Syncing issues with Inspire HR and Samsung S7

[ambienthamster]

I have had a Fitbit Inspire HR for around 6 months and during that time have consistently been having issues with the bluetooth capabilities of the device.

It was initially difficult to pair the device as my phone was unable to discover it. After just leaving it to search for quite some time it did eventually discover and pair with the Fitbit. But every time I try to sync the device, I am met with some issues syncing. When I select the device in the Fitbit app and click "sync now" the spinner will just turn for a few minutes and then stop and the app won't update at all. Sometimes the spinner will turn for a few minutes and then a red exclamation mark will appear. There is no error to tell me why the app can't sync with the Fitbit.

Usually I have to turn bluetooth off and on, restart my phone, restart the Fitbit, force stop the Fitbit app and click sync several times before the sync inexplicably works. The steps I have to take to get the sync to work are never consistent either, so I just have to try all these things and keep reattempting the sync a few times to get it to work. Often I try all these steps and nothing works, then I have to leave my bluetooth on and at some point the Fitbit will sync, but I don't know the reason why. Right now I haven't been able to sync my Fitbit for 5 days. I have tried all these steps and am just having to leave my bluetooth on, draining my phone battery, hoping it will sync at some point...

I have also tried removing the device in the app and adding it again. After this, the first time I synced the Fitbit it worked fine, and then went back to showing the same issues described above. I contacted Fitbit support about these issues and did not receive a reply.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android version 8.0.0 and the Fitbit firmware version is 34.200001.88.11 The Fitbit app is version 3.28 and has permissions to access my phone's location.

Obviously, these issues coupled with a total lack of customer support make the device very frustrating to use. I just don't understand how a feature that is so central to the core functionality of the device can work so poorly. I would have just returned my Fitbit, but unfortunately it was given to me as a gift so that's not an option. Does anyone know if there is a way to permanently fix this problem, or if other activity tracking devices have similar issues? I am thinking of getting a Garmin but don't want to get stuck in the same situation. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[RicardoFitbit]

Hi @ambienthamster, welcome to the Community Forums!

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and personal experience with your Inspire HR and your Samsung Galaxy S7, I appreciate your effort and patience for troubleshooting this situation before posting over here, I understand how frustrating this matter can be for you. I was informed by our Customer Support team that they didn't receive any contact from your end, perhaps you can share with me the case number confirmation so I can pass along such information with them? You can send me the case number via private message.

On the other hand and moving on with the syncing difficulties you're currently experiencing, I recommend you to check how the syncing procedure works here and see if there's a missing requirement on your Samsung phone that's preventing the syncing procedure to be completed.

Then, you can move forward and try the troubleshooting steps that are specified on: Why won't my Fitbit device sync? and let me know how it goes. Please make sure that there are no other Bluetooth devices nearby to avoid interference between the Fitbit and your phone.

Looking forward to your reply.