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!

[Corvettekid]

"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."

When did you buy your Blaze ?  What software version are you running ?

Have you walked around a high school 1/4 mile track -- what does the Blaze say it is distance-wise ?

[Rich_Laue]

I also have been able to document a 20 less than step count error over a 1000 step count test. Also have done this with one other Blaze.
I do find that unhappy customers are more likely to voice their opinion than happy ones are.

I do agree that the blaze seems to be off a little more than the other models, fitbit One is usually understandably within 2 steps, the Charge and Surge within 10 steps of the same 1000 step test. I however do find that all 4 tracker a stay close throughout the week, often switching possitions on the leader board.
The count error has been documented and being worked on, it however would be a lot easier, faster and simpler to fix if the error was affecting all units.

[Corvettekid]

Rich, I can post a video of mine being off on a 1/4 mile HS track....I'll even send it back to FitBit corporate, CS, or the Mods here to verify.

Everybody here isn't upset with it being off by 10% or less.  It's 20-30% off.....unacceptable given the previous models had much better accuracy and apparently the previous software upgrade for the Blaze also had the step and distance count pretty accurate.

If the FitBit mods here want, I'll re-do the 1/4 mile high test and call out both the step count and distance at 1/16th mile intervals (that's the 100/200/300/400 meter marks).  I can post it on DropBox if anybody doubts me.

Remember, 1 mile = 1609 meters so the metric differential is nonexistent in this case.  

[Houstonnick]

The real question is why can't FitBit provide an update that fixes the problems.  We, as users, shouldn't have to dance the correct jig, at 11:18 p.m., on the anniversary of the date the last update code was written, in the light of the same moon, just to get a tracker that correctly count our steps and distance.  Just get it right, that is all we ask.

[Corvettekid]

"Just get it right, that is all we ask."

First they have to admit there's a problem.  Not sure they have done that.

[Rich_Laue]

If your talking metric then everything is in metric, stride and distance, Miles are mute. Besides a step is a step, distance is dependent on step accuracy and how accurate the stride setting is.

@Houstonnick the Surge had the same type of problem, where some had step count accuracy issues, not all.. Fitbit was able to identify the offending devices, and come up with a fix, I'm sure that the same will be done with the Blaze. It however is not an instant process. Even if fitbit feels they have an answer it still needs to be thoroughly tested before being released.

[MikeS1971]

My issue was with steps. It was off by a significant amount. I did several tests that were presented to FitBit tech support. 

On my lunch hour, I walk the same route just about every day. I'd start my Blaze to track a walk at the back door of the building at work, walk to the park across the street and along one of the trails. I'd turn around at 28 minutes and walk the same exact route back to the back door of the building. Then I'd stop tracking the walk on my Blaze. My turn back point would be pretty much in the same place every time, so I was keeping a consistant pace. After the April update, step numbers were off astronomically. Sometimes the walk back would be 800, 900 or 1000 steps less than the walk out. Sometimes more. Even the walk out to the turn around point would be different by several hundred to over a thousand steps from day to day.

Before the April update, that walk would be 5950 minimum to 6175 maximum steps logged with my Blaze and Charge HR before that. After the April update, that same exact walk would be 3175 to 5150 steps logged. A couple weeks ago I stopped using my Blaze and moved on to another manufactuer. Its counting that route the same as what the Charge HR and Blaze was doing prior to the April software update. Heck, even MapMyWalk+ pedometer is able to count my steps more accuratly. Thats what I was using before I bought my Charge HR over a year ago. 

[wardrich]

Funny that you are all reporting missed steps... Meanwhile mine seems overly generous with the steps it counts.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hello all, I hope you are doing fine!  I would like to know if you have already tried the restart process? If you haven't please try it. If you have and the result was the same, feel free to contact our support team, I know they will be glad to help you out since they have the proper tools to see the information that your trackers are registering. For a faster response you can contact them via phone or chat.

Let me know the outcome. 

[Fands]

This thread was started on April 21---24 pages of posts--and i'm quite sure i have restarted my Blaze several times in almost 4 months--which was when th problem first occurred.

