Adding bar-codes to the Barcodes app

[EmTe]

This step-by-step guide will tell you how to add bar-codes to the third-party Barcodes app for the Ionic and Versa.

Step 1:

First, manually sync your watch to the phone app. Syncing should clear the communication buffers to accept new data.

Step 2:

Tap on the device icon located in the top left of the Fitbit phone app.

Step 3:

Tap on the Apps icon.

Step 4:

Tap on the Gear icon located on the right side of the Barcodes menu.

Step 5:

Fill out the name of your barcode. You can use the name of the store.

Step 6:

Fill out the barcode number. Leave out spaces and dash marks.

Step 7:

Scroll down and tap on the Save button. Your watch should vibrate immediately to show it has received the data.

Step 8:

Compare the barcode on your watch with the barcode you are copying. The order of the thick and thin bars should be the same. If they don't, tap "Encoding" and choose another option and see if the resulting barcode looks closer.

Troubleshooting:

If you get a "Code too long" error, it means your barcode has too many characters and the app cannot generate a barcode that can fit on the screen. You will need a device with a larger screen (let's hope the next Versa will have a 4.5 inch screen ) to fit the whole barcode in it.

Conceptually when a "Code too long" error occurs, the barcode runs off the edge of the display therefore rendering it useless (unreadable). Conceptually it looks something like this for a 17 digit code:

It is worse for barcodes containing letters, because each letter takes twice the amount of space than numbers. Conceptually it looks like this for a 10 letter code:

 End of Guide

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity/Format

[SunsetRunner]

That is what I did. I clicked on the link contact developer and it tool me here.

[MarreFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @SunsetRunner! 

Hey my friend @EmTe, can you please give @SunsetRunner a hand on this?  Thanks a lot! 

Let me know if there's anything else I may assist you with.

[EmTe]

---

@SunsetRunner wrote:

There is no way to add barcodes using my computer. My current phone is not that compatible with Fitbit and I had to remove the app from it. Do you have any workarounds? I can install the app using the computer (Windows 10), but not add codes.

---

I haven't tried it myself, but I once read on these forums a person who was in a similar situation and paired their watch to their computer over bluetooth and was able to access the settings page using the Fitbit app installed on their computer. Perhaps you could try the same thing.

Otherwise Fitbit third-party apps are developed according to Fitbit's app guidelines and adhere to a prescribed application architecture which means out-of-the-box configuration methods aren't supported, unless if a particular design warrants out-of-the-box methods for exceptional reasons like KiezelPay.

[SunsetRunner]

---

@MarreFitbit wrote:

Thanks for getting back @SunsetRunner! 

Hey my friend @EmTe, can you please give @SunsetRunner a hand on this?  Thanks a lot! 

Let me know if there's anything else I may assist you with.

---

The Cog does not show up for the Barcodes app from Terry.

[chkchk]

You can give this a shot if you want to put in the effort and are willing
to accept that it may not work.

http://chrislarson.me/blog/emulate-android-and-bluetooth-le-hardware.html

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks,

the issue I was having is that the FitBit support asked me to unpair my phone from the tracker. They said my phone is not supported which I find it very annoying since it has a pretty updated OS (Android 8.1). I also had to restore the tracker to factory defaults.

Then I was limited to use the computer to config. Anyway I gave up and paired my phone back because the suggestion above did not solve the other problem I first contacted FitBit about. I used the phone to fix the configurations.

I don't see why the app configuration should not work well with the computer and I don't see why FitBit tries to bale the developer for that.

I bought a new phone with Android 9 and the support also says it is not supported.

Long story short, FitBit is doing a very crappy job in supporting the apps for Ionic and making the exprience consistent independently of what app are you using. The Bluetooth support is just bad as well.

I gave up uploading songs to my FitBit as it is just not practical to do so. It takes forever to upload.

I pretty much think this is going to be the last FitBit I will have.

[MarreFitbit]

Thanks for jumping in here @SunsetRunner! I totally understand your point. Note that the devices on this list have been confirmed as fully compatible with all features of Fitbit devices and the Fitbit app. While a phone or tablet may not be verified as fully compatible, the Fitbit app may still work with your device. 

Our team routinely test new devices to ensure full compatibility with Fitbit devices and the Fitbit app, and are constantly working to confirm compatibility with new phone models. Be sure to verify that your phone meets the minimum operating system requirements. Also, it would be great if you take a look at the article: Why won't my Fitbit device sync? 

Please keep in mind that when a device is not supported we cannot guarantee its functionality with the Fitbit app. It might work at a certain time and then it can stop working out of nowhere after an update. This is because the app is not optimized to that device and any change could impact the performance. 

Thanks for helping out guys @EmTe and @chkchk! 

Let me know if there's anything else I may assist you with.

