Android (Galaxy S8+) and Ionic Syncing Issues

[jameskeeling]

I have seen a few posts discussing this issue and having been marked with "Accepted Solutions", but this issue is not at all resolved. I have gone so far as to factory reset my phone and Ionic several times. I've updated Android and the Ionic firmware. Nothing works.

This is absolutely awful and unacceptable. Syncing works initially. Within a day or two, syncing stops functioning. A lot of the time, restarting the phone or Ionic doesn't even fix the issue.

This is a $300 device, Fitbit Team. Please fix it. I'm an IT Professional, and if I am having major issues with the Ionic syncing--there is an issue you guys need to work out. If I want to sync my watch at any time or change watch faces or download a new app, it should work like a $300 device. I shouldn't have to go through hell with my phone or the Ionic just to do basic functions.

[Zippy21]

I am a reseller of your product and an Elite with Fitbit Learn. I started with the Blaze and based on the lack of technology I upgraded to the Ionic. 1st week loved the watch. Unfortunately, the 2nd week brought delayed or no sync issues. My S8 did the most recent update (Fitbit app) but same lack of sync, issue. Very disappointing when I am supposed to recommend this product to customers.

Hope this can get resolved in next day or so and restore my faith in thus product and company.

[joe3175]

I have the Samsung S8+ and the ionic which I bought three weeks ago. I have no sync issues between the phone and watch other then sometimes it is a bit slow to sync.

[Gammelgraa]

I had problems with the sync earlier. After the last update it works fine, but it's a little slow



Sendt fra min Samsung Galaxy-smarttelefon.

[Gasslift]

I have the same Issue since some time with my Ionic and my Oneplus 5. If the Issue with syncronising is not fixed in some time I will ask for a refund and buy a other device from a other producer...

[johnmccash]

I'm having this identical problem with my Galaxy S8+ and Ionic

[johnmccash2]

I fixed it! At least for now. Here are the steps I followed, in case this procedure may help others.

This applies to synching a Fitbit Ionic to a Samsung Galaxy 8+ phone.

1. Delete Fitbit Trackers other than Ionic (This may not be necessary, but it's part of the procedure that's worked once so far, when all else had failed.)

2. Remove Ionic from Fitbit application, using the trashcan button.

3. Unpair Ionic from the S8+, using the Bluetooth menu.

4. Force-quit the Fitbit application from the Apps control panel of the phone. I actually did this twice, which shouldn't be necessary, but I'm documenting all the steps I followed.

5. Restart the Fitbit application, and re-add the Ionic. (This will require you disconnect the Ionic from the charging cable, if it's currently connected, which mine was, and reconnect it. It seems that the Ionic becomes visible to the phone at the moment of power connection.)

Subsequent to these steps, I was able to sync my Ionic several times, where before, it would only sync once when I removed it and readded.

I suspect at least part of this problem derives from the fact that the S8 and S8+ use the new Bluetooth v5 standard. I've noticed several times that the Bluetooth stack on the phone will freeze, and refuse to enable, even after a reboot. I've gotten around this by resetting (only) the network stack. The network reset command is available under 'General management'->reset. Of course, the first time I did this was when my Ionic problems, which had been sporadic previously, became severe. Currently, my Ionic seems to be working correctly, even the watchface weather, which previously showed 'Loading' rather than weather information almost all the time, now shows the correct location and temperature.

Note that a reset of the network stack will remove all of your Bluetooth pairings, as well as your configured wireless networks, but you can the re-add them. Some devices may require you to remove the other side of the Bluetooth connection before you can re-pair, but I haven't run into this problem on anything for which that was problematic, or, indeed, with this phone, so that may be something that only happens with earlier Bluetooth versions.

I hope this helps somebody.

John

[SunsetRunner]

Excellent! Your process worked spot on and now syncing is quite fast. Ten times better than before. Thanks for documenting and getting out for us to use.

[petecentury]

Syncing still problematic. Just went to check my weekend data and found
last sync was Feb 16. I am set for all day sync.

[johnmccash]

Yeah, mine just stopped again as well. I keep having to reset the network stack. But at least that gets it working again for a few days.