This is NOT the problem.--restarting is not going to fix it. 

Read the first post on this thread--

Read what Blaze customer support says that they have acknowledged there is a problem

Read the moderators telling us to "please be patient"

the problem was in this firmware update that was last done in APRIL  17.8.200.3.

no one can give an accurate answer either from this forum, customer support...just "be patient"

well, "patience is a virtue"--how about a 50% refund to all the customers who first purchased BEFORE  the april update?  How about a full replacement for all the defective devices you sold by the thousands to the 2 shopping channels? 

nope, that is not coming either--but please remember that  new gunmetal frame has undergone a special coating to make it more expensive--because if you use a 3rd party option, you "void the warranty".  

who actually believes this baloney?

[bmiller1969]

Yep have done that several times. That is not the problem. Customer support knows there is problem, just not sure why that is not being mentioned. It took me awhile to get it out of them but they finally admitted it. And what's sad is they are still being sold! 😞

[AVM]

My Blaze now has a new problem. Now its counting the floors incorrectly. Randomly at noon it stated showing 2 floors climbed but I didn't actually climb any floor during that time!
Anyone facing same issue?

[Txtea11]

Well that is frustrating.  I am not having issues too.  My fitbit blaze will not sync with my iphone 5s.  I have power off and on my cell. I have confirmed that in the setting in the blaze is on "pair" and still nothing.  When I go to my iphone Settings and go to bluetooth, it will not pair.  I can pair my other items on my cell. but not my fitbit.  

[Txtea11]

Mine finally synced.  I put an alarm using my iphone to see if it would sync and no luck.  Then I went to my blaze and pressed to for timer and then it synced.  Not sure what really made it sync.  I hope you get your problems fixed. 

[AlejandraFitbit]

@Txtea11 Welcome to the Community and share the tips you did to fix the syncing inconvenience you were experiencing. :womanwink: 

Thanks for the information and feedback @Fands and @bmiller1969. If you have already tried all troubleshoot possible, I think the best thing to do is to contact our support team, they have the proper tools to see the information that your tracker is registering and to see what's wrong with it. 

@AVM Your tracker may give you credit for extra floors for a variety of reasons. Occasionally your tracker may detect pressure changes unrelated to elevation gains, such as a gust of wind, weather change, or opening a door. Exposure to excess moisture can also result in extra floors being counted.

Catch you later. 

[meresydotes]

@AlejandraFitbit I would say that most of the people on this thread have called support multiple times. The most they will do is send another tracker. Because the problems are firmware related, rather than hardware related, this doesn't help much.

I think we're pretty much coming here to vent, as that seems to be about all we can do at this point.

Even though my Blaze is suddenly counting my treadmill steps more or less correctly, I still consider it a problem that I had to essentially change the way I walk to get it to do so.

I wouldn't call the heartrate tracker accurate, but it does seem to be consistent, which is a plus.

Also, I have not been able to force a sync with my PC for over 6 months now. I have called support multiple times and been promised an update to the fitbit connect software each time. This has not yet happened.

[Fands]

@AlejandraFitbit 

if you suggest that I contact support--you did not read this thread---I have an open ticket with support still for the last 2 months, I have a new replacement Blaze they sent me--support cannot "see anything"

because the problem is on Fitbit's end--  until that gets corrected we are just wasting our time--voicing this on Facebook (where the free advertising the Blaze is) at least makes others aware-

here we are just complaining amongst ourselves and directing our frustraion at you unfortunately--I know that you have no special magical powers to make this happen either.

[bmiller1969]

have contacted support group numerous times. It is a fitbit problem. They
sent me a new one and it does the same exact thing. Calling support group
does nothing.

[kathysjourney]

I also had mine replaced and same issues.

[kathysjourney]

Someone needs to replace our fit it's with some other kind of device.
This is also my second blaze device.
Talking with support is not going to correct the problem.
If the problem is not resolved, many users of Fitbit will go to other brands.
Someone has to keep us committed and the way to do that is to do what it right.
Don't make us hold on until you find a solution when we paid over 200.00 to buy your device.