Vivosmart 4 gets Connected GPS for more accurate outdoor data tracking
Vivosmart 4 has just received an important software update. It slaps on Connected GPS to the popular fitness tracker for more accurate monitoring of outdoor activities.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
We’ve seen this type of technology on Fitbits for a while now. Connected GPS means the device on your wrist can tap into your smartphone’s satellite signal.
It’s not quite as convenient as having built-in GPS because you need to have your smartphone in close vicinity, but it is much better for tracking runs and cycle rides than no GPS at all. Having it means you can see your activity mapped out, with accurate numbers for pace, distance and more.
Garmin Vivosmart is a great little fitness tracker if you don’t mind the small display. A casual user will find most things they need for 24/7 activity monitoring. Garmin has a lot of experience in building such products which means you can be confident the data is accurate. Plus there is the Garmin ecosystem which consists of the smartphone app and website dashboard both of which do a good job at conveying the stats.
The tracker has been a best seller and particularly popular with women due to its small size. In our review, we found that oxygen saturation works well and the new Body Battery metric adds a new dimension to your training.
The lack of GPS, though, was an important omission up to now. To benefit from the upgrade open up App Permissions in Garmin Connect. Find Location and select Manage to open your phone’s app settings. Open Location in the settings and choose the Always enable option. Go back to App Permissions in Garmin Connect and double-check that your Location status is set to On.
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