Fitbit OS 4.0.1 - Firmware Release (27.68.9.12)

[MattFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 9/16

Hi everyone,

We’re excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 4.0.1, available for Ionic (Firmware Version: 27.68.9.12). 

We've begun releasing this new firmware to customers. This is a progressive rollout which means everyone will receive it at different stages until it has been completely released to all users. We roll out releases in phases as a cautionary measure so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed. 

*Firmware releases are not distributed based on region or location and can reach anyone no matter where you reside. We do not recommend performing a factory reset to force the update to your device as your data will be lost and you may not get the update. Please be patient and wait until you see the update banner inside of the Fitbit app to begin the firmware download.

WHAT’S NEW AND FIXED

 
This release includes bug fixes and improvements.

HOW DO I UPDATE?

Step by step instructions for updating your Ionic can be found here. 

If you run into any trouble updating your Ionic, I recommend reviewing these troubleshooting tips. 

We appreciate your patience while we work to roll this out to everyone.  

[SunsetRunner]

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, I had to roll my app back to 3.5 since 3.6 kept crashing. As soon as I opened the 3.5 app it said there was an update for the Ionic. Did I use caution and let the update situation settle down? Nope, I threw caution to the wind.

Now running Fitbit OS 4.0.1 on the Ionic and so far everything is hunky dory.

[david789]

It goes from 3.0 to 4.0 and only includes bug fixes and improvements.?  What's about smart fitbit wake? 

[Bamoyu]

Does anyone know if you can turn off the newer pull down function menu that appears when you swip down on the watch face?

[paulz1]

This update bricked my Ionic. Device is barely over a year old, I noticed the update  set my phone and ionic next to each other both plugged in to let the update run. Next thing I know the Ionic is dead, and my phone can't connect to it anymore. Complete unresponsive to a hard reset. 

After trying to be nice, I had to get extreme irate with customer service for them to concede on sending me a replacement. If this next one abruptly fails like this, I'm never touching a fitbit again. It's absolutely unacceptable for a $300 device to be bricked this way.

edit: Mods, if you are going to edit my post for 'word choice' at least keep the substance the same. Customer Service was very unwilling to acknowledge that the device was bricked due to no fault of my own and only grudgingly offered to replace the device that Fitbit themselves bricked as if they were doing me favor. 

[brentnevison]

Looks like some beta testing wasn't finished

[teebird]

I am having problems since update where app won't update/synch and won't even load on my phone! Ughh!

[FoldingBikeman]

Can we get a list of the changes with this release? Bug fixes and other improvements does not provide sufficient information to make a decision on whether to apply the fix or not. 

[teebird]

I called customer service and they were very helpful. There is a new update today and that fixed the problem. 🙂 

[TomDuke]

  I have both an Ionic purchased in Dec 2018 and a Charge 2 that's 14 months old.  A couple of months back the Ionic became locked in the boot up mode seemingly after an app update that later turned into a red "X" in a red circle; unrecognizable by my Pixel 3's Bluetooth. It looked like there was no hope so I bought another one during Amazon Prime Day.  About a week later tech support reached out and somehow resurrected my watch- a miracle really. 

  Now over a month ago after a firmware update to the Charge 2 there are innumerable users whose Charge 2's have been bricked and the company isn't offering much in the way of support (you can read about this on the Charge 2 Community Forum).  Fortunately before trying to load the firmware I checked here on the FB Community and discovered the problem and have refused to load it and my Charge 2 which continues to work just fine.  I only use it for sleep tracking but have not intention of doing this update until whatever flaws are corrected (if ever).

  This morning the new app (which isn't winning me over either) started prompting me to update my Ionic firmware and this forum was my next stop.  Looks like some are already having problems with it; thanks for sharing your experiences.  Needless to say I'm going to keep rejecting these nagging prompts to update my Ionic firmware for the time being.

[RoccoMarco]

What exhaustive changelog... a mess as usual

[dgg]

I have updated but now my im unable to change 50% of my settings as they are greyed out, the most important being the brightness setting, I can not read my fitbit even in the dark, its stuck on dim and unable to adjust, any ideas??

[matt.burke]

Same here.  I am bricked.

Tried contacting support, escalated up to supervisor, but since my Ionic is 2 years old they refuse to replace it.  They offered a 40% discount on a Versa Lite or a 25% discount on any other model.  Seems completely inadequate to me since they are the ones who broke my watch.  Was working perfectly up until now...

[dgg]

Hi I managed to work it out.
Swipe down on the home screen then 3 icons drop down press the one on the right and it takes you a new area where you can adjust the brightness..

[NinaP]

Does Fitbit have plans to activate the spO2 sensor on the Ionic? After reading these comments I'm too nervous to do the update. 

[zerodameaon]

They have been pulling a Tesla on us with that sp02 sensor for almost two years now. I can understand if they are having issues with the sensor and can't get it FDA approved but really they should have stayed quiet about it. Instead they announced it as a feature to sell watches and likely won't deliver before every Ionic is dead anyways. 

[Fwanky]

What were the updates

[TomDuke]

Fwanky, read the posts on this topic.  Fitbit  just posted a firmware update that seems to be toxic for some users. Go visit the Charge 2 forum and read the 37 and counting pages of woe on that firmware update for some perspective.  About 2 months ago Fitbit did something that pretty much bricked my Ionic.  Remarkably tech support was able to fix it.  I  remain very leery of any firmware updates at this point and so should you. 

The company seems to be taking a different direction. The latest Fitbit app update changed the dashboard, and not in a good way.  It is nowhere near as visually appealing or intuitive or as interactive as it once was. It has included various features that they want you to subscribe to and more significantly,  pay for.  The previous dashboard was much more visually appealing and user intuitive. To me the most annoying feature is the large banner at the top of the dashboard nagging me to update the firmware for my Ionic and Charge 2.  At this point I would have to be mentally impaired to download these updates.

[matt.burke]

Tom do you recall what they did to un-brick your Ionic?  I am curious to know what (if any) options I have right now...

[TomDuke]

Matt, it was very peculiar. My Ionic was doing fine, I don't do much on Sundays and typically shut it down after charging it. On Monday when I went to turn it on it got stuck in the boot up cycle just showing the Fitbit logo on the screen. After doing some research on the Forum and trying various reboot and restart measures I eventually got to the point when I got a red X in a red circle on my screen. The green LEDs on the back would not light up, and my Pixel 3 phone Bluetooth would not recognize the device.

Following some advice on the Forum I deleted my Ionic from the app and my phone. Further attempts to reconnect failed. When I posted my problems on the thread on the Fitbit forum for other Ionic owners having similar problems I received a response from a moderator saying they routed my issue to tech support.  About a week later I received an email from tech support telling me that I needed a firmware update. They advised me to try and reconnect my phone to the Fitbit Ionic and download the update. I didn't know how this could possibly work because the phone was not recognizing the device earlier, but somehow it did, I was able to enter the 4 digit code, Bluetooth recognized it, and the firmware downloaded, and the device was restored. It continues to function just as it did when brand new. I don't know what happened to cause it to fail, there was no firmware downloaded prior to its failure. The Fitbit app didn't update several days before the Ionic stopped working. 

Bottom line, best advice I can give you is to reach out to tech support, be patient as it may take them a little bit of time to get back to you, and follow their advice. But between this new firmware for the Ionic and problems that seem to be ensuing, and the tons of problems affecting Charge 2 owners currently after their last disasterous firmware update it seems like Fitbit has a problem with their coders or something. I refuse to download any future updates for anything for Fitbit at this point.