Ionic not syncing

[Beverley22]

Is it just me or is the ionic rubbish ??? 

Doesnt update,won’t always connect, won’t sync, or if it does sync only does half of a job, think it’s about time Fitbit sorted the problem out, 

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Beverley22, if I have a sync problem, I usually find that a quick restart will usually prompt a sync.

If you are having more problems, please post again with more details and there will probably be someone here to help.

Welcome to the forums!

[Beverley22]

Oh believe me I’ve tried restarting it, it’s taken me 3 days to sync it, wish I’d never got it, 

[Whistler888]

Hmm?  Sounds familiar.

Did have multiple problems as well but persevered through them to get my Ionic to work adequately.  The restart did not work for me.  That was useless.  Had to do a full reset back to new and reload.  Took hours but did work for me.  WIFI does disconnect and sometimes can be very flaky making syncing near impossible.  Had to make sure WIFI was strong and continually connected before it would finish syncing.  So process is much more clunky and slow vs a simple fast cable connection with Apple.

But does what is important for me like playing music on its own and syncing GPS data to Strava both ways over WIFI.

My watch has actually crashed a number of times and rebooted on its own so there are definite stability issues.  Had bluetooth connections problems as well with the Jabra Elite Active but was able to get a consistent pairing after a complete reset back to new.  All my other bluetooth devices paired up fine.  

Songs do take forever (hours) to transfer over WIFI and initial connections sometimes get lost making the experience frustrating.  Notifications appear but depending on the phone and software version you may or may not be able to respond directly.  

So a number of bugs yet to quash.  Watch faces and Apps do load via the App and some are pretty good for free.  But bottom line is will keep this watch and even just ordered a couple different aftermarket straps for some variety.  

If you want music onboard and bluetooth and Strava this watch can do it standalone.  Even with all its shortcomings the watch is a definite buy when compared to other offerings.

Fitbit is aware of most these problems as have contacted them directly by phone.  Was told calls are recorded and tech support does review them to improve the product.  In the end reset the Jabra plus went to the very time consuming option of resetting the Ionic back to new losing all music stored etc.  But finally the Jabra now pairs consistently and as expected.

So the Ionic can work ok.  But definitely has growing pains like Apple does with new products or updates to OSX or iOS software.  Fitbit does need to work on these problems right away if they want to keep purchasers from throwing away or returning their watches.  That is paramount.

[Rich_Laue]

@Beverley22 may I ask what type of phone your having problems with? I'm assuming that you sync through a phone? 

[Kando66]

I also constantly have issues with syncing/getting notifications after either charging or not using the ionic for a few hours. I have an LG G6 and it's operating system is 8.0, but it's not in the list of compatible devices... Which is frustrating when Fitbit clearly says it's compatible to OS5.0 and higher....

[Beverley22]

Hi I have a iPhone 8 it’s all up dated but still having problems, I changed from a iPhone 5s and that was just the same ! 

[YojanaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @Beverley22 and @Kando66! Thanks for all the troubleshooting that you've tried to solve this syncing issue @Whistler888.

I totally understand your point. Please note that one of the first things we have to check this list that contains all the tested devices that sync with Fitbit. Our team routinely test new devices to ensure full compatibility with Fitbit devices and the Fitbit app. They are constantly working to confirm compatibility with new phone models too. Please verify that your phone meets the minimum operating system requirements. Majority of Android phones running version 5.0 or higher will work with our products. Same thing with Apple iOS 9 + and Windows 10 v1607 +.

I'd recommend trying the syncing troubleshoot to see if you can successfully connect your tracker. You can also confirm that your Fitbit App and phone are up to date first, then you can follow these steps:

1. Force quite the App and turn off your phone
2. Open Fitbit App, go to Account (upper right corner) > Delete Fitbit tracker from the Account
3. Open the Bluetooth Setting on your phone and delete Fitbit tracker from there too
4. Reboot Bletooth to make sure tracker is not there
5. Restart your tracker  a couple of times and Access back to Fitbit App > Account to set up your Fitbit tracker back
6. Turn on notifications

Depending your Android device, these tips might make syncing easier:

• Turn on the Always Connected option in the Fitbit app. This setting improves the Bluetooth connection between your phone and Fitbit device. Note that turning on this feature may cause the battery on your Fitbit device to drain more quickly than normal.
• Turn on All-Day Sync in the Fitbit app. This setting prompts your Fitbit device to periodically sync with the Fitbit app but may shorten battery life on your phone or Fitbit device.

In your case @Whistler888, you can also check this article: How do I install and manage apps on my Fitbit watch? and  Why isn't GPS working on my Fitbit device? Hope this helps and thanks for the amazing feedback.

Please keep in mind that when a device is not supported we cannot guarantee its functionality with the Fitbit app. It might work at a certain time and then it can stop working out of nowhere after an update. This is because the app is not optimized to that device and any change could impact the performance. 