[ActiveAndry]

Hi there,

I love this app and I love the idea! However, although I had no problem whatsoever entering the codes and understanding how to use the app, it appears that store scanners don’t pick up the barcodes (I’ve tried two so far) so I have to dictate the numbers to the clerks so they can enter the barcode manually into their computer/cash register. Is anyone else having this problem?

[JbinFullerton]

I don’t think it can be used with the red laser technology, it need to be like the tap card technology I think.  At least the ones I have used are the tap or near field RFID technology code readers that work.

Update: I use my Apple wallet on my phone for my grocery rewards card.  I shop at Ralphs in California but the card in Apple Wallet is branded for Fred Meyer their Midwest affiliate.  Works like a charm!

[jvawter]

The barcodes are entered through the Setup screen on your phone, or laptop/computer if the Ionic is tethered. Just enter the digits of the barcode and it repoduces an optically scannable barcode on the display. You can store up to 5 codes. Some of the older technology optical scanners have trouble reading the codes, but I find that these scanners are going away quickly.Once the entered codes are stored you sync your device and you will feel a confirming vibration from the Ionic.JimSent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab®|PRO

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @ActiveAndry! The number of characters that your Ionic or Versa can hold depends on the encoding you choose. My Fitbit Ionic compared to my sister's Versa can hold more characters since the screen is wider than the Versa, just as @EmTe mentioned above. The Code-128 encoding can encode more characters in the same amount of space. Code-39 holds less. 

As a friendly reminder; with third party apps, note that Fitbit doesn't own or maintain third party integrations. So, in this case is recommendable to contact the third party developer to learn more about the functionally of the app or to share some feedback in regards the functionally of the app.

To contact the developer please open their app on the Fitbit App Gallery, scroll/swipe down and under "App Details" you will find the information.

Additionally, for anything else you would like to see implemented in the future, consider visiting our Feature Suggestions board. This is a space where Community users can post features, ideas, and suggestions that they'd like to see in future Fitbit products, accessories, and software and top-voted suggestions get relayed to our product team for review. 

Thanks a lot for your help and input guys @jvawter and @JbinFullerton!

Have a nice day!

[ActiveAndry]

Hi,

Thanks very much for your reply; however, the number of characters is not an issue, I believe. It’s the fact that the codes can’t be scanned by cash register devices. 

Furthermore, even if the apps aren’t owned by Fitbit, which I completely understand, this is a Fitbit community and thus I wanted to see if anyone has experienced the same issues. If it’s a product for a Fitbit device, Fitbit users can weigh in or share information. 

Have a nice day as well. 🙂

[MarreFitbit]

I totally understand your comment my friend @ActiveAndry! I'd like to give thanks for the feedback you've provided towards our product. Rest assured that our engineers and product development team use this information to further improve our products and services.

Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on that feedback. 

Have a nice day you too!

[ActiveAndry]

Hi again,

Today I actually went into the Barcode app and clicked on Contact Developer to post my comment/question about the inability of stores to laser scan the barcodes, and the link brought me to the Fitbit Community forum. Is that an error? I would really like to have some information about whether cash register scanning is supposed to work or not. It’s also interesting that I’m told to contact the developer when there seems to be no way to do so. 

Thank you. 

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @ActiveAndry! You can contact @EmTe, the developer of this app.  He will be more than glad to assists. 

Keep me posted! 

[马车夫]

this app is useful ,but ,sometime I need  to reinstall watch,or change watch .how can I  transfer the APP's data to new system ?

regards 

---

[EmTe]

---

@ActiveAndry wrote:

Hi,

Thanks very much for your reply; however, the number of characters is not an issue, I believe. It’s the fact that the codes can’t be scanned by cash register devices. 

---

Barcodes are an international standards thing so it isn't an issue specific to this app. If the barcode generated doesn't adhere to the standard then there might be a bug in the code. A way to check is to see if the order of the narrow and wide black bars is the same as a reference barcode.

If the generated barcode is the same it means there is no bug in the code.

If the barcode is still not working then either the encoding selected is not supported by the cash register or the cash register cannot read barcodes off the watch's screen and perhaps can only read barcodes from a flat matte surface. You could try applying a matte screen protector to reduce screen glare to see if that helps.

There are many brands of barcode readers out there. Ones that require putting the barcode right up against a laser and some that work from a distance. Not all cash registers are created equal.

[ParanoidOtti]

Hi @EmTe,

I was trying to get my EAN 8 code to work, though it is not displayed correctly.

Is it possible to enter EAN 8 codes with your app? If not, could you please add the option? 

Thanks for this awesome app! 

Best

[EmTe]

---

@ParanoidOtti wrote:

Is it possible to enter EAN 8 codes with your app? If not, could you please add the option? 

---

 Where is EAN 8 used if you don't mind me asking?

[ParanoidOtti]

@EmTe 

One of the biggest supermarkets in Northern Germany is using EAN 8 for their customer relation program / card.

It is the last card I need to ban from my wallet 😉