Fitbit not synced to phone app

[dypike]

My phone app does not accurately represent, but my Fitbit charge five shows. How do I change that?

[RiekoC]

Hello @dypike 

This page has the recommended troubleshooting steps to try: Why won't my Fitbit sync? (<-- click link). Hopefully, it will be something easy to get everything working properly again.

[dypike]

Thanks. It's not that the device and iPhone aren't synced; it's that the
phone app doesn't accurately reflect the steps shown on my watch.

I've done the suggested steps several times over the past few months --
it's an erratic problem and doesn't happen everyday. But I'll do these
steps again. I'm tired of having to correct this problem over and over
again.

But I thank you for your help. If there's long term solution, I'd love to
know!

[RiekoC]

Hi @dypike 

Thanks for clarifying your issue. Out of curiosity, how often do you sync your Charge 5 with the Fitbit app on your iPhone? If you're doing it at least once a day, I'm not sure what's going on.

BTW, which version of the Fitbit app are you on? I know there's a recent update for the iOS version, which has several bug fixes. If your issue is due to a bug, installing the latest version of the app might help.

In the meantime, I'm going to keep watch on the forums and in our team discussions to see if there's a better solution or if this has been identified as a trending issue. If I learn of any new information or a working solution, I'll report back.

[dypike]

How thoughtful you are!

I’ve a Fitbit Charge 5, which I’ve had for several years. I sync it at
least once a day to check on the accuracy between the device and my phone.
Is that unusual?

[RiekoC]

Hi @dypike 

Everyone is different on how often they sync their Fitbit devices to the app. I tend to check it several times during the day, especially for the hourly move goal and to log my fluid/water intake throughout the day.

I am a bit perplexed by the issue you're experiencing since Fitbit devices are supposed to retain about 7 days worth of data. So syncing once a day should work. Theoretically, that should be sufficient for your data to uploaded to your Fitbit account on the Fitbit servers.

If you notice that the data in the app matches the data on your Charge 5 when you sync more often during the day, then you might want to consider syncing more frequently.

I'll still be monitoring for reports of similar incidents and, more importantly, a solution.

[dypike]

Thank you. I’ll definitely sync more often during the day.

[dypike]

RiekoC was the most thoughtful and responsive to my problem. I still haven’t solved the problem of my device reading several thousand more steps than my phone, but I continue to work on it. 
A second troubling concern is that my charge 5 no longer records my sleep stages or length at night. Do I need to replace my 2-year old Charge 5 already?. 

[RiekoC]

Hi @dypike 

It's disappointing to see that you're still having issues with your step count and now your sleep log is being affected.

Are you getting the other sleep metrics, like Resting Heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature?

Have you tried manually entering your sleep start and end time to see if your sleep log updates? Every now & then, when my device doesn't properly track my sleep, I manually edit the sleep log. It's been my experience that it takes awhile for the app to update the sleep log, around an hour or so. Let me know if you would like instructions on how to manually edit your sleep log.

Are you seeing any issues with your heart rate tracking? Do you see a green light on the back of your device? You can check by putting your finger over the back, then lifting up. If you see a green light when you lift your finger, that means your heart rate sensor is working.

Lastly, make sure that your battery is charged before you go to bed at night. When the Fitbit's battery is too low, it won't track your sleep.

I'll be watching for your response. Hopefully, we can get this figure out.

[dypike]

You are such a reliable responder. I appreciate your diligence in helping
me to solve these problems with my Fitbit.

Yes, I’ve been manually adding my sleep data for the past week. And yes,
I’ve kept the device charged. Alas, either of those seems to fix the
problem. No other sleep metrics are evident.

Often, besides not recording the same steps or miles from my watch to my
device, the totals are off. That is, my device will show a certain number
of steps and miles, but the iPhone miles won’t correspond to the steps
taken.

I’m stumped.

[RiekoC]

Hi @dypike 

Well, drat. I'm stumped as well.

Have you had a chance to check the on-line fitbit.com dashboard to see if the data there matches what's on your Charge 5? To get to the on-line dashboard, click on Dashboard at the upper right of this page, between Help and the Store icon. See if the steps & sleep tiles data match your Fitbit. If so, then your tracked data is being uploaded to your account on the Fitbit servers.

I know the Fitbit app has a new iOS update to version 4.08. Hopefully, that might have the bug fixes that you need.

[dypike]

I’ve decided to get a new iPhone, hoping that will fix the problem. I’ll be
in touch! I truly appreciate how much help dnd support you’ve offered me.

[RiekoC]

Hi @dypike 

I was just about to ask you what iOS version you have on your phone. According to the Fitbit supported devices page (<-- click link), the Fitbit app requires iOS version 15 or higher. If your phone is on an older iOS, that could be the reason for the sync issue.

Sorry that I didn't think of this sooner. It's not always obvious to me to ask about a user's phone/tablet version.

When you get your new phone, be sure to delete your Fitbit from your old phone before adding it to your new one. We'll be around to help if you need assistance with setting up your Fitbit on your new phone.