Update ruined my Charge 6

[mostlyharmless2]

I received the firmware update to my Charge 6 today and it has ruined my experience with the watch completely. I moved software to my iPad to sync/connect my Charge 6 because I don’t want to allow the app to have location services ALL THE TIME on my cell phone, which is another unacceptable recent change that I consider borderline stalking. I don’t carry the iPad with me and the watch was not demanding a constant connection to a phone or the iPad until today. Starting after the update, it began blocking my view of my heart rate on the watch to alert me constantly that it’s not connected to a cell phone. It stops doing it when I open the app on the iPad so the watch can connect to it, so this is definitely the problem and it is brand new with this firmware update. This has made the watch useless garbage to me because I cannot just track my heart for my health. 

Please tell me how I reverse this update to fix my watch. I really don’t appreciate being required to allow Google to stalk me in order for my watch to work properly.

[Saebs]

I know right I did the update yesterday and it’s been a disaster. Same issue you are having. My charge 6 steps are not matching the app but they are calibrated to my exact stride. The app doesn’t sync. I have done all the troubleshooting including removing the tracker and uninstalling the app. Nothing has worked. So annoyed second major issue in four months. 

[DavidFitbit]

Hi @Saebs and welcome @mostlyharmless2 to the Fitbit Community! It's great to have you here!

Let me help you with the latest update installed in your Charge 6.

Please note the Fitbit app requirement to access your location is needed for better performance. It may arrive that an app update has made some changes to your current app settings:

This being said i recommend that you check out our help article Why is the Fitbit app prompting me to turn on location services? 

[GreyAcumen]

If your response to "this is unacceptable" is "check out this link to why this is necessary" for something that clearly wasn't necessary just a few days ago, then I won't be upgrading. I'll switch to a different brand when my current model dies, which shouldn't be much longer, given fitbit's past track record.

Seriously, I can't think of any other Bluetooth device that requires GPS to be on, the idea that there is simply nothing to be done is the most obnoxious gaslighting I've ever experienced.

[Saebs]

Hi I have location services turned on but would appreciate the help with getting my Fitbit working again pleasr

[narrlv]

Well, don't switch out your Fitbit because you think some other brand will not require Location (!!)

The problem is that any non-ancient Android versio  forces you to allow Location before it will allow you to 'pair' (connect) any Bluetooth device.

There's a long and contorted song and dance as to why, which breaks down into:

1. for intricate tech reasons, it's possible a Bluetooth connection itself could allow locating you. Thus, the argument seems to go, you have to give permission to acknowledge that you allow this....
2. underlying perhaps more than perhaps, being able to locate you enables the original vision of marketing to you on location, such as pushing 'helpful' hints when you're trying to buy something at a particular department store counter....

They don't fix or revert any of this, being asked for a long time, nor of course comment. I believe you are able to turn off Location Services on your phone _after_ you've paired, but this is also made unlikely by apps still bothering you with notifications for their 'need', not to say inconvenience and forgetfulness all around.

In short, it's Google via Android, not Fitbit at fault here, and the long tier of marketing etc. 'drive' people, but you can't avoid it by choosing another fitness device, which will in all likelihood do just as your Fitbit does. 

[narrlv]

@saebs, two thoughts, after reading yours and the original complaint from @mostlyharmless2 here.

• re: my too-long note just above, it looks like my suspicion that things miight go better on an Apple device since it can use Bluetooth without forcing Location permission might be right...
• ...but then the Fitbit app update really is at fault for @mostyharmless2's complaint, because it is quite unnecessarily trying to gain Location from the app itself -- not for technical need. I can't see that the Fitbit app needs this except if you are using the Apple device to provide GPS. That's unlikely on an iPad, and if an Apple phone, the notification could show only when there's actual need from the combination.
• One thing I might offer to you, @saebs, comes from an experience I had yesterday where the older app wouldn't pair. I tried everything, including all the remove-reinstalls you mention. But then a certain line in just one troubleshooting procedure caught may eye. It was that you needed to be sure no other nearby device had paired your Fitbit. And guess what...my iPad had automatically done so, I could see by listing its Bluetooth devices. I turned off Bluetooth on the iPad, and immediately the reinstalled Fitbit app could connect (and pair) to the reinstalled Charge 6. All then worked as it should, and I could turn Bluetooth back on in the iPad, which conveniently had forgotten the Charge 6, now missing from its Bluetooth devices list. Because of how Bluetooth works, this won't recur, unless having the Charge unpaired and the iPad once again with Bluetooth on, thus for convenience looking. At least its idea of convenience makes some sense....

