What is Reddit's opinion of
Wear GPS Status?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
Popularity Score: 9
This app was mentioned in 21 comments, with an average of 1.52 upvotes
Best Comments
I had the same question on GPS. Try loading this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en and standing outside. That second screenshot with all the bars and flags show signal strength to satellites.
Enabling cellular definitely helps...I usually get a lock in about 10 seconds.
Install this app and make sure you get a GPS lock of better than 10m accuracy before you start your run:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
They gave you wrong info, plain and simple.
Are you away from your phone when you start your app of choice (what do you use to track your runs)? Do you have location enabled on the watch? From your watch, downlod this app and see if it detects satellites: Wear GPS Status
Here is the direct link, so you know what you are looking for: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en_US
Hope this helps. Sorry they were not helpful in the store.
Download the "Wear GPS Status" app. Its made by the same developer of GR. If GR is not finding GPS signal open the Status app and it will display your current GPS connections. This is usually enough to "jump start" the watch GPS to connecting and break the endless loop of GR GPS connecting. I haven't had a GPS issue in 6 months using this. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en
Sure, here is the direct link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en_US (I gave you an incomplete app name, sorry!)
Edit, OMG, I feel like an ass. That one does have a companion phone app!! Hang on, someone recommended a similar app to me on here, need to dig out that comment and will share if it’s stand alone!
I find this helps me acquire the GPS signal faster on my Urbane 2 LTE:
Take off the watch and hold it by its strap.
Fire up Wear GPS and wait for it to get a lock on a few satelites. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
Start run app
Make sure in settings - connections tou don’t have anabled for it to pick up GPS from phone.
A quick update that is going to expose my level of knowledge as amateur but may be helpful. I did some reading as I tried to address your issue. Apparently there are a few "stages" to getting a lock. After a GPS device gets a solid lock it calculates or requests or does something to get a better sense of GPS satellites' movement going forward to make future calculations faster.
I went up to the roof of our building (though any wide open space will do), opened up Wear GPS Status (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest), and let it run on my watch for a good 10 minutes. The accuracy wasn't great throughout, but it did occasionally dip as low as 8 meters. For good measure I then opened up my run-tracking app (Ghostracer, which I recommend since it lets you play with how frequently it records your locations - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.ghostracer) and let it run for a good 10 minutes.
Since then I've been getting faster GPS locks. Anecdotally I've also been seeing a touch less "drunk squirrel" on my running maps (though it is still not nearly as smooth as my Band 2). It might be worth a try.
Google "wear GPS status" and first link is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en
Edit: looking again, I don't think this does what I thought it did. It shows not compatible with M600.
Edit.2: The app installed on the phone seems to do nothing for the M600. On the M600 I opened Play Store and scroll down. Under "Apps on your phone" I see "Wear GPS Status" and a download button. Touching that causes the app to be installed on the M600 and I can open it. (Post install, it no longer shows up on that list.) I can open the app on the phone and the screen never populates even after starting Polar Flow. This app seems not to work on the M600.
Do you have strength training mode? Does HRM work in that mode?
If you install Wear GPS Status, can you get a GPS signal using that app?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en
BTW, when you say it doesn't show the location and shows you never left the house. Does it show any stats at all about the run?
I would install and test via this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
If you can't get a lock with cellular on...permissions might not be set correctly (or maybe you have a lemon?). On my Urbane 2, I can get a lock on cellular in less than 10 seconds. What app are you using?
If you install this app, go outside, start app on watch, wait a few min...can it get a GPS lock? (you can swipe horizontally for a few screens of info)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
It wouldn't be fit that's to blame. If for some reason the apps are being fed data from the watch gps instead of the phone while the phone is connected, that's play services doing. Play services chooses where the data comes from, unless the app is written specifically for the watch gps
It's not inconceivable that was broken with the latest play services update recently.
Ok, there's a couple more things to try.
The tried-and-true turn it off and back on again.
Then install
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
will give you a better picture with what's going in with gps reception. You'll be able to see if you're only getting a couple of sats at least, or none.
I have seen people report online getting sw3s with no gps reception, so it may just be a bad watch.
I asked about no bt link because even in standalone mode, android wear will still try to use the phone's gps if it's connected. Ghostracer has a setting to force watch gps use, which is mostly for diagnostics.
I don't have a moto sport, but I do have an AW watch with built in GPS. Before I go on runs I use the Wear GPS app to get a satellite lock. It will show nearby satellites and level of signal if the GPS is working. Maybe you could test it with that. As long as location is turned on in the watch settings this app should only use the watch's GPS. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest
Is there a reason why you're using Google fit? Since you have a Garmin watch I would think you'd be interested in something a little less bare bones than fit. Some options are Ghostracer, Strava, and Endomondo. If you use Tapiriik you can sync with Garmin connect, if you want to continue to use that.
Are you sure the watch wasn't connected to the phone when you started Fit? Getting a GPS fix in ten seconds sounds really fast, it usually takes longer with just the watch. Install something like Wear GPS Status for a better view of the GPS connection.
> I would note that I have in the past had Google Maps running ok with turn directions on the watch but I suspect this actually uses the phone GPS?
Yes, that's using the phone's GPS.
The SW3 does have a pretty noisy GPS even when it works, and I'm used to GPS loss for part of the run pretty often. It does work a lot better in the winter with the watch over long sleeves, it's a well known issue that it doesn't work well or at all in combination with sweat. Even Sony says so.
Is location/gps turned on in the settings?
GPS should absolutely work without your phone. Try wear gps to test like /u/12401 said. Also maps will download openstreetmaps maps, but it's not for navigation except following a gpx trail.
Google maps will "work" with no connection to the phone in that it will show your location on a map if it has already loaded that map in the not-too-distant past when the watch was online. But it will only allow navigation if the watch and your phone are both online. Not much use on a watch without a mobile data connection.
OSM is supposed to do offline navigation.
Install Wear GPS Status. Start it up and wait for a solid GPS signal before firing up your app of choice.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en_US
Have you tried this app?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravetheskies.gpstest&hl=en and start it on the watch, not the phone
Would you try the wear gps app and let us know how it goes?