Fitbit OS 4.0.2 - Firmware Release (27.68.9.15)

[MattFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 10/9

Hi everyone,

We’re excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 4.0.2, available for Ionic (Firmware Version: 27.68.9.15). 

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.  

[Bulldog5150]

They aren't addressing the bricked devices because they don't want to replace them! Instead they choose to ignore the main issue.

Moderator edit: format

[Iain_K]

I posted this elsewhere, but its probably useful to many in this thread...

For those out of warranty left unsatisfied  IF YOU BOUGHT WITH A CREDIT CARD

maybe the extended warranty offered is a solution?  The extra year may be a get out of jail card, you can get your money back and go buy an apple watch or Garmin instead.

FOR VISA

https://usa.visa.com/supporting-info/extended-warranty-protection.html

In addition to the claim form, you will need the following:

• An itemized sales receipt for the purchases—if you don’t have this, the store where you made the purchase may be able to print a duplicate receipt for you 
• Your Visa billing statement showing the purchase—your bank can usually make a copy for you
• A copy of the original manufacturer’s warranty—a copy can usually be downloaded and printed from the  manufacturer’s website
• The Benefit Administrator may ask you to provide additional information, such as repair estimate (if applicable)

If you have any questions or are experiencing difficulty obtaining documents, simply call 1-800-551-8472. If outside the United States, call collect at one of our toll-free numbers. 

For Mastercard

https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/mccom/en-us/documents/Cardholder%20Benefits/GTB-Extended_Warra...

E.How to file a claim:
• Call 1-800-MasterCard to request a claim form. You must report the claim within sixty (60) days of the
failure or the claim may not be honored.

AMEX

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/policies/extended-warranty/faq.htm...

CLAIMS PROCESS
If You experience a Loss for which You believe a benefit is payable under this Plan, You must provide both
Notice of Claim and Proof of Loss.
To insure prompt processing of Your claim, report any Loss immediately following the date of the Loss,
including for gifts purchased on your Account. Retain Your receipts and Your damaged property (if
applicable) until the claim process is complete.
All States, District of Columbia, & U.S. Virgin Islands, Excluding Stats below Back to top
EW-DOC 09/17 Tier 1
We will decide whether to do one of the following: 1) have the product repaired; 2) have the product replaced;
or 3) reimburse You up to the amount of the item purchased on Your Account.
Notice of Claim
During the Extended Warranty Period, Notice of Claim should be provided to Us within thirty (30) days of the
Loss. You may contact the Company by calling toll-free stateside 1-800-225-3750 or, if from overseas, by
calling collect 1-303-273-6498. You may also write to Us at Extended Warranty, PO Box 981553, El Paso
TX 79998-9920.

[malar]

Call support they will replace it

[Barrymc63]

No they won't if it's out of warranty. They just keep offering a 25%
discount, or 40% off of a Versa model.

[Tbottorf]

Actually they may replace it.  It took me a week of communications including negative responses to the survey they asked me to complete after my online chat with support, and after I used the FAQ section of the website. After only being offered the 25% I continued pursuing the issue.  I posted to the Fitbit Facebook page directly, this generated another response.  I also lodged a complaint with the San Francisco Better Business Bureau as well.  They finally asked me to return my defective Ionic so the could study it and they are sending me a replacement Ionic.  My Ionic was purchased in January 2018 so it is well outside the 12 month warranty period, but as I and most of the others in this thread can attest to, we did nothing wrong.  Our devices were working perfectly up until we loaded an update that was supposed to make it better.

[Juleswhelan17]

Since installing this firmware release my ionic has stopped vibrating. I have run through all the troubleshooting options & it is still not vibrating. It is syncing ok but not vibrating. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. How can this get fixed 

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone! 

Thanks for continue sharing your feedback about Ionic's firmware update. We continue to monitor it and provide assistance as mentioned by @RicardoFitbit all the input received here help us to improve our procedures and and improve the Fitbit experience. Rest assure that once your posts have been shared with our Support team, they will review them individually and they will provide you with options. 

@Juleswhelan17 Hey there. Thanks for the troubleshooting tried. Could you confirm that you've tried the steps mentioned in this article?

Once again, your understanding is appreciated. 

[jcrben]

@SilviaFitbit will corporate provide an official response on the entire situation, rather than one-off support?

Contrast to Google's response after bricking a bunch of devices: Google will replace Home devices bricked due to latest firmware update

[malar]

Hello SilviaFitbit

My Ionic was under warranty and was replaced, and has been working.

I had sent an email requesting if it included the new update that bricked the original one but I have not received a reply nor have I seen one on Fitbit Community.

May I please hear from you?  Thank you.

Malar

[KSMOM21]

I called the day I tried to update and my Ionic died ( the update would
never go through) and they offered me the 25% discount ( I was at 16
months). Because I was in the middle of a stepbet, I bit the bullet and
ordered another one with expedited shipping ( and I do love my Ionic). Was
not happy so I made a one line post on this thread. A week or so later I
got an email saying if I returned my old ionic they would refund my money.
I was very surprised and pleased. No idea what put me in that category but
I am happy.

