Fitbit OS 4.1 - Firmware Release (70.7.14)

[MattFitbit]

Fitbit Update: 12/5

Hi everyone!

We’re excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 4.1 (Firmware Version: 70.7.14). 

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

The update includes a variety of new features and enhancements, including: 

• Smart wake: Smart wake will gently begin to wake you with subtle vibrations during the optimal part of your sleep cycle (during light or REM) within a 30-minute window prior to your pre-set alarm. This allows you to wake up feeling refreshed. 

• Clock face switcher: You will now be able to store up to five clock faces right on your device and quickly change from one to the other using the new clock face switcher.

• On-wrist Sleep Score: The score will now be available in the on-device dashboard that can be accessed by swiping up from the clock face. You can still see it alongside your sleep data within the Fitbit app after you sync.

• Exercise app improvements: The redesigned Exercise app will now display all 20 workouts in a new streamlined list on your wrist. 

• Battery notification: When your battery is running low, a new feature will automatically disable notification vibrations

• Agenda app: A new Agenda app allows you to see your calendar right on your wrist. 

For more information on the new features included in Fitbit OS 4.1 check out this article. You can also check out our press release. 

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. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi everybody thank you for reaching out the Fitbit Community!

We're very interested in having your feedback about this update. Thank you all for sharing this information and for your patience while we investigate the recent issues that some of you are reporting. 

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. 

Here you will find 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. 

@Graeme999 I'll be around in case that you need anything else.

@NinaP thank you for sharing your feedback about this specific issue with Android Pie (9). Sorry you feel that way about this update, our team is working on fixing this type of issues.

@Gregc63 and @chrisionic1 thank  you for confirming this information, we've reported this information to our team. 

@Ericws thank you for reporting this. I've requested a case on your behalf to check what is going on with your Fitbit. I really appreciate the steps that you're doing to get back on track. 

@Giuffra316 This information is really important for us. Thanks for trying those steps to troubleshoot your Ionic. Please wait for a follow up email, our team will get in touch shortly.

@dacchieu can you please try to restart your Ionic? 

@Me201701 @ronald.jenkinso and @lucaiuli thanks for getting back to me. I've reviewed your case with our support team and they are investigating this situation. Please keep communication open with them and thank you for your understanding. We're working really hard on solving this. @Gainn I've created a case on your behalf, our team needs to have all the details of what is happening with your Fitbit.

@Ebojager and @BradMcCormick Thank you for sharing your feedback. Your comments are very helpful, we'll let you know as soon as we get more details about this situation. 

@DmitryN and @EdwardsWM thank you for reporting this issue with your activities. Have you tried to restart your Ionic? Is this happening with every single workout?

@Nobblytanner I'd like to know what model of phone you're using to sync. Please check the suggested steps for syncing issues here: Why won't my Fitbit device sync?

@Ernie_B and @Kev2719 Thank for sharing this information. Have you tried the suggested steps here: Why can't I update my Fitbit device? You can followed @SunsetRunner's advise too.

Thank you for your understanding. 

[EdwardsWM]

Hi Yojana,

Yes, I have tried a restart, and yes, it still happens every time. FYI, a case is already opened for this problem.

Regards,

Will E.

Moderator edit: Removed personal information

[Runner8855]

Hello,

"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." Can the update that is causing all our expensive devices to Brick be taken down? Stop the firmware from doing more harm! I am waiting for my second replacement Ionic (it Bricked as soon as I attempted to run the update) and from what I have read on this form is as soon as the update is started the device will at best have several unacceptable issues or completely Brick again. Tech Support, once I receive my replacement what would you recommend the process be? Wait or update?

Between waiting for the first replacement, returning the first replacement, waiting for the second replacement it will be ~30 days. I would expect the firmware to be bulletproof after 30 days.

[Runner8855]

@BradMcCormick 

Hopefully someone from Fitbit will contact all these upset customers soon and fix the problems.

In my experience if I contact Tech Support they "try" to help. I get the impression they know a lot more about the firmware than they are willing to say to us customers. On my original call after trying everything I was asked, tech support told me to wait two days, try again, then call back. I can't make this up. I mean they go through the processes we all have tried and read about, then simply (if eligible) offer to send a replacement. How many replacements can they send out. (yes that was rhetorical).

I really enjoyed the Ionic, however this process is wearing me down.

[ronald.jenkinso]

I also downloaded an fitbit fix got Huawei from Google Play.
After starting this fix and then starting the Fitbit app I am able to
synchronise.
But the notifications don't work.

