GpxFix Blog

How to removes GPS Spikes or extreme sudden movements

By Roy Lachica on February 03, 2026. Last updated February 4, 2026.

GPS technology has revolutionized how we track our fitness activities, but it's far from perfect. Even the best GPS watches and phones can experience signal dropouts, satellite interference, or tracking errors that create unrealistic spikes and jumps on the map when viewing your activity. These GPS errors can dramatically inflate your distance, distort your pace, and make your route look like you teleported across town. It can also exclude you from Strava segment leaderboards etc. if your GPS data is too inaccurate.

Our 'Fix GPS issues' feature helps you clean up these GPS errors automatically with intelligent spike detection and movement smoothing algorithms. Let's explore how it works and why it matters for accurate activity tracking.

What Are GPS Spikes?

GPS spikes are sudden, unrealistic jumps in your recorded position. They typically occur when:

Satellite signals are weak or obstructed — Running through tunnels, dense forests, or urban canyons with tall buildings
The GPS receiver loses lock — Temporarily losing connection to enough satellites
Signal interference occurs — Electromagnetic interference from power lines or other devices
Multi-path errors happen — GPS signals bouncing off buildings before reaching your device

These errors create dramatic visual problems on your activity map, straight lines cutting across buildings, zigzag patterns, or sudden jumps hundreds of meters away from your actual path. More importantly.

How GpxFix Detects GPS Spikes

GpxFix uses multiple detection strategies to identify unrealistic GPS data:

1. Speed-Based Detection

The system calculates the speed between consecutive GPS points and compares it against realistic maximum speeds for your activity type. For example, if you're recorded as moving at 80 km/h during a run, that's clearly a GPS error — not your actual speed!

GpxFix maintains realistic speed thresholds for different activities

2. Distance Jump Detection

The system also looks for unrealistic distance jumps between consecutive GPS points. If you suddenly appear 100 meters away from your previous position a second ago, that's a clear spike.

3. Pattern Recognition

GpxFix analyzes the shape of your route to detect spike patterns. A classic GPS spike creates an out-and-back pattern — your track suddenly jumps away and then returns to approximately the same location. The algorithm looks for these characteristic patterns.

4. Look-Ahead Analysis

When a potential spike is detected, GpxFix looks ahead up to 20 points to find where your GPS track returns to a realistic path. This helps identify the full extent of the GPS error and determine the correct route to interpolate.

How GpxFix Fixes GPS Spikes

Once GPS spikes are detected, GpxFix uses intelligent interpolation to reconstruct your actual path:

Linear Interpolation

For simple spikes, the system creates a straight line between the last known good position and the next reliable GPS point. The erroneous GPS points between them are repositioned along this interpolated line, preserving the original timestamps.

Smart Return Point Detection

When GPS accuracy is restored after a spike, your position often "snaps back" to near your actual location. GpxFix identifies this return point and uses it as the endpoint for interpolation, ensuring the corrected path reconnects smoothly with your actual track.

Multi-Point Spike Correction

For extended GPS errors affecting multiple consecutive points, GpxFix identifies the full spike segment and replaces all affected points with evenly distributed positions along the interpolated path. This maintains smooth, realistic movement.

Elevation Preservation

When correcting GPS positions, the system also interpolates elevation data to ensure your elevation profile remains smooth and realistic.

Smoothing Unrealistic Movements

Beyond fixing dramatic GPS spikes, GpxFix also smooths out more subtle GPS errors that create unrealistic movement patterns:

Zigzag Elimination

Small GPS errors can create a zigzag pattern where your track weaves back and forth across your actual path. The smoothing algorithm detects these patterns and straightens your route while preserving the overall shape.

Speed Spike Smoothing

Sometimes GPS errors create brief unrealistic speed spikes — for example, showing you accelerating from 10 km/h to 40 km/h and back in seconds. GpxFix detects these speed anomalies and redistributes the GPS points to create more realistic, gradual speed changes.

Loop Removal

Small GPS loops can occur when your device records a brief circular pattern that doesn't match your actual movement. The system identifies and removes these unrealistic micro-loops.

Why Accurate GPS Data Matters

Cleaning up GPS spikes isn't just about making your activity map look better — though that's a nice benefit! It's about ensuring your training data is accurate:

Distance accuracy: GPS spikes can add hundreds of meters or even kilometers to your recorded distance
Pace accuracy: Spikes create unrealistic pace variations that distort your actual performance
Segment times: GPS errors can affect your times on popular Strava segments
Training analysis: Accurate data is essential for analyzing your training load and progress
Route sharing: Clean routes are more helpful when sharing with others

How to Use GPS Spike Removal in GpxFix

Using GpxFix to clean up your GPS data is simple:

Upload your GPX file to GpxFix or login with Strava to open en existing activity
Click the "Fix GPS issues" button
GpxFix automatically analyzes your track and fixes detected issues
Review the cleaned track on the map
Download the corrected GPX file or upload directly to Strava

The process is automatic, but GpxFix uses conservative thresholds to avoid making changes when it's unsure. The goal is to fix clear GPS errors without altering legitimate data.

Limitations and Considerations

While GpxFix's spike removal is powerful, it's important to understand its limitations:

Cannot restore lost detail: If GPS was completely lost for an extended period, the interpolated path will be a simple line — it can't recreate the exact path you took
Requires some good data: The algorithm needs reliable GPS points before and after a spike to interpolate correctly
Activity-specific: The system works best when your activity type is correctly set for your activity
Cannot detect all errors: Very subtle GPS drift or systematic errors may not be detected

Best Practices

To get the best results from GPS spike removal:

Ensure your activity type is correctly set before processing
Review the corrected track on the map before downloading
Use the 'Fix GPS issues' button several times and consider the 'Smothen GPS' button if needed
If you're using the corrected file for competitions or leaderboards, mention that it was cleaned with GpxFix
For best GPS accuracy in future activities, ensure your device has a clear view of the sky when starting

The Technology Behind It

GpxFix's spike removal uses several sophisticated techniques:

Haversine distance calculations: Accurately measuring distances between GPS coordinates on Earth's curved surface
Heading analysis: Calculating direction of movement to detect sudden changes
Moving averages: Smoothing speed data to identify genuine changes versus noise
Adaptive thresholding: Adjusting detection sensitivity based on activity duration and type
Multi-pass processing: Running multiple detection algorithms to catch different types of errors

Real-World Example

Imagine you're running through a city with tall buildings. Your GPS loses signal briefly and records you 200 meters away on the wrong side of a building. When signal returns, you're back near your actual position, but your track now shows an impossible detour.

GpxFix detects this spike by recognizing the unrealistic 60 km/h "speed" during your run, identifies where your GPS reconnected to the real path, and replaces the erroneous GPS points with a smooth interpolated line following your most likely path. The result: an accurate track and corrected distance.

Conclusion

GPS technology is amazing, but it's not perfect. GPS spikes and tracking errors are a common frustration for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. GpxFix's intelligent spike detection and smoothing algorithms help you clean up these errors automatically, ensuring your activity data accurately represents your actual performance.

Whether you're dealing with occasional GPS glitches or systematic tracking problems in challenging environments, GpxFix provides the tools to restore accuracy to your fitness data.

Ready to clean up your GPS data? Upload your GPX file to GpxFix and see the difference using the 'Fix GPS issues' feature!