Ionic showing "unlock with phone" message

[Ray_a]

After Kayaking while wearing a long sleeve shirt my Ionic became locked due to entering the incorrect PIN more then 10 times. 

My Ionic is displaying a message "Unlock with your Phone".

I have gone through the steps in "Device Lock" and "Change PIN Code" but when I enter the new PIN I get the Error Message "Error connecting to Ionic".  I have been through many of the Posts for this problem and keep coming up with the same proposed solution.  I also tried re-installing my Ionic, but when it got to the stage of entering the 4 digit code from my Ionic I was unable to see the code due to it being locked.  This is extremely frustrating as my Ionic is continuing to work and is updating my phone App with steps, sleep, bpm etc. while the Ionic has effectively now just a watch.  Can anyone help?

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[SilviaFitbit]

@Ray_a It's great to see you on the Community. Thanks for the details mentioned and the troubleshooting tried. 

Sorry to hear that you're experiencing this with your watch. Since you're unable to perform a normal factory reset, please try the following:

1. On the device, hold all three buttons for about 10 to 12 seconds. 
2. When the Fitbit logo disappears, quickly release the bottom right button, continuing to hold down the left and top right buttons (releasing the bottom right button as soon as the logo disappears is time sensitive). 
3. When the device vibrates, release all buttons. 
4. Wait for approximately 1-2 minutes while the device clears all data. Eventually, the Fitbit logo appears and the device boots and displays Fitbit.com/setup.
5. When the device successfully resets, follow the normal out of the box process of updating the firmware (See How do I update my Fitbit device?).

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[Rich_Laue]

I would first try restarting the tracker and the phone @Ray_a your doing the correct procedure but their is a convocation problem. Also if on Android clear the Fitbit app's cache. 

Also when resolved you may want to set the pin for Fitbit pay only. 

[Ray_a]

Silvia,

Thanks for getting back to me.

I have tried your reset steps below, five times now and each time it finishes step 3 but doesn't complete step 4. Since I first tried this process my Ionic had not updated the phone app and the time was showing 10 minutes behind actual.  I have since turned my phone off & on and done a reset on the Ionic (left and top right buttons). I also cleared the Fitbit apps cache as suggested by Rich_Laue.  I am right back where I started, i.e. "Error connecting to Iconic".  Do you have any other suggestions?

[Rich_Laue]

If step for hasn't shown. Your tracker may still be connected to your account, @Ray_a have you tried using the app to change the pin? 

[Ray_a]

Rich,

Thanks for your suggestions.  I have been trying to reset my PIN using the phone app.  It is when I do this that I get the message "Error connecting to Ionic" while the Ionic will display the time, date, bpm & steps, if I tap the face to enter the other functions I get the message "Unlock with Your Phone".  Problem is when I go through the process to unlock with my phone I need to change my PIN and then get the "Error" message.  It seems to me that everything is communicating as normal, including entering my normal PIN at which stage I get the message "Too Many Unlock Attempts".   Communication breaks down when I try to "RESET PIN".

[Rich_Laue]

Are your trackers steps still syncing to your fitbit account? We still need to figure out if your tracker is still connected to your phone. The instructions Silvia provided is for doing a factory reset which will remove the tracker from your Fitbit account, without Fitbit knowing that it was removed. The app will still try and connect to the tracker which might not be connected. 

[Ray_a]

Rich,

As far as I can determine the Ionic and my phone are still connected for the transfer of data from the Ionic to the phone.  The connection error only happens when the phone tries to connect to the Ionic to reset the PIN. 

[Rich_Laue]

When wearing your tracker, after a sync, are the steps updated to the app and your account? 

[Ray_a]

Yes.  There is no problem with the connection from the Ionic tracker to the app and my account.  The connection Error is only there when I try to reset my PIN using the phone app.  Otherwise everything appears to be working correctly.  If I could reset the PIN on the Ionic I think things will be back to normal. 

[SilviaFitbit]

@Ray_a Thanks for getting back.  I appreciate the details mentioned and the troubleshooting tried. 

In this case, I've shared your post with our Support team and they will continue assisting you through email. 

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

[Ray_a]

Thanks Silvia,

I will wait to hear from the Support Team.

[Ray_a]

Problem solved.

With help from the Support Team I now have a fully communicating and functioning Ionic.  The solution was to update the the Fitbit app and then reset the PIN.  Worked first time.

[SilviaFitbit]

@Ray_a Thanks for getting back. I'm glad to hear that you got it working after updating the Fitbit app and reset the PIN. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance.