Unable to manually select time zone I am in - reverts to Etc/UTC(GMT)

[Axl2130]

My fitbit app will not allow me to select Asia/Makassar time zone, which is the time zone I am in.  If I toggle  to automatic selection, it briefly shows Asia/Makassar, then defaults to Etc/UTC (GMT). If i try manual selection, the tick appears briefly then disappears and the time zone again reverts to Etc/UTC (GMT).  I have gone through all recommended troubleshooting including restarting iphone, restarting fitbit, removing and reinstalling app, removal and reconnection of fitbit, checking all iPhone settings are set to automatic. I am able to manually select every other time zone except the one I am in! My fitbit itself is showing the correct time, but the app not accepting/recognising the time zone even though my iPhone has the right zone (Makassar) means that my sleep tracker shows I am going to sleep at say 6:00 a.m and waking up at 2:00 p.m., and the days are showing split dates e.g. 9-10 September. I changed locations on Monday, 8 September from Australia. I see another user (located in Omsk)  logged a similar problem in late August but there has been no response. My fitbit model is Inspire 3.

[AniseBarnes]

This is exactly the issue I’m having…did you ever figure out a way to fix it?

[Axl2130]

Sadly not - it appears that there are several time zones that won't stick. It seems to be a glitch in the fitbit app.  The fitbit itself is showing the right time which it must be getting from my iphone (iPhone shows timezone as Makassar) yet if I manually select a different time zone in the app like Asia/Macau or Australia/Sydney, it immediately resets on the fitbit to that timezone. Weird. I'm hoping a google/fitbit boffin might know what's going on?

[Axl2130]

UPDATE: I have been online with the help desk and sent screen recordings of the problem, showing that some time zones are fine while others aren't. I will keep this thread updated.

[Kim-J]

This has been a problem forever. I and others have previously posted about it. Way back, some time zones weren’t even available so people complained and the times zones were added in the app BUT—and it’s a big but—they weren’t ever enabled, so if you select one of those time zones it defaults to UTC. Be glad you don’t live in the Aleutian Islands. Their time zone is one of the problematic ones and they can’t use their own time zone most of the year if they use a Fitbit. A number of time zones in the Pacific are affected. I’m going to be dealing with this over the next couple of months. What I’ve done in the past is find the closest working time zone and use that. I have usually been able to get a working time zone within 2 hours of reality. The problem was even worse before the Fitbit took the time straight from your iPhone/ipad because your Fitbit device was showing the wrong time so you had to try to remember that and add/subtract in your head to figure out the real time.

[Axl2130]

Thanks Kim-J: what is strange is that the time zone it's not recognising has previously been recognised on multiple visits i.e. this hasn't been a problem for me before: it now won't automatically select Asia/Makassar, nor can I manually select it, but I can select for example Asia/Jakarta.  I did actually switch to another working location in the same time zone that I could select #analog

[Kim-J]

I’m now in the Aleutians time zone (HADT = UTC-9). As I mentioned in my previous post this is one of the problematic time zones. I reset my phone to HADT (Hawaii-Aleutians Daylight Time) and found exactly what Axl2130 found. I have had to manually set the time on my Fitbit so that both my device and the app are using Alaska time (AKDT = UTC-8), which means I’m one hour offset from the time on my ship. I can’t use my Fitbit as a watch and must depend on my phone to figure out my schedule for the day. I’m back to the “fix” I’ve had to use for years. Fortunately this bout with the wrong time zone will only last a couple of days as after that I’ll be on Hawaii time (HST = UTC-10) for a while. Stay tuned for updates about what to expect when repeatedly crossing the international date line as well as changing time zones.