Fitbit OS 3.0 - Ionic Firmware Release (27.33.1.30)

[MattFitbit]

Fitbit Update 1/10/19: 

Hi all! Big thanks to everyone for your feedback on the release of Fitbit OS 3.0!

Since the majority of users have now updated to 3.0, I will be closing this thread from further comments to help keep our community discussions on-topic. 

If you are experiencing an issue outside of the firmware update process, I invite you to start a new thread on this forum and we will be happy to assist you there. Thanks again and happy stepping!

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Fitbit Update 12/26:

Hey, everyone! We're aware that some of you may have noticed a fast battery drain on your Ionic watches after completing this firmware update. Our team is investigating the root cause of this issue and whether it was caused by this update or other factors are involved. 

In the meantime, if you're experiencing this problem please try a restart on the device then consider switching to a Fitbit made clock face! Many 3rd party clockfaces (especially those with animations) are known to use up more battery. If you try this out and are still seeing a fast battery drain, we can connect you with Customer Support for next steps or you can reach out to them and create a case. 

We look forward to getting you all back on track! 

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Fitbit Update 12/22: 

We've released Fitbit OS 3.0 out to 100% of users. Please make sure you have the latest version of the Fitbit app (2.84) before downloading the newest firmware. 

We're excited for you all to have the newest Fitbit OS, but please let us know if you have any questions about this update. Happy Holidays, everyone! 

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Hi, everyone!

I am excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 3.0! (Firmware Version: 27.33.1.30)

We've started to roll out this update to 20% of Ionic users. This is a progressive rollout, and all Ionic users can expect to have it soon. We roll out releases in phases as a cautionary measure so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed.

WHAT'S CHANGED?

Please check out this help article to see what's new in this update.

HOW DO I UPDATE?

Step by step instructions for updating your Ionic can be found here. We recommend updating your Ionic over a home Wi-Fi network as this can greatly reduce the time it can take to get set up. For more information on connecting your Ionic to Wi-Fi, check out this article.

If you run into trouble updating your Ionic, please follow these steps:

1. Restart the watch. 
2. "Remove" the watch from your account inside of the Fitbit app.  
3. "Forget" the watch from your phone's Bluetooth settings (along with any other Fitbit devices paired to your phone)
4. Try the update again. 

If anyone isn't seeing the Today app after updating, please try the following:

1. Make sure you're running the newest version of the Fitbit app. 

2. Connect to Wi-Fi in the Fitbit app, plug your Ionic into the charger and let it sit. This will automatically update the Today app. 

Looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback on the latest release. If you have questions, please let me know in this thread!

[MultiMartin]

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@Fitbatter wrote:

I disagree as I saw the rollback happen to Fitbit 2.x and the app in Android and iOS prompt to upgrade to 3.0 again. The OS does go back to the previous version and that’s why my Ionic has no power and is a paperweight. I agree that the OS should never go back a version but it does and as such it bricked. You have a problem with your firmware quality control. Otherwise, Fitbit wouldn’t roll updates out in a controlled manner to populations to see what occurs

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@SilviaFitbit I can confirm that @Fitbatter is correct. When I factory reset my Fitbit Ionic, which was running Fitbit OS 3.0, it rolled back to Fitbit 2.x. I was then forced to upgrade to OS 3.0 during the set-up process.

[kikon]

I still cannot see other additional stats including as water intake and badges under settings from today. Only core stats, Hourly Steps and Hearth rate are listed. 

Windows Mobile 10 - Lumia 950 - Fitbit App ver 2.39.1779 (60070)

[Ciweed]

Fitbit Ionic suddenly had blank screen, but flashing on back, tried the update, wouldn't work, please help, used it daily.

[Longwalker265]

You don't want the v33 update...it bricked my wife's Ionic.

And Fitbit still not enabling the SpO2 feature on the watch is shameful.  Either Fitbit is not running their devices through the FDA for approval (hard to believe when the FDA just approved over 150 such other devices for medical use last month) or Fitbit can't figure it out.  Either scenario doesn't inspire confidence I purchased a device with a future.

[RobOda]

Mine's been fine until today - I use it for sports.

I charge it (the Ionic) the night before a match and by the end it will still be functional in every way with very minimal battery drain.

This afternoon I got home and noticed the battery was down to 9%. It only tracked 5k steps (I run around 12-13k in a match), so the steps tracker has failed at some point. The automatic exercise tracker has clearly failed - It says I walked for 15 minutes, usually it recognises I've done 90 minutes of sport.

The heart rate tracker failed about halfway through the game apparently, according to the logs on my phone anyway.

