Ionic losing time

[Rawrbyn]

My Ionic has been working just fine for the last few months until yesterday. I noticed that the time was a few minutes off, then progressively got worse. I synced my Fitbit, and the time caught up. Today, it was off again, and wouldn't sync. I was able to fix it, but now it's off again. I'm noticing that the WiFi on my Fitbit says that it's off. How do I stop that from happening?
Here's what I've done:
1. Restarted my Fitbit.
2. Restarted my app.
3. Checked my home WiFi settings. (They haven't changed...ever.)
4. Made sure bluetooth was off on other devices.
5. Forgotten the Ionic on my bluetooth menus. 
6. Factory reset my Fitbit. (took almost 3 hours to finally get it to hook up) Thought this fixed it...but it didn't. 
7. Deleted and reinstalled app.

Any other tricks, or should I give up on my Ionic and switch to Samsung?

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity 
 

[SueL999]

I gave up on fitbit. Bought an Apple Watch and haven’t looked back. There are some Fitbit things I miss but I don’t miss the connection and sync aggravation!

Sent from my iPad

[Kebentz]

I don't have available wifi and have used my ionic successfully on my LG G3 for 18 months or more until last week. My clock will lose around 2 hours a day.

Factory reset everything..

Finally went to children's house to hook up to WiFi and after 12+ hours finally got it synced.

Within an hour it was losing time already.

Just completed a second reset and within 8 minutes it lost its link to my phone.

Won't sync on Bluetooth or wifi.

Checked wether or not I had a compatible phone and my phone is no longer listed.

Pissed that I spend 275± for a watch just for them to stop supporting it.

I need answers! And I noticed that the moderator conveniently stopped helping people on this thread

[PaulMe]

@Kebentz,

I need answers!

I gather your LG G3 is using an oldish version of Android - Version 6?

TBF, backwards support of the current app to version 7 isn't too bad.

How about you uninstall your Fitbit app on the phone and install a slightly older version and see how it goes?

One version back should just about do it. 3.25 perhaps?

This site won't allow me to post a URL archiving previous versions of the Fitbit Android app. But you're allowed to do your own search, as I did. The current version 3.28 all the way back to earlier versions are there.

😲

[SueL999]

I gave up with Fitbit eventually after having this problem repeatedly with no resolution from fitbit. Now use Apple Watch and wouldn’t go back to fitbit again. I also was very annoyed that I had spent nearly £300 for a device that could not even function as a watch. My advice would be to complain persistently to fitbit but vote with your feet and go somewhere else for activity tracking.

Sent from my iPhone

[pmcmtnbkr]

I have enjoyed the fitbit ionic when it works but rest assured it wont work for long. Fitbits warranty is great if you can fight through their service/help centers. I picked up an ionic a little over a year ago. The unit had a hard failure of the bluetooth in the tracker after about 2-3 months of owning it. It started to fail simply enough having difficulty synching with the fitbit app. Then it started losing time only a min or so a day this continue for a few weeks until it would no longer synch with the app. After spending over an hour with tech support they replaced the tracker. All was good for about 3-4 months then the replacement track failed the same way as the 1st. Again after about an hour with tech it was found the bluetooth had failed on the tracker yet again and a replacement tracker was sent. So i am now on tracker #3 under warranty replacement. Fun fact Fitbit only applies the warranty for 1 year from original purchase and does not restart 1 year from the replacement date. So now its been a little over 4 months and this tracker has again failed in the exact same way as all the other trackers. I again found myself engaged in another 45 min session with tech support! Big shocker the bluetooth failed yet again. this time however it is outside of its one year warranty. The solution 35% off the purchase of a new tracker. Say what why the hell would i ever buy another fitbit after spending sever hundred on one of these and having to replace every 3 to 4 months. Thats a every expensive cost of ownership. If you have a hard time buying this google fitbit iconic losing time there are tons of entries on fitbits own members forums of this failure and once it starts the only solution is replacement, on fitbit's dime until the warranty expires then its on yours!! Sorry about your luck! I would run don't walk away from these and find yourself something better

[Gstarling]

That's very useful to know but very discouraging of any hope of a solution for the ionic. Good luck @pmcmtnbkr  with your next watch. 

I have read through most of the thread on this and there seems to be no specific solution to the issue other than a replacement watch(es) which are likely to fail also.

My wife has the ionic and I have a charge 3 so we both like the stats and detail that fitbit provide. I have had no issues with my charge 3 though or the charge 2 before it.

I spoke to technical support today and the ionic synced so they raised a case number for me to call back when it starts losing time - could not do anymore until it stops syncing.

One thing tech support confirmed, is that your phone must be close to your watch at all times for syncing. Otherwise it may lose time - so not really a watch if it relies on a phone to keep it in time? Fairly certain my charge 3 does not need a phone nearby for it to keep time?

[PaulMe]

One thing tech support confirmed, is that your phone must be close to your watch at all times for syncing. Otherwise it may lose time - so not really a watch if it relies on a phone to keep it in time?

