Ionic Firmware Release - 32.10.20

[CarlosCFitbit]

Fitbit Update 08/23/2018: Hi everyone! 

Just wanted to thank you all for your participation in this thread. 

Since the majority of Ionic users have successfully updated to OS 2.1.1 (v32.10.20) I have decided to close this topic to further posts. 

If you still have not updated your Ionic to OS 2.1.1, check out this post for some best practices on how to update your device. 

If you are experiencing an issue with your Ionic unrelated to the firmware-up process, I invite you to start a new topic on the community or find a related topic. 

Thanks again to all the great feedback we have received on this firmware. Looking forward to the next Fitbit OS update! 

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Fitbit Update - 6/7/18: Fitbit OS 2.1.1 has been released to 100% of Ionic users!

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Hi, everyone! 

I am excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 2.1.1! (Firmware Version: 32.10.20)

We've started to roll out this update to 30% of Ionic users. This is a progressive rollout, and all Ionic users can expect to have it within a few weeks. We roll out releases in phases as a cautionary measure so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed. 

You can find the release notes for this new OS version by following the link, here.  

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

As a reminder, I 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 any trouble updating your Ionic, I can also recommend reviewing these troubleshooting tips. 

Looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback on the latest release. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in this thread. 

[Shastaski]

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@YFG wrote:
Walking exercise App

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Wow, that is what I use!  I guess I will never walk for 4 hours unless I play 18 which I have not done in many years!  I know the GPS can suck up the juice, you have done in a day what I do over the week, so I guess I can see how it would drain it that much

[Shastaski]

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@LarryQW wrote:

My new Ionic that I received a week ago is still doing great on this new update (32.10/.20). 

My battery only drops about 15-20% per day. On a 1 hour bike ride, I loose an additional 10% battery with the GPS going.

So the excessive battery drain is not necessarily a direct consequence of the new update in all watches. We'll see if it happens over more time to my Ionic. I also don't have Bluetooth or Sync issues. To the extent they exist, I usually trace sync problems to my phone.

With perhaps some fraction of a million of the Ionics sold, even low probability failures get noticed. Some devices may have high drain due to hardware issues or a number of other obscure causes. The half dozen people noticing battery drain issues near the firmware update might just be coincidence.

Hopefully Fitbit can sort out these failures. And my new watch doesn't fall victim as well.

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Thanks for the update, my replacement arrived today, I am looking forward to getting it going!

[Mike-in-Airdrie]

It took awhile to update via bluetooth but seems to work fine.  Battery life is decent even when using the GPS daily for 6km runs I usually can go 5+ days on a charge.

[Mike-in-Airdrie]

Thanks for the feedback, new to the community.

[PaulAvo]

I agree with everything you say. I have three family members with Ionics bought within the last three months. Not too many problems at all. Synching being the main issue. It can be slow to synch via 'phone/Internet to Ionic, especially if you have gone out of range of your 'phone. The best advice is to get a cheap 'phone tariff - mine is 1p a minute for 1Mb for text, calls & data. I find if I go out for a few hours hike/walk using mobile data it only amounts to pennies literally. I have Bluetooth and synch on all the time. I have the barest number of Apps on my device which are essential. The memory capacity of the Ionic is very small, why would you want to fill it choc-abloc with music? I have seen it stated you can take your music with you and leave your 'phone behind. Why? this is sheer folly, your 'phone is your emergency lifeline you need it with you all the time. My 'phone has thousands of songs on with far better rendition of the music if I so wish to use it. GPS has it's valuable uses, I believe I have read somewhere it will reduce/drain your battery after 4 hours. This would appear fine for a good hike/walk useful to map a new walk, Let's not forget the Ionic has a small battery. Do you want a device as big as a mobile 'phone wrapped around your wrist? -  All in all the Ionic is doing a good job for most and may it continue to improve.

[Gryzor]

...sooo, essentially you're saying, "forget what the advertised specs are, just don't use them because they're laughable, and your needs are laughable".

Oooh-kay. 

All I can say is this: what is laughable is having to take my "emergency lifeline" when I go running at the park next to my house, and having to strap it to my arm or something like that when I have a much smaller device I can listen to my music from, as advertised.

[Beckajw]

What's the point of a $300 fitness watch if all you can use it for is to count your steps? Music and GPS is the point of the watch.

[Becky9]

I bought this model so I COULD leave my phone at home. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered at all and just used my phone. Its the only reason I bought this. Its not rocket science. Its should do the job as advertised otherwise give me my money back now.

[Gryzor]

Precisely. If nothing else, I'd be carrying my phone, my Wahoo chest strap (which is more accurate than any smartwatch and its battery lasts months) and a normal watch. 

Those comments made no sense whatsoever...

[weasellyone]

PaulAvo, i don't think you have the same understanding of what this watch is used for as many other users.