And then the Ionic just completely drained and died. I've put it on charge now, but this is my second Ionic. The first had battery issues, and I'm not sure if the firmware here has caused issues, I'll test it when it charges to see if it can hold its charge, but if not, I'll just go find some other, more reliable smart-watch. 

I can't have a watch that is failing on me due to poor QA of firmware, I'm tired of jumping through hoops when things go wrong, I love that support always tells me to do the support stuff (resets, whatnot) first even though I tell them I've bloody done that! 

Anyway, hopefully Fitbit will fix the issues, but I see the latest update is 'we still don't know what's gone wrong', and that's not very clever. =p

[Fitbatter]

OS 3.0 is obviously targeted for the more commercially viable/successful Versa and the Ionic is getting the iPad 1 treatment. Now. It’s been said.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to share what you've been experiencing with the last OS update for the Ionic. 

Thank you for this information @Fitbatter, and for sharing your own experience with other Fitbit devices. Have you been able to update to the latest firmware version again, after it went back to the previous one? 

@Fitbatter, @MultiMartin, thank you for the information provided. Could you please also confirm if the mobile device you're using to sync is currently listed here as a compatible device? 

Welcome to the forums @James8936, and thank you for confirming that you already tried to wear the device in an optimal position to allow heart rate data to be tracked. Could you please try to perform a restart as well? Let us know how it goes. 

All this information is very useful to better understand what's going on @chrisionic1 and @Ciweed, thank you for all the details provided. I've seen a few of these problems associated with the clock face currently selected for the watch; could you please try to change the clock face and confirm if you continue to experience any trouble? 

Could you please confirm if you've already tried all the steps in this article to improve battery life @kostax, @RobOda? Regarding the inconvenience to log water via Fitbit today and or battery draining to fast, please try to perform a restart as well. Keep us posted. 

Thank you for for your feedback about these features @Stenis, @Longwalker265. 

This is the information you're seeing in the Fitbit Today section of the Ionic correct? Could you please confirm if you already tried the standard restart procedure, or other troubleshooting steps? Let us know how it works after this. 

Keep us posted. 

[MultiMartin]

@DavideFitbit Yes, my device is a compatible device. Are you aware that the update is bricking many Ionic devices?

[Fitbatter]

The Ionic does not respond to the buttons or to any power connections from 1.0 to 2.4. It’s dead.

i have an Apple iPhone on 12.1.2 and a Samsung Galaxy on Oreo 8 and an Alcatel Windows 10 and all three apps can’t connect. That’s expected. The Ionic firmware update confused the hardware base instructions and now it doesn’t know how to do anything.

brick.

[CharliesGal]

Problem with battery draining overnight.

After countless hours chatting to Fitbit support, still no progress

Steps Taken

Factory reset the Ionic. 

Ionic has firmware version 27.33.1..30

Motorola Moto x4 Android phone

Uninstall Fitbit app

Restart phone

Fitbit app is installed and updated

Clock face is left as the same one after factory resetting

No changes made to any of the apps

In the list of My Apps

Coach app is highlighted and it wants to update.

If I click on update then the Update never completes

Coach gets stuck, with red bar moving back and forth

This drains the battery

It tries to Update itself

But never manages to

I don't use the Coach app and would be fine to remove it

But this option doesn't exist

Please remove Coach app

So that it will stop draining my battery

On the chat with Support we tried everything

Told it not to install or not to update

Select Later

Restart

Uninstall

Used a different phone

Nothing worked to stop the Coach App from trying to continually Update

This drains the battery

I have had my watch since Ionic first came out

This is a recent problem

Something is draining the battery

I think it is the Coach App

[Ebojager]

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@kikon wrote:

I still cannot see other additional stats including as water intake and badges under settings from today. Only core stats, Hourly Steps and Hearth rate are listed. 

Windows Mobile 10 - Lumia 950 - Fitbit App ver 2.39.1779 (60070)

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Ya, mine was like that for 2 days then all of a sudden they shows up. I don't know what I did though. I think I started turning them off except for like the steps, then the next day I had more of them and In didn't even have it on the charger.  

I wish there was a way to prevent the update and bypass the initial update, and still use the watch.

[CharliesGal]

@kikon wrote:

I still cannot see other additional stats including as water intake and badges under settings from today. Only core stats, Hourly Steps and Hearth rate are listed. 

Windows Mobile 10 - Lumia 950 - Fitbit App ver 2.39.1779 (60070)

I had this same problem - I did as @Ebojager did.

On the watch - in the Today App - I unselected all the stats - closed the Today App - went back in - and voila! they were all there. 

