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! 

[jsicurelly]

@LanuzaFitbit, please read the post by @jwildstr above. You say "feel free to reach out with any questions". This user has very specific questions for you, and we are all interested in the answers.  

[jolly_old_elf]

So far this has not worked on my Nokia 7 Plus.

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@SavemeMDX wrote:

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@Molberg wrote:

I den to have solved it....

Running Android Pie on OnePlus 6 and a Charge 2.

I uninstalled the Fitbit app. Then connected the phone and the tracker. Removed the tracker again. Installed the app. Connected and now it is running.

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This solution worked with my Versa and OnePlus 6, took about 5 attempts.

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[jaymz462]

@LanuzaFitbit oh come on. This issue has been going on for over 2 months and we've gotten zero updates from your team. That is unacceptable and hard to believe.

Have they identified the issue?
Are they working on potential fixes?
What is the timeline for an actual fix?

[redheadlg]

So what's up with this supposed fix? It's now been well over TWO MONTHS since you've known about the problem, and it is utterly unacceptable that you don't have a solution and are barely keeping the public posted on this issue except for a few vague responses on these obscure message boards. Think I'm done with Fitbit for good this time. Terrible customer service!

[Gusthy]

I made a full reset on Versa  and seems to work well now. 

The complete reset process was made on Android pie (removed Versa, factory reset on Versa, reconnect, install firmware update).

Xiaomi mi mix 2s  Android 9. 

Before reset it made all the here mentioned issues (no sync, partial sync, restart during sync).

[Mike_D]

Still not working with Flex.

Running app version 2.81.

[GJO323]

It will most likely revert back to having issues.

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@Gusthy wrote:

I made a full reset on Versa  and seems to work well now. 

The complete reset process was made on Android pie (removed Versa, factory reset on Versa, reconnect, install firmware update).

Xiaomi mi mix 2s  Android 9. 

Before reset it made all the here mentioned issues (no sync, partial sync, restart during sync).

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[Gusthy]

Maybe, it works now for two days without issues. Of course previously I removed app, cleared all data etc. 

[Gusthy]

It is a hard topic. Google sometimes removes support of complete APIs that were available in earlier. And Fitbit uses Bluetooth in a tricky way in order to support some special features required to sync in an efficient way.

They wrote somewhere that they work together with Google staff to fix the issue, but it doesn't seem realistic that Google will modify Android in order to fix Fitbit. 

So what should be clearly seen is that it wasn't Fitbit that broke the Android compatibility - it was Google.

The important fact is that many other products are affected, not Just Fitbit. For example car audio devices, where it is way more complicated to fix the problem. 

[atlanticpdx]

That's why Google puts out Android betas for months before release. So developers can fix bugs before general release. That's where Fitbit failed. They seemingly didn't even install Pie to see any issues until users started complaining after it was released.

[spatula]

Except that sync on Android has never worked reliably, even before the Pie update.  I had to cycle Airplane Mode to get around the "tracker not found" issue for many months prior to Pie, because Fitbit either doesn't understand how to code a timeout or doesn't understand how to avoid a deadlock in their background process.

The safest, simplest conclusion at this point is that they don't have a clue what they're doing, and don't fix their bugs (but keep selling their trackers while claiming to support Android).

[Gusthy]

Maybe, but if this is the case, why do I get a long list of results, when I google on something like "Android 9 Bluetooth issue"?

All the vendors are stupid?

One more thing: this is a known bug in Android 9, accepted by Google. I think it is not the responsibility of thousands of BT device vendors to fix Android bugs. Of course it is a very good policy to do that, but what I want to mention is that it is absolutely not an easy job to even estimate the size of the timeframe of fixing something like this one. Simply the developer doesn't even know what the solution is and what will or will not work, since the bug is not in his/her code. 

[Gusthy]

I don't know what your phone and tracker is, I never met this issue with 4 trackers and around 10 Android devices. I don't say you don't have it, but this is the weak point of Android world. (Apple world has its problems as well.) 

[jwildstr]

@GusthyCan you please point to a link showing that this is "a known bug in Android 9"? I'm certainly willing to believe that this could be a fix needed on the Google side, and if that's what the FitBit developers have found, it would be nice to know it. The problems first cropped up on Pixel devices (including mine), since they got Android 9 first, and seeing as those are Google produced devices, I'd have no problem contacting their customer support...but knowing that this is an accepted, known bug would help a lot in that argument.

[GJO323]

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I've been on three phones that started out on 8.1 and when upgraded to 9.0 it destroyed syncing with my Versa almost immediately. The Essential phone got the 9.0 update only a couple of hours later than the Pixels and it affected them as well. I'm considering switching to an iphone from a brand new Pixel 3 because of this issue. 

@jwildstr wrote:

@GusthyCan you please point to a link showing that this is "a known bug in Android 9"? I'm certainly willing to believe that this could be a fix needed on the Google side, and if that's what the FitBit developers have found, it would be nice to know it. The problems first cropped up on Pixel devices (including mine), since they got Android 9 first, and seeing as those are Google produced devices, I'd have no problem contacting their customer support...but knowing that this is an accepted, known bug would help a lot in that argument.

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[Gusthy]

I cannot find the original post where I found it, but it has been  reported to Google many times  one evidence is here:

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/forum/AAAAb4-OgUseu3583h6GJ4/?hl=by

Somewhere in the comments thread. 

Also mentioned somewhere in it that already some partial fixes done by Google. 

I also found an other thread as far as I remember  also in a Pixel topic, that BT bug was accepted by Google. 

[Aversauser]

I returned my Versa. It was sad. I LOVED it but I did not love having a $200 paperweight once I could no longer sync. I am getting a Google Pixel 3 and this problem was never resolved with Pixel 2 from my research so I would not hold my breath that FitBit will resolve the issue in a timely manner. They're not handling this correctly for some reason, I don't get it because the product would be phenomenal IF it would work as promised.

[KitchenBrews]

"And Fitbit uses Bluetooth in a tricky way "

That defines the problem and the solution. Bluetooth is intended to be a connectivity standard, not dinnering to customize to your company's advantage. I was about to pull the trigger on a versa, so very glad I held off... It's nearly three largest shopping day off the year, is it time people start to hear about this in a more public forum?

[KitchenBrews]

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@Gusthy wrote:

It is a hard topic. Google sometimes removes support of complete APIs that were available in earlier. And Fitbit uses Bluetooth in a tricky way in order to support some special features required to sync in an efficient way.

They wrote somewhere that they work together with Google staff to fix the issue, but it doesn't seem realistic that Google will modify Android in order to fix Fitbit. 

So what should be clearly seen is that it wasn't Fitbit that broke the Android compatibility - it was Google.

The important fact is that many other products are affected, not Just Fitbit. For example car audio devices, where it is way more complicated to fix the problem. 

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"And Fitbit uses Bluetooth in a tricky way "

That defines the problem and the solution. Bluetooth is intended to be a connectivity standard, not dinnering to customize to your company's advantage. I was about to pull the trigger on a versa, so very glad I held off... It's nearly three largest shopping day off the year, is it time people start to hear about this in a more public forum?

[Lainey113]

I see what you are saying, but there are many other Android devices that
are no longer compatible with FitBit devices, so while Google def has a
prob (I have a Pixel 2XL that is currently syncing ok (after disconnecting,
forgetting device, deleting app, and starting fresh with my Charge 2).

I am at this point hoping Google comes out with a Watch that can replace
FitBit as I was about to update my Charge2 to a FitBit Versa Limited
Edition.

I am frustrated, that I have a phone I like without all the IOS crap, but I
really loved my FitBit. I am also very upset with the lack of support.