Vera 4 gps does not start

[BennyNielsen]

I want to start a run with gps from the first step. Hov do i du that?

When i start a run, it just start. Without me pressing play. And the gps starts later. No Good.

Then i end the run and start a new run. Now it Waits for me to press play. Why did it not do that the first time?

[LZeeW · Accepted solution]

Hello @BennyNielsen and welcome to the Community. Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you are swiping to go to the Exercise tile on your Versa 4, then tapping on the Run icon that is one of the three choices in circles.  Those three choices are Quick Start choices.  They are tap and start.  You need to do the following to make sure the GPS connects before you start:

• Swipe left right on the Versa 4 screen and go to the Exercise tile.  Tap on All in the bottom oval.
• Now choose Run.  You will see an animated arrow and GPS connecting...
• Wait for the GPS to connect, then tap on the start.

[DisapntdFitter]

The Versa 4 GPS is a problem for any serious athlete. The quick start function starts the timer right away, but the GPS might not connect until 2-3 minutes later. If you start it via the “Exercise” app, select your sport, Run, Bike, Etc., then the Versa 4 will show the message “GPS Connecting”. This step might be 30 seconds or 2 minutes delay until it says “GPS Connected”. Then, when you press the “Start Arrow”, the timer starts and the GPS actually starts recording. Of course, your running buddies might have already left you behind while you wait for the poorly designed Versa 4 to get ready.  Then, don’t expect the GPS to be accurate. My experience with the Versa 4 so far is that it is at least 10% off when compared to my Wahoo Bolt on my bike or to my iPhone 13 running Strava. The Versa 4 is the worst Fitbit that I have had so far, and I’ve had 5 other models.  Battery life sucks, GPS accuracy sucks and the 3rd Party apps that I liked on the Versa 2 can’t be used anymore. I tried to return the Versa 4, but they wouldn’t take it back. They did send one replacement that would at least sync properly, but it’s still junk.

[BennyNielsen]

Great description. But the "Wait" is a problem because the watch does not wait.
Please take a look at my video
https://youtu.be/KhcawE4H-64

[BennyNielsen]

Great description. But the "Wait" is a problem because the watch does not wait.
Please take a look at my video
https://youtu.be/KhcawE4H-64

[LZeeW]

@BennyNielsen   You are tapping on the Quick Start icon.  You must tap on the All option on the bottom of the screen, then choose Run.  Wait for the GPS to connect, then tap on the Start arrow.

[DisapntdFitter]

https://youtu.be/wlEukthGiic?feature=shared

My first try at a YouTube link, so hopefully it works. This shows using the exercise app to start a run, then waiting for the gps. For a real athlete’s watch like a Garmin or Wahoo, would not be necessary,

[BennyNielsen]

Thank you all, now I understand.
I did not know the difference between the 3 quick start icons and other ways of starting an exercise.

If FitBit is watching this. Your support people does not know this. Your manual does not say anything about this.
It has now annoyed me for 6 month.

[DisapntdFitter]

Agree that Fitbit support is not very good. When I first got the Versa 4, it would not sync unless I stopped and started bluetooth on my iPhone every time. It had terrible battery life and the GPS accuracy was off by 10 miles on a 40 mile bike ride. I requested a refund, but had just missed the cutoff, so I requested a working replacement. It took 3 Customer Service chats to finally get a replacement. It syncs properly now, but battery life is still only 3 days instead of 5 like my old Versa 2 and I had to discover the quick start exercise function didn’t work on my own. The GPS will still inexplicably just stop sometimes when I’m on a long bike ride, losing the ride.  I usually run two devices since I don’t want to lose an activity on Strava, but the Fitbit sort of guarantees that at least one device will fail every time I ride 40 miles or more, so having to run my iPhone too. The Fitbit was supposed to keep me from having to do that.  Hopefully the Fitbit engineers will come up with a firmware fix for the GPS issues and battery life.  Also, the quick charging of the Versa 4 is a joke. The Versa 2 charged two times faster. Probably my final Fitbit if they don’t fix it soon. On the plus side, the Versa 4 has great graphics.