Android 9.0 (Pie) not able to sync

[AlessFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 3/6/19

Hello everyone! 

We have some updated troubleshooting suggestions we'd like for all of you on Android Pie (9.0) to try. 

First, turn off Background Restrictions/Limitations: Phone settings > Apps & Notifications > Fitbit app > Background restrictions or Background limits.

Then, disable battery limitations:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Fitbit app > Advanced > Battery > Battery optimization
2. Change view to All apps
3. Search for Fitbit app
4. Choose Not optimized

Please give the steps above a try to improve syncing with your Fitbit device and Android 9.0 OS. We're still researching and testing out long-term solutions to this ongoing syncing issue. We thank you for all your patience while we continue to work on this effort.

---

Fitbit Update: 2/14/19

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your reports and patience with these Android 9.0 syncing difficulties. We’re aware of this ongoing issue and have been working to identify a resolution as quickly as possible. 

We're sorry for any trouble. We appreciate your patience and look forward to getting you back on track as soon as possible. 

I'll let you know if I receive any additional information on this matter. 

---

Fitbit Update: 10/3/18 

Hey Everyone!

Our team is still working on implementing a longterm fix for syncing with Android devices on Pie (9.0). 

For the background syncing issue, I have posted an update in the other floated thread which you can find here. 

We released Fitbit for Android version 2.80 today which contains improvements for that syncing issue. 

I'll make sure to keep you all updated with more information, as soon as I have it available. We're still working on this and I really appreciate everyone's patience. 

---

Fitbit Update: 9/26/18

Hey everyone! 

Thanks so much for your patience and cooperation. We are aware of the issue and working with Google on a solution.

I will continue to provide updates here, so keep an eye on this thread. 

---

Fitbit Update: 9/10/18 

Hi, everybody! 

Thanks for your patience while our team continues to work on improving syncing for those on Android Pie (9.0). They are actively working on this and for the time being, I recommend you keep the Fitbit app updated on the latest version for best syncing results. Right now that is version 2.78, so if you're not on this version please update! Also, another troubleshoot we recommend is performing a restart on your phone. 

When there are more improvements made in the future I'll announce them here. Stay tuned and subscribed to this thread. 

---

Fitbit Update: 8/19/18

We have escalated these syncing issues for those who are now using Android Pie (9.0) to our team for investigation. There aren't any updates at the moment, but rest assured we will keep you informed in this thread when more information is available.

Thanks for your patience! 

---

Fitbit Update: 8/11/18 

Hi, everyone! Thanks for stopping by the Community Forums. 

Seems like many of you who updated to Android Pie (9.0) are now having trouble syncing your Fitbit trackers. I'm going to escalate this to our team so they can look into it.

In the meantime, please update the Fitbit app to version 2.76.1 if you haven't yet. Let me know if that changes the syncing behavior. Please follow this thread for updates. I'll keep you all posted here! 

[SunsetRunner]

@CKorthoudtThis workaround worked for quite a few people. Fitbit cloud server cloudflare.net blocks certain IP addresses, so neither pairing, nor setting up, nor syncing works because they all involve communication with the server at the end. You have to change your IP address in one way or another.

1. Switch from your regular Wi-Fi network to wireless data network or vice versa

2. Use a VPN on a PC or on the mobile device

3. Go to a place with a free Wi-Fi, try from there.

4. Change your router IP address given by your Internet Service Provider, see this post, closer to the end:https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-com-Dashboard/Dashboard-showing-blank-page/m-p/3226512

[mw3330]

---

@mw3330 wrote:

Just got off a chat session with Nokia and they fixed my sync issue with my Nokia 8. 

Tried everything over a 45 min chat session but what fixed it was:

Go to Settings > Apps and Notifications > See all > Google Play services > Storage > Clear Cache

Probably won't work for everyone but it worked for me 🙂

---

Just to expand on the fix above, Since this was resolved for my Charge 3 and Nokia 8 I had to fix it for my wife's ALTA HR and Nokia 8. 

To make this work:

1. the Fitbit had to be removed from the Fitbit App then

2. Go to Settings > Apps and Notifications > See all > Google Play services > Storage > Clear Cache

3. re-add the Fitbit

It worked straight away and since then both are syncing continuously.

[spatula]

It's likely to work for a few hours to a few days, and then stop working again, if experience holds true.

[ClimbGuy]

Maybe this has already been determined:

I just installed the Fitbit app for apple on an ipad and logged in to the fitbit app.  It pulled over my charge 3 information.  It was able to successfully sync all of my data back from Jan 12th. I didn't even have to pair the Charge 3 with my ipad for it to do that (as long as I manually sync) So the Charge 3 itself seems to be fine.  This seems to be an Android / Android App issue?

[Sur-ge-Graham]

I have a FitBit Surge model FB501 Version 16.34.6.1

It stopped syncing 22 Jan 2019 after my phone updated to Android 9

It seems that it cannot pair the Bluetooth connection.

Other Bluetooth devices (Alexa) are working OK

so why not FitBit ?

I had intermittent problems connecting the Surge to my previous phone (Sony Xperia)

but it worked fine with the Xiaomi Ai M1 - until 22 Jan.

My partner's Apple watch/phone combo never has these problems ....

