GPS tracking, explained
MOOV turns raw GPS signals into an honest record of your adventures. Here is exactly how it works, and what it can and can't do today.
The basics
What GPS recording does
While you record, MOOV samples your device's GPS position at a pace tuned to your activity type. The points form your route; the distances and times between them drive your statistics. MOOV filters GPS noise and impossible jumps before calculating anything, so a single bad fix can't distort your numbers.
Your statistics
What is collected and how it's calculated
What information is collected
Location points (with time, altitude, speed and accuracy), which build your route. The finished activity stores the route plus derived statistics.
How distance is calculated
The filtered route points are joined in order; the distance between consecutive points is summed into your total distance.
How average speed works
Distance divided by moving time — the time you were actually moving. Pauses don't drag it down, which is why it can differ from devices that use total elapsed time.
How maximum speed works
The fastest plausible short interval between consecutive filtered points. It's the least precise GPS statistic in any app — treat it as an indicator, not a measurement.
How route history works
Every activity keeps its GPS trace. With one tap you can optionally "snap" the trace to the road network for a cleaner display — it never changes your statistics.
Real world conditions
Accuracy, poor signal and offline use
GPS accuracy varies
Accuracy depends on environment and device: open sky gives the best fix; tunnels, canyons, dense forest and tall buildings degrade it. MOOV shows the live accuracy (like "GPS ±8m") while recording and discards implausible points.
Poor signal affects statistics
When GPS degrades, gaps appear in your trace and segment distances across them are not counted. Nothing breaks — your statistics simply cover what was reliably recorded.
GPS works without mobile internet
GPS itself needs no internet, so recording works where you have no signal. Internet may still be required for maps, photo uploads and synchronization.
Offline recording and sync
Finished activities are stored on your device first. When MOOV is open and back online, they upload automatically — each exactly once, even after retries.
Event tracking
When you check in at the start of an event, MOOV can start GPS tracking automatically and save the route to your activities when you check in at the finish — one shared engine, event-linked storage.
MOOV+
Do more with MOOV+
Recording stays free forever. MOOV+ adds advanced analytics for the activities you record — speed over time, elevation profiles and per-kilometre splits, available now.