John

[Txdancer]

My Ionic will sync my steps, activities etc, however it will not sync when I add or change an exercise on the app.  It can take up to 3 days for the new exercise to show up.   Example, I remove weights and added yoga on Sunday and it just showed up today.      I also seem to have an issue when I change time zones that it takes a few hours or longer to sync.

Does anyone else seem to have this problem?

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@johnmccashwrote:

Yeah, mine just stopped again as well. I keep having to reset the network stack. But at least that gets it working again for a few days.

John

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[Bethanyang77]

Totally agreed especially Fitbit Ionic is being positioned as the top range fitbit products in the market. Totally unacceptable to have this sync issue. I was excited about this smartwatch when my hubby bought for me as a Valentine Day gift but disappointed to find out it is such a pain to have this intermittent sync issue between my phone and ionic. REALLY DISAPPOINTED! PLEASE DO SOMETHING BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR CUSTOMERS FOREVER. :(-

[johnmccash]

And even with that, it only seems to sync infrequently during the day. I noticed last might about 8:30 that it had last synced at 3:30 in the afternoon. Then I put it on to charge while I took a shower, and it synced then. This, despite having the always-connected, keep-alive, and all-day-sync switches on.

John

[Skyggen]

Hi, 

I am getting very frustraded with Ionic. At first iihad Huawei mate 10 pro, and had to reinstall fitbit ionic about once per week duedto either missing sync and/or not finding the unit in app.

Because of this i sold my Huawei, thinkingtthis was the issue. Lost about €250 on this deal. Bought a Sony Xperia zx1 compact and it looked good the first week. Then three blank days in fitbit , unit could not sync. Reinstalled (again). New week without sync issues. Then, yesterday, New blank day.

Get it fixed  or at least offer a buy-back for faulty product. I love fitbit, had every model, and Bought ionic on release in Norway from https://unikefunn.no - but this, this is looking like my worst investment yet 😞

And the silence from fitbit makes it Even worse  . 

[sanderkroezen]

same problem here

[johnmccash]

So... I just realized after having to do the Network Reset trick several times in one week, that my S8+ had gotten into a state where it would refuse to reenable bluetooth after any disablement of it, including turning it off, invoking airplane mode, or power-cycling the phone (requiring a Network Reset, to get Bluetooth reenabled each time). I tried a full reset, and when that did nothing, a factory data reset, followed by a complete restore from my Samsung Cloud Backup. That seemed to fix the issue, at least for now.

[Nicky89]

I have the same issue on a Sony Xperia Z Premium. Just bought my Fitbit Ionic today! While setting it up, syncing worked fine. But after an exercise, nothing helps. Not your list of troubleshooting, not restarting both devives.

Please fix this!

[johnmccash]

I just had to remove & repair my ionic for the first time since I reset the phone. There have been 2 phone updates since then, and of course, the new Ionic OS version. The repairing may have been occasioned by the last phone OS update. Maybe things are getting better?

John

[Jlindell]

I haven't had any problems since the last update to Fitbit OS with the "Fitbit Sync Service", but I have been hesitant to fully test it, one major sync problem I have always seen is 2 activities with GPS in 1 day. The second never logs GPS and takes a lifetime to sync. The second issue was 3rd party apps causing a failure to sync, I am planning to test this later today, but honestly i've already gotten used to not getting the full use of the fit-bit since using any of the advanced features pretty much caused it to need reconnected or re-setup.

[SteveCoatney]

To all:  Good luck with your various attempts to resolve your syncing issues, and with your hopes that your latest "fix" will somehow stick, when all prior attempts have sooner or later failed to do so.  I can't count the number of times I have gone through all the recommended steps to get this thing to start syncing again (and believe me, quite a number of times I have had to DO the steps many many times before it would start to work even ONCE), only to have it start failing again before long, certainly within a day or two, if not an hour or two, if not on the very next sync or two.  

So, good luck, but until Fitbit acknowledges that the problem is with their hardware/software and either fixes the software or replaces the hardware, I believe we're pretty much up the creek.

[Songbird777]

I was going to purchase, but now I will save my money and look for something else. I love Fitbit but it has issues with my Samsung 8+. The Ironic is not in my future. 🙄😕