Versa not tracking distance correctly

[Paula77]

Hi

Was so excited to get my Versa but at the moment somewhat a little disappointing 

I connected to GPS and went to do park run. Sadly once I finished it said I only did just over 3 ks when in fact I know for sure it was definitely 5, this then put my pace reading and time traveled out as well. Has this just become the worst purchase or is there some fix for this. I’ve adjusted stride and I know for a fact everything else was working perfectly 

Any help would be appreciated 

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[Flyehacket]

So you say that if my stride length is 66 cm and I have 13.966 steps, the distance should be 0.66*13.966=9.2 km?

My fitbit versa says it is 7.89 km.  How do I fix this?

[Shazzamumma5]

Is there an actual way to reset only the distance as my Versa is stating on my app and Versa that I have already done 13.5 miles and I have only just got up 

[Shazzamumma5]

Hope you can help my Fitbit Versa did not reset at midnight for my distance but it did for my steps and calories I don’t know what to do basically my Versa is saying I have done 13.5 miles in my sleep then I ran a further 9 to 10 miles 18000 steps and my Fitbit added 6 miles to my 13.5 miles and now it’s taken the 6 miles off and basically my Fitbit is saying I’ve done nothing as I’m back to 13.5 miles from yesterday as it did not reset my distance please help I paid £220 for this the least it could do would be my distance correctly 

[cgsteen]

Marco, the whole "step distance" should really not be the issue here. The fact is, NO ONE, no matter how experienced of a runner, runs EXACTLY the same distance steps their entire run. Our bodies naturally adjust for terrain - uphill, downhill, uneven ground, etc. - so we are counting on the GPS to be accurate. I ran my very first 5K yesterday, and imagine my disappointment when my Fitbit Versa told me I'd completed 2.54 miles! I am trying really hard to work up my pace to do a 10K, but it is exceedingly frustrating when I look at my Fitbit, basically running at full speed, and it's telling me I'm doing a 16-minute mile! Is the GPS working on this thing or not? It may be that my phone is interfering with the GPS, but since I need to run with music to keep pace, and the music feature on my Fitbit Versa seems to also have issues downloading my music, I need ot have my phone with me. So far, I am super-disappointed and considering just going back to using my phone, as much as I love the idea of having a Smartwatch. 

[ggnn]

I noticed the same issue on Fitbit Versa. I did a 1 mile run which was accurately tracked by both Google Fit and Fitbit Charge 2. However, Versa for the same distance and route is showing .8 miles. So, this is messing up the pace, calories burnt, daily goals etc...

I have tried all the troubleshooting steps, rebooted the Versa, Unpaired and Paired it back to the phone, factory reset it......and still see the same issue.

[Jan8]

I don't know what they have changed on versa but the distance tracking has gone to hell. This is the exact same ride tracked with my versa 5 weeks apart and yes I have restarted everything. I do this every time I finish charging just in case. My Wi-Fi was switched off and it was the same distance away from my phone in both instances. 

[Julieade]

I had this problem before and was advised to turn off WiFi and restart phone. Seemed to solve it but now has recorded. Can you advise where I should be changing 

Settings > Fitbit and make sure Location is set to Always or While using the app, 

I gave a versa and Samsung s8 with latest update and operating system

[LCreamer]

I have noticed the same thing!  I am recovering from a major surgery so I worked on my distance first.  Once I reached my goal (5 miles-I measured it) I started working on my time.  My stride length is set correctly and I have it set to my dominant (left) hand.  I have shaved over 20 minutes off of my time in the last two weeks but my step count is down by over 2000 steps and the distance is now only showing between 4.25 and 4.3 miles.  This morning I even walked a bit longer route and it showed only 10,891 steps and 4.38 miles!  My stride length is only 26 inches and I KNOW I walked over 5 miles in 100 minutes!!!  It is depressing!

[nseverance]

I got advice to set my Fitbit to being on my dominant (right) hand but actually wear it on my left wrist. And then I set my stride smaller until the step count was correct. Now when I count 100 steps my Fitbit registers 100 steps. It took some playing around.

