Ionic is not for runners

[notdanbutdan]

Fitbit Ionic Ruined my none-new-years new-years resolution 

I’ve always had an aversion to New Years resolutions. They’re generally made on holiday where all the stresses and fundamental limiting realities of your day to day existence aren’t present, and so it’s easy to set bold unrealistic goals.

It’s for this reason that I decided to come up with some resolution at the beginning of December last year, when I was overloaded with work. I decided that by the end of January 2019 I was going to complete a 21.1 Km run, with the intention of entering a race by June. I spent some money and signed up for the Strava Premium account (hey, it really does help seeing your times etc)

After 8 weeks of training, this morning, the last Sunday of January, was meant to be the run. I had downloaded Pink Floyd’s Pulse album via the Deezer app. Now I know that the Fitbit Ionic tends to reset during runs, but I seemed to have figured out (or so I thought) that this was only the case when battery was below 80%. (On a side note I’ve also figured out that the GPS just stops working below 61%).

Anyways, I hit the road with 97% charge on my Fitbit and ready to do my first 21.1 Km run. 5.3 Km in, the device resets. I made a bit of an idiot of myself as I screamed F*** F**** F**** over and over again in the middle of the road outside a Sunday school. I know it’s not appropriate behaviour but after 8 weeks of careful diet, training etc I was pretty F*cking furious.

I let my watch turn back on, found the song I was on and carried on my run. I didn’t expect the watch to reset again so soon but at some point about 5 minutes after starting (I wasn’t sure because I find it debilitating to run with my watch face in my face keeping an eye on distance accumulated while waiting for it to reset) it reset again. Now I was in a pickle. I wanted to complete 21.1 KM but I didn’t know how far I’d run…. Anyways, I decided I would just keep running so I did another good X km before it reset again and then one more full 10 Km (NO RESET YAY).

So basically, as someone who takes their running somewhat seriously (as in I want a running watch)… this device is useless. The one unadvertised benefit of the watch is that helps increase heart rate through anger and frustration.

What I would like from Fitbit - My money back. The reason I want this over a fix, is that this only one of many issues I have with the watch. As I mentioned earlier, the GPS doesn’t even get a lock if you’re under 61%. Due to the fact that I have a Huawei Lite phone, I also can’t sync my watch via my phone (an issue unique to Fitbit that no other smartwatch or bluetooth device manufacturer really seems to experience). For this reason I’ve had to keep my old phone (which I could have sold for money), just to sync my phone.

What I will accept from Fitbit - A fix, whatever that entails. I mean I know they’re a company operating for profit and yes they sold me a piece of rubbish that doesn’t do what it’s meant to do and yes I have to keep an old phone to sync it, but hey…if I can use it to run without it resetting and I can listen to music while doing so, then whatever…Not sure what fix exists but whatever, if they tell me that charging my Fitbit with the watch facing Mecca while singing Buck Roger songs somehow calms the inner chi of the watch and ensures that it does not reset while GPS is enabled and music is playing, and this tip works - then I”m a happy guy. Failing that if I’m even to them saying to me “Run with your phone strapped to your head in the meantime while we get the Ionic 2 (or whatever) to market and then will give you one for free in exchange for your current Ionic and we promise that it will have all the issues fixed." I will accept this. Cause hey, I’m flexible (I have a great Yoga app if you need it).

What I will get from Fitbit - Nothing beyond a message to the tune of “Hi Daniel, Thank you so much for informing us of your seething raging homicidal hatred for our company. We strive to write a lot about how much we would like for you to be happy and so on. We have passed your message on to the forces that be and will be sure to make mention of your issues during our ayahuasca journey vision quest”. Well not quite, but something like that. The reason is, because these help forums, from what I can tell, are not run by Fitbit. They’re a diversion mechanism that Fitbit has outsourced to basically calm and castrate frustrated delinquents such as myself from actually getting over he moat and screaming full volume at someone who happens to work for Fitbit. It sucks man. 

So, please Fitbit, prove me wrong? Alternatively, anyone out there have any recommendations of another brand of watch that is good for running and swimming, can play music via bluetooth, maybe also logs sleep (I find the sleep stuff quite intriguing) and counts steps and active minutes etc? And does all of this without resetting mid-exercise ?

Namaste , or something

[jbuck79 · Accepted solution]

I don't think your issues are indicative of what everyone is experiencing.

I run with my Ionic about five times a week. I've had the watch for about a year. I have only had the watch reset on me a few times, and none since the OS 3 update. When it did happen a few times, I found that rebooting the watch every week or so stopped it.

