S2 3G/4G won't use GPS for S Health without phone...sometimes...

[bkrell]

Or 2G/3G, whatever it is, lol. Like my title says, I have an AT&T issued S2 that I use with my S7 Active. Normally, I wear a waist belt to carry my phone when I run but figured I didn't HAVE to since this watch has a GPS. But I've noticed two problems that make me wonder if the GPS works properly on the watch. If I'm running with my phone and have power saving mode on, S Health won't track my position with GPS. Likewise, I ran my long run this weekend and forgot my running belt at home. I did an initial 8 miles with one running group and S Health didn't use the GPS. But then I got back to my car, met some more friends and logged another 6 miles, again, without my phone. This time, it DID use GPS. I changed NO settings on my watch in the meantime. ANY idea what's going on?

Having a companion wearable to take the place of my Apple watch was a BIG reason I switched back to Samsung. If I can't depend on this functionality, I may as well go back to the big A and get a Nike edition Apple Watch 2.

 

[Rukbat]

1. Power Saving usually disables GPS (which is surprising, since a GPS receiver shouldn't use that much power).

2. The watch may switch in and out of GPS depending on whether it's communicating with the phone.

 

[bkrell]

Right but when I say power saving, mode, I mean, when it's enabled on my phone. Does that automatically trigger the same state on the watch?

With regard to switching in and out I see what you're saying and have wondered something similar but don't know how. I did wonder if the fact that my second run I made Saturday had something to do with the watch being in contact with the phone when I STARTED the run. But I don't know how or why it would continue to function when the phone was miles away.

Basically, I guess my concern is, except for this one run the other day, I've yet to see watch record gps for a run in stand alone mode. It shouldn't be that way, right?

 

[bkrell]

OK figured it out after getting on Samsung's forums. Everyone that uses the GPS for running seems to have this issue on the Gear S2 and the Gear Fit 2. The solution that worked for ME and MOST people seems to be to switch off bluetooth either on the phone or your watch before you start your run. If the phone is around and connected by bluetooth to the watch, it wants to use the phone's GPS instead. So if you start your run while still in bluetooth range and then lose the connection, no gps data for your run...

 

[FCSC]

To add to that, not all excercoses afe tracked by gps. I've only used 3, running and hiking use gps, walking uses the pedometer.