[Ajesh]

All support did was send me a survey asking for feedback on your support. Needless to say, I  gave you the lowest possible rating.Someone, high up needs to step in and make a statement or fix it or something. Someone has to be in charge of this, am I correct?

[aumannjoy]

Well, about a week ago, I was informed that there is an update available. After a few days, it disappeared. Just now, the announcement is back again. After reading how the update from last week has caused 100’s of Ionics get bricked, do we trust this one? Ahhh no, well I am not.

Sent from my iPhone

[bliss_s]

I just got notice again after it not being around for 2 weeks.
No way I'm updating unless they guarantee to replace my Ionic if the update
bricks it.

[Banel]

So, the update is back. Any news about it...is it safe to update our devices? Some update notes would be nice, bug fixes and improvements are not enough for a new version (we are talking about updating from 3.0 to 4.0.2).

Also...I see a banner on the forum about the update messing with the notification system in iOS 13, but nothing about bricking devices. That's sad.

[Juleswhelan17]

Yes I've tried these steps and it is still not vibrating. Was vibrating for
notification and alarms before the firmware update.

[ben_lee]

I'm not sure if it was this update which caused a problem but my unit has also just died. 

I updated the watch maybe 2 weeks ago and its been "fine" since, well I say "fine" its been playing up with other things for a little while like not counting swim lengths and the occasional lock up. However I went swimming last night and mid way through my swim I checked my progress and the watch was stuck at 36 lengths (despite me doing nearer 60). So I stopped for a rest and had a look at the watch screen. I changed stroke and it began counting again, but this time counted 8 out of 10 breast stroke lengths. So I carried on doing front crawl and did another 12 and then I stopped again and looked at the watch only to see a bunch of voicemail notifications on the screen which I thought was odd. So I tried to swipe the screen down or up and the screen wasn't responding to swipes. I then pressed some of the side buttons and they kinda did something, they turned the screen off, then I pressed again and the screen came on again. Then the watch restarted and I saw the Fitbit blue logo. The watch took a while to restart, then when it did it was pretty sluggish to respond to anything, it then restarted itself again (blue logo for 1-2min) then nothing. Just a black screen and if you pressed a side button the backlight would come on but no actual display info. I gave up messing around with it at that point, finished my swim set and got out. The watch then just looked like it was finished. The rear light was still flickering but even that stopped about an hour later. Tried charging it today and nothing. Pressed the buttons for a restart, nothing. Held down all the buttons together for a factory reset and again, nothing, no sign of life. 

I spoke with Fitbit today and they are replacing the unit.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi everybody, thanks for your feedback.

@jcrben In regards to your inquiry, we don't have information about it. We're helping our users individually and gathering more information about your reports. Nevertheless, we're very interested in helping you out with any issue that your Fitbit Ionic might be having. I've requested a case for you and our team will be glad to keep assisting you. They will get back to you shortly.

@malar I'm glad to hear that your Fitbit is working as it should. Our team will be reaching you soon, you can request them more information about your case. 

@KSMOM21 Thanks for sharing your feedback. We strive for excellent customer service and customer satisfaction remains our number one goal. Your comments are greatly appreciated. I've checked with our support team and apparently they already took your case under their wings. Please keep an eye in your email inbox.

@Ajesh Thanks for getting back. I've noticed that you already received a response from our team. Please keep communication open, they will be glad to keep assisting you.

@aumannjoy @Banel and @bliss_s I understand why you're worry about updating your Fitbit, if you wish you can wait until we have a new update. Although your Fitbit shouldn't have issues with this specific update, but in case that it does we'll be glad to keep assisting you. @Banel About the banner that you can see on the Fitbit Forums it is only for iOS devices and it is not related to an specific tracker or watch. Keep me posted in case that you have more questions. 

@Juleswhelan17 Thanks for troubleshooting prior to contacting us. I've requested to our Support team to create a case on your behalf. You should soon receive an email from customer support.

@ben_lee Thanks for sharing this information, that's quite a journey. I'm not sure if this is related to the update but it's great to hear that you'll be back on track soon. Please let me know if you need anything else.

I'll be around. 

[Txrich]

I had similar problems like @ben_lee after the update on a two week old Ionic. the front line customer support was nice and are sending me a replacement because it's under warranty. The problem I have is that fitbit will not take responsible for the damage their update has done and if you're watch is out of warranty you are SOL. Customer service needs to come the top, and because of the poor service I will not recommend fitbit to anyone.

[NEq1Guy]

I posted awhile ago about my watch being bricked.  After several exchanges with the support team, first on Twitter DM and then through e-mail, documenting the nature of the failure, the fact it was solely around the installation of the firmware update, and that there were no other circumstances involved, they sent me a link to either get a replacement unit or a discount on a different unit.  I selected to get a replacemnt Ionic.  Without integrated GPS the Versa just doesn't cut it for me.  My watch was out of warranty.  I don't know if the circumstances of the failure and/or my ability to document it made the difference compared to other out of warranty users who experienced problems with the firmware update. 

[Txrich]

Fitbit needs to stop with all the run a run. Your update has caused a lot of problems. You need to start posting weekly updates on the progress of the fit for the junk update and start replacing all the watch's you bricked like a responsible company!! If you keep trying to swipe this under the rug, Fitbit will end up going out of business.


Sent from my iPhone