Fitbit Ionic not syncing to P20 Lite

[KeviZa]

Hi all ,

My FitBit Ionic was synced to my Huawei P20 Lite but stopped syncing about 5 days ago . I was trying to get it to sync last night but everything I tried was unsuccessful including restarting the watch and phone many times . I restarted the phone and watch many times and also switched Bluetooth on and off many times . I then removed the watch from the app and tried to add it as a device again but it would get to the "Found it" screen and then hang .

This morning I tried again and would not pair . I then did a factory reset on the watch , losing the last 5 days stats . It will still not pair with the phone . I have tried everything even uninstalling the app from the phone and reinstalling . I really do not know what the issue is but I do know that this is very frustrating . I now have a watch that does not even tell the time as it won't pair with my phone . I would expect or even excuse this sort of thing from a cheap watch but not a watch that I spent a fair amount of money on . This is my first FitBit device as I have always used Garmin and I think after this experience and other issues similar to this with the same watch I will stick to Garmin in future . 

Please can someone help solve this issue.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SteveH · Accepted solution]

I don't think you will be able to fix this. Fitbit say:

"Due to Bluetooth issues that prevent Huawei Lite models, including P8, P9, and P20 Lite, from syncing with some devices, like Fitbit devices, our products are not compatible with these mobile phones."

taken from: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2315/?q=p8

This is why it doesn't show on the list of supported devices at www.fitbit.com/devices

It seems that some people have had temporary success using the P20 Lite but if you do get it working it's unlikely to last.

[KeviZa]

Thank you for the reply SteveH . 

I guess this means I have to use another phone to sync my watch . I have a Cat S41 that I am not using . I will have to use that exclusively to sync the Ionic . 

[bren1010]

Mine isn't syncing either and I have a pixel phone

[mc2018]

nor mine on a Sony Xperia

[Swezy]

For the last two days I have had similar problems with my Ionic.  Syncing was impossible without a lot of work repairing / restarting / reloading. The it works but starts to run slow - is currently losing about 5 min every 30 minutes.

If I spend ages I can get it repaired / restarted and resynced but the problems immediately return.

So frustrating

[Vganz]

I'm so glad I'm not alone. I'm attempting to sync with an iPhone, the software is up to date (both the phone and the fitbit), I've gone through multiple different restarts on my phone and fitbit, and it will finally sync - only to stop syncing later. Saturday it was loosing time, yesterday it wasn't tracking anything, today it's both time and tracking.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi everyone, hope you're doing great today! As my friend @SteveH said, 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.

If you or you don't own a compatible device, it would be great if you take a look at the article: Why won't my Fitbit device sync? for additional troubleshooting steps.

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. 

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

[Vganz]

I've verified compatibility. I've done all of the steps (multiple times) in
the trouble shooting and it still refuses sync. I've been trying for about
3 days now, and my watch is over an hour behind. I keep meaning to call
fitbit to get to a resolution but have been too busy at work to do so. If
they can't help me resolve this I'll just find a different watch/tracker
because I didn't pay the kind of money that I did for a device that won't
work properly.

[KeviZa]

So I pulled out my Cat S41 , which has never had any issues with the FitBit Ionic and guess what ... will not sync or cannot find the watch . 

Let me guess ... This phone is not compatible with the ionic either ... and all the months that it did work was just luck ...

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey there @Vganz. Thanks for verifying the compatibility with your phone and for the troubleshooting that you've tried. I've shared your post with our Support team, they will continue assisting you on this matter. 

It's great to see you around @KeviZa. I appreciate that you've mentioned the phone that you're using. I've checked the list of supported devices and I couldn't find the one that you're using. You can try this syncing troubleshooting and see the results. 

Sometimes, users are able to sync their watches with devices that aren't on the list but since they haven't been tested by Fitbit they stopped syncing. Rest assure that our team is always testing new devices and adding them to the list. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[mc2018]

OK, I have a Sony Xperia XZ1. When I bought the fitbit there was no problem
with it. It worked beautifully and I am huge fan. However, it does not seem
to be on the full list from fitbit at the moment.

So a few weeks ago it stopped syncing automatically and the watch started
losing around 2-3min/hour of time.

Since then I have played with it extensively. I have managed to get it to
sync although it takes a few minutes and the fitbit needs to be plugged in
etc. However, I can live with that.

What I really struggle with is why suddenly the watch stopped telling the
time accurately. Is this something to do with the system? Or a fault with
the watch ?

Thanks. Michael

[sameermdixit]

I think I found a solution to syncing my FITBIT- IONIC with HUAWEI NOVA 2i (and am hopeful that this will apply to other huawei models also). If you have successfully synced your phone with the device previously and then suddenly find that it is no longer syncing, follow these steps and see if it works for you:

1. Ensure you are connected to wifi.

2. Have fitbit app window open (or hidden, but do not close it)

3. Go to phone settings-> bluetooth--> unpair fitbit device (in my case ionic)

4. Turn off bluetooth as well as location on your phone

5. After about 10 sec turn both bluetooth and location back on again

5. Fitbit should re-sync with phone automatically within a minue

In my case, I need to repeat these steps 2-3 times a day, but data is not lost.

Good luck.

[mc2018]

Mine has miraculously started to update again. Which is just as well
because the clock was losing 4-6 minutes per hour. Is it even possible to
make such an inaccurate watch? I suspect that post update there have been
some "issues" that are being progressively fixed.

[SilviaFitbit]

A warm welcome to the Community @sameermdixit and @mc2018. Thanks for the details the troubleshooting that you've mentioned that has worked with the synchronization of your Ionic and the Huawei Nova 2. 

I was checking the supported devices and your phone isn't listed as supported. This is the reason why it doesn't sync smoothly, Fitbit keeps testing new devices and adding them to the list. The tips that you've shared are a great addition and will totally help other users that have the same phone. 

I'm glad to hear that your Ionic started updating @mc2018. Your feedback is appreciated, Fitbit takes your comments into consideration for future updates or when implementing new features. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[GeertVT]

Hello, 

For more than a year a have a fitbit alta hr which syncs without problems with the fitbit app on my huawei p20 lite. Reading all these topics here of syncing troubles  with huawei p20 lite, scares me a bit. I want to upgrade and get a ionic for gps data but now having second thoughts with possible syncing problems. If the alta hr and app work on the p20 lite, will the ionic do the same or does ionic uses Other phone settings to connect to the app?