Fitness tracker not tracking distance on outdoor walks
Your tracker's GPS probably isn't locking onto a signal, so it can't calculate distance. GPS needs a clear view of the sky, so start a new walk, make sure you're outside away from buildings, and wait 30 seconds for the GPS to lock before you start. If it's still not working, your tracker can have a faulty GPS chip.
Fitness trackers use GPS to measure distance on outdoor walks. If GPS can't lock onto satellites, the tracker can't calculate how far you've gone. This happens when the GPS signal is weak, you're between tall buildings, or the GPS chip has failed. Some trackers also use step count to estimate distance, which is less accurate.
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Skip — I just want a technicianCommon mistakes to avoid
- Starting to walk immediately instead of waiting 30-60 seconds for GPS to lock on. GPS needs that time to find satellites
- Walking in downtown cities with tall buildings and expecting GPS to work. Buildings block the signal path to the satellites
- Thinking the tracker is broken when it's just using step counting instead of GPS to estimate distance, which is much less accurate
Signs you need professional help
- You've waited for GPS to lock and you're in an open area, but distance still shows zero. Your tracker can have a hardware problem GPS was working before and now it's not, even though nothing has changed. The GPS module can have failed.
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