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Activity GPS issues after watchOS 7 and iOS 14 updates

This morning I upgraded my iPhone XS Max to iOS 14 and my S4 Watch to watchOS 7. I then went for a run, using the Outdoor Run activity on my Watch as usual, holding my iPhone while I ran (as I was listening to a podcast with AirPods). When I finished, everything was recorded as normal, and I could sync the activity to Strava.


Later, I went for a walk. I used the Outdoor Walk activity on my Watch, but this time didn't take my iPhone. When I returned, and attempted to upload the activity to Strava, I received a warning that no GPS/route data was present. I checked the Fitness and Health apps, and sure enough, there was no route on the map - only the starting point.


I spoke to someone at Apple Support and they suggested I turned off/back on a couple of related privacy settings. I have since tried another Outdoor Walk activity, without the phone present, and the problem persists - no GPS/route data.


My wife also tried the same this evening, after upgrading her iPhone X and S4 Watch too. She had the same results - i.e. with just the Watch, no GPS/route information was saved with the activity.


This seems like a bug to me. Has anyone else experienced the same issue, or has any suggestions as to how to fix it?



[Re-Titled by Moderator]


Apple Watch Series 4, watchOS 7

Posted on Sep 17, 2020 1:24 PM

Reply
1,375 replies

Jul 1, 2021 12:15 PM in response to Hageltjes

Apple Watch Series 6 44mm watchOS 7.5; $399

iPhone 12 Pro iOS 14.6; $999


$1398 worth of the newest Apple gear, and yet same issue.


Apple Support collected diagnostics and advised me that they are "aware of the problem and working on it.


I advised Apple Support that Apple should at least do something for the hundreds of people with this same issue until they get it fixed, as this is effectively a case of false advertising on their behalf because the technology does not do what they say it will.


I mean, the least they could do is pay you minimum wage for your time to voluntarily supply them with data for their product that does not function correctly. This is one of those cases where "I understand your frustration" just doesn't cut it.



Jul 2, 2021 6:05 AM in response to Hageltjes

Reviving this thread as I just upgraded to iPhone 12 and purchased the watch se. The fitness app on my phone synced for 2 days from my watch then just stopped. I’ve tried everything aside from factory resets which I would really like to avoid. Praying to the Apple deity for a fix on the next update.

Jul 11, 2021 2:27 AM in response to RunFa

Here’s my take on this issue:


I have installed a program called HealthFit on my iPhone 11 which can import apple fitness workouts and then back them up anywhere you wish.


Anyway, I recently had the same issue after a workout with the fitness app not showing anything besides my starting point after an open water swim. However, after the HealthFit app imported my workout, the HealthFit app shows everything as it should be, with the full route and all other relevant info.


So, it seems to me that the fitness app does indeed collect all relevant data but for some reason it doesn’t show it, or it shows it sporadically.


I have repaired my phone and even though the problem is not always rectified in the fitness app, it always shows up correctly if exported to the other app.

Jul 21, 2021 1:00 AM in response to RunFa

I’ve been using HealthFit for years in conjunction with a series 3 GPS.


Have learned to turn Bluetooth off on the phone in advance of running, which so far, had fixed the problem on this thread.


Got the dreaded message this morning telling me my watch had been updated. Ran 5 miles, noticed it wasn’t beeping at my usual mile markers. Just synced up and while the split data (based on pedometer, not GPS) is in HealthFit, the fitness app and Strava only show the first 60 metres. So Strava thinks I was running at 1 mile every 5 seconds.

Jul 21, 2021 1:05 AM in response to Bossworld

Had a couple of more open swim workouts and I it’s a bit of a hit or miss. HealthFit ALWAYS shows the correct data, but the fitness app does not. Your experience reinforces my theory that the data is captured correctly but not incorrectly displayed at least in the fitness app. If not, where else is HealthFit picking up the correct information from?

