Quick Summary
The Fitbits listed directly below this paragraph all have built-in GPS Tracking.
1. Fitbits that have GPS Tracking Built-in
Fitbit Charge 4 - Built-in GPS
The Fitbit Charge 4 is the first in the charge line-up to introduce built-in GPS. Thank goodness. This has been a big weakness for Fitbit for some time now. Thankfully, the Charge 4 is
Fitbit Ionic - Built-in GPS
The Fitbit Charge 4 is the first in the charge line-up to introduce built-in GPS. Thank goodness. This has been a big weakness for Fitbit for some time now. Thankfully, the Charge 4 is
Fitbit Surge - Built-in GPS
The Fitbit Surge was the first model to introduce GPS tracking and wrist-based heart rate tracking into the same watch. At the time (2014), having both these features was groundbreaking.
With the Surge, Fitbit created an attractive, highly functional GPS sports watch that was actually slightly ahead Garmin and Polar at the time.
The problem however, is that times have changed. By modern standards, the Fitbit Surge is basically a relic. It can still do the job of tracking your runs and workouts comfortably, but investing in a watch that is over 6 years old is questionable.
From our perspective, it would be much better to go for the Fitbit Charge 4 rather than the Fitbit Surge, as this point in time.
2. Fitbits that rely on your phone to unlock GPS tracking
The majority of Fitbit’s need to connect to your phone in order to unlock GPS tracking. The full list of Fitbit’s which fall into this category can be viewed below.
3) How to activate GPS tracking on your Fitbit, using your phone?
Fitbit call this feature ‘Connected GPS’. So how exactly does this whole process work?
To make things super clear, we are going to use the Fitbit Versa to illustrate the steps you need to follow to use your phone’s GPS to track runs, cycles and other exercises.
As you can see, it’s actually pretty simple to activate ‘connected GPS Tracking’.
When you select running or cycling as the exercise mode, your Fitbit will automatically attempt to connect to your phone’s GPS, via bluetooth.
All you really have to do is wait for your Fitbit to sync to your phone’s GPS, and then you’re good to.
Does the Fitbit Versa Have GPS?
Technically speaking, no. The Fitbit Versa doesn’t have a GPS tracking chip built into the watch.
However, if you pair your phone with your Fitbit Versa, you can use a feature called ‘connected GPS’. With this feature, the Versa leverages your phone’s GPS to unlock accurate running and cycling data.
Does the Fitbit Blaze have GPS?
No. The Fitbit Blaze does not have built-in GPS. To access GPS tracking, you need to connect your phone to the Fitbit Blaze. Fitbit call this ‘connected-GPS’.
Is there anything else you should know?
There is one last thing.
If you’re going to use your phone’s GPS, it can be super helpful to invest in an accessory that keeps your phone safe and secure on runs and cycles. The best options are running armbands and running belts:
On this point, Tune Belt is a pretty respectable brand. They make running armbands and running belts, and their amazon reviews are pretty solid
