Notifications won't sync

[Cc1959]

I am having problems synchronize by notifications from my samsung galaxy 8 to my fitbit ionic.  I have tried everything nothing work. Any suggestions.  Totally disappointed.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Community @Cc1959.

That can be frustrating. 

In this case I'd recommend that you try to go through the troubleshooting steps listed in our Help Site. That should help the tracker get the notifications going with your S8.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

[Cc1959]

I have tried everything nothing work.  Any suggestions.  Thanks 

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[Westy222]

I an having troubld too with my S8. I have tried every step in troubleshooting twice and still no notifications on my Surge.

[Cc1959]

I am still having trouble.  Nothing I have tried worked. The price we paid for the phone we should not be having this problem. Maybe they didn't do all the research with different types of phones. Hope they are working on the problems. If you discover how to fix the problem please let me know. Thanks 

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[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for the info, I've had the same problem since the update and suspected the same thing. This kind of thing has gone on for years with Fitbit, and it's too bad that they still refuse to let you download a previous APK from them when they release a defective update. For a long time I wouldn't even allow the fitbit app to update because of these types of issues, you never knew if it was going to get better or worse.

[Cc1959]

I spoke with customer service yesterday but he don't not fix the problem.  I am going to contact them every day. Maybe something will happen.


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[Cc1959]

I tried that but it didn't work.  I also contacted fitbit and spoke with someone in the trouble shooter department but what they told  me to do  did not work. Wasted my money on something that has never worked. 

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello everyone! 

Thanks for going through the steps I suggested. Our team is aware of this situation and it is being worked on. Whenever we receive any news on this we'll be sure to let everyone know about it.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

[LaineyRuns]

Just offering sympathy, because in having the same problem. I can force a sync by turning the Bluetooth off and then back on on my phone, and the Ionic will connect long enough to do a sync. But then they will not stay connected and my Ionic basically becomes a fancy watch with a step counter. Yes, I've tried all the suggestions on the help pages; my phone and Ionic simply won't stay connected.

I'm very happy with the Ionic as a sports watch, but it's not a very good smart watch if you're relying on it for text and email messages. 😞 

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @LaineyRuns! 

That sounds very frustrating, thanks for troubleshooting.

It could be because the phone itself is not compatible. We cannot guarantee the functionality will be 100%. Some users have found that the troubleshooting works, but it also might not.

Please let me know if your phone is or isn't compatible.

Look forward to your reply .

[LaineyRuns]

I don't think it's an incompatibility problem. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy note 8 and, as I mentioned, I can get the phone and Ionic to connect for brief periods of time, but I cannot get them to STAY connected. 

Also, the fitbit app works fine on my phone.

I'm sure there are many other Ionic users who have the same phone. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[niknak67]

My "further question" is why is this thread and your response  2 months old and yet the problem persists and nothing has changed or been done. Now  Fitbit is announcing a "new" smartwatch with the Versa. How about fix and maintain your current watches for those of us who supported Fitbit with these previous purchases... very disappointed with my first Fitbit.

[niknak67]

The Galaxy Note 8 IS listed as a compatible device and yet, the Ionic does NOT sync with the Note 8

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @niknak67 and @LaineyRuns.

I definitely understand that this can be very frustrating.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Note 8 is not currently a supported device. There is a Note 8.0 on the compatible devices list, but it refers to a Galaxy Note tablet released some years ago. 

The developer team is aware of the need to add new devices to the list of compatible devices. There are some users who can sync (like @LaineyRuns mentioned) with non-compatible devices. If your phone meets the requirement of Minimum Supported OS (Android 4.4 KitKat), you can try the troubleshooting on the help site to get notifications to work. 

Do note that we can't guarantee that the troubleshooting will work on a non-compatible device.

Feel free to reach out if there is anything else I can do for you. 

[niknak67]

Why is Fitbit putting their resources into developing new "smartwatches"
rather than insuring that current customers are supported on all devices.
The Samsung Note 8 has been out long enough for Fitbit to have caught up
with the technology necessary to sync the two. Being "aware of the issue"
isn't enough. The Samsung Galaxy series rivals any Apple product in
popularity. There is no excuse for any Samsung Galaxy phone to be
unsupported by any Fitbit device. If Fitbit intends to dabble in the world
of smartwatches, Fitbit needs to keep up with the times and be able to
support all of the most popular phone series. Especially if you're asking
consumers to pay $300+ for the "smart" in this watch...

[LaineyRuns]

I agree with you wholeheartedly. It's not like the Samsung Galaxy line is obscure. I was excited because I got notifications working over the weekend for three consecutive days, but it's back to usual today with no notifications. 😞

[niknak67]

@LaineyRuns I downloaded the "Fit Notifications" app from the Play Store and knock on wood, for the first time I'm getting text notifications on my Note 8. My sleep & fitness info also synced easily. Too soon to tell if other notifications like phone calls, FB, etc, will come through but I'm thrilled to be syncing easily & getting text notifications for now.  

[LaineyRuns]

Thanks for the tip! It's worth a try...

[LaineyRuns]

I want to thank you so much for mentioning the Fit Notifications app. I downloaded it the same day you posted the suggestion and my Fitbit Ionic has been talking with my Galaxy Note 8 ever since. I get notifications all day long (unless I'm out of bluetooth range of my phone) and it syncs more regularly. Before, I could easily go 3 days without the watch and phone syncing. I notice that Pandora stations are refreshing more often, too. 

I am astonished that the Fitbit developers have not cracked the code on notifications and I had to go to a third party app to get my watch to actually be "smart," but I'm grateful that it's working so much better now. Hopefully Fitbit will get it together soon and third party apps won't be necessary.