Transferring Personal Music to Ionic

[ErickFitbit]

Update 10/6/17 -- Thanks for sharing your experiences with attempting to transfer your playlists onto Ionic. After reading through the discussions in this thread, I noticed some users where successful and others not so much.

Users are running into various blockers that are preventing a successful transfer. I've compiled the complications into the following categories:

• Stuck on "Looking for Ionic" message on Fitbit connect even though Ionic/Fitbit App/Computer on same Network) 

Cannot connect unless a force manual IP address for Ionic is done(entering IP address manually)

• Frozen at "Determining Transfer Time" (check out @xTommyG's workaround here)
• Stuck on "Transfer in progress" (try restarting your Ionic and then reestablish Wi-Fi connection on Ionic)
• Ionic won't connect to Wi-Fi (see Why won't my Fitbit watch connect to Wi-Fi? for tips)

I've created a guide to help anyone that's having issues with this. So, without further ado, let's start transferring some music!  

Requirements

• Windows 10 (PC) or Mac computer 
• Wi-Fi capable computer: Must be able to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi (direct ethernet connections will not work)
• Must connect to a 2.4GHz frequency network (5 GHz frequency is not supported)
• Fitbit Connect Software (Win10/Mac) must be installed
• Ionic battery life must be above 40% to transfer music (Keeping Ionic charging during this process is recommended)
• Create at least 1 playlist of songs or podcasts in iTunes or Windows Media Player to download to your watch. You can also create playlists in the Fitbit Music app using the drag-and-drop feature to add individual tracks. 
• To download music files, they must fall under one of the following audio file types: 
  • Windows 10
    • MP3 files
    • MP4 files with AAC audio
    • WMA files
  • Mac
    • MP3 files
    • AIFF
    • MP4 files with AAC audio

• If you use iTunes, make sure you approve the app to share playlists with your watch: Open iTunes on your computer > Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Share iTunes Library XML with other applications > OK.

 

• For best results, perform this process as close to your router as possible to reduce any interference 

Transfer Music Checklist

1. Restart computer
2. Make sure your computer is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network (note: personal or work network that requires a password to connect is recommended - 2.4 GHz) 
3. Restart phone
4. Restart Ionic
5. In the Fitbit app go to Account/Media/Manage Wi-fi Networks and remove all saved networks
6. Connect back to your Wi-Fi network 
7. Plug-in your watch to charge
8. On your Ionic, tap Music app and then Transfer Music: 
9. Ionic will show this screen when connection is established: 
10. Open Fitbit Connect and click on Manage My Music 
11. When prompted, follow the on-screen instructions on your Mac/PC to choose the playlists you want to download to your watch. After you choose a playlist, the download starts automatically. Download/transfer times vary based on how large your playlist is (was able to download 1 hours worth of music in about 6-8 minutes).

Note: For faster download times, you might want to avoid large playlists. The more songs you transfer under one playlist the longer download times you will experience. Should you run into an issue please let us know where in the process you get stuck.

Thanks everyone for your continued insight and feedback in this thread. I hope all of you Ionic users get transferred, drop your phones on your dressers and start working out to the music you most enjoy, phone free!

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Update 9/28/17 -- The latest version of Fitbit Connect for Mac is now live! The update can now be found on the setup page. Please update if you haven't already so you can start transferring your favorite tunes to your Ionic!

• Download Fitbit Connect for Mac: www.fitbit.com/setup

• Download Fitbit Connect for PC: http://cache.fitbit.com/FitbitConnect/FitbitConnect-v2.0.2.6954-2017-09-28.exe 

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Everyone -- To transfer music with Fitbit Connect, please click the applicable link below to download and install the Fitbit Connect software:

• Download Fitbit Connect for Mac: www.fitbit.com/setup

• Download Fitbit Connect for PC: http://cache.fitbit.com/FitbitConnect/FitbitConnect-v2.0.2.6954-2017-09-28.exe

With the Music app on Fitbit Ionic, you can store and play several hours worth of your favorite songs and podcasts right on your wrist. After you download playlists to your watch, connect Bluetooth headphones or another audio device to listen to your tracks.

You need a Windows 10 PC or a Mac connected to Wi-Fi to download music and podcasts to your watch. Keep in mind you can only transfer files that you own or don’t require a license. 

If you live in the United States, you can also use the Pandora app to download stations to your watch. 

For full instructions, I recommend checking out "How do I listen to music and podcasts on my Fitbit watch?"

[PeteG-1]

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@Flinch57-84 wrote:

Is windows media player a app you download or part windows 10? If I don’t have Bluetooth on my windows 10 can I succeed? Sorry I’m pretty incompetent in this area, any help would be great.

---

It's installed, it's just not exposed in the standard Start menu.

If you click on the Windows Menu, and type "med...", by the time you get the third character in, you'll see it, in a short list (at most) of choices.

