Support for Essential PH-1 phone

[eric012345]

I'm wondering if there's a timeframe for official support for the Essential PH-1.  I have recently bought one and am having a lot of trouble with it reliably syncing to my Blaze, and also losing connectivity to the phone's GPS during a run.  Thank you.

[RobertoME]

Hi there @eric012345, let me start by giving you a warm welcome to the Fitbit Community! Unfortunately we do not have additional information regarding timeframe to add devices to our supported list. I been saying this around but when a devices is not listed it means the phone still is being tested or is not compatible at all.

There are many mobile devices that are not listed as compatible, but some has all the hardware requirements to be compatible. So in those cases the phone is able to work with all the features of the app and the tracker, but officially we cannot guarantee it will work.

To see the latest list of supported devices, please go to http://www.fitbit.com/devices. If your device isn't listed, you can check the link at a later date to see if device support has been added. 

See you around, we appreciate your understanding while we work to improve this experience.

[AdrianESP]

Hi there!

Any news about this?

I am another owner of the Essential PH-1 who has lost MobileTracking with my new device...

Thank you!

[Crazy-Fritter]

Most Android phones running 4.4 and up with BLE 4.0 (Bluetooth low energy) will work with Fitbit trackers. The problems you guys have mentioned happens to all phones at one point or another, it's an app issue not an Essential phone issue.

[AdrianESP]

So... When could we expect PH-1 to be suitable for MobileTracking?

[eric012345]

I agree--it's the app not the phone.  But before this phone I had an iPhone 6 and the iPhone app sync'd very reliably with my phone -- notifications worked consistently, and I could go for a run and use the GPS on my phone.

With my Essential phone, none of the above is the case.  I have to restart the phone and/or the tracker at least 1x/day to get notifications to work.  And while I can, after several attempts, get the tracker to link to my phone GPS for a run, within a mile or so it seems to lose its connection and decide that the run is over (and therefore stops tracking).  I've given up on that; a friend gave me an old Surge (with integrated GPS) and I use it for running, and I fight with it to sync to the Fitbit app after the run (usually takes 3-4 tries).

I assume there's some fine-tuning that our friends at Fitbit need to do to the app in order to make the sync work properly, otherwise why would they bother having a list of supported devices?  (http://www.fitbit.com/devices)

In any case, it's very frustrating, and I'm ready to jump ship to Garmin.  Too bad, because I like my Fitbit Blaze a lot.

[luca85]

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@Crazy-Fritter wrote:

Most Android phones running 4.4 and up with BLE 4.0 (Bluetooth low energy) will work with Fitbit trackers. The problems you guys have mentioned happens to all phones at one point or another, it's an app issue not an Essential phone issue.

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No, they won't. They should but they don't. That's why users are so pissed here. Some brands "on average do work anyway", some don't even sync at all.

[Crazy-Fritter]

I agree the app definitely needs work, no doubt about it. I have a 2015 phone that IS on the compatibility list and I never was able to pair my brand new surge with it....... it was a nightmare 😱

But my surge paired perfectly with my pc and has since been syncing perfectly with my phone for weeks now. I would recommend removing your Fitbit from your account, then pairing it back on a PC if you have one available. Once you do just uninstall and reinstall the app on your phone and log back in and you'll get an automatic sync...... and maybe a better Fitbit experience. What have you got to lose? 😉

[luca85]

Nothing. But I already tried doing the Whole uninstall/remove tracker thing and it's still not working. And I'm quite pissed (not at you clearly 😉 ) that this is happening with a 160 $ smartwatch (while all other brands work)

[eric012345]

I can't tell you how many times I've done that.  I have three Fitbit devices now - a Charge HR, a Blaze, and a Surge.  I've deleted each from my account multiple times, re-paired via my old iPhone, via the Essential, and via my PC.  Nothing works.  I like your optimism, but unfortunately your recommendations do not universally generalize.

[Crazy-Fritter]

Unfortunately in today's world of complex phones and watches etc, it's a running battle trying to keep everything working...... and can be VERY frustrating at times. I'm not always so optimistic, I have my moments... just ask my wife 😨😋 

I'm just trying to help some of all the poor folks who are fighting the losing battle trying to pair their shiny new tracker to their phones 😀

I know I can't help everyone unfortunately....... sometimes things just won't work. It sounds like the Fitbit app isn't going to play nice with the Essential phone. Unfortunately you guys might end up having to go with another brand of tracker........ Fitbits been dragging their feet with keeping up on phone compatibility. I think they have too many irons in the fire 😞