Blaze Firmware Update - 17.8.200.3 [Closed]

[AndrewFitbit]

Update 5/6/16:

Hey all,

I've been keeping a close eye on this thread, and I wanted to give a quick update.

For reports of Blaze steps and/or distance being inaccurate, I think this is definitely something worth looking into. I've passed on all the feedback to our team so they can investigate. As a friendly reminder, remember that accuracy depends on many factors.

Here's a couple things being worked on:

• Excess Calendar Notifications
• 'Auto' brightness setting is too dim or adjusts slowly

For 'Auto' setting being too dim, you can switch to 'Normal' as a workaround in the meantime. Please note switching to 'Normal' will have a slight impact on battery life.

I'll provide updates when I can. Thanks everyone. 🙂

Update 4/27/16:

The firmware update should now be available to everyone. Update your Blaze and let me know how it goes! You can read the release notes for version 17.8.200.3 in the lead post or check them out on our help site. 🙂

Update 4/23/16:

Sorry for the wait, here's the release notes!

"The Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages are now available on Blaze. Note that Blaze is only available for pre-order from fitbit.com in China, Japan, and Korea.

This release also resolves a couple issues:

• Some customers were unable to resume a paused FitStar workout.
• Some customers reported problems with the Blaze screen (display)."

You can find these release notes for this update (17.8.200.3) on our help site.

4/21/16:

Hey everybody,

Some of you may have noticed there's a new firmware update for Blaze! We just started pushing this update out yesterday, and just like any other update, we'll be rolling it out in waves. This update focuses on a few bug fixes. Release notes will be posted here soon.

Thanks!

[bmiller1969]

And they are still selling them! Blows my mind!

[AVM]

I have been using my Blaze, primarily for tracking steps and when I want to
track distance, I use it with GPS.
I have tested it multiple times and it tracks the number of steps
correctly. I do not meant to falsify anyone's experience but this is what I
have observed.

[meresydotes]

Yeah, so the weirdest thing happened. I KNOW that I tested blaze step counting on my treadmill sometime after the last update and it only counted about 70% of my steps, as it had been since I got it, and as my charge HR did before it. Then I got sick about a month ago and decided maybe running twice a day wasn't so smart. But walking for half an hour, especially with my hand on my leg, isn't so much fun.

So, I decided to just walk normally on the treadmill, without my hand on my body. I figured I would just correct the activity log later. And - I would say it missed fewer than 150 steps out of a bit more than 3600 (no, I didn't count them, I know how many it should be approximately from doing it with my hand on my body).

Then, I got REALLY brave and decided to do my run/ walk workout with my hand not on my body. SAME THING. Fewer than 150 steps out of ~4500 missing.

So what happened? I think it's just that I got used to walking and running without swinging my arms much. And the blaze REALLY gets confused with vigorous arm swinging. You would think the larger movements would make it easier for it to count, but I guess not.

[MikeS1971]

I think the current problems with the Blaze counting steps goes back to whatever changes they made at the last update. Before it would count steps accurately no matter how a person walked/ran in relation to arm swing. Weather it was a shallow swing, medium or more pronounced swing. Now it seems it counts somewhat correctly in a narrow range of arm movement. There isn't a "one size fits all" when it comes to how people walk/run. And people can't be expected to change their walking /running technique to fit the shortcomings of the Blaze. Especially since it worked before.

Didn't the last update bring a new auto tracking recognition ability feature or something like that? I would think that whatever they did to add that is what messed up the Blaze.

Seems like FitBit is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the Blaze. Leave the Blaze as is and have it not work for a massive group of people. Or remove a "feature" that may of caused the current issues and upset another group of users that the current deficiencies do not affect.

At this point I think the Blaze is a lost cause. There's supposedly two new products that are to be available before the holidays. No reason to continue to support the Blaze with two new flagship devices coming out.

[AVM]

I am not sure that vigorous movements would confuse it or not but one thing
is rhythmic movements give a more accurate count.

[AVM]

I am waiting anxiously for these devices!!

[pierrotsc]

Indeed. I am the same way. I have had no problems with steps counting. At the end of the day,, it matched my basis peak. Even on the elliptical, it counts steps and it looks like it is fine. My only issue is with the incorrect calories count while walking. 10 calories per mn is way too high

[meresydotes]

@MikeS1971 I KNOW that I had problems with step counts before the update. Because I had the same problems with the previous model, I just presumed that fitbit had trouble counting steps on a treadmill, for whatever reason. I mentioned the update as I wanted to be sure that was removed as a possible source of the fix. I don't think the update made any changes to the step counting algorithms at all.

[MikeS1971]

---

@AVM wrote:
I am waiting anxiously for these devices!!

---

Me too, just to see the trainwreck.

