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?"

[aalborz]

This is not a music transfer to my phone. It’s from my phone to the watch.
As for PC OS, I’m just going by Fitbit Instructions
Fair enough
Thanks for the impressive ADVANCED lesson in WL technology! Few points of correction/clarifications though:
2.4 (in 802.11-1997) is actually 2 years older than 5
The range (Indoor & Outdoor) depends on protocol implementation, i.e. a, b, g, n, etc., not frequency. For instance, a & b (5GHz & 2.4 GHz respectively) have same indoor range of 35m (115ft), while n (2.4/5 GHz) has indoor range of 70m (230ft)
It is NOT impossible to buy an AP that doesn’t offer 2.4. If you buy an “a” AP, it is 2.4 only.
Bottom Line: This is a lot easier & more seamless w. a smart watch operating on Android Wear. Granted I’m not transferring, but I CAN LISTEN TO MUSIC ON MY WATCH (which is really the ultimate goal), by just opening the Play Music app on my phone. No need to fuss with downloading/installing app, playlist selection, static IP address, wireless frequencies etc. My guess is Fitbit mgmt. rush this product to the market to cash in the Smart Watch craze, without thoroughly testing (which equals $$!), & figured when the customers complain, just refer them to those scripted posts & links.
I returned my Ionic & got myself a Gen 3 Fossil, which works like a charm for music & has many more apps & functionalities, with a slightly lower price.

[SunsetRunner]

@aalborz  I can see you have been on Wikipedia, yes the what is now referred to as 802.11-1997 used 2.4, it also could use 900mhz and a few others and not the same channels used today instead it used channels reserved for medical devices.  Remember 22mhz x 15 channels is only 300mhz out of 1000mhz and wifi isn't the only thing using various frequencies in 2.4.  Also limits are theoretical and the building materials definitely make a difference.  Newer standards have protocols cable of compensating for interference giving it a higher theoretical range, but typically in practice these ranges don't hold up.  I actually implemented several 802.11-1997 implementations around 1999-2000 and due to poor antennas on both the access point and the laptops of the time you would typically only see about 10-15ft range even though the theoretical maximum was 20m (66ft) and if you tried to go through even a wooden door forget it.  Though the first thing for wireless signals are water and tinted/low-e glass, however i-beams are also a huge problem.  It is also pretty well documented that lower frequencies go further and penetrate building easier.  This is the reason most cellular providers wanted the 700mhz formerly tv spectrum.  T-Mobile actually rolled theirs out calling it Extended Range LTE.  The technology didn't change at all, just the frequency,  the problem is the slower frequency means lower performance for customers due to latency.  Verizon installed the 700mhz spectrum first so they could claim the most coverage then went back and installed the 1900mhz and 2100mhz towers for performance before too many customers used the higher speed (but actually slower and more congested network).  But I am getting off topic. 

More to the point you can look here from router/AP manufacturer Netgear: https://kb.netgear.com/29396/What-is-the-difference-between-2-4-GHz-and-5GHz

Or here http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/5-pros-and-cons-to-5-ghz-wi-fi-routers.html

Or here https://www.alternativewireless.com/resources/wifi-networking/5ghz-vs-2-4ghz-wireless-lan/5ghz-wifi-...

Or here https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=134478 (Direct quote from Linksys page "The 5 GHz band has a shorter range compared to a 2.4 GHz band because in radio frequencies, the higher the frequency the shorter its range.")

If you think of it like sound, lower frequencies (bass) can penetrate your wall better than higher frequencies even at lower volumes.  Radio waves and sound waves act very similar in this regard.  

