How can I install Fitbit app for Android 6?

[ChristianJamard]

Hi,

I have a Samsung S5 running with Android 6. How can I find an app for my phone ?

Thank you

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Odyssey13]

Hi @ChristianJamard  the minimum Android operating system for Fitbit devices is 8. You won't find the app anywhere unless you already had it downloaded previously on your phone. Sorry, but they no longer have these old versions out there as the apps don't work with all the features for the devices.

[ChristianJamard]

Hello,

I had to reset my phone (it is common and usefull with the old phones), and now I need to reinstall all my apps.

Fitbit would have to leave access to the old app. Without this my watch me will be unusable, I would then be very dissatisfied with the quality of the products and services of Fitbit.

Christian

[SunsetRunner]

Hello @ChristianJamard you might be able to find the old Fitbit app so you can sideloaded. However please make sure to download it from reliable sources as it might be a vehicle of malware.

[JuanFitbit]

@Odyssey13,@SunsetRunner  Nice to see you here. Thank you for your help .

@ChristianJamard , A warm welcome to the Community! Thank you for your feedback.

As you know, with almost every electronic device, the operating system is constantly being developed. As Fitbit tries to keep to speed with the newest software available, it's difficult to have older app versions, as with older operating system the security measures are not reliable anymore. 

We DO NOT recommend at anytime to install apps from other sources as the main provider. 

We're constantly striving to improve Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. The best place to make your voice heard is the Feature Suggestion board on our community (community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/idb-p/features). 

If a similar suggestion has already been made by another member of the community, you can vote for their suggestion and add your comments. 

Thanks for your feedback and for participating in our community!

[SunsetRunner]

I got your point @JuanFitbit but why don't leave in the Play Store the last version supporting previous Android requirement with a label "no longer developed"? As far I understood @ChristianJamard was using the old version with no problem.

[Odyssey13]

Hi @SunsetRunner  I used my old Samsung 4 phone until the app no longer worked for me. It slowly became unusable. At the time, I had gotten my Samsung 8 phone, which I still use. Unfortunately the S4 couldn't update to the newer app as it was an older Android operating system. It was frustrating using the older app on an older phone because it simply couldn't handle the functions of the Fitbit. The one thing that most bothered me was the inability to start challenges. We've been telling people on the forums not to uninstall their existing app if they have below Android 8 and I hope that helps them.  Keeping older versions of an app really isn't going to help in the long run, as my own experience proved that the app pretty much stopped working for me.

[SunsetRunner]

The problem @Odyssey13 is that users do not visit the forum before having problem so they can not see that their app is no longer mainteined, or even worse, available in the store. I'm not sure if the users of the not supported app (I use Android 12 so I'm far away from this problem) did get a warning not to uninstall it.

[Odyssey13]

That's true @SunsetRunner as I have many friends and family with Fitbits who never visit the forums. Fitbit friends that I do challenges with rarely come to the forums. I guess it would help if people would stop using online searches and random videos to solve their problems and come right to the source. Sad to say, not everyone does.

[SunsetRunner]

I appreciate what you're saying and you're correct users, if they have problems, should come to this wonderful community. However this case is different, let me try to clarify with an example:

I have a Charge 3 paired with my Android 6 (or 7) smartphone and I have no problem at all, really happy about my Fitbit. One day I decide to reset my phone (because maybe I installed too many apps, because it is getting slow and so on) and then I start to reinstall all (and only those) apps I need including Fitbit. However I can't find Fitbit any longer in the Play Store because Fitbit decided that with my Android version the app is no longer available. Then in this case I decide to visit the forum or the documentation and discover the sad truth.

So my question is "Did I get some emails, some notification, some warning from Fitbit that if I remove the app the same wouldn't be any longer available? did I miss such warning"

There have been, and there are many cases, where developers decided a minimum Android version requirement in order to functionalities but in those cases the old app is always available with a warning that is no longer maintained. 

I hope my doubt is clear and I thank you for your time and dedication for this forum in helping many users like me.

[ChristianJamard]

Thank you @SunsetRunner your help is precious in explaining the situation.

The facts :

1) Android 8 released 5 years ago. The latest version of Fitbit software is not compatible for previuos versions. The improvements made therefore only benefit customers who have a smartphone less than 5 years old.

2) Fitbit removed software from the Play Store that was compatible with phones older than 5 years. So, when customers who have a phone over 5 years old need to reinstall their software, they can't. For those consumers, the new version of the software does not bring any improvement, instead, it removes most of the functionality of their watch.

3) Among all my apps, only the fitbit application could not be installed on Android 6.

The question:

Does Fitbit intend to review its quality policy regarding customers who have a phone over 5 years old?

[LZeeW]

@ChristianJamard   I don't think Fitbit has a policy that limits five year old phones.  I realize this is the Android app forum, but I am using a six year old iPhone.  I can continue to use it because it supports the minimum iOS operating system.  As a long time Fitbit user, I have seen other times when the minimum OS changed and many other phones lost the ability to download the app.  The current operating systems on the newest Fitbits are far more complex than my original One.  I am not a software engineer, but my son is.  He explains this all to me and I wish I could explain it to you.  I can understand why these changes happen.  

