Notification difficulties after Fitbit app update

[MSS5]

The last update ruined text messages for so many people! Many of us bought a particular Fitbit watch just so we can see our text messages on our wrists instead of having to get out our phones. How do we undo that update & go back to the way it was? This is very annoying.

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello @MSS5 it's nice to see you again participating here in the Community Forums, thanks for your post.

Seems odd that you're experiencing difficulties with the notifications feature after the Fitbit app update. To better assist you with this, can you please give more details about the inconvenience you're experiencing? Information such as which mobile device you're currently using, the actual situation you're experiencing with the notifications, etc. I'll be looking forward to your reply.

Let me share with you that we are always striving to improve our users Fitbit experience with our products and services. Therefore, we appreciate all of the input we receive from our users here in the Community Forums because such information help us to evaluate our procedures for future scenarios. Thank you for the feedback and thoughts that were shared with us, your patience with this situation is greatly appreciated while we work to improve the Fitbit experience. 

Keep me posted.

[MSS5]

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note 8. My Fitbit is a Blaze. I just bought this Blaze 3 weeks ago because my first Blaze blacked out...while it wasn't working, I wore my original Fitbit Charge. I missed the text feature & the heart rate monitor so I bought another one only to lose one of those features... Since the update on July 11, 2019, I can no longer read text messages on my Fitbit. PLEASE look into this. I've read so many blogs of complaints. This update hurt many people. Some were nurses who depended on being able to read an important message on their wrist while with s patient & not having to stop what they're doing to read a message. I'm a teacher & my principals send out important information through texts & I too loved being able to look at my wrist instead of getting out my phone during class.

Thank you, 

Melissa

[RicardoFitbit]

Thanks for your reply and update @MSS5, it's a pleasure to continue assisting you. Sorry for the delay in responding your post.

I appreciate all the details that were shared in your post. Let me share with you that the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is not currently listed as a compatible device with our products and services, therefore, you may experience certain connection difficulties with it. I'm aware that some users are able to use non-compatible devices with our Fitbit products, however, we cannot ensure a proper function of all its features due to this compatibility concern. That said, even though your mobile device is not compatible, lets give it a try to our help article: My Fitbit device isn't receiving notifications from my phone and let me know how it goes. Also, you can check this help article to verify that all the settings on your mobile device are correctly configured for this feature.  

If by any chance you're still unable to receive text notifications on your Fitbit with your Samsung Galaxy Note8, I suggest you to try with a compatible mobile device instead.

I'll be here if you need anything else, please keep me posted.

[ENoble]

I have had my Fitbit blaze for 2 years and now all of the sudden I can't recieve text messages but I can get calls it's been so frustrating cause I depend on my Fitbit because I can't have my phone visible while I'm working so it's nice to see if there is an important phone call or text by looking at my wrist. And I haven't been able to for about a week now. I have a Samsung Galaxy S9

[slybutshy]

Hello, I have a note 8 and did have a Charge 2. It ran into synch issues, so I ordered a brand new Charge 3, which had synch issues!!! I read a million different help forums, factory reset, reboot phone, reboot reset, turn bluetooth off on etc etc. etc...

What is working for me,  is I moved the charge cord from being plugged into a simple power source, to being plugged into my computer. When I did a factory reset on that, it found itself and started a firmware update.

So... maybe try that? Plug the power cradle into a computer, and then run a charge 3 factory reset?

Good luck!

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello guys, welcome aboard @ENoble @slybutshy. I'm happy to continue helping.

@ENoble Seems odd that all of a sudden your Fitbit Blaze stopped receiving notifications, even more when the Samsung Galaxy S9 is a compatible device with our products and services. To move forward with this situation, can you please let me know if the information that was shared on my previous post was took in consideration? The help articles that were posted can be really helpful for your situation. Keep me posted.

@slybutshy Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience with us, I'm sure that your post will be helpful for other users that experienced the same. Don't hesitate to contact me back if you need anything else.

See you around. 

[MSS5]

I agree this is very frustrating! I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 & a Fitbit Blaze...the blaze only says, "view messages" since the last update. I think I'm going to have to switch to Garmin if they can't get this straightened out.

[SDSFit]

I recently changed mobile phones from an iPhone 6 to a Google Pixel 3a and have lost a lot of functionality. Namely:

• I can't read text messages on my Alta HR. I can only see who is texting (virtually useless). I selected it to see Sender and Message, allowed transliteration and encryption - still won't work.
• I can't edit an exercise activity. My Alta HR often doesn't log the full time of my exercise if I do weights in between aerobic exercise. I was able to edit the start and end times of an exercise on the iOS app, but can only edit the exercise type (eg change walk to hike) on the Android, which is extremely frustrating as it doesn't allow me to properly track and measure my workout effectiveness. Is this because I have a Pixel 3a, which is not yet supported, or is this a fault of the Android app?
• On the iOS app, you could see your Peak, Cardio, Fat Burn and Regular HR patterns in different colors on the graph. On the Android, I don't see regular hr on the graph.

Are these issues with Fitbit not properly supporting Android or due to incompatibility with the Pixel 3a? What is the timeline for supporting it?

[tocsik87]

Moderators,

While we appreciate the help you provide, telling your customer base that the loss of a feature that worked prior to your recent software update is due to their device not being "compatible" is truly unhelpful and shows that you are not actually "getting it".  If you listen, our Fitbit products received SMS notifications from our mobile devices prior to the most recent Fitbit update, even if they weren't shown on your approved device list. Furthermore, your list of compatible devices is sorely outdated given many of the affected makes/models have been released for well over a year.

You really need to take ownership of the problem and not point back at the mobile devices when the feature worked prior to the recent update. 

Own it and fix it.  You have a large customer base and your competition is growing.

[MSS5]

If my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 😎 had always worked appropriately with my Fitbit Blaze before an update, then why won't it work now? 

[tocsik87]

It is sometimes the nature of software and code writing.  Often when updating or changing software to make additions or improvements, unintended consequences result.  Changing a bit of code in one area can break it in another.  A responsive and responsible company will generally put out a new version to fix these bugs.

Ahem.  Hello, Fitbit?

[Emailtolala]

Will the Note8 ever be a comparable phone with versa 2???