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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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! 

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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! 

[Crazy-Fritter]

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@Giampi71 wrote:

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@Evan88 wrote:
The Google app store only has the latest version. Where can I find an
earlier version?

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You can find the app from the A-P-KMirror site (remove the spaces when you do the search) that is very reputable and trusty.

Although I would suggest to spend some time and factory reset your Android. Both my wife with Pixel and Versa and myself with Pixel 2XL don't have any problem.

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One thing most folks don't do when they upgrade the operating system on their phone is do a factory reset. I know it can be a pain, but it usually fixes most every problem that comes along with upgrading your phone to Android 9 as an example. Consider the hassle of a factory reset versus the constant never ending problems like phone glitches, battery drain, Bluetooth issues, apps not responding right, and of course things like your very expensive Fitbit no longer working.

What's more of a hassle....factory resetting your phone possibly only once in the time you own it..... (maybe more if you keep it long enough to get more than one os upgrade) or fighting with your phone for the rest of the time you own it trying to get your Fitbit and other things working right?

I always factory reset after an operating system upgrade and have never had any major issues, including syncing my fitbit.

I'm not saying a factory reset alone will 100% cure your syncing problems, but like Giampi71 said above, after resetting both his and his wife's phones after the Android 9 upgrade, they're having no problems syncing their Versas. That's been my experience in the past as well.

Fitbit definitely has app problems, but making an app work consistently on all the different variations of Android phones out there is no easy feat. They're not the only company that struggles to keep up. Yes they have problems, but in this case factory resetting your phones could fix a lot of issues including your fitbit's not syncing.

Plus it's just a good habit to get into factory resetting your phone after an os upgrade 😉

Good luck with whatever you choose to do 🙂

[AlaHashesh]

After resetting my OnePlus 6 everything seems to be working fine!
Thanks Crazy-Fritter!

[sueb859]

I always assumed that a factory reset would set it back to the original OS
version. Is that incorrect? If my Pixel 2 XL is upgrade to Android 9 and
I do a factory reset will the OS remain at 9?

[KenShay]

I tried 2.74 and it worked ... For about 16 hours.  Now it stopped. No luck after that. I am happy for those that this ploy worked.

I am very dissatisfied with FitBit's lack of concern for this issue. They can sell but they can't service ... A very short sighted approach.

[AlaHashesh]

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@sueb859 wrote:
I always assumed that a factory reset would set it back to the original OS
version. Is that incorrect? If my Pixel 2 XL is upgrade to Android 9 and
I do a factory reset will the OS remain at 9?

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Yes the OS will remain at 9.

[AlessFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 9/26

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. 

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you, @AlessFitbit, for a more substantive update. It's good to know that your dev team has gotten Google involved.

[Gerty123]

So what's the advice for this?  Hold off on updating to pie and wait for a fix?  

[JW_3]

I'm getting tires of these bogus updates. Your company knew Android Pie was coming and when it was going to be released. It's been almost two months now. I should've went with my first thought and stayed with my Pebble smartwatch. I shouldn't have to keep expecting a fix on a $200.00 smartwatch!!! Fix it!!!!!!

[Keanen]

@AlaHashesh thanks for sharing your success about your OnePlus 6! Please let me know how it goes over the next week. A reset sounds like a lot of work that I don't have time for so I would want to know that it "sticks".

[RKLVV]

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@AlessFitbit wrote:

Fitbit Update: 9/26

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. 

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Thanks @AlessFitbit, now this is what an update means. Hopefully there's a fix soon.

[Lapti]

Nah this is kinda ridiculous. Yes it makes sense that it could fix some problems (without any guarantees), but app builders and os builder cant expect their customers to do a factory reset each time they make an update. 

And this: "Consider the hassle of a factory reset versus the constant never ending problems like phone glitches, battery drain, Bluetooth issues, apps not responding right, and of course things like your very expensive Fitbit no longer working."

Has never happened to me before with any major android release upgrade. 

[Lisfish]

I tried the factory reset on my phone and it still won't find my tracker, so it didn't work for me. I have a pixel 2 and a flex.

[SunsetRunner]

I've been watching the comments about factory resets with some amusement.

To be clear, requiring a user to perform a factory reset to address any issue represents a failure, whether the issue is with Android itself or with an app.

Now that's not to say that such issues don't happen, and that sometimes only a factory reset will resolve the problem. But to say that factory resets should be done whenever there's an Android update is like saying that every time you replace your car's tires you should remove the car's entire suspension system piece by piece. steam cleaning, inspecting thoroughly, and then reinstalling each part before putting the car on the road again.

The fact that deleting the Fitbit app's cache and stored data, entirely uninstalling the app, and resetting the tracker doesn't appear to have a long-lasting effect on the app's ability to sync indicates to me that there's a flaw with the app and not with Android. After all, if doing all this (which basically reflects the situation a brand-new Fitbit user would find themselves in) has no lasting effect, the problem has nothing to do with the status of either the Android device or the status of the user's tracker or tracking data. That leaves the app as the failure point.

The fact that people are having problems on a variety of phones that are not running Android Pie indicates to me that there's a flaw with the app and not with Android. After all, if the problem exists on different versions of Android and with different phone models, that very fact means that Android version or phone model can't be a common denominator. That leaves the app as the failure point.

The fact that people going through various gyrations up to and including factory resets report some level of success (and note that most reports of success are of the "it worked a while, and then stopped again" variety) indicates to me that there's a flaw with the app and not with Android. All these gyrations do is to change the environment in which the app runs; sometimes the change is permanent, but mostly the change is temporary. That leaves the app as the failure point.

My take? The Fitbit app is written in a way that leaves it extremely sensitive to the environment in which it runs. People whose Android devices just happen to have the "right" type of environment will find the app works flawlessly. Those whose Android devices just happen to have the "wrong" type of environment will find that the app fails consistently. And those whose Android devices just happen to have an environment that is right on the edge will find that the app works some times, and fails other times.

It's the app, gang. It's always been the app. And until Fitbit's dev team fixes it, it will always be the app.

[sjhowe]

My Fitbit One does not sync with my Google Pixel 2 but my Charge HR syncs. I was actually fine with the upgrade to Android 9.0/Pie. I didn't have sync issues until I updated the Fitbit app...

I've also noticed with the new version of the app that my step count is WAY off. This morning it said I did 11,460 steps in a 15 minute window, before I had even left the house. I have no idea where it is getting this data from but it's definitely not from either of my devices.

I should note that both my One and Charge HR sync perfectly with my Microsoft Surface Pro laptop.

[Dood1971]

Check the time on your device. I keep having my Zip reset during the day, an my lunch steps are recorded near midnight. I am interested if this is your issue as well. It has happened since Pie.

[SheWatt]

Yes i agree, it's the app.

[RKLVV]

@SunsetRunner I couldn't agree more. Also, there is a reason why Google has several months of developer preview/beta releases.

And yeah, a factory reset is a much bigger pain in the back than getting the app to sync.

[MLVC]

The only thing that consistently works for me is using an old LG that had Fitbit on it.  That phone will sync, and when it does, my Pixel 2XL will also sync.    

[r_evangelista]

That's nonsense, completely unprofessional

Got the update from oneplus today. After that, no syncing. Keep getting the blueBluet issues message