Crashes during exercise

[BMCG]

10/3 morning run, tracking with GPS, looked at watch at mile 2,

checked a couple minutes later and it was the workout screen where you scroll to choose exercise. So I restarted “run” and went home. Synced to phone, 2+mile run is not there, was never recorded, didn’t sync. This is a MAJOR  reason for buying a gps tracker, it must work every time.  

Other problems-

finally got pandora stations to show up when I forced sync for 15th time on work WiFi, got Home put watch on charger, Home WiFi, pandora station and disappeared!!!! Fitbit Please fix software! Will Ben returning off not fixed in next couple weeks for refund. 

I was excited aboit Ionic becuase I like fitbit, battery life vs Apple Watch, and combined the function of my old gps running watch and all day tracker. But it was released with too many problems.  Please post update on firmware fixes that may be in the future. 

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity & format

[OS_Cyclist]

My Ionic has also started to crash during cycling. Like other users have stated it simply returns to the clock face and loses all the data. As I check my watch regularly during exercise I know I have started the ride. This was an upgrade I got in April after using my Surge for almost 3 years. Extremely dissapointed that Fitbit has not yet resolved the problem.

I can add that the problem seems to happen in more remote areas- so I suspect it is something to do with the connectivity funtions.

I really hope this problem gets fixed soon as I see this thread has been going for a year....

[SunsetRunner]

@OS_Cyclist This crash happens to non-GPS activities, too. I mostly observe it in the "Workout" type. It's just a major issue in the very base functionality and so far no update. I guess the forum is not to be in touch with developers but it serves as a firewall where all complaints die and never get through to anybody who actually does things. If there is a carpet in the Fitbit office then it must have turned into a small hill due to showing all the dirt under it.

[dedamichael]

@SunsetRunnerHow are you finding your Garmin?

[SunsetRunner]

@dedamichael I never said I had Garmin. I don't have any other tracker. To track my exercises I use Polar chest strap and companion apps. I have the plan to get myself early Xmas gift and get Polar VantageV but I haven't decided yet ( it's hell lots of money to spend again ). However, I consider Garmin devices, too. I know there are no devices without issues but there are not many devices with so many ignored and unresolved issues. What drives me away from Fitbit is not the watch is buggy but because bugs stay unresolved and this is something I can't accept.

[dedamichael]

@SunsetRunnerSorry I confused you with someone else on the forum that got one.

[Hebrews12-1]

@dedamichael, I haven't cycled with my Ionic but I have run a marathon
that was just under four hours and had battery to spare. I'm surprised you
are only able to get 2.5 hours on the battery. Do you have the backlight
on the entire time you are cycling?

[dedamichael]

I did have it on few times and also off other times.  The trouble when its not on, you're not sure if the watch has crashed.  The weird thing is I would get 7 days worth of battery power with normal use before charging.

[13guppies]

I'm so thankful I saw this thread before buying a replacement for my Surge. To me, recording workout data is the whole point of purchasing this type of GPS/HR watch, and crashing during a workout and/or not recording is the ultimate failure. If I didn't care about recording workouts, I'd buy a traditional stopwatch for $30 or less.

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone! Your feedback and comments are really appreciated. Fitbit is working towards a solution to this. 

Our team is checking this thread and sending your reports for feedback. Rest assure that any update on this issue will be posted here. In the meantime, it's recommended to manually log the activity by following the steps mentioned on this article How do I track exercise and activity with my Fitbit device?. 

Your understanding is appreciated. 

[runnerboi418]

STOP LYING TO US.

Fitbit is NOT working on a solution to this. If you were, we wouldn’t be seeing the same meaningless response from the moderators every few weeks; instead, we would have seen a solution long before now.

Have some dignity, for Pete’s sake.

BEK

[DebDarl]

The trouble with this is that you don't get any active minutes.

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[pmfeola]

Even though it crashes and it no longer is showing on the watch that it's reflecting that you are working out.  it does track that workout.  The one thing I noticed was that it wasn't stopping until I reset my watch.  Since then whenever it does crash once I'm done I reset the watch and my app shows me what my workout tracked.  It's a bit annoying that my watch no longer sees that but the app is still tracking it.

[SunsetRunner]

I tried that. Didn't work for me. Well. There seem to be more workarounds than actual fixes for Ionic. My workaround is as I posted above - not tracking anything at all except of walking which is automatic. I regret I bought worlds most expensive step counter with functionality of showing time. More reliable devices provide me better quality data. The upside of my "workaround" is that battery lives longer 😛

@DebDarl active minutes, if I am not mistaken, are based on elevated heart rate so even if you log manually it adds active minutes if only HR tracking works. I double checked that yesterday and today and got quite lots of active minutes.

[DebDarl]

I did a nine km walk. the fitbit died at 8km. I decided I wanted to show I'd done 9km so manually entered. I had 70 active minutes from my original walk and got none for the manually entered one. I thought the problem was having two walks over the same time so I deleted the original and got no active minutes at all. Disappointed ##!

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone! I continue to appreciate your comments regarding this bug.

I totally understand your frustration with this. We’re aware of it, but may not be able to provide a fix in the immediate future. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and keep our team informed of the impact to you and other customers. We understand that this isn't the resolution you're hoping for, but rest assured we're always working to improve our products. 

In the meantime, you may want to manually log the activity by following the steps mentioned on this article. 

Your understanding is truly appreciated. 

[Noodle_Eater]

I don't even know why the moderators bother to reply since its just copied and pasted from a list of generic responses.

Anyways, I created a clock face that vibrates when it starts up so at least I know when the exercise app crashes and goes back to the clock face.  It hasn't happened to me too often, but enough to make me lose confidence in the device.  You'd think they'd be able to fix this bug or at least tell us why it happens. It's obvious to me that either it's not fixable or they just don't care.

[Wizegeezer]

@SilviaFitbit, thanks for keeping us updated.   I had no issues for four months until applying the May firmware update.  It doesn't make sense for Fitbit to continue to sell a fitness watch that doesn't work reliably without having some plan to make things right.  I understand there may not be an immediate fix but is there a target date which is being worked?   Is that an unreasonable request?

[5miles]

Hi everyone. This is dreadful. I came on here to look for posts on recording pool swims and found this. I am just about to replace my surge (I think this is the fourth that has had the well documented strap problems) with an Ionic. I think this has steered me away. It's a real shame as the app is great. I also really liked the feel of Fitbit generally. The sleep tracking is really useful and seems accurate. But selling a product for such a high price whose core functionality is so badly compromised seems to indicate the main focus is selling volume with low quality. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe you should all return your devices for a refund and move on. 

[lachellesays]

Unfortunately returning is not an option for those of us who have had the device for more than 60 days. 

Fitbit clearly does not stand behind their product. 

Get a garmin. 

[5miles]

Hi, is it that bad? My thoughts were moving in that direction to be honest. These devices need to perform. I would wonder if there is a legal foundation for recovering your investment based on this lack of functionality for so many users, with no real indication that progress is being made. These are lifestyle products marketed to enhance health and fitness as their fundamental function. This goes beyond an individual warranty I would have thought. They are fantastic looking devices and I was really looking forward to owning one!