Fitbit app shows nothing on screen when offline

[SunsetRunner]

I am finding that I cannot connect to my Fitbit app when I am out, with no data or WiFi connection. I noticed I couldn't connect to set a walk, tried to open the app and there is just a blank saying "No internet connection". See the screenshot attached.

Is this new? I don't remember it in the past. I had to set the walk on Strava, which makes the Fitbit a little useless in this situation.

 

[Rich_Laue]

Your fitbit dashboard gets its data from the fitbit server. Not the tracker. 

Some phones need a connection to the Internet to start the chaos run/walk then once started the Internet may be turned off. 

[SunsetRunner]

I can't believe that's necessary. Not everyone has data, you can't always start a walk when you are on wifi. Isn't that what Bluetooth is for? Direct connection. I think the Fitbit app gets the data (at least some) from the Fitbit itself, then transmits it to the servers when online.

A friend of mine has no data, uses a Samsung Note 8 and sets a walk way out in the country. I am using a Note 10+. It seems unlikely that the phone ability would have downgraded.

I can use Strava, but that rather defeats the purpose. 

[Rich_Laue]

I don't understand why, with my S8 I do not need to be connected to the Internet to start a GPS walk or run, but I do know others with android phones that do need to be connected through WiFi or cellular to get things going. Then they turn of the network and continue the walk/run. 

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

@Rich_Laue 

I have found the solution (which shows it is a bug, in my mind).

I read on another post that someone said he just taps on the place on the app where activity should be (it's blank like the screenshot) it just comes up and he can connect. I tried it and it works, though still offline.

[Psyclopps]

Their implementation of displaying data is poor and requires internet connections to display and sync. This is extremely annoying on the Sense which I just purchased as one of the selling points is in depth metrics such as temperature, HRV values, ECG... but you cant see them if you are offline. Most medical facilities I go to have thick walls and little access to cell connections. Also, I work in a place that often requires offline while at work so this renders the device mostly useless during those times. Going to return it. 

[Rich_Laue]

So where is the link to this post and where do they tap? 

Of course this will at best be reading from the cache and not the latest data from the tracker. 

And have you all added your votes?