The clock electronics are obviously free running between syncs. There seems to be a fair bit of variation in the accuracy of the clock between Ionics when it is free running. Not sure if this is a hardware, software or just a component quality issue?

The clock on my Ionic seems to be accurate within a second or two even when a sync hasn't taken place for many hours. I leave my phone down stairs well away from my bedroom - so syncing is variable at that distance, often not at all. Sometimes it may not sync for 12+ hours untill I FORCE STOP the app and manually sync it again. This happens periodically.

Clock inaccuracy has never been an issue for me. I can see this would be a showstopper if you relied on the alarm to wake you up.

[Gstarling]

It lost another 45 minutes last night and is 'showstopper' as you say.

My was using it as an alarm but leaves her phone downstairs to charge overnight which it conventional advice.

She is a teacher and does not carry her phone with her at all times during the day - its loses time then too.

I plan to call the help desk again today to seek further advice.

However, if it loses more than a couple minutes overnight it is not 'fit for purpose' as a watch.

[SueL999]

I switched to Apple Watch 18 months ago and would never go back to fitbit

Sent from my iPhone

[Gstarling]

Given my are whole family are in the fitbit ecospace, we are reluctant to change - but seems to be the only solution that works - move to another supplier, or perhaps change device as no issues with the charge 3 or the versa as yet.

Update, yesterday I called tech support  (0800 069 8505 option 3 and then 4) and they insisted that I needed to do a factory reset as the next step. 

=>This did not solve the issue.

Today I called them again and they said the firmware update had not worked. Not sure I believe that but I did not check it beforehand.

It is supposed to be on the latest now, which it was before the factory reset (27.71.6.19).

I will wait until it loses time again and I will call Fitbit. The watch is not fit for purpose, if it needs a phone next to it in order for it to keep time.

[Gstarling]

Day 4 talking to tech support again.

The fitbit lost time again and now will not sync.

Spoke to technical support and they then escalated this as I was requesting a refund.

They refused as its beyond 45 days from purchase but it only developed the fault about 10 days ago.

They have offered a replacement, but given the feedback on these forums, there seems to be a specific issue with the Ionic and very reluctant to accept another ionic device.

They did say there is a general issue if an iphone is switched off and this upsets syncing. This issue affects all devices that link to ios.  They are trying to fix this issue but could not say when.

[SueL999]

Sorry but I got fed up with their excuses and their inability to understand what was going wrong with their own tech. I eventually stopped believing they even had an idea about what was causing the problem and bought an Apple Watch. Not looked back. I was a massive fitbit fan.

Sent from my iPhone

[pmcmtnbkr]

I got fed up also and just picked up a Samsung Galaxy Watch and wouldn't look back. My first experience once it was charged powered it on the phone found it updated the software in under 5 minutes  and didn't  have to play any stupid  games

[MichaelThunder]

I agree with Rawrbyn, and in addition to everything done. I have removed and restarted the initial process on the Ionic three times. No changes. So I gave up on the 1st. As of right now. 3:26 pm cst on Dec 3rd, my Ionic thinks its 12:02 pm December 2nd. I use a Samsung Galaxy 9 to synchronize it, if that helps.

[PaulMe]

Accept the replacement. Not like you have a better option. Losing time is not the most prevalent issue with the Ionic, you have a reasonable chance of not experiencing the same fault with a replacement.

[Gstarling]

@PaulMe You maybe right to get a replacement. However, I suspect the issue is more with the firmware than the watch, as last night it did not lose any time and the syncing issue miraculously corrected itself in the afternoon (without any intervention). Fitbit are sending us email with an offer too replace but will wait to see if it keeps time. Its just frustrating that the watch has not been keeping time all week and then suddenly works. 

[Gstarling]

No surprise - the Ionic lost time yet again, last night.😠

Fitbit had promised to send me an email with the option to accept a replacement on Thursday 3/12

I have checked my email and the only email I have received from them was asking me to do a survey following my call with them on Tuesday 1/12.

Just filled in the survey and the final message is ironic not ionic "Customer satisfaction is our top priority. Your feedback will be used to improve our products and services". Lets hope so!

How long does it take them to send such an email for a replacement? I tried to call them again today but its Saturday and there is no technical support at the weekend. I will be calling them again on Monday.

Better still Fitbit could be concentrating on fixing this issue that so many of us seem to be having with the Ionic - it should tell the time - otherwise its not a watch!

[Gstarling]

Over a week later. Since the watch has be left on the desk, it had managed to keep time for nearly a week!

However, when my wife put it back on, it lost 15 minutes overnight - what is going on here?

It keeps losing sync and then starts again - could be related to when the iphone runs out of battery life..

[PaulMe]

could be related to when the iphone runs out of battery life

Some Ionics are better at keeping accurate time when they loose sync and are free running. Mine only looses a second or two over-night when it looses sync. It appears many are far worse.