No dongle with Ionic - then how to install music?

[NickGleeson]

I bought my Fitbit Ionic at Singapore airport so I'm guessing everything is legit.  I have all the packaging here and there's no dongle.  There doesn't seem to be any instructions about setup etc., but I've found some online posts that suggest to download fitbit connect to my laptop (although the fitbit website seems to suggest this isn't necessary if you have a mobile device).  When I do, it's asking me to connect using a dongle... but there isn't one!  Any advice how to install music to my ionic without a dongle?

[LZeeW]

Hello @NickGleeson and a warm welcome.  The instructions for downloading music start on page 47 of the Ionic Manual.  Here is another Help article.

You do not use a dongle when transferring music -- the dongle is a Bluetooth device.  You need the Fitbit Connect to transfer music using wi-fi.  You cannot transfer music from a mobile device.

See if this helps.

[NickGleeson]

Thanks for your response Laurie.  Unfortunately when I open up Fitbit Connect it will not progress as it sends an error message "your dongle is not attached to your computer".  So for the FitBits being sold in Singapore without a dongle, it's not possible to connect to your computer for any of the functionality

[LZeeW]

@NickGleeson   Thank-you for the additional information.  The Ionic never included a Bluetooth dongle, no matter where it was sold.  Fitbit stopped including dongles several models ago.  The Bluetooth connection is made directly with your computer's Bluetooth.

What model computer are you using and what operating system are you running?  I am going to flag your post to get a moderator's attention.  I hope you can get the right kind of help.

[Rich_Laue]

What operating system is your laptop running @NickGleeson? is it a MAC, pre win10, or running Win 10?

There isnt a dongle because by now most have updated to win 10

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @NickGleeson, welcome to the Community. @LZeeW and @Rich_Laue, it's nice to see you around, and thanks for your great help. You guys are great!

@NickGleeson, thanks for your efforts while working on your Ionic, let's work on this together. While you need Bluetooth connection to sync or setup a device; the Fitbit Connect will transfer your music via WiFi, so you'll not need a Wireless Dongle. To further investigate, please provide me with your computer's information. Also, let me know the following:

1. Was your Ionic plugged in the charging cable during the transfer? Note that your device will connect to WiFi when it's plugged in.
2. Are your music files under MP3, WMA and MP4 w/ACC audio format?
3. Are you transferring your playlists from Windows Media or iTunes?
4. Was the Bluetooth enabled in other devices during the transfer, such as phones, tablets or computers?

I look forward to your reply.

[NickGleeson]

Hi thanks for responding Rich.  I'm on Windows 10 Pro, but the FitBit Connect opens with a 'no dongle attached' message and I can't proceed.

[NickGleeson]

Hi Lizzie,

Thanks for your support.  My device was plugged in by the charging cable, and was charging.  When I open FitBit connect, it has a yellow warning box at the top which says "UBS dongle disconnected".  The available options are 'set up a new fitbit device' or 'sync now'.  No matter which I press, I then get "Your wireless dongle is unplugged.  Plug it into your USB port to continue.".  So I don't think I can do anything without a dongle.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @NickGleeson, I'm glad to hear from you.

Thanks for getting back with the requested information, as well for your efforts while trying the steps posted above. While you need the Dongle for the setup and syncing process, it's not required to transfer music to your Ionic. When opening the Fitbit Connect, you should see the following screen:

If you're not seeing that screen, I'd recommend to uninstall the Fitbit Connect and install the Fitbit app for Windows 10. Then, open the Fitbit app and follow the steps from the help article shared to you before to continue with the process. Please note that you can transfer files in MP3, WMA and MP4 w/ACC audio format.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes. 

[NickGleeson]

Hi and thanks for the various help on this.  It still doesn't work.  I uninstalled FitBit Connect and then installed FitBit app (which amazingly requires 6 different instances of clicking Get App).  Then opened the app, it doesn't open to the screen you show but to the same screen I see in my FitBit app on my phone.  Then it doesn't recognize the watch even though it's connected to the laptop and charging, and is on the same WiFi network. So I can't enable Deezer, can't enable Music, and can't use various other functions.  It's very frustrating, as basically it makes this a very expensive heart rate monitor.

[NickGleeson]

One interesting point - even though I have connected WiFi to my home network, the watch shows "WiFi off" under settings.  There doesn't seem to be any way to turn it on, except to connect to network using iPhone, which I've already done.

[Rich_Laue]

Is your ironic. plugged in and charging @NickGleeson. it is only when charging your ionic a WiFi is turned on. 

You mention having a phone with the Fitbit app on it. 

Have you been able to setup and sync the ionic through the phone? 

If so you can setup Deezer through the phone. 

How do I listen to Deezer playlists on my Fitbit watch?

[gregj1763]

Hi Nick,

I just got my Ionic today and had similar issues, here's how I got it going though I have only got mono through my Bose bluetooth earbuds, working on that.

1. on your Ionic swipe across to music app then down to transfer music.

2. open Fitbit connect on your PC, don't worry about the dongle, doesn't work for me either. Go down to manage my music, if all goes well you should see a blue screen with a looking for your watch at top of screen. Takes a few seconds to connect then it will show a screen with your media playlists.

Hope this works for you, good luck mate

[Rich_Laue]

if your using the Win 10 app then the dongle is not needed. Also not needed with MACs