Barcode Scanner Doesn't Work on Nexus 5x

[mattlach]

Hi all,

I just switched from a Motorola Droid Turbo to a Nexus 5x.

On my droid turbo the barcode scanner worked perfectly, biut on my new Nexus 5x, while I can see the barcode on the screen, and it is inside the box, the text just says "still looking" forever.  See screenshot below.

Is this a known problem on the Nexus 5x, or is this a different problem?  Does anyone with a Nexus 5X have it working properly?

Thanks,

Matt

[AlejandraFitbit]

It's great to see you around @mattlach. Nexus 5X is not a compatible phone and that's why you are having this inconvenience. I recommend syncing your tracker with a computer or you can check our list of Compatible Devices and sync your tracker with one of those.

Keep the stepping up! 

[Kerid]

Hi @AlejandraFitbit - do you know if they're working on making it compatible? 

[mattlach]

I'd be curious about this too.

I wonder why it would work on one model but not another. Maybe different focal lengths of the camera lenses require recalibration of the barcode algorithm? I have noticed that the 5x has an unusually wide angle lens, which may be part of the issue.

I have other barcode reader apps (outside of Fitbit) that work fine on the 5x, so it is certainly possible to make it work. I'd imagine that as a company you go down the list of issues tackling the phones with the highest market share first. I wonder where Nexus devices fall on that list...

It's too bad they are not more popular than they are. They are the perfect unmolested Android phones, and get frequent security updates, unlike Samsung/LG/HTC/Motorola and other models.

[mattlach]

You wouldn't think that due to Nexus devices running unmodified vanilla Android they'd be easier to validate and get everything working on than the big brand name phones who stupidly tinker with everything, add their own default apps and generally just make the software worse.

[JM6]

I just got a Nexus 5x with Android 6.0.1 and am having the same problem... barcodes were not being recognized.  After a bit of trial and error, I found that if I rotate the phone so it is perpendicular to the barcode, it scans correctly every time.  Very strange.  But at least it works.  I would be interested to hear if that works for anyone else.

[Kerid]

Just tried this out and it worked for me too. Thanks!

[MKBurns]

Worked perfectly!  Do it the counter intuitive way!  Lol.  Thanks. 

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@JM6 wrote:

I just got a Nexus 5x with Android 6.0.1 and am having the same problem... barcodes were not being recognized.  After a bit of trial and error, I found that if I rotate the phone so it is perpendicular to the barcode, it scans correctly every time.  Very strange.  But at least it works.  I would be interested to hear if that works for anyone else.

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