Export as a FIT file from GOTOES. This overcomes many (But not all) of the devices being incorrectly identified by Strava. Polar devices are a notable exception because Polar has not yet implemented FIT files. For Polar Devices, please read the section just below. For TCX/GPX exports from GOTOES, please read "All Other Devices" further below.
Polar Devices
When uploading a GPS file to Strava, there are sometimes issues with Strava not displaying the correct name. Most of these issues can be resolved by exporting a FIT file from GOTOES, however for some devices, it's actually better to send TCX or GPX from GOTOES. An example of this would be sending from a Polar device. Polar devices do not currently create FIT files - so even though they have a Product ID number, there is not a Manufacturer ID for Polar. Therefore, Strava cannot know which device is being used. Instead, we resort to the simple method of putting the textual name (instead of codes) directly into a TCX or GPX file. FIT files can only represent GPS type using numerical codes, so textually representing the GPS type is impossible. Continue reading if you're not using a Polar device.
All Other Devices
Users frequently report to me that when they select a GPS type, but Strava shows a different GPS than the one selected. For example, a user selects "Garmin Forerunner 245" as the GPS type in the GOTOES tools, and Strava reports that they used a "Garmin Forerunner 30" instead. This happens with GPX and TCX exports. It does not happen with FIT exports. Exporting from my tool as FIT is one solution.
- Until Strava Fixes the issue with their TCX/GPX database, exporting from the GOTOES tool as FIT will solve the problem.
- Screen Shot 2022-12-04 at 8.27.00 AM.png (28.51 KiB) Viewed 34538 times
Here are some GPS types that I KNOW Strava has recorded incorrectly:
- Garmin Forerunner 245 -> Garmin Forerunner 30
- Garmin Forerunner 955 -> Garmin Forerunner 55
- COROS APEX 2 Pro -> COROS Wearable
- Suunto 9 -> Suunto Ambit 3 Peak
It's weird, I know!
If you look inside the file generated by my tool, you can clearly see that it tells Strava "Garmin Forerunner 245". Here is an example from a TCX file below... open up your own TCX file if you want to see for yourself:
Code: Select all
<Creator xsi:type="Device_t">
<Name>Garmin Forerunner 245</Name>
<UnitId>123456789</UnitId>
<ProductID>3321</ProductID>
<Version>
<VersionMajor>9</VersionMajor>
<VersionMinor>73</VersionMinor>
<BuildMajor>1</BuildMajor>
<BuildMinor>1</BuildMinor>
</Version>
</Creator>
Therefore, it seems that for GPX or TCX, Strava is mis-interpreting this GPS type. Like the GOTOES tool, Strava needs to maintain a database of all the GPS Names / Product IDs. It appears that Strava has a bug in their database for this particular GPS. Please report this as a bug to Strava if you want it fixed:
https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us
If you use the FIT export type instead of GPX/TCX, Garmin Forerunner 245 will display correctly on Strava. This is because Strava needs a different database for FIT files vs GPX/TCX. For GPX/TCX, Strava looks at the textual name in the appropriate "creator" field in GPX/TCX. For FIT files, however, Strava looks at two numeric fields: The "Product ID" and the "Manufacturer ID" fields. Of course, the GOTOES tool reports these numbers correctly as well, and Strava's FIT database correctly interprets them. Therefore, if you're reporting the bug above, make sure that you mention it is only a problem with GPX/TCX. Meanwhile, if this is a really big issue for you & you don't want to wait for Strava to fix their bug, please become a donor and gain access to the FIT export which will resolve the problem for you immediately. I have also seen this problem with the Garmin Forerunner 955 being displayed as the Garmin Forerunner 55 on Strava. Solutions are the same for this device as well.