Fix: Fitbit Charge 5 GPS Problem, Not Working or Accurate

Health-conscious people find these devices very helpful as it’s now simple as taking a glance at the screen. But these fitness trackers are prone to problems related to hardware or their internal functioning. Recently, users are complaining about Fitbit Charge 5 GPS problem where the readings are either not working or not accurate. The majority of users are facing this problem and here we have some troubleshooting methods to fix this issue.

Fitness and health trackers are now an integral part of our lives. Fitness freaks take their health very seriously and modern devices such as fitness trackers are a boon for them. Fitbit Charge 5 is also a fitness tracker which is capable of tracking multiple health-related metrics. You can check every single health-related detail throughout the day with the help of Fitbit Charge 5.

FitBit Charge 5: An Overview

FitBit Charge 5 is one of the most popular fitness band products till date. It is a fitness tracker in the form factor of a wristband. The device is sleek and stunning & feature packed as well. Built on an Aluminium chassis with a silicon band, this fitness tracker sports a water resistant build with many cool features. It has a GPS, a touch screen, Bluetooth and a Heart rate sensor.

Fitbit Charge 5 can track your Stress levels, heart rhythm, steps (both running, walking and stairs climbed), calories, ECG, blood oxygen saturation as well as your sleep. This fitness band is both compatible with Android and iOS devices.

GPS issue with FitBit Charge 5

FitBit Charge 5 is a great device, but users are facing a serious issue with the device lately. It seems that the device’s GPS tracker is malfunctioning, causing trouble to the health freaks out there. The issue has been persistent since quite a time, and this is making people furious.

Fitness trackers come equipped with either of 2 types of GPS ability. The first type is In-built GPS and the second type is Connected GPS. A Device with In-built GPS, as you can tell from the name, has an integrated GPS tracker inside the Fitness band itself. While, on the other hand, fitness bands with connected GPS have to connect with your Phone’s GPS in order to track your position.

So, FitBit Charge 5 has an in-built GPS. That means the problem is with either the hardware or firmware of the fitness band.

Fix: Fitbit Charge 5 GPS Problem, Not Working or Accurate

Electronic devices are prone to such issues, and that can become a headache sometimes. But don’t worry, because I’ve found the possible reasons for the GPS malfunctioning issue in FitBit Charge 5 and also some troubleshooting methods to fix it.

Method 1: Restart the device

There is a good chance that the device is malfunctioning for a temporary period of time. This often occurs with many fitness trackers. These devices don’t have powerful hardware specifications, so it’s quite common for them to glitch or malfunction. Maybe the device is unable to sync properly, and that’s causing trouble with the GPS.

1. To restart the device swipe down from the home screen and scroll/swipe all the way down to find the settings icon.
2. In the settings menu you will see an option called “Restart Device“.
3. Tap it to restart the device, this will take about 10 seconds to restart.
4. Perform this step and see if the issue is still persistent.

Method 2: The device is not updated

Yes, fitness bands run on their proprietary OS and require updates to fix certain issues related to their software. This might be the case with your FitBit Charge 5. Fitness trackers often malfunction when their firmware is not up to date.

If there is an update available, you will see a notification on your tracker’s screen. Remember, to update the device, you will need at least 20% battery. So, it’s recommended to keep your band connected to the charger while the update is in progress.

You have to update the tracker through the FitBit app on your phone. So keep the phone and tracker close and properly connected. After the update is completed, your GPS should be working fine.

Method 3: Factory reset the device

If the device is already up-to-date and you have tried restarting it as well, then maybe there’s a software glitch with the device. Oftentimes these glitches are fixed in OTA updates. But in our case, it seems the issue is deep-rooted within the tracker’s software. Resetting the device can fix this problem.

1. To reset your FitBit Charge 5, first swipe down from the home screen and find the settings icon.
2. There will be an option called Device Info just above the restart option.
3. There you will get the option “Clear User Data“.
4. Now you have to swipe up and then press the “Hold 3 Sec” button that will be shown on the screen.
5. After that, you will see the FitBit logo on your screen and the tracker will vibrate. This means your data has been erased.

Now start the device and check if the GPS problem is fixed.

Method 4: Use the device in a non-isolated area

GPS trackers in these fitness bands have a hard time tracking your position if you’re in an isolated area. The building and roofs interfere with the GPS signals, hence the readings are inaccurate and sometimes, it doesn’t even work at all.

Make sure you’re under a clear sky while performing your daily activities. Instead of jogging in a cityscape or a forest, try performing those activities in a park. In order to track you and tell you your positions accurately, the GPS tracker in your fitness bands needs to constantly send signals to the GPS satellites above. So, try running in open spaces next time.

Method 5: Contact customer support

Maybe your device’s hardware itself is faulty, and that’s the reason it’s malfunctioning. In such a case, the first thing you should do is try and contact the official customer support for the device. Or you can send the device to an authorized service center as well.

The people over there can recognize the exact problem and fix it in no time. Or even better, if your warranty period is still intact, you can get a replacement completely free of cost!

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of this guide for fixing Fitbit Charge 5 GPS problem, not working or accurate readings. If none of the above methods works for you, then we recommend you to get your device checked from the service center as it might have any hardware issues.