Hi,

 

I recently got my first Huawei Android mobile phone (Mate -9) and cannot find any GPS based fitness app that will work on it correctly?

 

** Has anyone had success with this please?

 

I find the position tracking to be jumping around erratically such that distances and speeds are displayed incorrectly. I have used same apps on same routes on older Samsung phones without issue but those phones only tracked US GPS and Russian GLONASS satellites whereas the newer Mate 9 tracks those plus European Galileo, Chinese and Japanese satellites all the same time.

 

Did you try S Health? 

19 hours ago, ravip said:

Did you try S Health? 

Until now no I hadn't tried that app. I tried it last night tho and there is no difference to other apps on the Huawei Mate-9, the cumulative distances distances are wrong. In fact S-Health just switched off for last 10% of track and stopped with auto pause turned off so don't know why, but prior that the track was jumping back and forth adding unnecessary distance to the cumulative exercised distance.

 

So you have you had success with this on a Huawei mobile device?

Sorry, not on a  Huawei mobile device. But have used on a Samsung A5 successfully for a couple of years.

It says that S Health works on non-Samsung devices >>> http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/18/samsungs-s-health-app-updated-to-support-non-samsung-devices/

 

Tried any of these ? >>> http://www.androidauthority.com/best-health-apps-for-android-668268/

 

Failing all, why not inquire from a Huawei for advice?

17 hours ago, ravip said:

Failing all, why not inquire from a Huawei for advice?

I already did. They have said my device is  OK and that they cannot recommend any 3rd party apps as a matter of company policy. All of the apps it comes with out the box do not include fitness GPS based apps.

 

I was wondering if any one with a Huawei phone on this forum is happy with it in this respect?

I'd look through the Play Store? Fitness Tracking would be a possible search parameter?

 

I use Google Fit.

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Google Fit.

 

On a Huawei phone as is the subject of this thread I began?

 

I have tried Google Fit and several other fitness apps from Google Playstore (Runtastic, Endomondo, SportyPal, SHealth, Sports Tracker, Strava etc) and the Huawei gives more errors in work out parameters than my old Samsung device for GPS based results. The device is good in all other respects including GPS navigation, just cannot seem to add up accumulated track distances properly using the GPS chip that tracks several different nations constellations of satellites.

This sounds like some sort of GPS tracking issue particular to your make/model/firmware? 

 

Maybe do a search in some forums like XDA?

 

I did a quick 30 second search, and found several potential causes with workarounds. One that popped was how power saving schemes inherent in the firmware might impact the ability to track/compile GPS movement over time. 

 

Huawei Wear >>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huawei.bone&hl=en

How about this app from Huawei? Not sure if it works without the wearable device (why not give it a try?)

 

23 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

This sounds like some sort of GPS tracking issue particular to your make/model/firmware? 

 

Maybe do a search in some forums like XDA?

 

I did a quick 30 second search, and found several potential causes with workarounds. One that popped was how power saving schemes inherent in the firmware might impact the ability to track/compile GPS movement over time. 

Yes, I'm actually participating in a XDA forum discussion about this. Until now no resolution, but I am the only person in SE Asia in the discussion and I was hoping someone had bought the phone brand in Thailand and got the same issues? I have contacted Huawei support as well, but they have said it is what it is. I won't dump the phone, as in all other respects it is good, but I hope Huawei and their customers might resolve it in time.

2 hours ago, ravip said:

Huawei Wear >>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huawei.bone&hl=en

How about this app from Huawei? Not sure if it works without the wearable device (why not give it a try?)

Thank you for this idea. I wasn't aware of this app and will try it as soon as I can, probably not until next week now tho. Thanks, I'll provide feedback on it. I've installed it OK.

To day I found this app called Health (Blue icon, with a picture of a heart and pulse) installed on a Huawei BLL-L22. User said it works fine. The app aparently came with the phone - so a Huawei app??? I am not sure but hope it works for you.

 

This is the link >>> http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/huawei-internet-service/health/health-1-1-28-302-release/health-1-1-28-302-android-apk-download/

 

On 2/28/2017 at 6:08 PM, ravip said:

To day I found this app called Health (Blue icon, with a picture of a heart and pulse) installed on a Huawei BLL-L22. User said it works fine. The app aparently came with the phone - so a Huawei app??? I am not sure but hope it works for you.

 

This is the link >>> http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/huawei-internet-service/health/health-1-1-28-302-release/health-1-1-28-302-android-apk-download/

 

I tried using health on a Huawei GR5 2017. It seems to work fine although I have only used it two times so far.

On 2/28/2017 at 1:45 PM, ravip said:

 

Huawei Wear >>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huawei.bone&hl=en

How about this app from Huawei? Not sure if it works without the wearable device (why not give it a try?)

 

I finally got around to testing Huawei Wear app out on the Mate-9 (been busy until now). The Huawei Health looks poorly designed user interface so I am may try it later. The results for Huawei Wear were no different to any other of the apps in the end with poorly plotting positions spiking all over the place and an accumulative distance some 15-20% above that actually exercised over.