Let me know if there's anything else I may assist you with. 

[Kando66]

Hello, as I said in my previous post, my device isn't listed, but is OS 8.0, and is a version that has been out for 3 years... It's a little crazy that it is not on the list. I have troubleshooted the way you told us several times, so I guess unless I want to spend the money on a new compatible phone (not) I just have to "deal with my issue" with my expensive ionic and expensive phone, and until Fitbit tests the"new" LGG6/7. Thanks. Guess I'll check out the Garmins

[Whistler888]

“In your case @Whistler888, you can also check this article: How do I install and manage apps on my Fitbit watch? and  Why isn't GPS working on my Fitbit device? Hope this helps and thanks for the amazing feedback.”

Actually I have no problems installing or managing apps on the Ionic.  Nor GPS problems.  Not sure where that was implied or noted.  

My current concern is that Tech Support is aware of the simple fact that my approved Android phone does not allow the “quick reply” options when a text message comes in.  Oddly that option is allowed and working when a phone call comes in -> but is not functioning when a text message comes in. Tech Support told me they are working to correct this oversight.

But appreciate your concern Yojana.  Tech Support told me my feedback is key to helping them correct problems on the Ionic.  They seem pleasant enough.  Question is will the programmers input correct code to fix the problem.  You would think it would be pretty simple if it already works when a phone call comes in.  Maybe just a little cut and paste.

[YojanaFitbit]

I really appreciate the time you're taking to troubleshoot this with us @Kando66 and @Whistler888.

@Kando66 Thanks for sharing you feedback about Fitbit products, out team is always working on adding more devices to the official list of tested devices. Please know that we always send the feedback received to our team.

@Whistler888 Thanks a million for the clarification. Sorry for the inconvenience with your text notifications on your Android. We hope they have updates about it soon.

Please let me know if you need help with anything else.

[Whistler888]

“@Whistler888 Thanks a million for the clarification. Sorry for the inconvenience with your text notifications on your Android. We hope they have updates about it soon.”

Thanks Yojana.  Pretty sure it is a fairly easy programming fix once they get to working on it.

But can say am happy the music has been loading on the Ionic with less problems.  Yesterday came to the conclusion that after you click on what playlists you want transferred-> it takes 5-10 min before the Connect App organizes and sorts how to place them into the Ionic storage drive. Then another 5-10 min before the playlist transfer actually begins into the Ionic.  The key is to wait until this process finishes up.

Once the ETA pops up on the Connect App it takes another 2-3 hours to load 2.3 GB or so of music.  Good thing is -> at least this last time the transfer went smoother than previous.  Smoother over WIFI but just as slow.  No need to disconnect and restart etc as noted in other threads.  Did not even touch the mobile App or mess with WIFI or static.

Then tested the Ionic to see when the transfer would cut off under battery power alone -> and it was around 20%.  But once it was charged and left plugged in to around 25% -> the Ionic could transfer playlists again.  So that was confirmed.

Am getting used to this very slow clunky transfer method.  But Fitbit does need to incorporate data transfer over the charge cable like most other brands.  As noted before using Apple or Google or micro SD -> music transfer takes a more reasonable 5-10 mins or so.  That is total time to transfer 2.3 GB of data from start to finish.

[CaitDorrance]

I have a LgG6 and have the exact same issue.  I have contacted support many times and gone through these steps many times with the syncing ultimately failing again a few weeks later.

The sync reliability is very inconsistent.  It will work great for a couple week and then not sync for 3 days.  It is then an issue when I follow the steps to delete and then reconnect my iconic because the iconic will not connect to the LgG6. The LgG6 is not a new phone and should have been worked out by now.  I am extremely frustrated with the watch itself and with the lack of support to find a lasting solution.  I will be looking to garmin as well for my next fitness watch.

[Rich_Laue]

Part of the issue could be in the Android phone. Android is known to not manage memory very well.

The forest thing I do when I have a sync issue is to restart the phone, this clears up the released memory that is still locked.

Second thing is to clear the Fitbit app cache. Phone settings - Apps - Fitbit - Storage - Clear Cache

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for the information you've provided about this @Whistler888, Fitbit is constantly working to improve the quality of products and services. All the feedback received from users is really helpful to enhance different procedures and customer experience. 

@CaitDorrance, unfortunately I've confirmed this model you mentioned is currently not listed as a compatible device. Although many users have been able to sync by follow the steps listed here, we cannot guarantee optimal performance on devices for which we have not tested and confirmed compatibility. At the moment we haven't received any updates to know when other devices will be included in the list. 

I hope this helps. 

[Whistler888]

“Thank you for the information you've provided about this @Whistler888, Fitbit is constantly working to improve the quality of products and services. All the feedback received from users is really helpful to enhance different procedures and customer experience.”

No problem Davide.

[DavideFitbit]

Great @Whistler888, I hope to see you around in the forums.