However you are also ignoring the other problem which is power.  In addition to the FCC limiting broadcast power on the 2.4 and 5GHz spectrums the range for both is typically about that of a small house (I actually run 3 APs in my house for full coverage and the 2.4Ghz makes it down the street while the 5Ghz makes it just past the edge of my property using enterprise grade Cisco gear).  Then again wireless repeaters are popular because many houses now a days have more copper wire running through the walls causing interference and are larger than would be considered average.  Besides the point the watch has a very small battery and people want it to last as long as possible, that means very little power available to the WiFi antenna.  So it is smart to go over the lower frequency longer range standard to reach their access point.  Especially until very recently 2.4 was typically used by homes and 5Ghz by offices).  5Ghz wifi in homes mostly marketed for Gamers and in very expensive MIMO setups, which help improve range by being able to identify and compensate for interference, though MIMI is not practical in a small device on your wrist as the multiple antennas would be less than a centimeter apart.    

And I think you mean an A AP is 5Ghz not 2.4  I also did a search for A only APs and couldn't find one.  The main reason for this are the chip manufacturers.  They don't really make 5GHz only chips, they make chips that support 2.4 because they cost less to make and thus can sell for less money to hardware manufacturers who don't need 5GHz and chips that support both 2.4 & 5Ghz, this is basically just because the demand for 5Ghz only isn't there as it would make devices less compatible.  As is you barely see anything that supports 802.11y (3.7GHz)   

In short the reasons to use 5Ghz are 1) less interference as less things use that spectrum, short of other APs and there are more than 20 possible non-overlapping channels to choose from in order to avoid it, allowing for APs to be closer together (basically more than 20 in a small area compared to 3 in 2.4) and 2.4 shares its frequencies with many other devices such as Bluetooth and cordless phones and keyboards And 2) higher frequency means lower latency.  5GHz means packets are sent and received at more than twice the rate of 2.4Ghz (5billion times a second compared to 2.4billion), they both travel at the speed of light but being able to send and receive twice as often means you can there is less lag waiting for the next transmit window in both directions saving you a millisecond or two.  Which is only really helpful in extremely latency dependent situations, and many people feel gaming is one of those scenarios, though saving 1-2miliseconds isn't much when human reaction time is much slower and your internet connection is still the primary source of latency.  

As for the Ionic, you can't really buy chips that only support 802.11b or g anymore they are all n or above.  And it is documented that the device supports 802.11 b/g/n. This means it has the number protocols for greater speeds and the algorithms to filter out noise and extend range with lower power.  It also means it is a more modern chip made more energy efficiently allowing for better battery life, more that meeting the majority of users needs unless someone decides to disable their 2.4 radio on their router or ap (which is kind of foolish because you should put your slower devices and appliances on the 2.4 to leave the bandwidth open for the more performance intensive systems on the 5GHz).  On a side note I am really not surprised that Fitbit made the move to support only 2.4Ghz, as it means a cheaper chip so a lower cost device, and a smaller chip that requires less power as it only needs to power a single radio and antenna so better battery life.  And as you mentioned Android there are a bunch of budget android phones out there (and even some higher end ones) that only support 2.4Ghz.  I get complaints all the time because some ones phone can't connect to the wifi at work (we only use 5.0 as 2.4 would have too much interference in our buildings, thought the device does offer 2.4, but for having APs every 25 feet there wouldn't be enough non-overlapping channels forcing the APs to dramatically lower their power to the antennas and giving them zero range and causing people to roam to a new AP every few seconds due to congestion). Though this is more of a problem in office and some apartments buildings.  

Also as said before I do agree the method of transferring music is kind of a pain. Personally if I am stuck using my computer I would rather it go over the faster USB cable.  

On a side note I would be curious to see the 5Ghz only APs you have found.  

[John1206]

^^^^^^^^^^These last two posts are what is allowing Fitbit to ignore the transferring of music issue^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Guys, while you are mindblowingly smart or have great cut and paste skills, your debates over the characteristics of 2.4GHZ vs 5GHZ continue to obscure the simple fact:  transferring of music is terrible - from design to implementation and Fitbit owes users a solution that works.

Fix the transfer of music Fitbit.  Now.  Please.  Your users are begging you.

