GPS does not automatically connect to Versa when I select the exercise

[Noeltobefit]

Hi,

I tried searching for this issue on the forum but couldn't find any posts with the same issue.

When i go out for a walk I select the walk program on the versa and usually this prompts the gps on my phone to activate and after a few seconds the watch vibrates to confirm that gps is connected.

The problem:

This started happening recently and i think after the Android 9 update to my pixel 2 xl. When I go out for a walk I select the walk program on the versa and i can see "connecting..." but i don't see any indication of gps being enabled by the fitbit app. At this point I open the fitbit app on my phone, gps turns ON and the versa shows "connected". I also see on the phone the notification from the fitbit app "Connected gps running". Thankfully, once the gps gets connected I haven't noticed it dropping out, which was a big problem before the Android 9 update.

I tried re-starting the phone, re-pairing the versa to my phone via bluetooth.

It is really frustrating to see that Fitbit is quite slow to support a flagship phone that has been in the market for almost a year!

Update: Occasionaly the GPS does get connected as expected without having to open the Fitbit app on the my phone. This happens around 30% of the time. I've tried to replicate the scenario but it isn't consistent.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@Noeltobefit Welcome to the Fitbit Community! I hope you're doing well! Sorry to hear that your Fitbit app and Versa aren't activating the GPS on your phone automatically. This could be a change in the new OS. Try checking the app permissions (settings > apps > Fitbit > permissions) also see if there isn't a battery saving feature or app that stops the Fitbit app as this could explain why you need to manually open to start recording the GPS activity.

Let me know how it goes!

[Noeltobefit]

Hi Alvaro,

Thanks for your post. I did all the checks you recommended. There is
nothing blocking that is visible. I was hoping it was the adaptive battery
feature in android 9 that is blocking automatic connection. This is not the
case. All permissions for the Fitbit app is also enabled.