Android App logs me out if I use a VPN

[mlevison]

I use a VPN on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - most of the time. Whenever I enable the VPN my fitbit app gets logged out. Am I expected to choose between security and fitness?

Details:

VPN - Private Internet Access

Android version 6.0.1

The device is entirely stock and hasn't been rooted.

[USAF-Larry]

@mlevison, a Virtual Private Network is normally just that, Private, and does not allow open access to the Internet. To use the Fitbit app, you must have Internet access, either via WiFi or Cell data, to the Fitbit servers.  If you do not have that Internet access, the app cannot update nor download your data with the app.

[mlevison]

Larry - a VPN just creates a tunnel between my device and the exit gateway. Since I use the VPN to browse the internet this can't be the problem. I can promise the app has full internet access when using the VPN. In addition even if it lost internet access why would it log me out? 

Thanks

Mark Levison

[Dragonfruit]

Wonder if it has something to do with the PIA app blocking LAN access by default.

Have you enabled LAN access in PIA app when connected? If not you could try doing that to see if it makes any difference.

[Saeglopur]

Same problem here but possibly not with all VPNs because I'm testing few of them and noticed issues only so far on Unlimited VPN and TunnelBear. With Nord VPN it was OK but I'm not sure. 
This is serious issue, possibly will create ticket in Fitbit support system because I haven't seen any answers to that.
In some apps like TunnelBear you can select apps that should be conected without VPN but that's not the solution, the goal is to just use VPN 100%.

[mlevison]

I have tried that and it does work. However I don't want to weaken my security because the FitBit app does something in a way that isn't standard for android. Somehow I was hoping someone from FitBit would comment.

Thanks

Mark

[Dragonfruit]

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@mlevison wrote:

I have tried that and it does work. However I don't want to weaken my security because the FitBit app does something in a way that isn't standard for android. Somehow I was hoping someone from FitBit would comment.

Thanks

Mark

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There's obviously a permission in the Fitbit app where it requires local network access; not sure what can be done. Don't expect any official response from Fitbit staff here; they don't exist.

[Saeglopur]

Everything works with TunnelBear - on Windows 10 and Android. NordVPN was blocking it in my case. 
BTW TunnelBear is almost perfect - it has everything other companies are missing but Netflix is locked 😕

[paintbetty]

 Am also having this issue, on an Android Droid turbo 2. I was able to "allow" Fitbit app to communicate without the vpn, but am still experiencing problems with syncing.

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@mlevison wrote:

I use a VPN on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - most of the time. Whenever I enable the VPN my fitbit app gets logged out. Am I expected to choose between security and fitness?

Details:

VPN - Private Internet Access

Android version 6.0.1

The device is entirely stock and hasn't been rooted.

---

[WavyDavey]

You can open a ticket with Fitbit Support. That will help you and them track the issue, if it's not already in progress.

[DawnyDawn]

I use PIA VPN and have been cursing for days for my Flex 2's inability to sync even after following all the advice the fitbit "support" team gives - until I realized it will only sync when my VPN is completely off. The fitbit website is also blocked when my VPN is on. I get a 1006 error. 

[doughepi]

It is because Fitbit and it's associated "endpoints" are protected by Cloudflare. This is a service that prevents common attacks like DDoS (I'm not too familiar with the service, but can provide some insight as to why this is happening). 

Your VPN, allows you to join the private network of your VPN provider. Your requests to the internet are encrypted on your computer, sent to the VPN inlet, then decrypted. The VPN provider will then serve requests on their behalf using their connection to the internet. The websites you navigate to do not see the external IP address of your computer, rather the external IP address of VPN provider. 

Services like Cloudflare and Fitbit itself, if configured, can detect a large amount of traffic coming from your VPN provider, as there are as many as millions of requests (scales with number of subscribers) a second coming from the single IP address of your VPN provider's server. They can then choose to block the requests and show the Cloudflare 1006 page instead.

It could also be a possibility that Fitbit chose to block the IP address manually, instead of relying on Cloudflare's detection.

There are ways around this:

1. You could set up your own VPN server and ditch the provider. To Cloudflare, your VPN server would look like normal traffic since there would only be one (or a few) user/s.
2. I believe there are VPN providers that do cycling of IP address but am not sure who or what the service is called.

Hopefully somebody more knowledgeable of these kinds of issues will give more insight on how to stay behind the protection of a VPN while still being able to access the Fitbit website/services. This is also an issue with Amazon Video and Netflix, who block VPN ip addresses for regional DMCA reasons.

[Dragonfruit]

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@DawnyDawn wrote:

I use PIA VPN and have been cursing for days for my Flex 2's inability to sync even after following all the advice the fitbit "support" team gives - until I realized it will only sync when my VPN is completely off. The fitbit website is also blocked when my VPN is on. I get a 1006 error. 

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PIA android client software will block access to local LAN by default with connected.

You need to uncheck this option in settings to be able to sync Fitbit when connected to VPN.

Either that or disconnect to sync, I don't see the issue. 

[pwilt2112]

I am having the same problem. Hoping there is a way around this. If I have to choose between the FItBit and my VPN, I have to go with the VPN.