Charge 2 Connected GPS not working with iOS 11

[mjpswe]

Doesnt work with iOS 11, anyone else having similar problems?

[VATommy]

One workaround I have found, others mentioned above, is to disable the app (swipe up) then reopen the app, then hit run, etc button on watch and it does work. But you have to do it every single time. And if you pause the run from the watch, it often loses GPS connectivity.

If it's not resolved soon I'm going to a watch with independent GPS in it. After you get 3-4 miles in only to have it dump your data isn't very amusing. 

[scelllus]

I use Gaia GPS for tracking now.

Fitbit has a software issue with Connected GPS and Charge 2, has been for several weeks. We have to wait for it being fixed.

[trinena]

I have experienced the same thing.  It stopped working about a week or two after I upgraded to iOS 11.03 (I have an iPhone 6), then a couple of weeks later the Fitibit app upgraded and it started working again for four days, then stopped.  The day it stopped working it was working for my morning walk to work, then wasn't working that evening for my walk home.  Nothing was done to settings in between those two walks.  I've tried everything mentioned in this thread:

Restarting the Charge 2, restarting the phone, uninstalling and reinstalling the app, making sure location services is set correctly (always), making sure wi-fi is off, trying the GPS when the Fitbit app is open on my phone.  Nothing works.  This is extremely frustrating, especially for runs. 

Tracking exercise directly from the app uses GPS without issue, it is only in connectivity with the Charge 2.

Please fix this bug in the firmware/software!

[VATommy]

Trinena, 

I just did the 11.1 IOS update today which said it addressed many GPS function issues with numerous apps. I’ll be interested to see if this helps. 

Will update after my next run. 

T

[Greet]

Hello,

The new update worked one evening😫
The next morning as I started a bike ride immediatily my watch said: check
the fitbitapp.

Waiting for another new update!!

[dailywalker2]

I’m having the same issue since IOS11 update. I’ve tried everything and I’m very familiar with  the process because I’m on my 3rd charge 2 in a year. Had other problems with tracking and now the GPS.  Wanted a coupon for the fitbit ionic but that’s not an option. Guess  we are stuck until fitbit figures this out.  Terrible!

[John-Pepper]

Long time user of the Charge 2 with no previous problems of Connected GPS, until this week when I finally upgraded from IOS 10 directly to IOS 11.1.1 on my iPhone 6. Connected GPS stopped working. I had no problem syncing data, seeing real-time steps, or seeing real-time heart rate. But the GPS would not connect for logging my walks, even after I logged out of the app, removed the blue tooth link, and installed the Charge 2 as a new device.

What did work was also restarting the Charge 2. Following the directions of the moderator on another message, I logged out of the app, restarted the iPhone, deleted the blue tooth link, restarted the Charge 2, logged back into the app, added the Charge 2 as a new device (telling the app to delete the old device), and letting blue tooth pair with the Charge 2.

Now I have Connected GPS working again. 

Edit: Three days later, I keep losing Connected GPS each day. All other synchronization works, only Connected GPS fails. Today the fix was rebooting the iPhone 6 (iOS 11.1.1), after unsuccessfully first trying: repairing Bluetooth, re-installing device, logging out and in of app. The only other trick I did not try was restarting the Charge 2. 

Edit 2: Nov 19, 2017: Updated yesterday to iOS 11.1.2, Connected GPS worked after the update, of course. But once again, Connected GPS did not work this morning. I went directly to rebooting the iPhone, no luck. Then logged out and in to the app, it worked. This is a frustrating daily exercise to get the Fitbit and Connected GPS working.

Edit 3: Nov 26, 2017: A daily chore now, but I have it isolated to a single fix routine: Connected GPS won't work at the start of the day, so I swipe app up to clear it (but I don't need to logout), restart the app, synchronize with the Charge 2, then Connected GPS works. Never had this problem prior to IOS 11.

Edit 4: Nov 30, 2017: Running IOS 11.1.2, and the recent Fitbit update 2.43.1. Still somewhat a problem connecting to Connected GPS, even after a solid synchronization with the Charge 2, but always solved by swiping the app up and immediately re-opening it, which doesn't take long. Somedays I don't have to do even that. So still not as good as before IOS 11, but improving.

