Mobile data usage increased - RESOLVED 7/13

[EdsonFitbit]

Update 7/13/2018: This issue is now resolved, please ensure you are on the latest app. Thanks very much for your reports. I'll be closing this thread for future replies. 

---

Fitbit Update 07/11/2018: Thanks for your ongoing patience as we worked to resolve this issue. We released an update to the Fitbit app for Android, version 2.74.2, that we believe addresses any remaining concerns related to this issue. Please update the Fitbit app as soon as possible.

In addition, all of your Fitbit data synced and remained secure during the issue and none of your data was sent anywhere else. We take our obligation to safeguard your data very seriously and are sorry for any concern that this error may have caused.

---

Fitbit Update 07/09/2018:

Great news, everyone! Today we released the Fitbit for Android app version 2.74.1 to all users. This app version released improvements for the issue you are all currently experiencing with an increase in your phone's data usage. Please update the app as soon as possible!

Please let me know how it goes after updating the app. I would like to hear you all confirm that your data/battery usage levels have decreased. 

Thanks for all your help and cooperation! 

---

Fitbit Update 07/08/2018:

Hi, everyone!

Thanks so much for your reports of this data/battery issue on your Android devices. 

Our team is still actively investigating the cause and we will keep you updated with any new information. We really appreciate your cooperation in the meantime and hope to get this resolved soon. 

---

Fitbit Update 07/06/2018: 

Hey everyone -- First off, thank you for all of your reports. We are working to resolve an issue which can cause the Fitbit app for Android to consume a large amount of mobile data. In the meantime, uninstalling and re-installing the Fitbit app may help resolve related loading & crashing issues. Thanks for your patience!

I will make sure to keep everyone updated on this issue when I have something new to share. Thanks for your patience, more updates to come soon.

---

Fitbit Update 07/05/2018: Community members have reported an increase of mobile data by the Fitbit app on Android devices.

I've made our Android team aware of this and they are currently working on getting this issue resolved. When I hear an update on the status of this issue, I will make sure to let everyone here know what I hear.

Thanks for your reports and continued patience.

[Llmgtab]

Not sure I am convinced this is the same issue as the data usage as that has been going on longer. This battery usage issue is just the last few days. Even after unpairing the watch the app was using 50%. Below are the phones we saw the issue with. 

Galaxy S6 android 7.0

LG G6 Android 8.0

Essential phone Android 8.1

I did check and both my husband and I had about 150mb of data usage from the app for the last week which does seem higher than I would expect but have been tracking it. 

[Colinm39]

@Stevotronic I'm using the Dongle from my Fitbit One... A few years old. The Dongle computer software was upgraded a few months ago..

[LCHE]

Hi, i too noticed that the app data consumption shot up in the last month. Data consumption was minimal the month before.

Strange thing also is that i turned off background data usage for this app 2 days ago when i discovered this surge (i received notification that i busted my data plan). 2 days ago, data usage was at about 800mb. I switched off background data, and today it still shot up past 1gb! Can anyone please explain to me why, and if there's any way to really cut off mobile data from this app?

Im using samsung note 8 running Android 8. Thanks!

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Stevotronic, if you are running Windows 10 you can download the Fitbit app for Windows.  That will allow you to sync using your computer's built in Bluetooth and a dongle is not required.

[hoofbeats95]

Hmmm my mistake. I have 2.73 and it's draining my battery rapidly. Seems to be since I got the versa. That's disappointing  

[Tk33]

Thanks for your comments Robert.  Great to hear a response from Fitbit. Mine is a Samsung Galaxy S8, Android OS 8.0.0 & Version 32.10.14.d

[fregor77]

[garrak]

Hi, 

• Phone you're using (Oneplus 5) 
• The Android OS your phone is running (Android 8.1)
• App version you are on (2.73)

Regards

Bernd

[fregor77]

I'm on 2.73 with the same problem.