[Kev2719]

Hi Yojana,

I have followed every bit of advice that i have found to try and get my Fitbit Ionic out of this loop. 

I updated successfully last night but at some point the Fitbit needed to calibrate, I didn't have a charger handy so i just ignored the request and then forgot about that and went to bed.

I woke this morning to a logo.....so after several attempts to re-start i removed my Ionic from my account and from my bluetooth list and then read markw47's reply. 

I have my Fitbit charging on a level surface (for 3 hours now) and a paperweight it remains with a permanently displayed logo.

I fear the update killed my watch........if thats true then Apple here i come.   

[TomDuke]

Fellow Ionic owners; I feel you.  My original Ionic will be two years old next week and like many of you I have suffered a variety of firmware induced problems and glitches.  Over the summer it completely died after an update (along with many other users) and after reading all of the issues on this forum decided to just buy another one which was on sale at the time (more about that watch in a moment).  However, tech support reached out to me about a week later and what looked to be a totally bricked device was resurrected (still not sure how).  I've been avoiding all firmware updates since for the Ionic (and my Charge 2 which has it's own sad history with firmware if you visit that community's page).  About the time of this latest update my Ionic was having problems syncing with my Pixel 3 phone (with Android 10) so I decided to bite the bullet and try the firmware update...amazingly it was fast and easy AND the Ionic works just fine.  Only exception is that if you do shut it down as noted by many others here you have to hold ALL 3 buttons for 15-20 seconds to restart the watch.  

  The replacement Ionic I bought last summer had been sitting in it's box in a closet; I did start it and even paired it with my phone when I first received it to ensure that it worked and that's before I knew my old Ionic could be revived.  It was powered down and put back in the box.  A few months ago I took it out to charge it and it was completely dead.  Went through all the steps and tech support and the conclusion was that somehow it failed and I was sent another one which I've never used or turned on (so now I have 3 Ionics).  After reading some of the comments here about 24 hour charging I took the second 'dead' Ionic out and just for laughs plugged it into the charger- there was a brief image of a batter with 0% displayed and the screen went blank.  When I checked a bit later the watch was indeed charging...it did not demonstrate this behavior before when I went through all the steps with customer support; but now it's back to life.  Christmas miracle???

  The bottom line is these trackers are sensitive beasts and sometimes you have to be persistent and keep working the solutions.  I've had two Ionics that I thought were destined for the recycling center that are still working.  Why the firmware updates cause this is beyond me but it makes for an incredibly frustrating owner experience.  That being said, patience is indeed a virtue and all I can say is keep trying and avoid firmware updates (or at least check the community forum BEFORE downloading).  Good luck all.

[ronald.jenkinso]

I don't need patience I need my tracker to work properly like it used to.

[Nobblytanner]

Thanks for sharing this.

I agree with pretty much all of it (agree as in I've had similar experiences).

I would add that, for the Ionic, I believe some of these issues, esp. syncing issues are tied into the purchase of the Pebble (for those who remember that, and owned them as I did).

I say this because Pebble, which was a fantastically ahead-of-its-time device, had the very same achilles heel - it fell over syncing all the time, especially when firmware updates came through.

The Help desk worked tirelessly to help users get round the issues, which usually involved fairly standard resets but completed numerous times. There seemed to be an iterative improvement, almost as if there were multiple code problems in the firmware, and each reset progressed a little further.

• first time, it was a brick
• 2nd and 3rd times the same
• 4th time we might see a connection, that then disappeared as fast as it showed up
• later attempts would see an attempt at a sync the didn't pull thru the data altogether.

But eventually we always found a way thru it.

Tonight, after 7 attempts of resets, I finally got my Ionic to reconnect.

Each time, I was setting it up as a new device. 

The final clincher this time was to manually go into the settings on the Fitbit watch itself and going to Bluetooth Manage Connections. By doing this at the same time as the app was searching, it finally came up with the 4 digit PIN and connected, then on to the Wifi set up which was totally normal.

Notifications still do not work, but that is a lesser problem for me, which I can wait for a further update. But no syncing is hopeless - e.g. things like sleep data is totally inaccessible on the watch face (why btw?)

So - I agree - I hope my fix helps others, but I also hope your story and mine help some who are totally  exhausted by the user experience to hang in there.

I know it isn't good enough to issue firmware releases that are half-baked and surely Fitbit must know this too. I also know that managing these boards as a Fitbit moderator is a thankless task!

So - perhaps patience is the wrong word - thank you for your tolerance might be nearer the mark....

