Could you pls. explain what you mean by "at every little stop it draws huge clouds"? Do you mean that whenever you make a break standing still the system logs forward movement in circles as if you were walking in little circles while you are standing? 

The reason I'm asking is that distances - being a much criticized issue with the 20.xx &21.xx -  are the next thing I want to test with my two units (as explained in other threads: one with 15.77, one with 21.22, worn simultaneously). I would like to know where to look at when testing. 

A lot of work indeed. One would think that it should be Garmins job to do that, but alas...

Yes. Even when standing still, it starts to record points, some of which can be up to 20 metres apart. This was always the case with the Fenix 6, so I was all the more pleased that it worked with the Fenix 7 at first. Now it's back to the old problem.

Thanks a lot for the clarification, Now I know were to look to. I'll do the simultaneous testing as soon as I can make time and get back with the results.

Btw: As you probably know: there is a way back, if you decide you want to go back just PM me, we can sort this out. 

I'm pretty sure this is what Auto Pause is for.
What GPS setting do you have enabled, what environment are you recording in (surrounded by tall buildings, forest, open field, ... )?

Automatic pause works quite well when cycling or doing other fast activities, but not when hiking or walking. By the time the watch notices that you are walking again, you have already walked 50 meters. Of course, it is worse in wooded areas and the longer the pause, the worse it is. I just wanted to mention that I was satisfied before and it was only from version 20 onwards that it became unacceptable.

Thank you, I'd be happy to take you up on that offer. I'll check which version was working properly and get back to you.

Can you post a link or screenshot of one of the offending recorded activities?

ralhil said:

Even when standing still, it starts to record points

In general, it is perfectly normal for GPS points to continue to be recorded even when the vehicle is stationary. As there is no 100% accuracy per point, the distances of the individual points add up. This is known as GPS drift.

…“

If your watch is recording a GPS location every second and you do not pause an activity while standing still, your watch can record up to 180 meters (590 ft) in just 1 minute. When in an area with degraded GPS signals, your watch can record even more distance while stopped. The distance recorded while standing still is a representation of GPS Drift.

“…

GPS Drift and Environmental Factor Impact on GPS Accuracy

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=CC5azODuBd9BhRbKvp82JA 

Thx bluefish, I'll have that in mind for sure and will have a sharp look into that when I'll do the simultaneous testing with the two systems. I "wrote" a memo to self as for this since many users seem to observe wrong distances since running 21.19 and ralhil seemingly observed it to this extend only after the update.However: As for the sheer calculation of distances to the same point at the same time I can say that those are identical on both systems. That is not a problem (on my units with 15.77 and 21.19 respectively).

Chances are that your right on the point. It's always difficult to compare if the situation isn't completely the same, hence the huge trouble I take with the two units and GPS drift allows for quite a margin indeed.

I'll get back as sonn as I have results.

Of course, there are always several points when stationary, as a satellite signal is never accurate enough to always hit the same point. But that's not the point. Up to version 20, these points were still within acceptable limits, but now they are no longer. And I don't need any explanation about satellite technology.
I was pleasantly surprised when Garmin managed to fix this at the beginning, and now I'm frustrated that everything is back to how it was before.