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

[jessicalb34]

Does anyone have this issue with an iPhone? I have the Samsung Galaxy S10 plus and I feel like most of us having issues are Samsung users? Could  It have something to do with that?  Again, mine was spot on for many months and only recently started acting up. Just curious..

[GoPokes]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus as well. Equally the same experience, everything was tracking correctly until the recent Fitbit update and then it started tracking mileage/steps incorrectly. I run outside and inside (treadmill) and am able to correctly track my mileage using Strava and the treadmill but Fitbit records a different mileage and pace. When I get home I'll try the suggested steps by the moderator.

[jessicalb34]

That's interesting. I'm starting to think that it is something with the android models. The moderator did ask us to let her know what phone we have so I'm starting to feel like that is the issue. I really really hope this gets resolved somehow

[joelmckellar]

I have the same issue but use a Pixel 3... so still android, but it's not limited to Samsung.  I'm finding when I run an actual distance of 1.15 miles, it's logging it as 1.0.  It's been steadily getting worse over time too starting a few months ago.  

[jessicalb34]

Joel...same.  It started off just sporadicly screwing up my pace which led to a much smaller discrepancy with the distance. Now it's just awful.  Definitely seems like an android issue.....

[Andyn1970]

Most of the people I see complaining are using Android, I have a Samsung S9 plus. 

So far I have uninstalled the Fitbit app, deleted the watch and Re added. Full factory Re set of the Fitbit watch plus another uninstall Re install unpair Bluetooth then Re set up as a new watch.

No change it has once recorded my run at 3.71 miles but mostly seems to be 2.7.

The GPS is perfect I have shown this by outputting the file from Fitbit and uploading it on to another platform. This reports the distance on the GPS map as 3.4 miles within a couple of hundredths of what my wife's fitbit reports. 

So my just under 5000 steps on the run at 45 inches adds up to just over 3.4 miles

My GPS trace adds up to 3.4 miles

If I trach the run using my Samsung gear S3 watch with GPS it gets 3.38 miles. 

My wife's Fitbit Versa connected to an iPhone 8 gest 3.4 to 3.49 every run. 

So it would seem what ever fancy maths the Fitbit software is doing in the back ground it's doing it wrong.

Just to clarify my steps add up to 3.4 miles my GPS adds up to 3.4 miles but the Fitbit software reports it as about 2.7 or 2.9 or 3.7.

Customer service is swapping out my watch so will try that when it arrives, I'm not overly hopfull it all seems to have started about the time of the last firmware update.

 

[jessicalb34]

They swapped out my watch 2 weeks ago, I was so excited. Same thing 😞  I'm so tempted to hook my watch up to an iPhone and bring it on my jog.  Why are we able to figure out that it's some kind of an android issue and fitbit has yet to even admit that there's an issue and just keeps telling us to delete the app and fix our stride length?? Driving  me crazy

[CosmoSV]

I'm having the same issues as many in this thread. Inaccurate tracking of runs. Distance and pace is off which in turn throws off the cardio fitness score (it dropped over 7 points after ONE inaccurate run). I've stopped using GPS because of this since that's the best way to measure cardio fitness score.

I do the same loop every day which is about 1.15 miles. A 2.3 mile run registers as a 1.8 mile run with GPS and a 2 mile run without GPS.

I'm using a Versa 2 with a Pixel 2. Previously I was using a Charge 2 with a Pixel 2, which I never had issues with and was very accurate. I bought the Versa 2 on launch day and it was never accurate from the start.

[Andyn1970]

It does seem awfully Android based at the moment, and while I like the watch for the notifications and such it is absolutely no use as a fitness tracker so basically not fit for purpose. 

[Jackos]

I was hoping the app update a couple of days ago would help, but no improvement, I've done a couple of runs since then, same run but the trackered is different, my pace today was avg 1'30" better per km than it was on Monday.  I'm using a charge 3 with Samsung S8, I love the charge 3's sleep tracker but as above it is a complete waste of time for runs.  

I'll give it until Garmin release their new Vivoactive 4 then throw it in the bin.

What would Greta say.....

[Andyn1970]

I know what you mean about throwing it away but we as a family have totally bought in to the Fitbit system.

In the last year I have purchased 5 fitbit Versa watches. 

Mine, my wife, both the kids and even the mother in law so not far off £1000 in total, I think I should be provided with a tracker that does what it is supposed to do. 

[LostEchoes]

@Andyn1970 
At the following post you may find a list of links with posts of other people reporting the same bug / problem.
This seems to be really a frustrating issue, and along with the "Elevation Gain = always 0" bug, makes me think I can no longer rely to Fitbit for accuracy on my fitness stats.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Android-App/Fitbit-app-v3-9-for-Android-Bugs-fixes/m-p/3863896/highl...

[jessicalb34]

So is fitbit going to fix this? Collectively, we have figured out it's an android issue and there are a TON of us with worthless watches...what are they going to so to resolve it???

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @SunsetRunner. I am sorry for the delayed response.

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and sharing your concern regarding the GPS distance accuracy. Thank you for providing the additional details. Fitbit devices calculate distance by multiplying your walking steps and walking stride length. Similarly, your running steps are multiplied by your running stride length. Since your Fitbit uses your step count to calculate distance until it finds a signal, the total distance recorded may be slightly less accurate if the GPS wasn't available for the entire time.

You can enter your personal stride length to make the distance calculation more accurate. I also recommend checking out this article with the information about the different factors that can affect connected GPS.

For more information about accuracy of Fitbit devices and captured GPS data, please see this help article: How accurate are Fitbit devices?

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[Davie1888]

Sorry to jump in on this but this seems to be a common issue, i'm almost 2km out on a 10km route, it's happening constantly on various run locations and at various distances so it appears the Versa GPS connection is rubbish and I am constantly robbed of distance. When I look in the app the route the run has logged is correct but the distance is way off. I can accept a minor descrepancy but 2km is unacceptably poor.

[Heligator]

I'm having the same problem! Up until a couple of weeks ago my mileage/speed was always spot on, now it's gone way off but I haven't changed any of my settings so why would it change?

[Davie1888]

I dont think mine has ever been very consistent some times over, sometimes under but now its ridiculously inaccurate.

[CosmoSV]

This is a recurring issue as noted in this thread: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa-Smartwatches/Distance-recorded-on-the-app-is-off/td-p/3825328

The fact of the matter is, the only way this will be resolved is via a firmware update from Fitbit.

Setting the stride manually is only a temporary solution, and is useless if you want to use GPS, because GPS tracking automatically sets stride length.

I bought the Versa 2 at launch and it has never been accurate. My Charge 2 was more reliable.

[Davie1888]

I'm another Android user with the exact same issue. 10k run on Strava is an 8k run on Fitbit. 6.5k run is a 5.4k run on Fitbit. Just sent them screenshots of some of my runs but not holding out much hope of a quick fix.

[Davie1888]

Cheers for the link, at least it's not just mine and as you say manually adjusting the stride length is utterly pointless. I didn't pay £200 for a watch to have to manually punt figures into it, I've just deleted it and reinstalled the watch within my app which has at least fixed the lack of notifications issue I was having. Going for a 10k P.B run tomorrow morning so hopefully it's more accurate but I doubt it, thankfully I've got a mate with a Suunto that's going to act as a pacer for me because right now my watch is pointless.