Android Beta 3.56.1 - "Nearby Permission Needed" but no such permission in settings

[R_G_B]

After update today to Fitbit Android Beta app 3.56.1 when I open the App it says that Nearby Permission is needed.  Takes me to setting but in Android setting I have no Nearby Permission.  I have given Fitbit All permissions but still get the error message in the app.

Android 12, Fitbit Sense, Beta App 3.56.1, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity.

[MrPeteH]

Rodrigo, thank you for the pointer. As a SW architect with 40+ years of experience, a few hints:

A) while it is bad to leave customers hanging, it is awful to do that to beta testers. There is No Hint in the beta play store about beta.fitbit.com. Nor a pinned post here. 

B) likewise on this crucial "nearby" permission fail. It completely breaks ALL Fitbit devices! They are useless in the beta app! Yet not acknowledged for over a month now. 

Please work to escalate a response and acknowledgment. Generating distrust from beta testers is not going to serve Fitbit well in the long run. 

Blessings to you, 

Pete

[R_G_B]

@MrPeteH   EXACTLY !!!!  Left beta due to this... even though having been a beta tester for years.

@RodrigoMFitbit  Even if you do go to beta.fitbit.com and sign up.. which I have also been a part of for years, it is not a forum to post problems about the Fitbit Android app.  You need to select a project to report on and I have no project for the Fitbit Beta app, never have.  I have had several projects in there in the past and there has never been a place to report problems about the Android app in there.

Maybe your advisor can advise us on the step by step process required to report something about the Android app in there?  Seeing how it has already been escalated multiple times from this thread alone, it seems there is a communication error on multiple levels.

[RodrigoMFitbit]

Hello @R_G_B @MrPeteH @scuttlefield. Thanks so much for the reply and explanation. 

@scuttlefield Where do you get the public beta version of the app? I thought you got all beta tests from this beta.fitbit.com website. 

@MrPeteH Greatly appreciated. You are 100% right. @R_G_B Thank you too, you are right. In this case I will forward your comments once again and see what I can find out. I appreciate your patience. 

Have a nice day!

[Roni1979]

I guess all of us were using public beta of playstore, which everybody
could use.
That’s the reason why all of us do not understand the worse communication.

Regards
Andreas
--
Andreas Ronacher
Grottenhofstraße 98/1
8052 Graz
Austria

[R_G_B]

@RodrigoMFitbit  The Android app beta is publicly available for anyone to join from the Google Playstore.  Just download the app and then click Become a Beta Tester.  There is no special place to sign up, anyone can join.

[RodrigoMFitbit]

@Roni1979 @R_G_B Thanks for the reply. Yes, I had misunderstood. I apologize. 

I have now educated myself on the beta testing over the Google Playstore. I really appreciate you all taking the time to report this and make me understand. I have already forwarded the comments. Once I find out more about this process, I will let you know. 

However, I was able to find this email address "android@fitbit.com" under the "contact the developer" section in the Google PlayStore. I suppose that is the email to send the feedback to. However, I still await for confirmation on how to do this properly. Thanks for your patience. 

Have a nice day!

[R_G_B]

@RodrigoMFitbit   Unfortunately, reporting anything to the Developer doesn't appear to work.  I reported it through the playstore within the first couple of days of starting this thread.  If you look back at this thread, you will be able to see that others have reported it there as well.  All with success apparently.

[scuttlefield]

RodrigoMFitbit,

As I imagine most of us do, I joined the the app beta through the Fitbit app's Play Store listing. It's a publicly accessible beta, which is part of the reason we're all so perplexed.

EDIT: I see this was already explained above.

[jeffwynnusgs]

This doesn't exist in my Galaxy S22 version of Android 12.

[scuttlefield]

Hey, everyone! Fitbit beta appears to be working for me now! I can not see the Nearby Permission in the app.

Please note that I'm on Android 13 Beta... so I'm not sure it this will work on 12 or below.

The other good news... is seems, for now, that it may have resolved the synching issues many of us have had since 13 beta 1. Fingers crossed...

[BDangBill]

Mine unfortunately doesn't give me a beta to opt out of. So tired of Fitbit pulling useful features and making me jump through hoops for basic functions. I'm only using Fitbit because my family has been using it for years. Actively working on getting them to switch, and they are already complaining about it so should be an easy sell.

[BDangBill]

I didn't have beta. Uninstalled, then reinstalled. It wants my location 100% of the time. It won't work without that. Hey Fitbit, use my location when I tell you to use it. You don't need to know where I am all the time!

[BDangBill]

I have the same issue but am not using the beta version.

[LokeAa]

@BDangBill it is Android OS requierements, not Fitbit. For some apps to function correctly , such as FitBit requirs the location permission to scan for nearby Bluetooth devices for pairing. n Android 12 this is replaced with "Nearby Permission". You can decide for youself for how long time Google can store your location, or chose not storing at all. 

[Sdavies8]

My partner is experiencing this issue today and is not in any beta groups. Any ideas from all you brilliant folks? 

[Rich_Laue]

@BDangBill fitbit isn't worried about where you are. You say that you only want fitbit to have permission while running, well fitbit has background services that run when the phone is turned on. 

If you call up weather on your tracker, fitbit needs your location. Also Android requires location permission, but doesn't ask for location, durring the sync. 

Note for opting out of beta, this can be done through the play store. 

[MAHIPPIE77]

I tried Uninstaller, reinstalling and I'm still having the same problem! WTH?

[Sdavies8]

Ah that seemed to work for us.



Sent from my Galaxy

[Cherryv]

Thank you so much for that info! I had tried everything and nothing worked til now. Now to put steps where calories is!