Versa lite keeps getting "no GPS signal" when starting an exercise

[TJoanna]

Hi, I posted about this topic about 2 weeks ago,  if even that. I can't find a similar topic so I thought I'd try again. I'm using a Samsung phone. 

It has been showing me my routes when I bike,  now it kicks in about an hour into my ride giving a not very accurate map on the fitbit app of my route. Sometimes it's just a line.

I have been having issues for over a month with "no gps signal " on my fitbit versa lite when I start an exercise. 

Outdoor biking. Walking. 

It connects when I am inside. If I am on a bike ride, it will sometimes activate after I have been riding an hour.  

I did a factory reset, several times. 

I have tried everything they suggest online. Is there anything I am missing? This happened one other time and I was able to get it working.  I feel like there is something simple I'm missing. 

Do you have anything I could try?

[Guy_]

Hi @TJoanna - the Versa lite doesn't have GPS built-in and to track uses the phone GPS.

So firstly try Logout of the Fitbit App and swipe off the active window and in Android clear the storage cache and force stop it and then restart the phone.

Make sure there are no other devices running the Fitbit App switched on.

Restart the watch by holding the button for 10 seconds till it vibrates and the logo appears and wait for it to start.

Login and wait for any pair, link or Fixit prompts and Sync.

This should refresh both the phone GPS and the syncing of the watch and see how that goes.

[TJoanna]

Thank you for your help & additional information. 

I did everything as you suggested,  pairing took awhile.  I will go for my bicycle ride and see if it works.

I appreciate your help 

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@Guy_ It unfortunately didn't work. I could have missed a step. I will try again.

Do features such as this sometimes quit working? 

Thank you

[Guy_]

@TJoanna  - the phone and watch need to be in contact, you might find the SimpleCheckUp app useful to verify on the watch if it is having difficulty.

If the watch is failing, possibly with other symptoms it may no longer work right. If the seal fails moisture can get in, and the battery may not last as long or other strange things can happen.

It may still be fine and it is another issue related to the phone, such as battery saving doing things it didn't before.

[TJoanna]

@Guy_ Hi. Is SimpleCheckUp an app within Google playstore? If so, I couldn't find it.

The watch seems to be working as it should, the only issue I've had is with the "no GPS signal". It just seems like I'm missing something easy. Apparently it isn't. 

Sometimes it connects when I'm in my home.  It's very bizarre. I wish I could figure it out. 

It does show my route on Google time-line. Maybe it's the fitbit app, my phone or the watch. It's frustrating as it worked fine up until the end of June.  I've been trying to troubleshoot and came upon this forum. 

When you first gave me instructions to try, you said to restart my watch. Holding til the logo appears.  Then I get the clock face, correct? Or is it supposed to give me the blue lines like when I do a factory reset? 

I apologize for all my questions, I do appreciate your insight and suggestions. 

[Guy_]

@TJoanna - click the link provided to install the Fitbit app.

A watch restart gives you the clock face again once it has finished starting.

A factory reset shouldn't give you blue lines, but if you did one, did you also remove the Bluetooth entry from the phone and in the Fitbit App click profile photo and "+ Set up a Device" to reinstall it.

[TJoanna]

@Guy_ I got a green check mark when I clicked on the SimpleCheckUp link. Unless there's more to it. I have the fitbit app installed. 

I did the watch restart correctly. I was starting to think I did it wrong. 

I didn't do a factory reset this time.  The blue lines are when it's uploading/updating. 

When I have done a factory reset,  I have done as you suggested. 

I appreciate your help and trying to help me figure this out. 

[Guy_]

@TJoanna  - thanks for the clarifications. You actually have to install the app on the watch when you click on app icon and it opens in the browser, and once it's available on your watch you click on it to run it anytime.

You can also go to the Gallery tile in the Fitbit App and search for it and install it.

It may help you track down syncing problems that might otherwise go unnoticed and can cause watch battery drain.

[MarkMM]

@TJoanna Hi. Yes, there have been issues in the past. A few years ago, it was real bad for a while. Fitbits were losing the bluetooth connection during connected GPS activities. I wound up switching to the Samsung health app to track bike miles. Bonus is saving Fitbit battery life. I still use bike mode for activity, just no GPS. 

I haven't really noticed much about connected GPS problems on the support forums for a while. But a lot of the newer products have built in GPS. 

You can verify the phone is working by starting a ride in Samsung health. I was using both at the same time before I quit using Fitbit connected GPS. 