If you happen to have a Win10 install that excluded it, I can find a pointer to a method to install "alternate Windows Components", it's pretty easy, but there are a LOT of good walk-through write-ups out there already.

Edit: I didn't see the part about Bluetooth. I'm honestly not sure, but I sort of doubt it, since the app won't be able to link to the device prior to the media sync, which is all Bluetooth.

Buy a cheap (but with good reviews) USB Bluetooth dongle, a decent one is $5-10.

[powys]

Hi, As someone who received a Fitbit Iconic as a gift for Xmas, I have to say I am not very impressed.

This is my very first experience of this type of device.  Whilst it works OK as a watch and constantly tells me how many steps I have taken, I expected a lot more as I do go to the gym most days and I do like to listen to music whilst training for which I previously used my iPhone with my Bluetooth headset.  I have tried a number of times to download music to my Iconic with no success. I have the use of a Win 10 PC & WIn 7 PC.

However, all I have read in this forum is that if you are unsuccessful then try this, try that etc.

SO - To YOU the FITBIT team, can you please get your act together, do your software design, testing etc and deliver an interface that allows us all to do this in a simple, timely and faultless manner?  I would just like one simple document that says and shows me how to get music from either a Win 10 or a Win 7 PC (when my wife purchased this for me she did know not that you must use Win 10).  Even better create a video and place it on YouTube.

Regards a very unhappy Fitbit user.

[Flinch57-84]

Thanks I will try!

Sent from my iPad flinch

[Flinch57-84]

Thanks a lot,I will try, you got me on a path, since I was a runner for many years but too old now you reinforce what I already know-runners are good people!

[John1206]

Fitbit - you have to do better.  I have to agree with some of the posts that are saying "if this many are taking the time to complain, how many aren't?"  

I really enjoy the Ionic, but the music part was something I was looking forward to.  I appreciate the people providing information on routers, ip workarounds and the like, but guys, Apple has had the transfer of music down to mobile devices for years - why is this so hard?  While I like the mobile features, I have to take it off to charge, so why wouldn't I take the time to let it upload some music?  People are waiting four hours to upload 20 songs?  We had better success with Napster in the 90s on dialup.

Honestly, this is a Fitbit Charge with an exaggerated price and a non working feature.  I can't believe there hasn't been more of an attempt from Fitbit to create a solution that would justify continued use of this product.  

Fitbit.  Do better.  Please.  If not, this is going back to the store.

[PeteG-1]

With DRM music, it's much easier, for Apple to transfer (to another Apple device), since you own the license, through them (DRM is a big pain, like that).

If you had purchased a DRM protected song from another source, I bet iTunes would fail (unless they did the legwork here) to transfer it, say to an iPod, too.

I'm NOT defending Fitbit's release if the music component though, in any way, shape, or form, you can see my earlier comment about how I think they should pull it, until it's ready for mainstream (barely a beta-level plug-in, IMHO).

Those of  you running Win7, I'm not going to start a big war here (I worked on both, and previous), but Win7 is out of mainstream support, doesn't have boot-timing (a HUGE security feature) and a whole host of other security features, that are in Win10 (and mostly Win8 too, but not a good way to go).

You can do what you want, but you should know that this is risky, best-case, and not having the new features isn't worth "sticking with" Win7, from a developer standpoint anyway.  If you're deploying your own fixes (running your update server), it's slightly better, because you can pull some of the optional packages that aren't deployed to "regular users", and deploy them to your network/homegroup/domain, etc. 

Mainstream support ended 3 years ago (01/15, and ALL support ends on 01/20), unless you're a BIG corporate customer, with an IT department running custom win7 deployments.

Good luck trying to use things like BT low-energy though, with much success, driver writers are not going to code to an old interface, they'll do minimal implementation for Win7 installs, if they even make them compatible, at all, it's just not a viable market segment to most releasing software and devices.

Some of the Win10 security improvements (boot-timing is just one of the key ones) make it a big pain to have a very secure driver package, that works  on both Win7 and Win10

[BigRalphN]

This is also a new device. You will never see daily firmware updates. I understand being upset if yours is not functioning as you wish but it is a new device and has seen a couple firmware updates already. Some things will not be fixed like support for outdated phones and PC's but most issues probably will be. 

Also to say if this many people are complaining how many are not is a bit misguided. There are two types of people that mainly come to forums. Those with curiosity and those with problems. Peoe with problems make up most of the posts. If you do not have any issues why come to a forum? Some will come just to chat about it or find addons, clicks etc but the majority of posts come from complaints. Then you have people with complaints that start helping each other which is good but also they affirm each other and encite others. How many people are really in here with issues? 20? 50? Even if it was 100? How many do you think they have sold? Let's say it is a low number line 5000. That leaves a minimum of 4900 without complaints. Even if another 100 just didn't complain and returned the device there are still 4800 using theirs. Even if Fitbit is highly concerned, which they maybe, they still have a large number of what they will deem as satisfied so they will not take extreme action. Not should they as hastily released firmware will just result in new issues. We have become an impatient and entitled society as whole.. I include myself here. I try not to be but it is the way of the world. Anyway this all does not help fix devices. I truly hope a firmware update does drop soon to at least show they are working hard. 