Whenever these changes occur, I smile and remember a personal experience with software changes.  My daughter gave me a trackpad to replace my desktop mouse.  I needed to upgrade my Mac OS to support the trackpad.  Well, HP no longer made a printer driver for my printer.  Useless printer.  Decided to get a printer that supported Air Print from my iPhone.  Printer doesn't fit on my desk.  Buy new lateral filing cabinet so I have a place to put my new printer.  My $30 gift costs me several hundred dollars.  Technology evolves.

[Lilbiddy]

@Odyssey13  One of the problems is that if someone comes to the community with a problem and is unknowingly using a now unsupported version of the app if they enter their problem they can get old advice telling them to reinstall the app. 

[ChristianJamard]

@LZeeW, your explanations do not explain why, out of all the apps I use, only Fitbit does not keep an app compatible with Android 6.

If Fitbit still does not make older versions of applications available, I will not replace mouse, printer like you but I will leave my watch and fitbit.

[Guy_]

Here is the removal notice [no longer pinned at the top] - App versions 3.4.1 and below were removed from the Google Play store

It means the instructions in the Fitbit Help and in the forums if followed by users can render their devices unusable without any warning, anywhere.

[Guy_]

Most applications written for Windows 95 and Window 95 itself still work because a compatibility is maintained.

To keep customer satisfaction and continuity a greater compatibility needs to be ensured between Fitbit devices, phones and apps.

Obviously new features might not be available but all the features and functions that are working should continue to always work.

It is a curious tendency nowadays that the art of compatibility seems to have been lost, possibly due to inexperience or a lack of willingness in knowing how things were designed to work, or are currently implemented.  And unfortunately in the process developers have lost sight of the real consumers' needs.

Reinventing the wheel doesn't make it better. It merely confuses all the existing users. It may possibly be assimilated by the few new users who never used or had understood the original design.

Suppression of existing working programs is just one example.

It incites users in desperation to load potentially infected programs in order to get their device to work again. A Highly undesirable practice.

[Guitarplayer]

Thanks @Guy_ for the removal notice.

I want to highlight the following:

- the removal notice was posted on 06-03-2021

- on 06/17/2021 @Giampi71 posted some requests of clarification and, in particular, the following

3) We definitely understand the need to move on and support a newer version of min API. However it's the first time I see a developer not keeping 2 versions with different API requirement in the Play Store. Just keep the latest version available for everybody stating that it won't be any longer maintained  

 - the day after, 06/18/2021 @KateFitbit answered as following

app versions 3.4.1 and below were removed from the Google Play store. Android 7 can still install the Fitbit app and on 3.43, but it won't be updated going forward. For the best experience, you'll need a supported version of android. 

(in bold my accent). This is exactly what we wanted. However fact is that what stated was incorrect and in fact many people complained until the 09-08-2021 when KateFitbit closed the topic and marking her final reply as Best Answer (??). Final reply is simply a link to the new requirements , contradicting what previously stated by herself without any apologize, on the contrary she thanked for our understanding (????)

[RodrigoMFitbit]

Hello everybody.

Thank you all for your feedback regarding the Fitbit app. I find that these days technology advances so quickly it is hard to keep services for all kind of devices running. It is demanding to keep an app running throughout different Android Version. I am not a developer myself, but it seems it takes time to keep it running. Additionally, there may be less users with Android below 8.0 than users with a compatible Android version. That could be a reason why they decided to shut it down for older Android versions. Same thing happened with iOS devices.

I understand that you wish to continue using your current smartphone, since it still works as expected. Believe me, I get it. It happened to me with a tablet and one of my favorite games from the Playstore. However, same thing happened, my Android version was no longer supported and I had to upgrade in order to keep on playing. The Fitbit app has minimum requirements to function as intended. Therefore you need a smartphone with Android 8.0 or higher. I appreciate your understanding. 

Have a nice day!

[Lilbiddy]

@RodrigoMFitbit Once again you are entirely missing the point. We are not asking for older versions of the app to be supported or tweaked in any way. Just to be available.

As a user of a charge 2 most of the bells and whistles that have been added are not available to me anyway. Why can't users like me who have older phones have older versions available to reload if needed. 

The older versions still work for those fortunate enough not to have needed to reload them.

I still have the unofficial version 2.63 on my Kindle and it works. Unlike the current version on my up to date phone which will not show me the contents of the Hourly Activity tile.

Also the lack of notification that this cull was forthcoming was ridiculous. It would have been helpful if there had been a notice when you opened the app. They always find room there for adverts for premium.

As for you getting a new phone to play a game, well aren't you the fortunate one. Would you have felt the same if you'd payed a not inconsiderable amount of money for the game and then been told to pay a load more on new equipment when you were quite happy with what you had?

The "customer experience" with Fitbit continues to degenerate, and speaking for myself you do not have my understanding.

[SunsetRunner]

I'm sorry @RodrigoMFitbit but this time I can't understand your point of view. The post by @Guitarplayer is very well written and there is nothing to add, you might want to read it again. I appreciate your understanding.