Sync behavior on Charge 5

[akrimedes]

Hi, I have read in various forums that auto sync of data from the tracker has been disabled. Also read that there is no way to force a sync through the API. And that it needs to be done by opening the app on your phone and then forcing a manual sync. However, while querying heart rate data via the API, I do see recent data (about 10 min old) even though I have not opened the app on my phone. So some sort of syncing is happening every 15 min or so.

So is auto sync allowed again? Can the update frequency be increased, so I get updates every few minutes?

[akrimedes]

Some more experimentation seems to indicate that data appears to be auto-synced every 15 min - at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45. Is this correct?

[Gordon-C]

Hi @akrimedes 

I have moved your post to the Charge 5 section.  Someone here should be able to answer your question.

Best,

Gordon

[akrimedes]

Ok - after some more experimentation, this is what I see.

When I used the Web API this morning to pull data, I noticed via the Devices API that the last sync time was 02:10 AM. This was about 3 hours after I went to sleep (and I was wearing the tracker). Not clear to me what caused the syncs to stop at 2:10 AM.

My hypothesis was that maybe the syncs stop after some predetermined period of no activity and I was thinking they would auto resume after wake up. But I did not see any updates via the Web API an hour and half after waking up.

So at about 7:55 AM, I opened up the Fitbit app on my phone. It synced automatically from the tracker. And when I checked via the web API, I saw a sync at 7:55 AM and was able to pull the HR data. Since then, I am seeing automated syncs every 15 min.

So can someone from Fitbit confirm this behavior?

- Once the tracker has synced via the phone app during the day, it will auto sync every 15 min?

- There is some predetermined amount after detection of no activity (tracker not worn, user is asleep) that the syncs stop

- This behavior is consistent across the latest generation / software version of trackers (which ones are excluded?)

I am building a web application that will use HR, breathing and other time series data available from the Fitbit API. Ideally, I would like this to be available at minute-level granularity throughout the day. But if I can count on data available, with max age of 15 min, I can still work with the limitation.

Thanks!

Hi @Gordon-C - note that this is regarding the Web API.

[Gordon-C]

Hi @akrimedes 

When the Fitbit mobile application is running and the device is nearby, the syncing should occur every 15 minutes.   If the syncing stopped, that is the behavior of the device and mobile app, and I'll need someone from the device support team to answer this question.   My guess is your phone went to sleep around the 2:10 am time which caused the syncing to stop.   

Some of the data, (e.g. breathing rate) is only recorded when a user sleeps and becomes available after the sleep log is generated.  Check the "Additional Information" section of the individual endpoints to see when the data is available.  Some data is available immediately while others might take an hour to run through our algorithms.  The endpoints will also state how detail the data is made available.  Sounds like you need more than a daily summary.   Look at the Intraday endpoints.   You'll need to request access through the online form: https://dev.fitbit.com/build/reference/web-api/intraday/

Gordon