Unable to unlock Versa

[John-A]

Hi,

I had some syncing issues, so I tried to remove my versa from the fitbit app (Android) and re-add it. The problem is that I had setup my versa to lock and can only unlock from the app. Now when I try to add my phone to the fitbit app, I come to a point where the fitbit app asks me for a four digit number displayed on the versa. However, at the same time, my versa is requiring me to unlock the it from the phone app. This is a catch-22 that I am unable to resolve. 

I have tried hard factory resetting, but that does not seem to work. This is the one where you are supposed to hold all three buttons down for a while, then release the bottom right.

I read that some users have had success by removing credit card details from their fitbit account. I have not added any credit card to my account. So that isn't my issue.

Has anybody encountered this issue? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

John.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @John-A , as you have removed the Versa from your account as far as I know the only solution is the 3 button reset.  It must be done precisely, or it will not work.  Here are the instructions:

On the watch, hold all three buttons for about twelve seconds. This triggers the 2-button hardware reboot after about eight seconds.
- When the Fitbit logo appears, then disappears, release the bottom right button, then continue holding the left and top right buttons until you feel a strong vibration. This indicates the factory reset was initiated.
- This process may take several seconds, and eventually, the Fitbit logo appears and the device boots and displays go to Fitbit.com/setup.
- If you fail to release the bottom right button in time, or otherwise don't follow the procedure precisely, the Fitbit logo reappears quickly and boots without factory reset.

I would suggest trying this again and seeing if you can get it working.

In general it is a bad idea to try to solve a snc problem by removing the device from your account.  Instead, go to “set up a device” in the app and choose the device you already have (Versa).  You will get a notification that there is already a Versa on yiur account; would you like to replace it?  Say yes and continue with the set up.  The advantage of doing it this way is that if there is any issue or failure the device is not removed from your account.  I appreciate that this will not help you now, but hopefully may in the future, or will help someone else reading this!

Good luck.  Let us know how it goes.

[John-A]

Hello Julia, After several hours of trying the three-buttons reset, I gave up on it back in June 2019. With the start of 2020, I tried it again and it still doesn't work. Any suggestions?

John.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @John-A , if you have not tried this since last June, at this point you will need to give your Versa a full charge first.  Please plug it in, ideally using a wall charger (any UL/CE certified plug that will accept a USB port should be fine — the charger you use for your cell/ mobile phone is likely to be ideal.  

Give it a good two hours charge, even if it does not seem to be charging, and then try the reset procedure again.  As it has been left uncharged for many months it is likely that it has become unresponsive, so you will probably need to hold the buttons for significantly longer than 8-12 seconds.  It may take a full minute before it comes to life.

Please do let us know if you see the Fitbit logo or any sign of life.

[John-A]

Thanks Julia. Yes, I charged it fully (100%). It is responsive. Its
behavior is no different from when I had given up in June.

With regards,
John

[Julia_G]

Hi, @John-A , so you are seeing the Fitbit logo, etc?  Your problem is still that you are unable to link it/ set it up to your Fitbit account, and you are unable to perform the factory reset?

[John-A]

Yes Julia, that is correct.

John.

[Julia_G]

From many reports it seems that it is critical to release the button at the right time.

However, I did a little search for you of the forums and found this timing/ technique which seems to have worked:

BUTTON FACTORY RESET FOR VERSA 2
Hold the back button for about 8 seconds. 
When the Fitbit logo disappears: Release the button briefly (for less than 2 seconds). 
Hold the button again until you feel a second, longer vibration, which indicates the factory reset.

I would suggest trying that and see if you can get back to the setup screen, which is what you need to unlock your Versa.

If you still are getting nowhere, let me know and I will flag this for moderator attention.  They can create a support ticket for you.