Charge 3 Bluetooth GPS connect error bug report

[Inteceptor3]

My Fitbit Charge 3 encounters an error where it will not connect with the Android app for GPS tracking after going into and coming out of Airplane mode

This happens 100% of the time, despite the fact that, when out of Airplane mode, Bluetooth is on (and shows Charge 3 'currently connected'), the app is running, the app syncs correctly and the app notification on Android says 'Connected GPS is running'. The GPS connection in fact fails and it is impossible to connect the GPS.

The GPS connection will fail until you either Force Stop the Fitbit app and restart it or reboot the phone.

Error shown on Charge 3: Phone not found. Launch Fitbit app. 

Charge 3 Firmware version 28.20001.63.5

Android version: 10 (OnePlus 7T running Oxygen OS 10.0.6.HD65AA

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Inteceptor3. Welcome to the Forums. I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for sharing detailed information about the Fitbit app's behavior when connecting to GPS, as well for the steps tried on your own. Nice job! I've confirmed that your OnePlus 7T isn't part of our compatible devices list and this might be the reason why the GPS isn't staying connected after being out of Airplane mode.

As with any other app, Fitbit designed the Fitbit app and optimized it so it can work on phones and tablets based on the requirements of each model and OS, and future Fitbit app versions also adapt to any change implemented in the OS. While your Charge 3 may continue syncing and working with your phone, there isn't a guarantee that it'll always happen until your phone appears in that list. My best suggestion is to try with a supported device so we can determine if the compatibility of your phone is the main factor of this situation. You can also give a try to the steps described in this help article.

I'll be around, keep me posted.

[Inteceptor3]

Thanks for the response.

My wife has a OnePlus 6 which is on the compatible devices list! 

I tested her phone with my Charge 3. It exhibits the exactly same issues as my OnePlus 7T .

Frankly, I'm not surprised. The OnePlus 6 and the 7T both have the Oxygen OS which is a solid Android implementation. The bluetooth functionality is a core function and I would not be surprised if this bluetooth/airplane mode bug were present in all Android devices!

How do we get this bug reported to the Fitbit team working on the Charge 3?

Can you get it to them?

Thanks,

-Mark

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Inteceptor3. Welcome back to the forums. I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for keeping me posted about your Charge 3 behavior as well for your efforts while trying with a supported device. If you continue having issues with GPS after coming out of Airplane mode, I'd suggest to check if by any chance your phone didn't go into power saving mode as that will prevent a proper connection to track GPS activity. Also, make sure of the following:

• Location services are enabled.
• The Fitbit app is updated to the latest version.
• The Fitbit app was allowed to run on the background within your phone's settings.

If you get an error message on your tracker or the Fitbit app, please take a picture and share it with me so I can take a deeper look. For instructions to attach a picture in your reply, check this post.

Let me know how everything goes.

[Inteceptor3]

LizzyFitbit,

This is a bug in a supported device! Please stop suggesting things like 'checking if the phone is in power saving mode'! It is not. Instead, please let me know where I can file a bug report. Or even better, proactively file a bug report yourself.

To help you, I have attached three screen shots along with brief descriptions.

As a Fitbit moderator, you must have a way to get bug reports back to the dev team. As I look through these forums, I see a very large number of Bluetooth issues being reported with very little response by Fitbit that the issues are being addressed. Here is an opportunity to report back a bug to the team so Bluetooth can be made more reliable for the next release.

I really look forward to hearing back from you about how you will report this bug back to the team (or how you would like me to report it)!

Many thanks,

-Mark

First error message shown when trying to connect GPS

Next message shown after about 15 seconds. The Fitbit app is running and was always running.

The phone notifications shows that the app thinks GPS is connected. It is not.

The Fitbit app will not sync with the Charge 3 device. Force stopping the Fitbit app and restarting it fixes the issue.