The first few times I used my (used) Pivo it worked great, but the last couple times it has been acting crazy and having real issues with tracking me. Here is an example:
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Does anyone know why it’s doing this? It has been having this issue on different days with different weather and different back background. Today Battery was at 90%, speed frenzy, predictive follow off, auto zoom on.
Try adding a bright saddle pad or white boots. Sometimes it does this if it can’t decide if that’s really a horse or not.
I have always had this problem when the speed is turned up too high for a slower gait.
Unfortunately I don’t have any answers, because despite playing with the speed settings, whatever was slow enough to smoothly follow the walk/trot was always too slow to keep up with the canter. Same problem with the auto setting.
I broke mine recently after it blew over in the wind, but before that - it had taken to actively avoiding me. It’d record well for about 10 minutes and then get lost, I’d ride back into frame (slowly) and it would zoom off in the other direction. We repeated that about 10 times before I gave up and shut it off. 
Based on the way it’s jumping around, try the next slower setting below frenzy, and turn predictive follow on, and let us know!
To some other comments: the faster you’re moving, the better it is to stay a bit farther away from the pod so it doesn’t have to move so quickly to track you. You can edit your video to zoom in later.
My friend’s Pivo was not tracking well when the big Android phone was still in its’ protective case and the base was not level. The unit ‘gives up’ if it’s too much work to swivel. This does not look like OP’s issue.
I got a Pivo this summer and have been having nothing but issues with it.
I agree to try putting it on fast, not frenzy. Also, I learned the hard way that some phones it just does not work with. I had a spare Moto g play I wanted to use it with, but no dice. Doesn’t process fast enough and loses me constantly.
I gave up on mine and now use a Sony Handycam. Doesn’t follow but it dependably records!
Pivo seems to work best with iPhones, but boarder who has one still has some issues.
Are you saying she had to take her phone out of the case? Or just level the tripod?
No way in heck I am taking my phone out of the case, ever, unless it’s to clean it. 
Especially not anywhere near the barn full of hay, dust, and horse hair.
FYI to all - weight your tripod if it’s even remotely windy where you ride. The head piece will snap right off the base if it hits the ground. I super glued mine back together, but some tiny cog must have flown out and it doesn’t turn anymore (it spins freely though…LOL).
Yes, the bigger the phone, the more important levelling is. Cases like Otterbox Defenders have to be removed or the phone won’t sit level & secure in the Pivo.
I’ve used my Pivo pretty regularly over the last couple of years and offer it to students to record their lessons on their own phones. The harder the unit has to work, like if it’s in the middle of the riding ring always spinning, the more weight & level matters. Put Pivo in the corner and it seems to be a little more forgiving.
Hmm. Are you talking about the mount it comes with, or the smart mount?
I don’t have a ring so I can put the Pivo wherever and did experiment with many different locations relative to where I do most of my schooling. Unfortunately, that never solved any of my issues with it and this year I frequently ended up with 10 minutes of decent tracking + 30 min of the grass or trees blowing in the breeze
I’m glad it’s been working so well for you, though!
Thanks for the ideas.
I have an iPhone and it’s an older version so not particularly large. It does have an otterbox case but it’s pretty slim.
Someone mentioned processing speed and I wonder if that could be a factor - has anyone noticed if their phone is almost full in terms of space if that affects the Pivo?
I did try Fast speed and Auto today too and that wasn’t any better. It was doing the same thing whether I was standing, walking, trotting,
Or cantering. Here’s cantering:
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Even when it decided to stop doing the back-and-forth thing, it often couldn’t keep up with me as I trotted or cantered past. Example:
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I had it sitting on a half-barrel. I haven’t tried a tripod
Looks to me like you’re a bit too far away. Pivo only really ‘sees’ a horse from the side and I think your horse’s legs are getting cancelled out by the backdrop and distance. It works better in the middle of something like a 30m circle. I have used it in a big field but not when the afternoon shadows start getting strong.
Your Pivo looks like it’s moving too fast and I’d try a slower setting.
I just have the ‘basic’ pod. I check it fairly often that it’s still tracking and try not to make really long videos. Max 10 minute ‘chunks’ works best. I use the remote.
That’s my problem. My iPhone 13 is almost out of storage, so when I use it with the Pivo, it quits recording after a few minutes.
I have the jumpy problem when I try to use the Moto G Play. It will also lose me if I ride in the entire dressage arena space; it only tracks me if it’s in the center of a 20m circle.
When I posted on the FB group, the admin told me it was because the Moto G Play isn’t on this list:
https://support.pivo.ai/hc/en-001/articles/360025295692-Recommended-smartphones
I eventually will upgrade my iPhone, so I’m hoping when I do so, I can wipe my old 13 clean and use it exclusively for the Pivo.
Tried it again with a different-coloured horse (my little 3 yo 
) on a cloudy day. I had it mounted on a tripod this time. I cleared a bunch of space on my phone. It tracked me at walk but it wasn’t smooth and did the jumpy thing again at trot. Canter was actually good in terms of tracking but then it just stopped randomly
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I don’t understand why it’s doing this now when previously it acted totally normal. I used it in an indoor arena jumping a course and it behaved fine
I am personally “over” pivo. It used to work great for me but now it just follows me for a few strides and then points to the woods or pasture and never tries to find me again. I tried posting in the FB group for help (pivo equestrian something or another) and they rejected my post. I guess it was critical of pivo? I was frustrated but asking for help genuinely with all of my settings and test results.
The best luck I have is putting it at X in an arena but I still spend a lot of time fixing it and it stresses me out for some reason. I would like to film at C for test practice but this doesn’t seem like it will work.
I did have better luck with a friend’s iPhone, so I thought maybe it was iOS vs Android, but it sounds like you have iOS already!
This looks like a problem with your tracking speed. Try a slower setting.
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