Sent from my iPad

[Jennymeggy]

I up graded to Versa model. I wear it on my dominant wrist and it is far
more accurate than my old HR model. Now I am happy

[Bikutori]

There is obviously a programming error calculating distances pairing the Versa with a phone and using the GPS.  The Versa should be using the GPS coordinates to calculate distance, not multiplying steps by stride length.  And if it is calculating distance using stride distance, then the algorithm for that result must have a bug - be it conversion from metric to imperial or visa versa.  The margin of error is much too large to be placed simply on the stride length, unless of course your stride length estimate is also out of whack.  I have other two other apps that use GPS to track distance and they give a much better result.

You need to fix this bug. 

[mwade71]

I have been having this same issue lately as well.   Turn off wifi,  wait until it's connected before starting not walk and it is always off by at least 0.5 miles or more.   I've restarted both the watch and phone,  changed settings,  etc., but  nothing seems to improve it.   It is especially worse since this most recent update. Hope they figure this out soon. 

[Julieade]

Marco, the suggestions you make have all been tried by multiple users, when is Fit-bit going to admit that they have a software error?  My versa is consistently underestimating distance, step count seem OK and when I check the "map" on my Fit-bit phone app this shows the correct journey so it seems to be correctly linking to the phone GPS, although sometimes this seems to take a while to display "connected".  With shorter distances (<2 km) the error is less noticeable but anything over 5 km is underestimated, sometimes to such a degree that it cannot be put down to stride length, e.g. I did a 28 mile cycle yesterday and although the map was correct for start and finish locations my versa stated that I had done 13.07 km (8.12 miles) that's an error of 20 miles or 71%!!  I've followed all the instructions about un-pairing and resetting to factory settings, turning off WiFi and ensuring that the versa and gps say connected before starting but none of these seem to solve the issue.  I would suggest this is due to whatever algorithm is used to convert distance.  I've emailed customer support (again) and am awaiting to hear what they say.  It's all very well having a pretty colour screen and being able to access your notifications, but if the tracker can't accurately track it's not worth the price!  I'm also questioning the validity of these forums as you can track back and see that lots of people have the same issue, Fit-bit trot out the same platitudes but no real solution appears to be forthcoming.  Similarly for the °C/miles issue we are told an update will solve it, but apparently that's been in the works for a while too!  When is Fit-bit going to properly address these concerns?

[Julieade]

Marco, please clarify;

You have said "I would like to suggest you to go to your phone Settings > Fitbit and make sure Location is set to Always or While using the app" how do we set this?  My phone GPS is set to high accuracy, but how do I ensure the setting are as you suggest?  I can't see those options on my Fit-bit app or desktop.

[Paula77]

Had mine for 4 1/2 months and finally gave up and took it back. Rebel sport gave me a full refund and didn’t seem to blink an eye at my concerns. Up graded to a Garmin and fingers crossed it’s tracking is 100% on point. While the Garmin graphics are nowhere near fitbits that’s nothing compared to the issues my Versa had.

Sent using the free mail.com iPhone App

[Romy62]

I just noticed that, too! It was pretty accurate on EVERYTHING until two days ago. Now, showering, etc. adds steps!

I walk on a track at the Y. The first two weeks with this Fitbit, it tracked perfectly. I walked 2.5 miles yesterday and it tracked it at 2.3. Today, I walked 3 miles, it showed as 2.7. I still count my laps as I walk, so I know how many times around I go. Today, it was obvious how off it is because it was changing the miles at a point where there is no entry to the track (on the second floor of the building)!

I already traded in the Garmin tracker because it didn’t work, so this is terribly disappointing!

I need the hear rate monitor along with the ability to use it in the pool. I’m very disappointed.

[Romy62]

My Garmin sucked, too! It was inaccurate in heart rate, steps, etc. I really thought the Versa was the answer to my problem but obviously it’s as much of a lemon!

[savvyrb]

I'm so disappointed with my Versa.  The mile tracking has been way off since I purchased it and at time, like now, it refuses to sync with the correct step count.  I'm so disappointed.

[Bjohunt]

I have this same problem. I am training for a half marathon and using my Fitbit versa is just so frustrating. Just came back from a 15.6k run and Fitbit only logged 12.2k, it's so far out that I can't rely on it and the pace which I am relying on is completely out! I will also return my Fitbit as it is very clear from this thread that they are not intending to do anything about it! So disappointed in Fitbit!

[Carbashian]

I’ve got the same problem as everyone else. Just did a training run of 6 miles - Fitbit Versa recorded 4.25 - absolutely ridiculous and so frustrating. Especially insulting since you can’t even update the results in the app or Fitbit dashboard. Returning - if I can.