[Bryan_frmchi]

I know it's not recommended but I did a complete factory reset. Of the device were it forced the update to go thru. Unfortunately I went thru hoops for it to download thru my second phone as a hotspot cause my home wifi kept failing to download.( Yes my wifi at home works fine) it took over an hour to download and install but it's working fine as of this writing

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone! Thanks for participating in the forums. 

We truly appreciate your feedback and comments, we're always striving to improve our services and watches offered. 

I would like you to confirm you're doing this procedure to update your Ionic's firmware update. If you encounter any issue while doing so, please try the tips mentioned in this article: Why can't I update my Fitbit device? 

If you have updated your Fitbit Ionic and you have issues after this, don't hesitate to get back, we're always here to assist you. 

@EdwardsWM Thanks for getting back. I appreciate the details troubleshooting mentioned. Since you already have a case with them, please continue the communication through email, they will continue assisting you.

@ronald.jenkinso Hey there. I've noticed you're using a mobile device that's not compatible. Our Support team is always testing new devices that can be added to the list, please keep an eye on this article: Which phones and tablets can I use with my Fitbit watch or tracker? 

@Kev2719 Thanks for getting back. I appreciate the troubleshooting tried. In this case, I've shared your post with our Support team and they will continue assisting you. 

@TomDuke and @Nobblytanner Thank you so much for sharing your experience with our Support team. 

I'll be around if you have any additional questions. 

[Kev2719]

So...........

for no apparent reason or no rational my Fitbit eventually just reset itself and re-started with no input from me when the watch was fully charged. 

I restored this to my account and confirmed the version of the firmware to be 27.70.7.14

very weird. but hey it worked eventually.

[TomDuke]

Great news. This is just what I got finished talking about. These things are weird. One moment they are as dead as could be and then you turn around and suddenly, inexplicably  it works. I'm sure there are cases where it never comes back to life, but it doesn't hurt to keep trying. Now ask to the question of whether you should be having to tolerate all of these difficulties in the first place, that's another matter.

[MrDiscoDucks]

I'm having the same issue.  I wish there was at least a way to download the update on your computer and force the product to update manually.  I haven't been able to use my Ionic in over a year because there has been issues with it and Fitbit won't replace it cause I got it over a year ago when I called about this issue.  Good to know they don't care that much about their customers.

[Me201701]

Hello @YojanaFitbit,

I have an open case with Fitbit Support but I don't believe they understand my issue.  I wrote back to them explaining that the new Ionic that I was sent is not functioning correctly after being updated to the firmware version 27.70.7.14.  What are should be my next step?

Kind regards,

@Me201701 

[dacchieu]

@YojanaFitbit 

My ionic couldn't turn on. I tried to charge by PC but same issued. It didn't show anything, no logo. May It really bricked

[tluke]

Mine is out of warranty (1 1/2 yrs). I spent a long time with support who said they would escalate and call me back. Today after waiting more than two days I called support back. It wasn't escalated. They told me instead to do a factory reset, which in the two intervening days I had already tried - to no avail. After doing all the suggestions in this thread I get it to turn on. The watch still displays no heart rate, no steps (actually it recorded 268 steps for the whole day even though I hiked 6 miles) and no auto screen on. It keeps asking me to calibrate the sensors which fails.  With the right clock face I have a cool device that gives me time and weather when I push the button. whoopee!

It's out of warranty so to compensate they offer a 25% discount on a new watch (only gray/charcoal or slate blue/orange) so a $250 Ionic costs $187 plus $10 for 2-day shipping. The online price right now is $199 with free 2-day shipping. Saves me $2 total!

[LowreyB]

Just found the conversion... The device says FL Oz but is treating it like ml and converting the entered amount to FL Oz. But why? 

[PogoAz]

Yes, sadly the offer is a total joke and almost slap in the face.  It's not the impressive company that led me to purchase 5 plus FitBit products.  I received the same offer and Best Buy had even a better buy on the product.  I was hoping the Google purchase would expound on the level of expertise I've come to count on from FitBit but alias no such luck.  Unsure of what's next but maybe I might have to look elsewhere.  The Samsung and I can't believe I'm saying it....Apple seems like the might have more reliability. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

[Ernie_B]

Thanks for the reply @YojanaFitbit , BUT !
The IONIC says its at the new firmware ( 27.70.7.14) , but it IS NOT WORKING !
There is no Green sensor light, the Unit cycles in a loop for the Recalibrate.
After  removing it and Re installing it under my account, the same thing.
No Progress in getting it working.

I sure Hope FITBIT gets this firmware Issue sorted as the IONIC is USELESS now.

Waiting Patiently 🙂  

Ernie