Having to restart phone to sync

[dlopezuy]

Same thing here, have the Charge 2 for about 2 weeks now and it's embarrassing the amount of times I've had to restart my phone (Android 8.1.0). Tried turning bluetooth on and off, killing the app manually (force stop), restarting the Charge (plug it in and hold the button several seconds) and nothing happens, only thing that fixes it is a phone restart.

The worst thing is that once it desyncs you have to restart and that happens whenever the fitbit device and the phone are too far apart for example.

Cmon Fitbit, get your act together, we're in the 21st century, restarting my phone is something I should do once a month at most, probably because of some hard crash or similar.

Just this issue is making me seriously consider switching to an iPhone and buying an Apple Watch

Moderator edit: Clarified subject

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @dlopezuy.

Thanks for letting us know that restarting your Fitbit works.

In this case I'd like to ask some questions to better understand what is going on:

• What phone is it that you are using to sync?
• When did this start happening or has it always been like that?
• Have you used any other devices?

In the meantime I'd recommend that you try to follow these steps to help get your Fitbit to sync. There are some steps on top of the restarts that you mentioned.

Let me know if there is anything else that I can help you out with.

[dlopezuy]

Hello.

Actually the solution was restarting the phone not the fitbit, maybe it was not clear in my message.

Also I disabled the "Always Connected" option from the app (attached screenshot) and I haven't restarted the phone in two days now. So fingers crossed.

Bye.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @dlopezuy.

Thanks for the clarification and the screen shot.

Hopefully it will continue to work properly from now on.

If you have the time, be sure to visit one of our Discussion boards. Lots of different topics to talk about with other users! 

Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

[dlopezuy]

In the end it worked for three days and then the same thing started happening again.

In the last two days I had to restart my phone twice for it to sync with the app.

I'm pretty sure the issue is with the app, not sure if exclusive to the Android one, even tried with a bluetooth restart app, but no luck.

I mean if the phone can sync to my car everytime I use it, not sure why I'm having this many issues with a device from a technology company.

[dlopezuy]

Dug a bit more into the issue, tried disabling bluetooth, clearing bluetooth cache and data, with no luck.

In the end I was able to get it to sync again, without a restart of my phone, by force stopping and then clearing the cache of the fitbit app.

All in all, it's an issue with the Android app, I can send you whatever log I am able to provide but please take a look at this fitbit devs because it is pathetic.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @dlopezuy.

Thanks for reaching back with all of those details and findings. 

I'd like to ask what phone is it that you are using? Keep in mind that if the phone is not in the supported devices list, it means that the app has not been fully optimized to work with that phone. 

If the phone is not on the list but fulfills the minimum requirements, Android 4.4 and Bluetooth 4.0, there is a possibility that it will sync without any issues but we cannot guarantee that it will. 

Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions.

[dlopezuy]

I have a Nexus 6P which is on the list, I don't think the issue is with the phone because all other bluetooth devices I use don't have any issues (car, laptop, speaker, etc).

Also today I had to restart my phone twice, just in case force stopped and cleared the cache of the fitbit app and also force stopped, cleared cache and data for bluetooth and it still would not sync.

Please, look into this, it cannot be that hard to test, I'm pretty sure me and many other users have the same issue.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @dlopezuy. Thanks for getting back to me and checking on that.

Then, let's try these steps:

1. Go to your phone's Bluetooth settings.
2. Look for your Charge 2 in there and remove it from the paired device list.
3. Restart your phone.
4. Open the Fitbit app and run the setup process as if your Charge 2 was a brand new device. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

[StumpFarm]

SO many posts saying their Fitbit syncs for a day or two, then stops and won't sync without a reboot. SO many responses linking to how to sync or the supported devices page.  These posts are YEARS old.  Just like the add Steps to competitions with friends.  Nice to know Fitbit either doesn't care or is incompetent. Time for Apple or Android watches. 😞 

If you care at all and aren't just bull**ahem**ting us, Fitbit, check your logs and fix our issues. Or else refund my latest device.

[StumpFarm]

Didn't fix it.

Your stupid form says the above isn't a long enough message so this is filler.

I've had this issue with two different Charge 2 and a Versa. You're getting lazy and resting on your laurels, Fitbit.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @StumpFarm.

Thanks for sharing your feedback and experience.

Please do know that we are always looking for ways to improve the overall Fitbit experience.

In regards to the issue that you are experiencing at the moment, I'd like to ask you some questions:

• What phone are you using and what Android version is it running?
• When did the issue start or has it been like that from the beginning?
• Do you get some sort of error message? If so, what does it say?

Look forward to your reply.

[StumpFarm]

Multiple people are having this issue with multiple devices. Most recently
I have had this issue with OnePlus 5, Android 7, 8, and 8.1.
It's always repro'd. Not recent. 😞 I get prompted "if this is the first
time, reset Bluetooth, or else reboot". It always requires the reboot.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @StumpFarm.

Thanks for sharing that information. 

In that case, it could be happening because the OnePlus 5 is not part of the supported devices list. This means that the app has not been fully optimized to work with that phone.

As long as it fulfills the minimum requirements, Android 4.4 and Bluetooth 4.0, there is a possibility that it can work but we cannot guarantee it. Some users of unsupported devices have mentioned that following these steps helps with the syncing.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

[DRBroome]

My Alta HR does the exact same thing. A reboot fixes the sync issue temporarily. I have a google pixel 2. It is obviously the app because a force stop and clearing cache works most of the time.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @DRBroome.

I apologize for the delay in my response. Thanks for sharing that the restart and force stop/clear cache process works for you.

In this case I'd like to ask if your Pixel 2 is running Android 9. If so, it is very possible that this is related to a known issue with Android 9 that causes syncing issues. You can click here to read more about it. As soon as we have anything to announce on that front we will be sure to let everyone know but for the time being my recommendation would be to continue with the process that has been working for you.

Feel free to let me know if there are any further questions.

[HobieHiker]

Hello,

 I have read this very long post as I am having the same issue. My charge 3 syncs great after I reboot my iPhone 8 (or my Old android phone, S4), but only once. After that first sync, it will take 20 or more retries to sync and when it finally connects, it takes minutes to perform the sync. 

it is clear that my issue is the same as the women above, and I have tried all of the suggestions that you recommended to her. I followed this post back in March, hoping to see a final resolution, but none was posted. 

Thank you for your attention. 
julie

[EarlXin]

In newer android devices battery optimization will kill background apps, which will disable the fitbit app from syncing with devices. Try disabling battery optimization for the fitbit app in system settings and see if that helps

[williamwillet]

I don't think he said he had to restart the Fitbit. in fact I'm not even sure that's possible on this thing. Are you guys even reading this stuff or just throwing answers out there to make it look like you're actually supporting your devices. I think he said he had to restart his phone. Just like I've had to the entire time. This is getting ridiculous

[mUNDh]

I bought the fitbit charge 3 2 weeks ago.

I have the same problem: need to restart my phone in order to get the application sync with device.

From what i see this is not something recent but kind of a ignored bug by Fitbit. Embarrassing indeed. 

I bought this device mainly for the heart monitoring. But i see also this is interrupted while I exercise.

At the end of the day it looks you get a clock for your money and this is it.