Using Fitbit iOS app to track bike rides.

[PeterGharib]

Is it possible for the fitbit app to track bike rides without a surge? The only three options that I can see are run, hike and walk.

[DerrickS · Accepted solution]

@PeterGharib At the moment the functionality to track bike rides using your phone's GPS is not available.

If you don't have a heart rate tracker, I'd recommend manually logging your bike rides to improve calorie burn accuracy. Click here for instructions.

Hope this helps and welcome to the Fitbit Community!

[PeterGharib]

I have the Fitbit surge but I was asking for a friend who's considering between the surge and the charge hr. Based on this information, he decided to purchase the surge.

[DeonM]

Hi guys

I bought my Surge today, so I am the newest of newbies.

Question is: Although I have the app on my iPhone, I have to start an outdoor biking session on the watch, right -- to have it logged?

There is no way to start it from the phone?

Thanks in advance

Deon M

[DerrickS · Accepted solution]

@DeonM You are correct. There currently is not a way to track a bike ride using the App's GPS, but you can track biking using the Surge's GPS. Click here for more details.

Also, if tracking bike rides using your phone's GPS is something that you want to see in the future, I would recommend expressing your demand on this feature request by up-voting and commenting.

Welcome to the Community!

[DeonM]

Thank you very much for the quick and lucid response!

[Seattle1373]

Derrick,

any updates if Fitbit is working to add cycling and / or mountain biking as exercise types that can be tracked using GPS ?

Thanks,

Seattle1373

[Bworrell]

Would really like this to be added!!!

[SunsetRunner]

Welcome to the Forums @Bworrell! I agree, it would be great to see this feature implemented. I recommend up-voting this idea to show support with this matter. Feel free to continue participating in the Fitbit Forums.

I wish you an excellent day.

[GlennMetcalf]

So I turn on my fitbit app track exercise select "run" climb on my bike a go.  up pops a map that perfectly tracks my location get home and it matches my Polar v800 to two decimal places.  The ONLY problems are it says I ran 10.43 miles in 43 minutes and counted all my steps (my FB ONE stayed home)  now I don't know what the BS is about GPS function  seems getting the iPhone app to log biking would be REALY simple.

[AlAckAttack]

I just started riding today and ran into this problem.  I have found that you can track the run, then reclassify it as biking.  It will then tell you your average mph instead of running pace.

[Char13]

Will there ever be a way to track bike rides

[LouiseWilliams]

Hi there...interested to read that it is possible to reclassify a run as a bike ride - would you please tell me how to do that? I cannot get my Fitbit 3 to connect to the gps on my phone to track a bike ride so have been tracking on the app as a run which gives me distance, map and time but would be nice if it worked as it should!

[LZeeW]

@LouiseWilliams  When you track your activity in the app, you are using a feature Fitbit calls MobileRun.  MobileRun was Fitbit's first method of having GPS connections.  It is limited to run, walk and hike.  I haven't used it in a while, so I just did a test.  I took a Walk in my house.  After finishing, I was able to change it to Bike by tapping on the Categorize Exercise in the exercise details.  Do you have this option on your app view?

I saw your post on the Charge 3 forum.  The real fix seems to be keeping your phone connection.

[Marti93]

It’s been over 7 years since the original question and still it isn’t possible to start a bike activity from the app. Come on people, we can already reclassify a walk exercise as a bike ride, so adding this option shouldn’t be that hard. Certainly not 7 years hard. Can you please add it? Thanks

[LZeeW]

@Marti93   There's no chance that Fitbit will update this feature to include biking.  Like I wrote in my previous post, MobileRun was Fitbit's first GPS connected feature.  I used it with my Fitbit One.  My previous post is almost four years old, so my workaround might not be possible.  All current Fitbit models have an Exercise app with built in or connected GPS for biking.  MobileRun is for legacy devices and users who use MobileTrack (using your phone to track steps).  As a general rule, Fitbit doesn't update older features when it releases new ones.

[Marti93]

It's crazy when you think about this, because the GPS feature on Fitbit devices drains the battery like a mad man. And since most people carry their phones with them anyway, it would be great if the Fitbit devices only record the heart activity and then later combines that data with the data recorded in the iOS app.

[LZeeW]

@Marti93   I looked at your profile and can see that you also posted in the Charge 4 forum.  The Charge 4 has Dynamic GPS and lets you choose between built in or connected GPS.

[Marti93]

True, but Dynamic GPS still drains my charge 4 much faster than not switching to exercise mode at all. And an additional problem: in exercise mode the Charge 4 almost daily freezes up with no way to bring it to life, other than connecting it to a charger. 

long story short, the software is riddled with bugs and “interesting” design choices 😔