Don't think I'd buy another FitBit

[Kamleman]

@CKorthoudt  A measured and reasoned post.  However it makes (the reasonable) assumption that Fitbit actually cares about providing customers with real information on what it is doing to solve the problem.  In fact if you look through this forum, Fitbit has done nothing other than quote the basic troubleshooting steps which don't work.  Only users have contributed anything worthwhile.  And even so, sometimes Fitbit has censored.  In my case I got this from DavideFitbit, a moderator:

Thank you for visiting the Fitbit Community. Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our Community Guidelines as cross posting.

"After trying JulioD's solution without success, I forgot the device, emptied the bluetooth cache, started a sync in the app and then tried connecting using the phone bluetooth interface.  First time didn't work...it said pairing and then bounced.  Tried again.  Meantime I initiated a sync via computer.  That failed, and I got a message asking me to turn off other bluetooth devices.  So, I went to the phone to turn off bluetooth and found it had synced!  I don't know how long this will last, but let's see."

I have asked politely twice which the offending post was.  No answer from Mr. Davide.  So, here I have suggested a solution which a moderator has removed, while on the other hand Fitbit has proposed precisely zero solutions.  To be fair, LanuzaFitbit, another moderator, actually thanked me for proposing a solution!  Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and neither hand knows what the head is doing.  Either the information flow in this company is totally broken, or there is a purposeful strategy to keep customers in the dark, hoping that android users will continue to buy Fitbit and that someone (Google?) will solve the problem at some time.

Finally, to those who are abandoning their Fitbits (as I will shortly as I want notifications and I cannot get them at the moment) remember to keep charging them if you want to use the device again in future - if Lion batteries stay dead for too long they sometimes cannot recharge.

[Tnert]

Got android 9.0.3 update. Things seem to work now.

[ClimbGuy]

On latest Pixel 2 XL version still no difference. 😞

[fawlty]

I have a OnePlus 5T which got the Android 9 (Pie) update two days ago, it says "OxygenOS version 9.0.3" also, OxygenOS is the OnePlus tweak to Android. My Fitbit Zip stopped syncing with the phone after that.

I've tried a lot of things mentioned in the thread, but none worked. So I decided to sync with my laptop instead, Windows 10 with the Fitbit app. That went fine.

After that, for the several times I've tried in the last few minutes at least, my phone can sync with the Fitbit Zip directly.

Don't know if that will last or if it has been mentioned before in the thread (it's long!), but might be worth trying for anyone with a Win10 laptop with Bluetooth.

EDIT: it seems to be the case that it just syncs with the laptop, even though the syncing is initiated by the app on the phone. It seemed to be using the phone, but apparently not. What a mess. And what a disappointment.

[SunsetRunner]

An update on my ionic

The only way I can get my fitbit to sync is to shut it down 5 times a day. Otherwise i will get not 1 notifications from my android.  I started wear my fitbit again because my new tracker is taking time to arrive. I wish us all good luck, cause this time around fitbit has forgotten about US android users.

[Micksta]

Someone else posted this and it worked for me. I have a galaxy S9.

Remove your device from the fitbit app.

Go to your browser and clear history and cache.

Add your device back onto fitbit app.


It has worked for myself and a friend.

Good luck 🙂

[tessierp]

@SunsetRunner

Really hope your new one works better.. Can't be as bad as what you are experiencing now.....

[SunsetRunner]

IM JUST HURT. LOL A BIG BABY. I WISH THEY WOULD HURRY AND FIX THIS ISSUE...

[hankyxxx]

It just works after you followed my steps, which is aynving it to your
Windows 10 computer. That's all.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hey @SunsetRunner, @mw3330, @Kamleman and @Micksta.

@SunsetRunner and @mw3330,Thanks for being around to help! It's definitely appreciated! I'm sure that both of you posts will help some users get their Fitbits to sync.

@Kamleman We understand how this is a very frustrating situation.

@Micksta. Those are some very easy steps that helped you and your friend, thanks for sharing them! I do have a small question, are you both using an S9? 

Feel free to let us know if there are any questions we can help out with.

[fawlty]

Yup, it seems to be the case that it just syncs with the laptop, even though the syncing is initiated by the app on the phone.

Oh well, at least it works with the laptop. But Fitbit better fix this. Nobody will accept this for long.

[zsk240]

One moment my Versa syncs and another it stops syncing.  I do nothing.  I have a Pixel II XL running Pie 9.0, cannot understand it. I installed Bluetooth pair app on my phone and it indicates the versa does connect.  My phone says I can sync with other bluetooth devices, for days I was syncing between phone and Versa, suddenly it stops.  If I ever get it to sync again, the technique I used does not work again.  Each time I have to use some other method or sync just happens on its own.

Extremely frustrating.  

[CKorthoudt]

@Kamleman  Trying to Stay reasonable indeed. Though i fully understand it gets frustrating when stuff you use your hard earned money on doesnt work... And on top of that you feel left out

Guess i was one of the happy / Lucky ones with a solution. 

Atm using an Ionic (after having fixed the issues with the charge2) and that also syncs and world fine now... 

Wife had one day trouble with her Alta hr, and that solved itself... So guess either android or Fitbit do take (extremely slow) Steps somewhere. Weird they don't comunicate about it though. But if what you say is the norm, and left doesn't know what right says or does... How would the moderators know what the devs do 😛

Just hope one of the several fixes work for you all. 

My advice: don't give up, seems there stuff moving. I'm on 'non supported devices' but still got everything to work... 

[CKorthoudt]

@SunsetRunner thanks, but not sure why you suggested that specifically to me. I Found the fix that helped me online and also mentioned that. But oh Well, as i said, thanks anyway, might help other users 😉

[uval972]

The latest version 2.86 does not solve sinc issue