Moderator Edit: Format

[PeteG-1]

---

@John1206wrote:

^^^^^^^^^^THESE LAST TWO POSTS ARE WHAT IS ALLOWING FITBIT TO IGNORE THE TRANSFERRING OF MUSIC ISSUE^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Guys, while you are mindblowingly smart or have great cut and paste skills, your debates over the characteristics of 2.4GHZ vs 5GHZ continue to obscure the simple fact:  transferring of music is terrible - from design to implementation and Fitbit owes users a solution that works.

Fix the transfer of music Fitbit.  Now.  Please.  Your users are begging you.

---

@John1206Yeah, this was my feeling too, "the exception should be the rule", not the other way around.

Sure, if you create a small subset, and VERY carefully set up the transfer, you can get this to work, if you retry a LOT of times, particularly if you want to transfer any larger files (such as a podcast(s)).

I'm pretty sure that FB isn't going to "fix" the music sync issues for the Ionic, unless they're planning a re-write of their app/interface (seems unlikely, coming for a s/w engineering background).

The 5GHz thing is also likely not part of the deal, the WiFi chipset most likely is a 2.4-only model, does anyone have the chipset info for it, or the Bluetooth chipset?

I looked, and found a few "teardown" pics, but nothing that shows the wireless chipsets.

I'm hoping they release a 2nd version, or similar, now that I've returned mine, likely one with more stable wireless components (and hopefully a better music source interface solution as well).

[AnnieMarcon]

Yes agreed. And most of this techno gibberish is just that to the average user,.. who,.. knows,..nothing,.. about such things and nor should they.
We are not suppose to have an IT degree to move music onto our device. Simple as that.

Anne Marcon

[Misterbit]

Carlos,

Your "floating post" was very helpful. The Fit Bit music transfer application is like going back in time and working with dos. Very sad Fit Bit cannot devote more time to its $300. watch buyers. Although the project is cumbersome, the outcome is pretty amazing, and it works well transferring iTunes play lists. One must remember though, it can only be done on a 2.4ghz network.

[Hotaru]

I don't know if it was said before, but there is a case when you can upload music from a phone to Ionic, no MAC or PC needed.

You need a Windows 10 Mobile phone with Continuum capabilities (I've got Lumia 950 DualSim) and run Fitbit app in Continuum mode. It then thinks it's running on a PC and music transfer works like a charm.

[Patrickmememe]

I was really hoping the new firmware update would improve something....but no...it's still the same slow...loses connection...restart....try again...has to reload (check List) all my playlists....then just spins in circles doing nothing.    It's still a horrible mess with horrible solutions.

[SunsetRunner]

@PatrickmememeI think it is going to take multiple firmware and app updates before it is closer to stable.  The interface will probably still be horrible and entirely playlist based as they aren't likely to change how it works.  But they should be able to fix some of the bugs causing the instability, eventually. 

[Carol111111111]

Ok so updated now I can not get this the watch to sync before the update I didn't have a problem. Thinking of selling and going to apple

[Patrickmememe]

So despite how painfully slow and unreliable the ionic is..i have managed to fill it with music...im stubborn and persistent. One thing that may help..is I turn off my phone bluetooth and my computer bluetooth.  I managed to transfer about 40 more songs..with only about 3 .....imagine that..disconnections... 2 failure messages..even though it was still transfering. Anyhow a little more than an hour of my time...what a blast!!!

[Misterbit]

*Hey Carol,*


*Don't give up. iTunes will totally transfer its playlists to the Ionic as
long as you gt on a 2.4ghz connection. It will work. And the fidelity is
amazing. It's just a very cumbersome process. Surely, Fitbit will do
something soon to improve this situation at 300 a pop for this watch.*

[John1206]

Carol is delusional

[dowdhm]

How is this thread marked resolved?? I would say very far from this issue being resolved.  I feel like I am going in circles in these threads.  They keep pointing back to tips and fixes that I have tried a million times to get music loaded, spent 3 weekends and hours repeating with no success.  I am now asking Fitbit for a full refund on the watch even though it's now 2 months old. At $300, this process should be as smooth as butter.  I don't even want to deal with an exchange at this point, I'm so pissed off. I will also be asking for a refund on the $60 leather watch band a bought to go with it, which will now be useless.   So disappointed with Fitbit on this.  I guess I will be going back to Apple watch 😕  

[John1206]

I think it’s pretty clear that Fitbit doesn’t care about their customers.  