[mostlyharmless2]

In case anyone else is having the same problem, I did figure out how to fix the notification that was blocking my heart rate. Look into settings on the watch, then display settings. Scroll to the bottom of display settings and look for “status tray” and turn it off. I don’t know if “status tray” was already there and the update just turned it on by default, or maybe it’s brand new. Either way, it fixed the notification that blocked my heart rate, thank goodness. Looks like I can continue to use the watch…until the next update…

[narrlv]

That is downright weird -- like something from another watch which erroneously got included with the Charge 6.

I wonder how you found it 🙂

And don't see anything like that on mine, which is still running 210.26, having not been offered an upgrade.

[mostlyharmless2]

I think Fitbit and Google are the same entity now, since Google bought Fitbit. It’s ridiculous to be forced to allow my watch to stalk me by accessing location services ALL THE TIME, when I never use location services for the watch in any way. Fitbit needs to change this. It was never a problem until the last Fitbit software update so I don’t buy the gaslighting either. I have put the Fitbit software on my iPad instead, because the Charge 6 connected to an iPad doesn’t seem to care if they can locate me 24/7; at least not yet. This setup works fine to sync to at the end of the day or in the morning, if I’ve slept in the watch. I also solved the problem caused by the Fitbit watch firmware update by turning off “status tray” in display settings, so the notification that was blocking my heart rate is now off. Other than all of the other Fitbit idiosyncrasies, I think I’m okay UNTIL the next update.

[Saebs]

I am not I have a sudden step and distance issue between the charge 6 and
my app.

[narrlv]

Ah, I think I see the link now, between that notification and your blockage -- it's because you resist the Location, thus the notification blocks the Fitbit actually sending your fresh data.

Just for clarity, again, it is Android which has long made the whole Location requiring mess -- and very deliberately, years ago. They are not going to unwind this, pretty apparently.

So if you don't want it, I guess you'd have to move off Android phones, which leaves Apple, and this applies to any fitness device you might keep or choose. 

In any case it's essential that Fitbit condition this new  firmware/s notification on missing Location, to avoid the blockage for iPhones, unless they already have. And change it also so it doesn't actually block functions on Android. That's a very important flaw that you've found.

The new firmware has documentation about 'necessary updates on Bluetooth', so I hope that's not about this same forcing. It just might be, given the obscure way the original block without Location has been explained for Android.

And yes, both Android and Fitbit are under Alphabet, Google's corporate.

[Saebs]

Hi thank you for that. I will check my IPad and IPod to see if Fitbit is connected. And see how that goes. Fingers crossed.
Sent from my iPhone

[Saebs]

I have always had always had an IPhone and these issues occurred since the firmware update. Its @mostlyharmless2 who is on Android.
Sent from my iPhone

[GreyAcumen]

So why does a gamepad, headphones, and any number of other devices not require location services to be enabled? It would be one thing if this was just asking for permission, but I literally cannot turn off my phone's GPS (which could be saving me some significant battery usage) without it disrupting the connection.

What gives? What magical information simply cannot be transmitted through Bluetooth as a high bit rate audio transmission and NOT require a GPS connection? 

[Saebs]

I don’t know it has never made sense to me. Fitbit’s was ruined once
google took over in my opinion. No ending issues. Now I can’t resolve this
issue which shouldn’t be an issue.

[narrlv]

I believe the distinction of what items are set to require Location depends on the generation of Bluetooth in use -- that the restrictions were set on Bluetooth LE, which is preferred these days for its Low Energy (battery saving) and other properties.

Whether a device follows that idea carefully or not probably determines whether given earphones etc. hit the requirement or not.

As far as the explanation given for the restriction, that a rather determined adversary might in some cases be able to derive location from Bluetooth itself, thus the need to insist permission be given for location if Bluetooth is turned on, well...that's a topic full enough of questions, I suspect.