[Quaz]

Yup started happening to me and my S8+ too. It's real bad. I've tried turning off all the syncing and auto stuff, uninstalling and reinstalling .... Nothing works. This has to get fixed or I'll delete it and move on

[hoofbeats95]

Fitbit tried to tell me to turn almost everything off 

all day sync (already off)

reminders to move - I told them no way.  That's a feature of the watch and doesn't rely on the app, the connection, bluetooth being on or not, or even being synced.  I said I could remove the app from my phone and the reminders would still work.  I call bogus on that.  I refused

They asked me to use a watch face that shows little data.  I pushed back and said that would drain the watch battery, but again that data is pulled from the watch and not the app and I could be away from my phone or uninstall the app and still have all that data.  That can't be causing the app to drain the *phone* battery. 

*eye roll*  Their response is unacceptable to me.  This app is draining PHONE batteries and they need to fix it.  And turning everything off and dumbing down the watch is bogus. 

[hoofbeats95]

I took the screenshot in the middle of the day yesterday. Look how much data the app used in 3.5 days of July compared to the whole month of June! Totally unacceptable. I changed the restrict background data to always as a result. It wasn't set like that prior to these screenshots. They have an issue. A big one. I find this unacceptable. Is there anyway to sync the versa without the app? I want to uninstall. 

[Rauser]

Sitrep

15 hrs after downgrading to Fitbit App Version 2.72.1 my data counter says 3,28 MB total and no CPU overload anymore.

Can someone please confirm that with the version 2.73 and higher the massive data consumption still takes place?
Then I would actually identify the app version ≥ 2.73 as the cause. It is strange that this behavior did not occur here immediately with the update to 2.73. This version is out since a few weeks, but the data drain started last weekend just before the update to 2.74.

[hoofbeats95]

Samsung S7

Android 7.0

Fitbit 2.7.3

Crazy battery drain.  Significantly higher background data usage since I got the versa. Way less with the Alta.  All day sync off.  Keep alive widget off.  Bluetooth on phone off 90% of the day. My battery dies super fast and my phone gets hot with any other use.  This is insane.  I may have to uninstall the fitbit app because I'm living attached to a charger like a landline.  Is there any other way to sync my Versa?  In the old days there was a dongle for the computer.  I could live with that better than a useless phone battery.  Please fix!

[SunsetRunner]

---

@hoofbeats95 wrote:

Samsung S7

Android 7.0

Fitbit 2.7.3

Crazy battery drain.  Significantly higher background data usage since I got the versa. Way less with the Alta.  All day sync off.  Keep alive widget off.  Bluetooth on phone off 90% of the day. My battery dies super fast and my phone gets hot with any other use.  This is insane.  I may have to uninstall the fitbit app because I'm living attached to a charger like a landline.  Is there any other way to sync my Versa?  In the old days there was a dongle for the computer.  I could live with that better than a useless phone battery.  Please fix!

---

If you still have the old dongle you can use that. Otherwise you can buy them cheaply in the Fitbit store. You also may be able to sync when connected to the charger through your PCs USB port. I have not tried that.

[tofuuu630]

I'd like to chime in and echo everyone's thoughts on here as well. My battery as of a few days ago have plummeted significantly and initially I thought it had something to do with Android P DP4 on my Pixel but turns out it is actually Fitbit causing this issue. On my battery stats page, it is taking up 86% of my battery and I have to charge my phone once in the middle of the day for me to make it through the day. 

[EBANNAS]

YES!! I recently upgraded to the Versa from the Flex. I also updated the app and my phone (Samsung S7). Ever since I updated the app, my phone battery has been TERRIBLE! I hope this is fixed soon.

[EBANNAS]

Customer Support recommended basically turning off most of the features and choose a different clock face...

[hoofbeats95]

@EBANNAS they told me the same.  I fired back my dismay at dumbing down this watch. If I don't have bluetooth on my phone, my phone isn't talking to my watch in any capacity.   So why would it be hogging the data?  It's ridiculous. I have unlimited data.  If I didn't I'd be telling fitbit to pay my phone bill!  Lol.  This amount of data consumption and battery hogging is unacceptable.  They need to roll us all back to a better version and figure this out. 

[AndyCyclist]

Mine just updated to v. 2.74 this morning. Now it crashes every couple of minutes, even when it's just in the background! I've tried rebooting my phone.

If I bring it to the foreground, it won't even finish a sync before crashing and disappearing.

I'm also getting an occasional notification from the app to "Restart your phone to restore tracker notifications." This is even after just restarting my phone.