 

Therefore if other Huawei models are working fine, perhaps this issue is a design fault in the latest Mate-9 device only? XDA forum says its an issue with Porsche model also. In all other respects the Mate-9 is great included turn by turn car navigation, but for exercise apps its a no no. I'll live with it however as I am not a fitness fanatic, but just annoyed my older 4 year old Samsung gave a better result with the same apps.

 

I've written to Huawei about it, but until now all their replies have brushed it aside as not their problem, which I kind of expected.

1 hour ago, WorriedNoodle said:

I finally got around to testing Huawei Wear app out on the Mate-9 (been busy until now). The Huawei Health looks poorly designed user interface so I am may try it later. The results for Huawei Wear were no different to any other of the apps in the end with poorly plotting positions spiking all over the place and an accumulative distance some 15-20% above that actually exercised over.

 

Therefore if other Huawei models are working fine, perhaps this issue is a design fault in the latest Mate-9 device only? XDA forum says its an issue with Porsche model also. In all other respects the Mate-9 is great included turn by turn car navigation, but for exercise apps its a no no. I'll live with it however as I am not a fitness fanatic, but just annoyed my older 4 year old Samsung gave a better result with the same apps.

 

I've written to Huawei about it, but until now all their replies have brushed it aside as not their problem, which I kind of expected.

That indeed is a pity.

As a last resort, would you try the app called Health? Please see post # 12 & 13 

On 3/9/2017 at 9:26 AM, ravip said:

That indeed is a pity.

As a last resort, would you try the app called Health? Please see post # 12 & 13 

 

OK, as a last resort I tried the Huawei Health app that actually came installed with the phone out the box. I tried it first using walking mode and the results seemed OK. However when I tried it in cycling mode the tracks were showing some of the worst spiking I have seen yet, and my total distance of 20km was reported as 54km! I have emailed Huawei Thailand support about it and not surprisingly got no answer, but when I emailed Singapore support half expecting to be rejected as I bought the phone in Bangkok I was pleasantly surprised to be answered immediately but got a bizarre answer below to explain poor accuracy: "If you are cycling slowly or your device is in a shock-resistant bag, then the accuracy will be lower." 

2 hours ago, WorriedNoodle said:

 

OK, as a last resort I tried the Huawei Health app that actually came installed with the phone out the box. I tried it first using walking mode and the results seemed OK. However when I tried it in cycling mode the tracks were showing some of the worst spiking I have seen yet, and my total distance of 20km was reported as 54km! I have emailed Huawei Thailand support about it and not surprisingly got no answer, but when I emailed Singapore support half expecting to be rejected as I bought the phone in Bangkok I was pleasantly surprised to be answered immediately but got a bizarre answer below to explain poor accuracy: "If you are cycling slowly or your device is in a shock-resistant bag, then the accuracy will be lower." 

WOW!

Now I am unable to suggest any other options, but hopefully Huawei would give a solution.

7 hours ago, WorriedNoodle said:

20km was reported as 54km

 

Here's a sample of what the "flagship" Huawei Mate-9 can do. I was cycling along Sukhumvit then turned down Soi26, but the Mate-9 had other ideas when using the Health app that comes with the device!

18 hours ago, WorriedNoodle said:

 

Here's a sample of what the "flagship" Huawei Mate-9 can do. I was cycling along Sukhumvit then turned down Soi26, but the Mate-9 had other ideas when using the Health app that comes with the device!

 

That really makes the app unusable, for sure!

:-(

 

I thought I'd update everyone (!) as I've been busy, but about a month ago Huawei released an updated operating system build (B172) for the Mate-9 and now it works fine. The problems listed on this thread have since gone and I am very pleased with the phone overall.

On 4/26/2017 at 7:07 PM, WorriedNoodle said:

Huawei released an updated operating system build (B172) for the Mate-9

From what I can make out using GNSS logging tools the previous builds tracked satellites from 5 different constellations (US, Russia, China, Europe and Japan) and Huawei has now turned them all off except US and Russian and it works!

On 4/28/2017 at 3:54 PM, WorriedNoodle said:

From what I can make out using GNSS logging tools the previous builds tracked satellites from 5 different constellations (US, Russia, China, Europe and Japan) and Huawei has now turned them all off except US and Russian and it works!

Not the case it seems that I can still track satellites from China and Europe as well albeit very occasionally - mostly US & Russian on display. Haven't noticed the Japanese satellite again.

 

** However a new problem with Huawei (seriously wondering if this will be my first and last Huawei mobile) whereby the darned exercise apps just stop working during an exercise, but only occasionally and usually after 1 hour of exercising. No solution to this so far! Happens with the builds built in Huawei exercise app and also my preferred app. Emailed Huawei who said to wait for a future build. Had this unit 6 months already.