Android devices compatibility

[Dawnah]

Please check the compatibility of Fitbit devices to phones and computers before purchase - particularly Android, and in addition do not assume that it would work with the Bluetooth on all recent Windows, regardless of what the site and advertising says.

I recently bought a Fitbit Charge 2, and another Fitbit as a gift, both bad decisions. The tracker is advertised falsely, where there is not a single visible sign, advert or notice on the stands or web that before purchase one should check compatibility, because apparently this wide used device does not work with plenty of other wide used devices. Such as the most of the Huawei P series. To do that for yourself please refer to this link: https://www.fitbit.com/devices
The packaging only mentions this indirectly, in the lowest of font sizes. After the notice that it requires iPhone, Android or Windows smartphones, it gives a link to check requirements. It does not say check models however.

I decided to get over that problem and still use the device, much more inconveniently though my Windows computer. There was also an issue with that, upon reading tons of articles on forums of users complaining about Bluetooth not connecting to the device, spending hours to fix the problem, finally the last option the Fitbit support staff could give was to start using a Bluetooth dongle. So not only do I have to use it on a computer instead of a phone, but I would have to drag along a dongle to be able to use the device.

So to hopefully and maybe avoid someone else getting stuck in this situation, I want to recommend to the Fitbit advertising and promotion team to:

- Include a more visible notice on packaging, sales venue advertising and product page, that before purchase, one should check if their device is on the list of supported devices: https://www.fitbit.com/devices
- To note on the packaging, sales venue advertising and product page that the device is not compatible with all Android devices (as implied by the packaging), and the buyer need to check availability
- To include a notice on packaging, sales venue advertising and product page that the device does not sync with all Windows devices, even though it is compatible with them, and might require a dongle. Or potentially more transparently, to note which Bluetooth / Windows devices it syncs and which ones it does not with.

Ideally, it would be best to overcome these issues and have Fibit available for use for most of Android and Windows devices. However, until that is resolved, the company should practice responsibility and transparently advertise to its potential customers. Misleading advertising is a not an appropriate or ethical practice. Furthermore, the company might not earn much from these error purchases as a result of poor information, but its customers are losing their money for products that they cannot use, and that is a practice that should be avoided.

Moderator edit: Clarified subject

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi there @Dawnah. Great to see you in the Community Forums and thanks for taking the time to share this with us!

When it comes to devices compatibility, keep in mind that the two devices that are for sure not compatible at the moment are the Huawei P9 Lite and the Huawei P8 Lite.

For all other devices, if they're not on the list of compatible devices, you might be able to sync with them but we don't guarantee that the functionality will be optimum as we are still testing on these phone models and due to the large number of Android and Windows devices, our team has not yet tested all of them.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Be sure that it doesn't go unnoticed and this really help us make better products and create better ways for users to get exactly what they're looking for making sure it will fit their needs, so thanks a lot bringing this up!

If you need any type of help, please let me know and I'll be happy to help you out!

Ps. I'm moving your post to the Android app board for categorization purposes.

[WavyDavey]

An idea that just came to mind is that it would be nice if a potential customer could download the app first, and the app can tell them if the phone is compatible with various Fitbit models. This would let people know ahead of time, and allow them to use the app and Mobile Track at least if it's not. It would save the customers and Fitbit a lot of time and effort.