Jul 21, 2021 1:19 AM in response to Bossworld

This effect perfectly fits my theory that the iPhone's location API is broken. While your Watch is connected to your phone via Bluetooth it uses the phone's GPS for workouts in order to save battery. However, during workouts the phone does not update its location frequent enough so we get these janky lines instead of smooth tracking. THIS NEEDS RO BE FIXED IN THE PHONE'S SOFTWARE, APPLE.


Funny side effect: You can have a look at your location in the maps app while workong out with your Watch connected and see that your location ist mostly frozen only to then rubberband and shoot off to your actual location.

Jul 21, 2021 6:42 AM in response to kolvas

So if the watch face turns off, does the go’s also turn off? That is what it looks like to me anyway when logging a track via GAIA GPS using the Watch App (Series 6).


I should add that my iPhone (12 Pro) is ON and in the top of my pack. It is connected via BT to a Bad Elf GPS and the Watch.


The recorded tracks seem to show the watch stops “dropping bread crumbs” and then starts again…as indicated by straight lines (GAIA), or gaps (Workout App). Leads me to believe it shuts off to conserve power after a certain interval. If I check stats frequently, there are no gaps.


I have had the watch face set to “ON when raised” instead of Always ON. So I’ll try it the other way.


Never an issue recording tracks with the iPhone.

Jul 21, 2021 8:06 AM in response to s20055

I have my watch face to always on, so the watch face never is completely off during workouts. It always shows time elapsed, distance, splits etc. Nevertheless, try it out and see if it solves the problem.


That being said, I haven’t seen any problems when doing non swimming workouts (I.e. iPhone is with me). So I am tempted to deduce that maybe the problem is not in the phone but the watch. But then again, as I have stated before, HealthFit shows all the relevant GPS data in all scenarios, while the fitness app does not, which leads me to suspect that all the data is being captured but for some reason not displayed in the fitness app.

Jul 21, 2021 11:42 AM in response to Pillow1337

Im honestly not sure. When this hasn’t worked for me previously, I was just getting a start market and nothing else on the map view. Then, in between the introduction of watchos7 and learning about switching B/T off, it was effectively only recording half a run (e.g starting about ten minutes after I’d gone out of range of my iPhone).


Today’s problem - the GPS data is wrong on all apps, I’m back to just a start marker. Strava has flagged a suspicious activity due to the perceived 5 miles in 25 seconds.


I’ve powered both devices off and I’ll try a test walk soon. I’m just massively concerned that I’m going to wake up on the morning of a half marathon, find it’s installed another update, and not have any realistic idea of my pace during the race.


I’ve not had time to go through the thread, but something to bear in mind is that if the watch can’t get a GPS

signal, I believe it reverts to guesstimates via the pedometer. That would explain why I still have data for 8 x 1km splits in HealthFit.

Sep 13, 2021 8:04 AM in response to s20055

That can’t be right, otherwise how would it track route (and the original issue of the thread).


There’s a marked difference in results when it hasn’t locked on (e.g in my case it shows 0.8 mile at a known 1.0 mile point), which I believe is the watch using a ‘known’ historical step count, same as why it’s inaccurate on a treadmill if you vary your pace.


I’m going to have to do some more testing with my phone powered off when starting from home, but it’s a nuisance



Sep 14, 2021 12:03 PM in response to s20055

From the headline of that article:


”Calibrating your watch can also help it learn your fitness level and stride, which improves accuracy *when GPS is limited or unavailable*.”


As before, on my training route, if I forgot to turn off Bluetooth on my phone before leaving the house, a known 1 mile point showed as about 0.8m. With Bluetooth switched off, it was reliably triggering at 1 mile on over 20 practice runs on the same route, and the route map download shows as such - hence it’s using GPS.


My screenshot from HealthFit shows a 9 min/1 mile delay in acquiring a GPS signal on Sunday. On that occasion, I’d switched Bluetooth off and left the iPhone in the car ~2 miles from the race start


Activity GPS issues after watchOS 7 and iOS 14 updates

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