{
  "id": 18448740,
  "title": "The Fitbit Edge’s onboard GPS is a battery hog — but I found an easy fix",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/the-fitbit-edges-onboard-gps-is-a-battery-hog-but-i-found-an-easy-fix",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-06T05:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Guide",
    "slug": "tom-s-guide",
    "url": "https://www.tomsguide.com/wellness/fitness-trackers/the-fitbit-edges-onboard-gps-is-a-battery-hog-but-i-found-an-easy-fix"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Fitbit Edge includes GPS technology, which is advantageous for outdoor exercise enthusiasts, but it also uses a significant amount of power. This is a significant downside, as the device's battery life is generally good, with an average of about a week per charge. However, when using GPS for location tracking, the battery drains at a rate of around 12% per hour, resulting in roughly eight hours of usage. To address this issue, there are a few ways to reduce battery drain without sacrificing location tracking insights. These options can be found in the Google Health app under Devices, Fitbit Edge, Device preferences, GPS settings. The settings allow you to choose between built-in GPS, dynamic GPS (using both your smartphone and the onboard antenna), or smartphone-only GPS. While using only onboard GPS, battery life will last approximately eight hours, but switching to dynamic GPS can extend battery life to around 25 hours. However, using dynamic GPS means you'll need to carry your smartphone, which may not be ideal for long workouts. The Fitbit Edge's GPS modes do not significantly impact tracking accuracy. Tests using each mode for 30-minute walks showed that the Fitbit Edge's data was almost identical to that of a Garmin Forerunner 170 Music control, including step count, distance, climb, and average pace. Therefore, users can confidently rely on any of the GPS modes, but the best mode may vary depending on the user's preferences and needs, such as long hikes or urban hikes.",
  "summary": "The new Fitbit Edge has several hidden GPS tracking modes that vastly increase battery performance. But as always, there's a catch.",
  "key_points": [
    "Fitbit Edge GPS drains battery at 12% per hour",
    "Dynamic GPS extends battery life to 25 hours",
    "GPS modes don't affect tracking accuracy significantly"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}