[powys]

Simply, All I require is an interface that works.  I am happy to continue with Windows 10. Thanks.

[PeteG-1]

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@powys wrote:

Simply, All I require is an interface that works.  I am happy to continue with Windows 10. Thanks.

---

Yeah, this.  

The problems, as I see them, are two-fold.

1. The app is horribly buggy, in particular the music-enumeration takes an inordinate amount of time, EVERY time you want to add a podcast or something, you have to wait 25-30 minutes for it to rebuild the library (that huge file it's generating every time), which effectively makes it hard to sync current tracks (I prefer podcasts for the times would use this, to stream music).

2. The Bluetooth implementation is "edgy", at-best.  I have pretty good luck, with multi-device, probably because I have mainstream Bluetooth chipsets (comes from working in h/w and drivers for years) in all my devices, so the devices themselves have less issues, to start with.

Connecting a Bluetooth headset seems to be nuking Multipoint, for a bunch of people, they can't sync after this, necessitating a radio reset. 

I read the multipoint spec, and even as a (mostly previous) engineering person in this area, it's tough to map/follow, in particular the many-to-many implementation documentation is hard to interpret.

It'd sure be nice if an actual Fitbit support person could "reflect" on things here, maybe comment on what they know to be the key BT/sync/audio "issues", so people can work around them, sort of, for now...

[justinesarah]

Thanks. I think what my problem is that some of the songs I paid for. Some of them (the ones that haven’t worked) were just from my Apple Music subscription.

It seems like I have to physically pay for any music that I want to play on my watch.

[mmdwyer]

Agreed. Plus, google music (that's what I use, and like apple music, the files are protected). I can't believe Fitbit would release a product in 2017 that is so unbelievably antiquated. Had I known this was the process for transferring music (which I still haven't been able to make happen), I would have just stayed with my garmin 235. This watch is leaving a lot to be desired.

[Lucydavies1983]

I found this easy to do! 

I purchased an album of running music from amazon in mp3 format

downloaded to laptop amazon music app

made playlist of the whole album on that

saved to windows media player

downloaded fitbit app on laptop

opened and added the playlist as instructed, 30 mins approx. and its all on my fitbit...

[powys]

One of the successful few then!

Regards

Jim

Sent from my small iPhone so it's brief.

Moderator edit: removed personal info

[Lucydavies1983]

Unfortunately it sounds like it 😖

I'm rubbish at explaining!

[Carol111111111]

its easy  to transfer that's not a problem, I brought it because I thought I could put an app like Spotify on which I use for music. I like to change my music offen depending if I'm running walking yoga etc, I don't want to be listin to the same music everyday which means I will be constantly transferring music to my watch and so the Spotify app just makes sense. Also without Spotify I would spend hours down loading all my cds to the computer, sort through music and put it into play lists then transferring it down on a daily weekly basis. 

[BigRalphN]

Spotify would have to store a playlist as well. Either that or you would need to be tethered to a phone or on WiFi. 

[Lucydavies1983]

I think there's plans for a Spotify update but I did know it wasn't compatible before buying...

Can you not make playlists on your Spotify and save them to your laptop then add to the app?? 

As long as they are paid for and in MP3 format they should transfer....

Roll on some updates for everyone

[cstephen]

@Carol111111111

 See that's where we're different (and of course, the difference is what makes any solution interesting and rich...). I refuse to pay a subscription service to someone like Spotify. I own all my music and have a large collection of digital music, so much that I have all the variety I need in my listening.

 What I don't understand in your wish to use Spotify to build you a set of music to listen to, in your various and changing activities, is that music eventually must be stored locally on the ionic. The ionic doesn't have a mobile connection so can't access online data outside Wi-Fi. So, no matter how you decide the set of music you'll listen to, it must be transferred to the ionic. When you say you want flexibility to listen to different music each time, you  will then need to transfer that music each time. How would using Spotify help?

[cstephen]

@mmdwyer

 How is Fitbit antiquated because it can't copy protected music files from google music? Protecting the music files would seem to be a strategic policy of Google's. I'm not sure I understand why you're upset with Fitbit when it's Google that's imposing the restriction.

[Allboyz]

I hope I don’t sound like a jerk, but most of you that are having problems, have you read the user manual that you can find online? I am a big Mac user, but it is broke, so I used my son’s Window 7 Media Player with no help, other then the Fitbit Ionic Manual and fitbhelp.com and found it all very easy to figure out. Simple to load 50+ songs in less than 10 minutes. If you have not printed out manual, do that and go to the uploading  music pages. Hopefully that will help some of you. I was afraid to buy the Ionic due to all the posts, but figured what the heck, I would go for it. I am extremely glad I did. Love using it everyday with my workouts. It kicks **ahem**!!!