So anyone coming across this and thinking “oh it’s just a few malcontents”, nah.  The Fitbit Ionic is a Fitbit Blaze with  features that try to make it a smart watch, but fail miserably.    

An Apple Watch may be more expensive, but at least it seems they are trying.   

[SunsetRunner]

I'm having a little trouble with all the Ionic bashing going on.  Yes, the music transfer methodology is a dog's breakfast.  But here's the thing - I got it to work - it takes longer than it should, but it worked.  So, this is not a failed implementation.  As a former Windows developer I know all too well how difficult it is to write a functional application that deals with WiFi communications on a platform where updates seem to roll out every single week for O/S systems that have at least three full versions in active release.

I have no problem if you all want to return your ionics and get an Apple watch, or do whatever you think is best for you.  I chose the ionic because of the GPS, the music, and "smart watch light" functionality it offers - and most importantly the battery life.  All my friends who use an Apple Watch have to charge every night, whereas I can go 3 - 4 days, depending on how much I use the GPS.

There are things I'd like to change about the Ionic, like in-activity audio cues - like what Strava does, but I think it's a great device - granted it became much better once I dealt with how to get the music on my device.

Anyway, everyone should do what makes the most sense for them, but I'm pretty sure there's a lot of Ionic users who were able to get music on their device like me.  I'm also sure we all hope for some improvements to the process, as I do, but for me, I have no desire whatsoever to return my watch.

Just my $0.02

~dry_runner

[SunsetRunner]

I think there is room for improvement, but I agree with you.

[GhoulAsh]

I have finally worked out how to get music onto this thing. I was about to return the Fitbit and go for something else when I thought I would give it one more shot.

Turns out my issue was more of a playlist issue (iTunes). Once I worked out that I needed to create a new playlist in iTunes and drop paid music into that folder, the Fitbit Connect app was able to find the new music and sync it. It works pretty well.

Seems so simple now, but I guess we are used to drag and drop interfaces that don't make us think.

Maybe this has been discovered and talked about previously in the 25 or so pages in this thread, hopefully this can help someone.

Happy with this product now I can use the music functionality.

[crustypup]

Appreciate the sentiment but being a dev is no reason to excuse poor design.

For the record, once I gave up on the music aspect, the unit performs per spec. Great battery life and relatively accurate measurements... some room for improvement but if I can charge only once or twice a week... great. 

The unit has storage we can't access directly because 'reasons'. Let's be clear, drag and drop transfers to external storage are not a snazzy new feature for any platform you care to waggle your primary digit at. 

WiFi has been with us for some time now and the engineering and mechanics behind it have been bedded down.

File transfer protocols, even the most hideous thereof, have been with us since inception and there are zero mysteries here either. 

The design, start to finish, is broken because someone decided to roll their own, hilariously poor, excuse for a file transfer solution. 

Sorry, but no free pass to the team responsible for the decisions behind this. Wrong from the outset and it appears to now be plumbed in with zero solution.

At this price point I would expect at least team leads to be shown the door. 

[aalborz]

I no longer own an Ionic & don’t wish to have one either. I returned mine & got myself a Fossil GEN3 (Android-based) watch for less money. The music playing works flawlessly, as simple as running the Google Play Music app.

I’m sure as a techie you can eventually figure out how to get the music xfer thing working. However, my main arguments still stand:
Not everyone is a techie, and/or has time to deal with all the fiddling around needed to get it working.
Fitbit’s false advertisement regarding music xfer, which to me is the most important issue. The process should be easy enough that ANYONE can do it, without spending hours pulling their hair out. If it’s not, Fitbit should NOT advertise it as a bait to get people to buy the watch. They’ve lost me as a customer, not because of music xfer issue, but because of their false advertising & lack of support/care afterwards.