Swimming Mode

Open water swimming mode for wearables

Reliable GNSS Positioning in Demanding Environments

For years, smartwatches and fitness trackers have offered accurate GNSS tracking for activities such as running, cycling, and hiking. But open water swimming has remained a challenge. Each time a swimmer’s wrist enters the water, GNSS signals are blocked, creating gaps in data. The result: unreliable tracking, distorted distances, and frustrated users.

Manufacturers of sports wearables have long sought a solution that balances accuracy, battery efficiency, and form factor. Until now, only a few providers could offer reliable results in open water swimming modes. With u-blox technology, that has changed.

The u-blox solution

u-blox has extended its expertise in GNSS positioning to deliver a mode tailored for open water swimming. The technology captures satellite signals when the wrist emerges from the water, then reconstructs the trajectory based on movement patterns to deliver accurate, continuous tracking.

By leveraging decades of experience in demanding environments, u-blox has created a solution that allows wearables to:

Swimmer icon Record accurate position, swim distance and speed in open water

Robustness icon Deliver consistent performance across challenging signal conditions

Battery icon Operate efficiently on low power, extending battery life

Small size icon Fit within the compact form factors demanded by modern smartwatches and fitness trackers

Benefits for
end users

For swimmers, this means that the performance insights they’ve come to expect from their wearables on land are now available in lakes, rivers, and oceans. Speed and distance can be reliably recorded outdoors, just as they are in pool training. Athletes can track their progress with confidence, and recreational swimmers can enjoy exploring open water with greater freedom.

Benefits for manufacturers

For wearable manufacturers, u-blox’s open water swimming mode offers more than just functionality. It reflects u-blox’s reputation for delivering reliable technology in demanding environments.

The u-blox offering

At the heart of this solution is u-blox's low-power, compact UBX-M10150-CC GNSS chip. Designed specifically for battery-powered wearables, the UBX-M10150-CC uses our low power accurate positioning (LEAP) technology to deliver accurate positioning for a range of activities in addition to an open water swimming mode.

Key features:

Accurate positioning even in dynamic, signal-challenged environments
Seamless integration into slim wearable designs
Firmware upgrades for evolving functionality

Why u-blox?

With u-blox, manufacturers gain:

Credibility and trust: Partner with a supplier known for robustness and reliability

Strong price/performance ratio: Proven GNSS chips and modules that balance accuracy, efficiency and scalability

Excellent support: Technical expertise and documentation to simplify integration

Scalability: Solutions that grow with your product roadmap, ensuring long-term partnership potential

Unlock new opportunities for your wearables

The open water swimming mode demonstrates how u-blox adapts proven GNSS expertise to the unique challenges of wearables. By enabling accurate swim tracking in lakes, rivers, and seas, u-blox helps manufacturers deliver richer experiences to end users — while maintaining the trust, scalability, and support they need to grow.

Bring proven GNSS performance to your next generation of smartwatches and fitness trackers. Learn more about u-blox positioning technologies.