Why did some 2G GPS watches stop working?
Don’t worry: your Spotter will continue to work as normal
On 17 August 2025, some users noticed that their Spotter 2G GPS watch was not picking up a signal. That was a bit of a shock, but there is a clear explanation and a solution.
What exactly happened?
The problem was global and was not caused by the satellites or the hardware, but by the GPS Week Number Rollover, a cycle lasting approximately 19.6 years. The MTK2503 chipset used starts counting from 1 January 2006 and reached that limit on 17 August 2025, causing some GPS watches to appear to jump back to 2006.
What does this mean for you?
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- The time and date were temporarily incorrect (sometimes 2006 was displayed).
- Some GPS watches stopped transmitting their location for a short while.
- Features such as route history and synchronisation were disrupted.
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Good news: the GPS watches aren’t broken. We’re resolving this issue for you on the server side. This will fully restore time and locations in the app and on the platform.The only thing you might still notice is that the date on the watch itself isn’t quite right (the time will remain correct, though). This has no impact on location tracking, reviewing locations or day-to-day operation. Everything will continue to work as you’re used to.This is a phenomenon that occurs every 19.6 years. We have the solution ready.Need help or have any questions? Email us at support@spottergps.com.