I also did another step to improve overall my sluggish iPhone 6 after the IOS 11 update, as recommended in the Apple Support forums: Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings. This does NOT delete apps and data, but does reset all of the general iphone setting, including your screen backgrounds. Only a minor inconvenience to set again some of the privacy and other settings, but it was a good chance to review them anyway. I have to agree with other users, my iPhone 6 seems peppier now. The other recommendation is to backup the phone under iTunes, then do a full restore back onto your phone, which I haven't done yet this time, but I have done in the past, when IOS updates made my iPhone or iPad fell sluggish. Resetting All Settings was good enough this time. 

[PineappleQueen1]

I'm not sure that this is an iOS 11 issue as reading through other threads, people have been having this problem for months before IOS 11 came out. I've also seen it as a problem for android users. I've tried every single suggestion made and it will work for one run, then the next day I get the same message - check the app and it doesn't work.

Very disappointing and frustrating as I had no problem until the last Fit bit update in September. I now can't rely on it for my training.

Would be interested to know if anyone has resolved this issue permanently? 

[Sandwichinwi]

Uninstalling and reinstalling the app worked for me on an iPhone 7 running iOS 11. I haven’t had any issues since.

[John-Pepper]

I had no issue after the earlier firmware update. The problem for me started only after updating from iOS 10 to 11.1.1 (I skipped iOS 11.0). iPhone 6, FitBit Charge 2, 22.55.02. But we'll see if my fix "sticks" since a number of users have reported that the fix only worked for a session or two.

[Ahnuts01]

I’ve tried everything listed in this thread. The only thing that works is rebooting my phone, usually once, sometimes twice. For me, this issue began prior to iOS 11. I’ve been a big fan of Fitbit, but this single issue has me looking at other trackers.

[Greet]

I did this week the latest update for IPhone. 11.1.2
And GPS works again. Already several times. I don’t think that the Fitbit
is the problem. It was Apple!!!

Hopefully it stays connected now!!!

[Ahnuts01]

Likewise, I am 11.1.2, but still, I’m forced into rebooting my phone to connect GPS. I have quickly moved to each new update from both Apple and Fitbit hoping for an improvement. 

[jackbrucesimpso]

Still doesn't work for me.

[trinena]

I've updated to iOS 11.1.2 and my Fitbit still refuses to connect GPS.  The only "improvement" is that it tries to connect longer instead of immediately buzzing and giving me the message to check the app (not that the app ever tells me anything about why it can't connect... or actually connect.)

I've tried all the suggestions and nothing works =(

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well. 

At this moment I would like to recommend you to update the OS on your iPhone/iPad to the latest (11.0.3) and the Fitbit app as well as we have just released a new version (2.43.1). Additionally, when you start a GPS activity, turn off WiFi on your phone through your phone settings to prevent your phone from trying to connect to a WiFi signal while you're outside. Don't turn off WiFi through Control Center as this will only disconnect you from the current WiFi signal and will not turn it off completely. 

Thanks for your patience and understanding, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[MatthewMcD]

Are you sure about that iOS version? As of today my iPhone 7 is on 11.1.2

[MatthewMcD]

Took it for a run this morning and it still does not work. Turned off WiFi and every other suggestion. This is really lame. Maybe someone from FitBit can provide a step by step for "Starting a Run" because I don't understand what the "Check App" is supposed to check and I don't understand if I am supposed to start the run activity in the app if the Charge 2 is supposed to automatically detect that I am running.

[mjpswe]

This is the steps I take to get it to work:

1 close all apps

2 start the music I want too listen to 

3 start the Fitbit app

4 start the exercise on Fitbit Charge

5 lock phone

6 get on with my workout 

[trinena]

Hi Marco,

My iPhone 6s is on the latest version of iOS (11.1.2) and the Fitbit app is also updated.  I tried turning off WiFi through the control center and it didn't make any difference.  I even tried turning it off, restarting the phone, restarting the Charge 2, then testing the connected GPS function on the Charge and it still didn't work.

This is extremely frustrating!