Personally I bought it as an alternative to a Garmin running watch - as a fitness tracker which would monitor my overall activity and heart rate in addition to tracking my runs using GPS and removing the need to have my phone with me if i wanted to listen to music. If these features aren't core to the Ionic they shouldn't be advertised (and the price shouldn't be £200+)

A device which can't sustain battery using GPS for longer than 4 hours is useless for many who runs as it wouldn't last for the time taken to run a marathon. You can't take a lunch break to recharge the battery during a marathon. Taking a phone with you on a run is sometimes useful but very annoying, you have to use an arm strap or have very large pockets (which most running clothing doesn't have). 

If you just want a device to monitor your walks I would suggest the Misfit Shine2 which does a great job of monitoring sleep and steps, it also costs about £50 versus the £200+ for the Ionic which is advertised as a full function fitness smartwatch. 

[Gryzor]

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@weasellyone wrote:

PaulAvo, i don't think you have the same understanding of what this watch is used for as many other users.

Personally I bought it as an alternative to a Garmin running watch - as a fitness tracker which would monitor my overall activity and heart rate in addition to tracking my runs using GPS and removing the need to have my phone with me if i wanted to listen to music. If these features aren't core to the Ionic they shouldn't be advertised (and the price shouldn't be £200+)

A device which can't sustain battery using GPS for longer than 4 hours is useless for many who runs as it wouldn't last for the time taken to run a marathon. You can't take a lunch break to recharge the battery during a marathon. Taking a phone with you on a run is sometimes useful but very annoying, you have to use an arm strap or have very large pockets (which most running clothing doesn't have). 

If you just want a device to monitor your walks I would suggest the Misfit Shine2 which does a great job of monitoring sleep and steps, it also costs about £50 versus the £200+ for the Ionic which is advertised as a full function fitness smartwatch. 

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That.

[PaulAvo]

Ha Ha Your splitting hairs now. Hypothetically you are on your jog/hike/walk on a weekday and you stumble - break an ankle or whatever. (no one about)  Let's hope you have your 'phone with you. You wont' be able to ring the emergency services on your Ionic but you will be able to lay there in pain listening to soothing music.  Seriously though, I'm talking about saving the precious resources of your Ionic. Like any computer, the more memory you have usually the quicker response/efficiency from it. I'm sure the Ionic will perform better too IMHO

[PaulAvo]

Get your money back

[Mike-in-Airdrie]

I'm guessing having phone capability (no tether) would add cost, suck
battery, and probably be a crappy phone anyways. I think it is an
excellent point to buy what you need and don't it expect it to do something
it can't.

Hopefully someone will come by as I'm laying there in excruciating pain. 🙂

[weasellyone]

It's a well known fact that nobody went running prior to about 1998 due to the unacceptable risk that something might happen to you while you were out and there was no way of telling them....

Seriously, I just tell my husband where I'm going and roughly how long I expect to be. 

[Gryzor]

Genius! I might just begin doing that too if you don't mind!

[PaulAvo]

My 'phone for your information is the excellent Samsung J5. Far from incurring the costs that you infer. I use a separate 'phone for my Ionic activities, I payg with a minimum outlay of £10 which rolls over indefinitely. The only stipulation is that you top up every 120 days (min £10) costs: 1p a Mb for either text/'phone/data. I had to top up recently and was amazed to still have £20 credit rolled over. I have it on data almost all of the time. Battery capacity is excellent because I'm not using Wi-Fi. I can be out all day and have used literally only pennies. The other advantage of being connected all the time is that on data there are no 'synching problems'

[weasellyone]

How does a mobile phone save you from assault? Are you supposed to throw it at the attacker?

I suspect I'm contributing to the derail so nothing more to add here other than I think battery issues could be unrelated to the firmware and just because a lot of Ionic devices are hitting 6 months old at the same time. I didn't update to the latest firmware and my Ionic had the sudden battery drain start on Monday all the same 😕

Does anyone know if there is still a bug in the latest firmware whereby in the Run app, if you don't start the activity as soon as you get GPS connection the connection will automatically drop after a period of time? This is annoying for the start of races and pretty unforgivable on anything that's claiming it can track your running. 

[Gryzor]

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@weasellyone wrote:

 I didn't update to the latest firmware and my Ionic had the sudden battery drain start on Monday all the same 😕

Does anyone know if there is still a bug in the latest firmware whereby in the Run app, if you don't start the activity as soon as you get GPS connection the connection will automatically drop after a period of time? This is annoying for the start of races and pretty unforgivable on anything that's claiming it can track your running. 

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But... I have never seen a battery failing so suddenly and dramatically. I think it was discussed a few pages back - perhaps it's not the firmware, but the changes they did at their back end? Though I have no idea how these should affect battery and devices, since I have turned off all automatic communication between my phone and my Ionic. Unless it's some command/switch that was passed to the watch (perhaps an option to communicate data every x minutes, say) that did it, which does not require a whole new firmware.

Sorry, haven't tried the second...

[mrboingo]

My Ionic dies quickly now and I have had to reset it about 7 times so far and did a factory reset as well. This update has done a number on my device. Anyone else having issues as well?