Running App FAIL
By Beth. Filed in Geekery |
A few weeks ago I mentioned that my run tracking app, which uses the iPhone’s GPS to map out where you run as you run, occasionally has crazy ideas about where I actually ran. In the comments, extragoode mentioned that it was possible that sometimes the phone might lose its GPS connection for a second and jump to using cell towers instead until the GPS kicks back in. I’m guessing that’s what happened on tonight’s run (planned route in blue, “actual” route in red):
because I’m pretty sure I did not traverse False Creek like this!
Tags: fail, iPhone app, RunKeeper, running
Monday, August 2nd 2010 at 10:18 pm
Ugh. Whenever I try to use my current location on my iPod, it keeps thinking that I’m at the corner of Church and something in downtown Toronto. When I insist that I’m actually about 400km north of that, it freaks out and tells me it’s just not possible (“Cannot determine current location.”)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010 at 8:06 am
That is super annoying! Does it happen like that on all apps?
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010 at 11:33 am
That’s pretty good. Either you run on water (even better than walking) or you swim really fast! There’s got to be an option or setting to tell it to only use the GPS antenna, possibly disable a-GPS (what uses the cell towers to “Assist” when no real GPS signal is available) for the whole phone. Do you use GPS for anything other than running? Maybe you should just run in places that have better GPS signals.
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010 at 11:57 am
I’m definitely not changing my running route to conform to GPS signal! This is the first time this has actually happened to me – the previous issue was operator error! Hopefully this was just a one time glitch!
Wednesday, August 4th 2010 at 4:39 pm
Yup – whenever I try and use the Google Map app, it can’t figure out where I am, even when I tell it that I am at such-and-such an address. The apps on my work Blackberry have no trouble figuring out where I am, so I don’t know why the drama with my iPod.