Firmware update failed

[SunsetRunner]

I'm more than a little tech savvy and I've tried everything to get this "smart watch" to work with my iPhone. Every attempt to setup the watch begins with the unavoidable update. Updates fail, even though -- sometimes -- the watch thinks it was successful. After the apparent update, the phone and watch lose communication. Attempts to re-establish bluetooth fail, then work, then fail in a never ending loop of useless churn.

I've read every article and tried every method, tip and workaround.

This product is less than worthless. I regret every dollar spent and every minute wasted trying to get it to work. Complete GARBAGE.

DO NOT BUY THIS "SMART" WATCH.

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity 

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @SunsetRunner! Thanks for already taking the time to troubleshoot this inconvenience with the firmware on your Fitbit Ionic, nice way to go! 

If you have trouble updating your watch over Wi-Fi, try these steps to resolve the problem: 

1. Make sure your watch is connected to the Wi-Fi network you want to use. 
2. Move your watch closer to your router.
3. Make sure your router is connected to the internet. 
4. Restart your watch by holding the back (left) and bottom buttons until you see the Fitbit logo.
5. Try again to update your watch.

If the update failed,  you must tell your phone to "forget" the device, removing the connection between the phone and the Fitbit device. 

1. On your phone, go to Settings > Bluetooth > find the tracker or other watch in the list > find an option to forget the device.
2. Set up your tracker again (Note that you can't set up your Fitbit device from your phone or tablet's Bluetooth screen; you must open the Fitbit app and follow the on-screen instructions).
3. Try again to update your watch.

Give this a shot and let me know the outcome! 

[SunsetRunner]

I have tried all of these things and made multiple attempts. I'm 10 feet from the WAP, I've "forgotten" the bluetooth device, restarted phone and watch, did factory resets, etc, etc.

There is no excuse for any product to be this difficult to setup.

[MarreFitbit]

Thanks for confirming the steps you've done @SunsetRunner. I have reached out to our support team and created a case regarding your inquiry. Someone will be reaching out to you within the next 24-72 hours with next steps. 

Point me out if there's anything else I can do for you in the meantime. 

[donalbmurray]

I also have the same issue. Factory reset my ionic (as card system stopped working) and couldn't update the firmware. I brought it in to get a replacement thinking it may have been the ionic itself but the new one I got has the same issue. 

I've tried deleting it from my app. I tried deleting the app and reinstalling it (this meant for some reason I couldn't use the same email account as before which was very annoying so I used a different email address and so old my old stats are gone I think). I tried wifi and being really close to it, I tried over bluetooth. Usually it looks like it's working, but just eventually gives up after a couple of hours.
My phone is a Samsung S6 which worked fine for about a year with my older ionic so I've confused. Is the new firmware compromised?

[ahaffner]

Yeah, just a piece of crap watch.  It has always had problems from day one.  I'm throwing it in the garbage and bought a smart watch

[Quezo8]

I have also followed these same steps, I have no idea what to do. Please help

[TappersCT]

I have also tried all of these steps to no avail. Is there any significant update to this problem?

[donalbmurray]

It worked when I used my own mobile phone's WIFI hotspot, once I was in an
area with good internet for my phone.

[Megdogg]

I have tried all those things and even removing the watch from phone and pairing again and nothing works! So much time wasted and having the same problem with my versa. Supper annoying!

[FitAru]

Same issue ..Not able to set it up because it is stuck at the Firmware Update stage! It is very frustrating..And I got IONIC after a 2 month wait, as a replacement for my defective Blaze! Any update on this issue???

[FitAru]

Using my phone hotspot somehow worked for me too!! 

[Dishington]

How can this product experience the same defect since its conception and still have no progress in resolving something as basic as updating the firmware?

[June_Bugg57]

Having all these issues myself. Nothing I do works. I agree, this watch is crap. The bucks we all have paid for this piece of crap should be reimbursed. How can they not do something to help us all?

[KDoyle44]

I have tried these steps periodically about 4 times today, both on my phone and via the MacBook App. 

Via mobile device, my Fitbit updates to roughly 60% and then sits for over an hour (didn’t give it more time than that). 
Via macbook, it starts and then doesn’t progress. 

the only reason I am even trying to update is because suddenly this morning, I attempted to switch to treadmill mode and the program wouldn’t open on the watch. I tried every other program on the arch and had the same result. Beyond that it didn’t track the majority of my days activity. 
I rely on this device to track my daily eating, workouts, calorie intake and output. So to not have this for even a day is a major issue. 

PLEASE help me fix this. I’m incredibly frustrated right now.

[chavey08sa]

I have had problem with fit devices for years.  The Ionic is giving me problems now with bluetooth and sync. If the app could only allow me to enter all the data manually, I would

not care so much about not having it sync up with the app.

when trying to connect to the device, I can see the app being able to connect, but somehow in

the middle it drops out. 

There are some issues with the bluetooth connectivity.

I can not update the firmware, it always gets stuck on update.

[RonDunaway]

I've had the same situation several time trying to update the firmware. I've had two Ionic's the first one was replaced due to after a firmware update some week afterwards the watch shut down and would not start back up. I was promptly sent a new watch since it was still under warranty. Thank you Fitbit.

Okay, on nearly ever firmware update I have had nothing but connection issues to do the firmware updates. As stated in an earlier message by the the person who started this thread. This should not be so difficult. I wanted to get another watch for the wife but she is technically challenge and I do not need another device that will cause more frustration from her due to these challenges. That said...

Here is what I found so far after messing with these FW updates.

1. Make sure your watch is 100% charged. I'm not sure why, but that seems to be the only time I can get the firmware to update is when it is 100% charged and that is what I've read many times elsewhere.

2. Restart your watch. Instructions are posted everywhere in the internet on how to do this. Let the watch sync to your app (either PC or Phone).

3. Shut down your phone. I've restarted my phone and had more luck with the FW upgrade just shutting it down and and turning it back on (Android).

4. Make sure that your phone and watch are both on the same network. Meaning 2.4GHz not 5GHz. The watch doesn't support 5GHz or at least that I've seen anyways.

4. Do not use the PC app for the update, use your phone app. I can sync with the PC and make changes and app additions with the PC but I can not update the FW. Use the phone app for this.

5. Once you have seen your watch sync with either PC or Phone app, apply the FW update from your phone app. You should connect over the network. This will be a much faster download to the watch and upgrade compared to Bluetooth (painfully long process).

6. Let the watch go through the FW upgrade process. This took about 15-20 minutes on the last upgrade and the watch rebooted on it's own.

Done!!

This is what I found to work. Now if I can only remember this the next time I have to go through this again. And yes, I am extremely tech savvy.

Question for Fitbit...

I've had several (many) updates for the phone app. Why hasn't any updates been issued for the PC app (Win10)? It's been about 2 and a 1/2 years since I installed the PC app, not one update for it.