Sense 2 has stopped tracking distance suddenly

[ds0810]

Hi all,

I'm a new Sense 2 user and I've had it just about a month. Aside from app connection issues which I have been blaming my smartphone for I had no issues with the device until today. I had it on tracking a walk and realised the pace was 0 because distance tracked was 0 miles. I have since worked out it ceased all distance tracking since about 11am yesterday. But it still tracks steps walked and everything else. So a gps issue I guess but I've done nothing knowingly to change the settings. I have already tried switching the Sense 2 on and off again, everything short of a factory reset. Any ideas?

[ManuFitbit]

Welcome to the forums @ds0810.

Thank you for taking the time to share the details regarding the Sense 2 and for trying to fix it on your own.

All devices with GPS sensors require a direct path to GPS satellites to calculate location. A weak GPS signal might affect the accuracy of your route and other activity data. Your device uses your step count to calculate distance until it finds a signal, so the total distance calculated for a workout may be slightly less accurate when GPS isn't available for the entire time, for example, if you're in a place with lots of buildings, this can impact the GPS tracking, make you sure you're wearing the Sense 2 correctly.

If you haven't done so already, please make sure to follow the steps suggested in this article to improve GPS accuracy. Let me know how it goes.

[ds0810]

Hi Manu and thanks for the quick reply and for welcoming me to the forums. Unfortunately your reply seems to indicate that I may have failed to accurately describe the problem; that's on me I guess. Yesterday I walked 10,430 steps and the equivalent of 25 floors all whilst travelling the grand distance of 0.00 miles, quite the achievement I'm sure you'll agree. So I am not having a minor quibble and grumble about fitbit undercounting distance by some amount and accusing it of being inaccurate, I'm saying there is a major issue. Clearly the device accelerometers were working yesterday it successfully counted the steps. So actually I was wrong I think in blaming GPS at all, because if I'd done those steps on a treadmill (I did not) I would still expect to record a distance travelled. To make the situation more clear I can include two screengrabs from the fitbit app, one from Thursday before any malfunctions and one from yesterday. 

I should add that randomly today it is now recording distance again so it seems to have been a day and a half long glitch. But I have no idea why it stopped logging any distance travelled for that time, and whether the problem will reoccur. 

[DGM-Ranger]

I have exactly the same issue.  If I start an exercise, then my Sense WILL track my mileage, (plus steps etc). However, when I am simply walking it no longer tracks my mileage at all.  It DOES track steps and everything else.  It is only the mileage that appears as 0.  What do you suggest to troubleshoot?  Is the built in GPS on my Sense no longer working?

[ds0810]

Yes my device is back now back to not tracking any distance, unless I am using the 'run' exercise app with gps tracking on. So I think the gps is working but unless you have it enabled for the exercise it can't track distance anymore. It's when I use the walk exercise I get a nonsense 0 distance covered and so my pace average and instantaneous is also 0. But I may have just figured a possible culprit and fix? By default the Fitbit settings are to automatically detect your running stride length and walking stride length. For whatever reason my fitbit seems to have 'lost' my walking stride length and it shows as -- rather than a number. I bet if I manually set my walking stride length to an actual number it will start tracking again.

[Damdam95]

I am encountering the exact same problem as you, which started at the exact same date. My guess is that it is due to an update.

[ds0810]

Guys I have manually set my walking stride and it is now tracking again. So its a pain because you have to try measure that yourself to the best of your accuracy. Damdam95 I think you're right it was an update or though to be fair this happened right as the global IT meltdown occurred. Probably just coincidence. So you need to wait for a future update to fix automatic stride detection (which is default I think for all users on the app), or do my fix of manually entering your stride because when I did this it immediately started tracking distance.

[DGM-Ranger]

Set my stride length a you've suggested and voila! Love the community. Customer support was gonna have me do a factory reset on my Sense. UGH. How they monitor this community....

Laid out a tape measure to 120 inches, walked the length and divided by number of steps. Not ideal, but, usable. 

Again, thanks!

[ds0810]

Glad to be of help and yes glad you didn't go the factory reset route because I've done that once it was annoying. And may not have fixed the issue anyway 

[pkgem]

Hi ds0810,

I'm having the same issue. Please can you tell me where I go in the app to manually set my walking stride? 

Thanks, Gemma

[pkgem]

I've actually figured out how to set my walking stride now but thank you anyway - thank you for posting in the first place and especially for posting the workaround. It is truly appreciated 😊

[ds0810]

Hi pkgem, no problem but yes for anyone else who wants to manually set their stride

Open exercise settings by clicking the gear icon in the excercise part of the app as in left screenshot, then Stride Length is right at the top. Once you're there you will probably see automatic stride length on and both running and walking stride greyed out and in my case and most others I think walking stride has been automatically set to -- or effectively 0. Just turn off  set automatically so you can manually edit the walking stride to an actual value

[pkgem]

Thank you. You are a star.

[JuanFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi everybody! 

Welcome to the community! Thank you for your messages and efforts.

Our team is aware of the situation and is working on a solution to it.

Many users have now confirmed that they were able to fix it by entering the stride length themselves. It's worth a try until our team has worked on the solution.
You can find instructions for this here:Can I change my stride length in my Fitbit account?

Please follow this thread where all updates will be posted. Distance appears as 0 after sync

[dspulsipher]

I joined this club last week when my Fitbit stopped tracking distance unless I start an activity (run, hike, walk). For example, recently my Fitbit recorded 11,242 steps for a total of 0.44 miles in a day. Clearly, something is not right.

I appreciate that Fitbit is working on resolving this issue; however, it appears that some users started having this issue a month ago. Since it has been so long without a fix (or even signs that a fix is imminent), I am looking for alterative fitness devices.

Does anyone have a favorite non-Fitbit tracker that you would recommend?

[JoeJoe1958]

Same thing just started happening to me today. Since yours started working again, I will give it a day or two to see what happens.

[JoeJoe1958]

Stride length showed two hash marks on my Sense 2 as well. I cancelled the auto detect and entered it manually. The mileage started working again. My only concern now is whether or not the GPS is working accurately.  My wife and I have the same unit but in just a four mile walk, her watch shows approximately 1/2 mile further in distance. This may be a totally different issue. 

Thank you for all your time and effort in figuring out this issue. Huge help. Thanks again.

[CCHSG]

My Sense stopped calibrating distance from steps. I’ve tried usual fixes but no luck. This started about a week ago. Walk/distance works still

[Kc6385]

This work around is great and all, but I would like a fix ASAP. When I manually manipulate the stride length my running distance is highly inaccurate, and the variance is corrupting my data. It shouldn't be that hard to provide a roll back for this extremely expensive device to work properly. I realize that the software organization is getting worse and worse over time but there is no reason that a basic data tracking function doesn't work any more. You're leaving me with no other explanation or recourse than... "Our team is aware of the situation and is working on a solution to it." You have absolutely no timeline, explanation, visibility, or accountability into what the problem is or when it will be rectified? Horrible way to do business.

[tkm51]

The Sense 2 has GPS so should not need stride length to calculate pace or distance.  My Sense 2 started failing to register distance or pace a couple of weeks ago.  Now it doesn't even attempt to connect to GPS when I start an exercise.  Customer support tells me they are working on a fix.  I think the device is failing and I'd like to get it replaced under warranty, but it's not clear how I contact anyone to accomplish that.  Anybody know how to do that?