I've gone out on runs with 20% battery life remaining and had no issues with GPS. Honestly, the GPS on this watch is the most stable of any running watch I've used.

I don't use Deezer, maybe that's the problem? I've done a bunch of runs with Pandora through the watch without any issues, but I usually listen to stuff on my phone. I use the default watch face and don't have many 3rd party apps installed. I think I only have two apps installed that didn't come with the watch.

[SunsetRunner]

For me, it sometimes happens that the Exercise app crashes. Ionic never reset on its own but I do experience problems with the GPS connection, HR reading and distance computation that includes fixed-length stride. I agree that Ionic is not for runners, especially if you are into stats and analyzing your data. In that matter, Ionic ( and Fitbit in general ) falls short.

The worst experience I had last weekend during my 15km run:

GPS didn't connect for the whole run. I noticed that being approx. 30 min in but didn't care, as I was tracking the run on the other device, too. So I just let it be and then went to see what it actually registered. If not that I have it tracked properly by another watch, I would be furious ( after all it's quite a long distance ). This bad GPS connection happened to me the very first time. Usually, dropping the GPS wasn't a big issue. Today run ( shorter, just 5k ) GPS connected but it took 1,5 minute to lock on. On the good side, the battery lasted whole run ( I mean the weekend one ). For me, Ionic is just an expensive toy.

[jbuck79]

Maybe it doesn't work as well outside the US? I'm in the US and my GPS works great. It never takes longer than maybe 15 seconds to lock on and it never loses a connection.

I connect it to Strava and pay for a premium subscription and I feel like it get a really good amount of data.

[SunsetRunner]

Well, GPS means Global Positioning System. The word "Global" is there for a reason 🙂 Anyway, I don't have this problem with another watch or my mobile phone. I consider the 15 seconds needed to connect still, as long time when I can compare with my other devices which connect instantly. Nevertheless, the Saturday tracking was just a disaster. Both, GPS and HR went horribly wrong.

I use Strava, too but I would expect the Fitbit app to be little more sophisticated and not have to pay extra somewhere else. Because competitors have such features on board, does this mean Fitbit shouldn't? 😉

[jbuck79]

I know what GPS stands for. I was just thinking that maybe the software was different internationally or something.

Honestly, I don't think Fitbit intends these devices to be hardcore serious running watches. There are plenty of other devices for that. Fitbit, in my opinion, is a more casual exercise tracking device.

[SunsetRunner]

Agree to that. Maybe I would slightly rephrase it as "expensive casual exercise device" 😉

[jbuck79]

The more serious watches that I've looked at, like the Garmins and such, are generally more expensive.

[Davels]

Hah, I joined to look at the Ionic problems but instead was distracted by the fact you're in Staines, I'm in Ashford - hehe. 

Anyway, just got an Ionic today... currently running the update and its taken almost 3 hours so far

[notdanbutdan]

I had a Surge previously, and I pretty much bought the Ionic the day it came onto the market... wonder if there were fixes done consequently to the initial launch, as I can tell you for sure I cannot get a GPS lock with under 61% battery... I do have a snazzy clockface and a few apps installed... don't know if that has any impact. 

Yeah it could very well be Deezer. I've loaded some old-school MP3s onto the watch and will try running with those for the next few days. 

Thanks for the advice 🙂 

[jbuck79]

My gut feeling is that the fancy watchface is probably more likely to be your problem. Try the default watchface for a while. If you really want to be sure, reset the watch to factory and don't install any apps or anything. If you were to contact Fitbit support, they would almost surely tell you the same thing.

[Wizegeezer]

There is a very long thread in this forum where people have documented the Ionic crashing during exercise. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Crashes-during-exercise/m-p/2286372#M13485  There is one work-around that's been posted that has helped me, swiping the watch face left or right immediately after starting your run .  Don't know if it will work for you but it never crashes if I do this.  Fitbit has made it clear in that thread that they are not sure if they will ever really fix the problem. 

[Giampi71]

I'm using Fitbit Ionic for my runs and in my experience (I have Polar m600, Tom Tom Runner 2, Garmin Forerunner 235) it is working with the necessary accuracy.

It is definitely not a specific for running like the mentioned competitor but it offers the best compromise (for my needs).

GPS: 1) Tom Tom  2) Garmin 3) Fitbit 4) Polar (the Polar loses signals very often and the track is very irregular, Garmin and Fitbit are very similar)

HR: 1) Polar 2) Fitbit 3) Tom Tom 4) Garmin (Garmin and tom Tom are very unreliable)

Running features: 1) Garmin 2) Tom Tom 3) Polar 4) Fitbit

My opinion is that for HR/GPS the Ionic is the best compromise but it suffers a very basic experience during running (notable lacks are the race simulation with prediction of final time and a serious interval training). However my training is typically long runs alternated with medium runs at faster pace and I don't do interval training.

