile device you're using is included in our list of supported devices? You can see the list at: Which phones and tablets can I use with my Fitbit watch or tracker?

Fitbit products are compatible with most devices that have the following operating systems: Apple iOS 12.2 and higher, Android OS 7.0 and higher.

Please keep in mind that when a device is not supported and does not meet the require OS we cannot guarantee its functionality with the Fitbit app. It might work at a certain time and then it can stop working out of nowhere after an update. This is because the app is not optimized to that device and any change could impact the performance. 

I hope this information helps you. 

[DawnH1]

Thanks to the moderator who posted. Firstly, yes my phone is a supported device (Samsung S9+). 

Secondly, I am not sure if it is GPS dropping out as strava is gives the exact same distance everytime. It uses my phones GPS, so if it was dropping out the problem would be reflected in strava which it is not. I have also confirmed the distance on Google maps and strava is giving the correct distance. 

Thirdly, with the stride length as you can see from my post in the thread I have adjusted this and it doesn't appear to have an impact on my running distance. 

[Emmatee]

Yeah same with the GPS and other apps here. My S10 on samsung health and runkeeper picks the distance up almost perfectly when measured against google maps, so the fitbit app/watch should have no reason to not measure the same distance.

[Cjcox]

Upgraded to a versa 2 last week as I thought my charge 2 was broken. It has been miscalculating my runs massively. The versa 2 is exactly the same. I have a Samsung S10.  My fitness level has also massively dropped. I can see through scrolling through 18 pages of comments on this thread since September 2019 that there is no fix so I will have no choice but to return my device as I cant afford £200 for inaccurate data. Shame.

[Seb03]

Will give it a go on my next run, hopefully it works!

Thankss

[Stooksed]

Thanks for your reply. 

You make it very clear that unless I have a device that is on your "supported" list, then a Fitbit is not guaranteed to work with it properly, if at all, regardless of operating system version or device capabilities.  So at least we all know.  It would seem that my phone, a very capable Huawei P9 with standard components, running stock Android 7, does not make the grade, so I'll have to change devices as I'm having lots of problems.  Cheaper to change the watch than the phone.

It is also clear that you are sticking to the "stride length" excuses.  You cannot have read the thread properly.  The work around posted involves exporting the GPS data from Fitbit into Stava so that Strava can do the distance calculations.  This means the GPS data is OK, just the calculations from it are wrong.  Nothing to do with stride length.  Indeed my own post (page 13?) states that the calculation is off by 20-25% with the stride length set manually. But then, my phone is no longer supported, so my problems don't matter. 

[Kat_Berlin]

Dear support team,

I think I have the same problem. Recently upgraded to a Versa 2. 
The stride is on “Auto” but when I start the exercise on the Versa, even though it’s connected to the phone it still records a wrong distance (10 % less). 
I haven’t had the problem with my Charge 2 which I’ve had for years. 
it’s a bit disappointing because when I start the exercise in the app it wouldn’t record the heart rate which I need for runs. 
Is there any solution to this problem except setting the stride length to manual?

thanks in advance,

Kat

 

[RunHolmanRun]

If you export the TCX file from the Fitbit dashboard (website) and run it through a TCX reader that will confirm that the device recorded the data correctly. So that statement is total BS

[Vesper1603]

I find this makes the watch almost useless. I had an Alta HR for years and it always gave me very consistent distances for my usual 5k route. I was so excited to get my new Versa but using it for the first time on the same route it recorded at least 0.5km too long vs the Alta. The second time it was even further out (and different to the first run). I know people are posting about stride length but why isnt the gps kicking in? I never had issues with the cheap fitbit and wish I hadn't wasted my money.

[CatGreg]

Hi,

I am getting frustrated with 2km out for 10km walks and runs as well. For such an expensive watch this problem is way too common. 

Your explanation about gps signal being poor or the eternal step length adjustment that does nothing is not good enough. If my phone has a gps signal to record the distance accurately then what exactly is the difference between my phones gps and my watch gps signal? You can't say the area I am walking in has poor gps in a town. And if my phone can get the right distance, so should do my watch. 

I do expect a more competitive answer here than these 2 standard ones that mean nothing for such massive distance discrepancies. 

Thank you.

[Sjnoelie]

@MarreFitbit, your general response is far from satisfactory. We've seen every bit of what you posted several times before. We posted the devices we use, we know about waiting for GPS to connect and generally know how to operate smart objects. Please treat us accordingly!

Multiple users already deducted that Fitbit is incorrectly calculating the distance from the gps data. Other apps provide the correct distance. An exported tcx file from the Fitbit app, loaded into a tcx reader also provides the correct distance. Any statistic that involves distance (distance, current pace, average pace) are all useless at the moment. What are your colleagues doing to fix this?

[Emmatee]

I actually just do not understand why/how the Fitbit app can have the correct data in there but not work out the correct length, yet Strava can work it out from the exported GPX. Come on fitbit support. Why can't you just admit there is a problem here?