[Kelic87]

My fitbit is now completely useless since the update. I can barely use it as a watch. I have contacted customer service multiple times and gone through all of the steps and nothing has been fixed. It doesn't count steps, it doesn't sync properly, the battery doesnt last a full day and all of a sudden when I was getting notifications if I wasn't with my phone in the same room it didn't come through, which was never the case before.  

Will there be a new update to fix these issues that multiple people are having? Or what is the plan? I have 2 friends and a bf who are all having the exact same issues and have also gone through all of the steps and nothing is fixed. It would be nice to have this problem solved. Especially for people who do not fall under the warranty. This is not a user issue it is clearly a fitbit problem, which fitbit should take responsibility for regardless of the warranty considering it clearly looks as if the update caused these devices to brick or not work properly in someway or another. 

Looking forward to getting a real answer to this besides have you rebooted the device, or if your step count is too high try not having near a buzzing device. 

Thanks

[SunsetRunner]

Hello,

My Ionic has the latest software version and was working great with my iPhone 6s running iOS 12.

I received the iPhone 10s as a gift, went through the initial set up on that again with the watch from scratch and now notifications are sparsely hit or miss at best. Even with all day sycn I'm noting that my stats don't update automatically unless I force sync the device.

Has there been any other feedback of this issue?

[RobOda]

@DavideFitbit 

Are you taking the mick? 

This is exactly what I said in my first post:

Spoiler

 I love that support always tells me to do the support stuff (resets, whatnot) first even though I tell them I've bloody done that! 

Seriously? /sigh.

If you must absolutely know; I don't customise the watch at all, it's all fitbit standard stuff. So there goes that excuse. I'm well aware of how to charge a watch. I'm more than aware of how much battery life I can get out of it on a normal use, hence how I'm aware of when it drains so fast and when it ceases to track things (HR/Steps etc). 

But never mind.

[tfellenb]

Ha! These “moderators” are seriously a bunch of jokers. Fitbit screwed up royally and they don’t know what to do; it’s plain and simple to me just from seeing all of these posts. What they need to do is undo OS 3.0 and go back to a stable version (and also go back to the drawing board with careful and complete user acceptance testing) and replace everyone’s Ionic, regardless of warranty coverage. Otherwise they’ll face a legal and public relations firestorm, which will ultimately be the undoing of the company. Get it together Fitbit! What is the deal?!

[AMRWSNC]

JSB, I agree with you completely. I am now a full three weeks into owning my new Ionic - received as a request present from my wife to replace my three year old Samsung Gear S2.

My watch also doesn't always stay connected via Bluetooth to my iPhone XR (a supported device). It also will occasionally not sync when I open the app even when connected (the bar will move 20%, stop, move 10%, stop, move 50%, stop, etc.). 

However, it also does, on occasion, do everything right the first time. I wake up, open the app, it syncs, my sleep data is there. I go out for a run, it finds GPS in a reasonable amount of time (say, 60-90 seconds). It syncs without me doing much at all to my Pandora account, saving my three most recent channels, and connects easily to a relatively old pair of bluetooth headphones. I come in from the run, open the app and it syncs quickly again.

There are times when it is consistently frustrating and times when it consistently performs exactly how one would want a $200+ watch to perform. I am not ready to give up on my Ionic yet but feel your pain. I have not enjoyed the hours I've spent troubleshooting bluetooth connectivity issues and have really just come to the conclusion that the strength of the signal coming off of the watch is likely just lousy.

Fitbit should in no way be proud of how this watch is being discussed on this and other forums. It's too bad - it's a lovely watch. I really want it to work and will not give up on it ... yet.

[dacarter]

I'm not even going to try the update, what a mess.  Guess I'll have to continue to live with a watch that tells time and makes NFC payments well, but does nothing else it was advertised to do.

[arachnaut]

I was contacted by some staff who helped me get the Ionic updated.

For about two weeks the Ionic seemed to be OK, but on Jan 2 I saw that the clock was off by about 2 hours.

I could no longer get any sort of Bluetooth connection with my smart phone or PC.

I went over the problems with the support staff, but so far I have an inoperable Ionic.

I have tried the soft reset, the 'three button' hard reset sequence  - several times.

I have downloaded the FitBit app several times on Android and PC.

I've been trying to fix this for 4 days now and I give up.

[Jadowdy119]

You guys should do something to fix the MASSIVE music issue! Been emailing tech support twice a day for a month and dealing with the issue for several months.   Putting any sort of music on this thing is a NIGHTMARE, and the only support that comes from fitbit is "try uninstalling this than re installing that" in a million different orders. Reminds me of when Beavus and Butthead get jobs as phone tech people.  "Uh did you try turning it off and on again??" "Uh how's the weather in Biloxi" just rediculous.  C'mon guys.