No crashes for me, no problems to pick the GPS signal (I live in Japan) and the battery (with screen on set on automatic) let me finished my last marathon in 4h 30'.

[NorthGong]

Hi, I have recently started to run for longer than 3 hours and each time my Fitbit Iconic goes dead. I like to see my speed, heart rate  and time so I don't want to switch them off. Surely this watch could go for over 4 hours.

[SunsetRunner]

Hello, Dan, I have had fitbit for years, including the surge and now the iconic.  have had the iconic for maybe a year.  Not had the trouble you refer to.  In fact, love my iconic.  My surge, well, it worked well, until it didn't, but that is not what this post is about.  My GPS tracks most of the time, doesn't reset.  I do not have any texts or emails coming through, i do not play music through my fitbit.  Works like a charm.  

[notdanbutdan]

So Deezer does seem to be the primary culprit for causing the watch to reset during GPS activities. Since I've stopped using Deezer while running or walking the watch hasn't reset once.

GPS however is still a nightmare and appears to be getting worse. I've reset the watch to factory settings, kept the watch face as is and not installed any apps and yet I struggle to get a GPS lock even with 90% battery. Often it gets a lock if I stay still for long periods of time but then once I start moving it loses and finds it intermittently.. Sometimes I sit outside in the same spot for 20 minutes and the thing gets no lock, so I just don't run on those days.

Would still love my money back or for fitbit to repair this piece of junk 

[SilviaFitbit]

It's great to see you on the Community @notdanbutdan. Thank you so much for the time that you've taken in order to let us know about the experience that you've had with your Ionic.

Sorry to hear that you couldn't track the whole activity, I'm sure this was really frustrating, I can feel it from what you shared. I want to help you regarding this situation, our priority at Fitbit is to provide you with the best customer service and help you with any inconvenience that you might be facing. 

In this case you may want to check this article that contains all the supported devices. You mentioned that you have a Huawei Lite phone and this might not be listed as supported, if it isn't listed under our non-supported list,you can always try the syncing troubleshoot.

Note that the apps and clock faces that you have installed will impact in your watch's battery life. You may want to learn tips on how to improve it by checking this article. Regarding the inconvenience that you had with GPS, I would like you to make sure that you've followed this procedure to track the exercise. You should be able to track it even if the battery is at 61%, GPS battery life should last up to 10 hours (depending on use) as well as other factors that may also drain your battery as mentioned in the previous article. You can try these tips before your next run and test if it lasts the whole journey.

On a side note, since you mentioned that you find sleep stages intriguing, I'd like to share more of this with you.

Thank you for sharing your experience with Ionic and GPS @jbuck79, @SunsetRunner, @Giampi71, @Wizegeezer and @SunsetRunner.

Welcome to the Community @NorthGong. The GPS battery life should last up to 10 hours (depending on use) other factors may affect as well, check them here. You may want to restart your Ionic and track another activity. 

A warm welcome to the Community @Davels. In case, you have any question you may want to check this article to make sure you have all the requirements and following the proper procedure to update your Ionic. 

Hope this helps! Let me know the outcome.

[ObSkewer]

It's not just for runners that this Deezer crash occurs - a Workout exercise will do the same thing. If I listen to some music via Deezer whilst tracking anything in the Exercise app it will crash my Ionic after about 30mins at best, often repeatedly during a single workout.

Simply running the Deezer app on its own can cause my Ionic to crash, I know this as I have been irritated by the instability of Exercise + Deezer for about 6 months since I got my Ionic and have long given up on tracking an exercise whilst listening to music via Deezer.

I have been watching for an update to the Deezer app for a while, as the crash is very easy to reproduce in fairly short periods of time.

Keep meaning to try the Music app to see if that is more reliable...

[mandalala]

"Anyways, I hit the road with 97% charge on my Fitbit and ready to do my first 21.1 Km run. 5.3 Km in, the device resets. I made a bit of an idiot of myself as I screamed F*** F**** F**** over and over again in the middle of the road outside a Sunday school. I know it’s not appropriate behaviour but after 8 weeks of careful diet, training etc I was pretty F*cking furious."

yup---this right here is the worst and there is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it

[mandalala]

I don't use anything but the fitness tracker, and it turns off or resets or stops tracking fairly regularly.  It's like a once a month thing