If you really want one of these new FitBits, wait five or six months after release. Then see if its the same old FitBit way of doing things or if they're improved at all.

[MikeS1971]

---

@meresydotes wrote:

@MikeS1971 I KNOW that I had problems with step counts before the update. Because I had the same problems with the previous model, I just presumed that fitbit had trouble counting steps on a treadmill, for whatever reason. I mentioned the update as I wanted to be sure that was removed as a possible source of the fix. I don't think the update made any changes to the step counting algorithms at all.

---

My Charge HR and Blaze previous to the April update counted steps fine. Weather I was on my treadmill, the street or out on the trails. Even with most of the people I personally know with Blazes, their problems didnt start until after the April update. But obviously you've had issues this whole time. So it seems the Blazes problems are more widespread. This is a device that needed a lot more R&D before is was released to the public.

[meresydotes]

@MikeS1971 See, what I don't understand is how fitbit went so far off the rails. I know that an on-body tracker and a wrist tracker would work differently, so I would expect challenges switching from a One to a Flex. However, fitbit has been doing wrist trackers since the Flex. The only complaints I've seen/ heard about the Flex are that it has trouble counting steps when your arms are fixed, as in pushing a shopping cart.

I had a Flex, but I never used it on a treadmill.

So, with the framework of tracking from the wrist already set, why is it suddenly so HARD for fitbit to get it right?

[meresydotes]

I forget to mention that I have all the auto-workouts disabled. I have a feeling that's still important. Before I disabled them, all of my workouts were being tracked as Elliptical and I was missing steps during my workouts and all day. After I disabled Elliptical, no workouts were auto-tracked, so I disabled all of the auto-workouts. I stopped missing all day steps then, but was still missing workout steps.

[Rich_Laue]

@meresydotes if all your workouts are being seen as elliptical, my guess is that your 'Em movements are being exagerated, and not a normal movement of somebody who is walking. 

I tried walking on a treadmill weeks ago, walked 300 steps the tracker counted 298. I was not holding on to the rails. 

[kathysjourney]

Second Blaze device. This one is 2 months old. Same issues..... Reset done, updated app done. After a 6 mile run today, my Blaze says 917 steps. Can fit bit just admit that there are serious issues with the blaze and give us a different device. I don't want mine replaced with the same device again. I want something as close to accurate as possible and I am not the only person with this issue.

[MikeS1971]

---

@kathysjourney wrote:
Second Blaze device. This one is 2 months old. Same issues..... Reset done, updated app done. After a 6 mile run today, my Blaze says 917 steps. Can fit bit just admit that there are serious issues with the blaze and give us a different device. I don't want mine replaced with the same device again. I want something as close to accurate as possible and I am not the only person with this issue.

---

That would mean replacing your Blaze with another manufactuers product. 

[meresydotes]

@Rich_Laue That would mean I was walking down the street as if I was on an elliptical. I'm sure I walk funny, but that would be REALLY funny. See, even though the  fitbit (Blaze and Charge HR) would only tell me I was on an elliptical after a workout, it was somehow recording ALL my steps as elliptical. Note, I wrote that I was missing all day steps until I disabled the elliptical auto-workout. And how would I have suddenly gotten those missing steps back if I was the problem rather than the Blaze?

[Rich_Laue]

@meresydotes I'm not telling you how your walking. I'm telling you my thoughts on why Fitbit is interpretting the arm movements. 

Then this quote," So what happened? I think it's just that I got used to walking and running without swinging my arms much.  And the blaze REALLY gets confused with vigorous arm swinging. You would think the larger movements would make it easier for it to count, but I guess not".

Of course vigorous unnatural while walking arm movements will confuse the tracker. 

My thoughts are to hang un there, fitbit has a record of getting unexpected problems fixed. Albeit taking longer than desirable

[bmiller1969]

they sent me a new one and same exact issues with it!

[meresydotes]

@Rich_Laue I think it's pretty normal for people to swing their arms pretty vigorously when power walking or  running. It's not recommended, because it's a waste of energy, but most people do it. So fitbit should be able to handle it. Methinks.

[Corvettekid]

"Rather than reading ALL reviews at amazon and seeing not only the good with the bad, you went straight to where you only see the bad.  Brilliant."

Except that so many have the problem it must either be endemic to the Blaze or to a certain production run.

We have all documented that the Blaze is off by 20-30% on distance/steps.  I have walked several times around a 1/4 mile high school track and each time the Blaze said it was 0.18 miles.

I have offered to do a video of those walks or one around my neighborhood which is not circular, comparing it to a GPS I have that will mark off 1 mile or any other distance.  The Blaze consistently is off by 25-30%.

We can't get a straight answer from the Mods or CS.  They release a new product....a new software upgrade...and the product works worse than before or compared to previous FitBit products.

Not good.