Bonus: Samsung health will track your miles without a cell plan. I buy cheap Samsung phones for biking since I ride in both cold and hot extremes daily. 

[TJoanna]

@Guy_ I was able to get the SimpleCheckUp app on my watch.  I tried it 3x and I got a red x each time,  except once. Then it turned back to the red x. It wasn't able to Find Phone. 

I have had that happen before. I restarted watch but still nothing. 

I will try again later. 

Thank you so much. 

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Hi @MarkMM . I do have a Samsung phone and i just saw the app was already on my own there.  I will give that a try. 

When you use Samsung Health for your bicycle rides, do you click on the bicycle exercise on your fitbit watch.

Mine is 3 years old. It works great,  easy to use. It's Frustrating about no gps signal, though.

I did a factory reset again this morning. I forgot to mention that to @Guy_ 

I appreciate your suggestion. 

[MarkMM]

@TJoanna Yes, I still use the Fitbit Bike mode. Just with GPS turned off. I still get the calories burned, heart rate, zone minutes and all that. Just no map and distance. I get the map and weekly miles on the Samsung app. I'm more interested in maximizing battery life on the watch, and weekly miles count. So the Samsung app works great for me. GPS is a big battery drain on Fitbits. 

@TJoanna Maybe try a Samsung health ride and verify your phone GPS is fine? It was always a Bluetooth issue years ago. Is your watch syncing well?

[Guy_]

@TJoanna - when you start SimpleCheckUp it's important to also note the last sync time, to see if your watch has synced since you last opened the Fitbit App manually.

If not, it can be the phone was too far away, or there is a setting on the phone that needs adjusting.

However exit SimpleCheckUp and try again in 15 to 30 minutes to see if anything changed without you doing anything on the phone.

See how it goes after the factory reset, it can improve things if there was an issue on the watch.

[TJoanna]

I will try a Samsung health ride. My watch is syncing well, although this morning I was doing Set up Device and it seemed to take awhile. I get maps on Google time-line.  I liked the fitbit maps, I will try as you suggested.  Is the app Samsung app in the playstore?I I don't see it unless it's part of Samsung Health? 

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@Guy_ I uninstalled the find my phone app and did the Set-up a Device. It seemed to take awhile like yesterday.  I got it after a few tries. Installed Find Phone. It works.

Then I checked SimpleCheckUp and I got all green check marks. At the end it asks to Find Phone and that worked.

[MarkMM]

@TJoanna Yes, it's part of Samsung Health. Sorry if I wasn't clear. 

[Guy_]

@TJoanna - thanks for the feedback, that's good news the setup got it working.

[TJoanna]

Not a problem. I have the app ready, so I will see if it works.

Thank you @MarkMM 

Yes! I like when things work. Took some time but I got it.

I appreciate your help @Guy_  I will let you know if I still get no gps signal when I leave for my ride. I'm assuming I will. I saw another thread where people get straight lines of their routes on the fitbit app. Maybe there is some sort of glitch 

[TJoanna]

@MarkMM I went for a ride and I didn't realize until I looked at the app, after my ride, that I needed to first hit the cycle activity then press start before I rode. Is this correct? I went for a shorter ride to see if it worked and I got the same miles on the fitbit app as I did with Samsung Health.  They both were inaccurate as I have done this route before. On Samsung Health I did get a line of my route but that disappeared after a minute or two.

However, when I went to Google Maps, profile, my timeline, it did show my longer bike ride that I took earlier on the map. It showed how long I was gone, miles, places I biked thru (parks) etc. So if it comes thru on google maps, I can't figure out why it's not coming through on fitbit or Samsung Health. Could it be my watch and or phone?

How do I verify that my phone and GPS are working correctly? Something just seems off

[MarkMM]

@TJoanna It's just like fitbit. When you click the bike tab, at the top left it will say connecting. When it says connected. Click start. When you're done you click finish. And you'll get a summary. If you click view history, cycling, you'll get the current week's totals. If you click on a ride, you'll get a map. I haven't tested lately, but in the past, I would be stuck on pause if I didn't start riding right away. So I start it just as I'm leaving. 

[TJoanna]

@MarkMM I will try it when I leave today. I see the map now after I tapped on it. Mine didn't get the right miles,  and just a straight line of my route.  

Thanks 

[MarkMM]

@TJoanna If you wait till it says connected before you click start, you should get the map. Good luck.