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!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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?"

[crustypup]

I'm going out on a limb here and saying everything about this is unacceptable. 

We should not have to engage with *yet another* platform in order to simply transfer media to the unit. 

Having to use a playlist requires that I mess with WMP which I have not touched in... wow... more time than I care to spend time trying to recall.

It's archaic and completely obstructive to a process which has been in play since the inception of personal computing. 

Everything about this process is reminiscent of pre-1990 computing. What next? Installing ISA cards? 

[Susan-L]

I agree. This should be a simple process. I gave up, now I have a$300.00 fitbit with no music. Why did I spend all that money?

Get Outlook for iOS

[stu1340]

I've sussed it and in the end it was very easy.

Once I downloaded the proper fitbit app onto my lap top clicked on the music icon. Made a playlist of 29 songs (fir now) and synced. Within 10 minutes they were all on the watch. Happy days. Now to get some Bluetooth headphones so I can hear them. 

[Susan-L]

Has something changed in the last couple of weeks. I’ll try again.

Get Outlook for iOS

[SunsetRunner]

You may have to adjust where FitBit is looking for your iTunes library. If
look at one of my earlier posts I experienced something similar and had to
repoint the location for the iTunes database.

Might help - hope it does.

[dermbrian]

So what exactly is the "proper fitbit app"? (Name, where to find it, how
to download it....). What operating system is required for the app (or is
it a program)?

[stu1340]

I can't vouch for Apple devices but on my dell laptop I followed the link right at the this thread "fitbit connect" 

Then you'll have three download options, Google play, appstore, or Microsoft download ( I think it was called)it'll be a big pink bar at the bottom. 

Hit that and you'll start to download the app on your lap top. 

[AnnieMarcon]

Yay. Be warned when downloading more tunes it may erase the others.
Not sure why that happened to mine but I needed to redo the playlist and start again.

Anne Marcon

[Bjsquilter]

I agree! Been trying for 3 days with Fitbit Connect and all I get is "looking for Ionic". I've tried everything on this forum and nothing has worked. I have a Dell laptop with Windows 7. Even disconnected WiFi on all devices and unplugged, reset and restarted router. I never saw anything about needing Windows 10 when researching the Ionic. I can't believe a device I spent so much money on doesn't have a simple way to transfer music. I've been recommending my Ionic to family and friends, but now I'm telling them about the terrible music transfer. I'm so frustrated.

[Susan-L]

I have Windows 10 and the exact same thing happened.😢

Get Outlook for iOS

[hankrunsfast]

Yep, I have macOS 10.13.2 and have the same issue - for over a month. Fitbit doesn't care......they'll post the same directions and know full well that there are issues.

[Bjsquilter]

You’re correct. That’s what I’m getting from all these posts. Sorry you’re having problems also. Lots of money on Ionics-no resolution .

[Bjsquilter]

So no difference in Windows platforms. Why isn’t Fitbit taking care of us Ionic customers?

[SantiR]

Hello everyone! Thanks for your efforts in transferring personal music to your Ionic.

If you haven't done so already, please take a look at this checklist for personal music transfer. You will also find other best practices for this.

You should also make sure both your watch and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You should keep your watch close to your router to avoid any kind of interference when transferring music.

As most of you already know,  you must own the digital rights to the music that is being transferred. Songs that have been downloaded from streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music may not transfer due to copyright protections (known as DRM encryption).

If you keep experiencing the same; please take a look at this helpful article for more troubleshooting steps.

You could also try this workaround I found on this same thread. Looks it has helped other users too.

If this doesn't work, please reply with what steps you followed to sort this out. Also, if you get any error messages, share a screen shot of them with me!

Keep me posted! 

[John1206]

It's a sad state of affairs when the number of FitBit community members posting their continued aggravation on the transfer of Personal Music outnumbers the number of Spam Mail I receive.

FitBit, thanks (for the hundredth time) for that link about DRM encoded music.  For a small majority, I understand that is their problem. 

Let me make it simple for you:  the transfer of music to your device, which you designed and put on a product that you are asking people to spend $300 dollars on is, in no certain order:  annoying, poorly constructed, poorly executed, embarassing, assinine, and downright idiotic.

The number of caveats involved in the transfer of music to an electronic device in 2018 is incredulous.  I have a 32MB Rio MP3 player from the late 1990's that was a billion times easier than what you people have mapped out here.  Basically, you want me to get all my devices on a wifi network and then cuddle around the router in order to transfer music?  We have wifi so we aren't slaves to our routers and here we are being told to get around them like a fireside chat?

I don't understand, with the number of complaints in this forum, in Amazon reviews, in tech blogs, how you haven't pulled a full stop and fixed this issue. 

You are scamming consumers with the promise of a function that - while it may work for those who have a degree in networking or basically have time to reboot every internet connected device in their life - is inoperable and useless.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that providing the same repetitive link from different moderators is customer service - it's a distraction and insulting to the users who have given you the courtesy of purchasing your product, offering a lifeline of hope down the same broken road.

Stop giving us new clock faces - give us a solution that works.

[Bjsquilter]

I’ve tried all the instructions in the links you gave many, many times before I posted. Every single one including forcing the IP address in Fitbit Connect. Forget downloading a playlist...I can’t even get past “looking for Ionic”.

Fitbit, please stop repeating the same instructions and find a better way to transfer music. You keep giving workaround instructions instead of addressing the real problem:

Your customers feel ripped off after spending $300 (I even paid for additional extended warranty) and not getting what your sales department boasted as a great feature of the device.

[AnnieMarcon]

Well said.

Anne Marcon

[SunsetRunner]

Issue - Trying to add / remove a few songs to an already downloaded playlist -transfer got stuck as many have described in thread.

My latest solution was to go to ITunes -copy my playlist, remove all music via phone app, re sync to the duplicate file and that seemed to work. I suspect the main issue is this is a multi platform product- IOS/ Android etc.  I am sure if it was dedicate to one or the other platform this would be a non-issue.  I really was hoping Fitbit would address this known issue via a software upgrade, as many have stated this is unacceptable to have users frustrated to this degree. I bought this primarily for the onboard music, battery life and large display, 

[PeteG-1]

---

wrote:
I’ve tried all the instructions in the links you gave many, many times before I posted. Every single one including forcing the IP address in Fitbit Connect. Forget downloading a playlist...I can’t even get past “looking for Ionic”.

Fitbit, please stop repeating the same instructions and find a better way to transfer music. You keep giving workaround instructions instead of addressing the real problem:

Your customers feel ripped off after spending $300 (I even paid for additional extended warranty) and not getting what your sales department boasted as a great feature of the device.

---

The "Looking for Ionic" is where it was "indexing" my music (one, big, huge playlist, I had intended to sub-select songs I really wanted), which took several hours.

On another music "indexer", say MediaMonkey as an example, this takes a couple of minutes (to fully cross-index all my titles).

If you create a small subset of your music, or a targeted playlist, this part goes faster (minutes, or tens of minutes, instead of hours).  

However, if you want to transfer even a small set of larger audio, such as podcasts, good luck, it seems to transfer at about 30-50k, right in-line with 80's modem speeds.  I can push 800mbps, between two (other) wireless devices, I have a very fast SMB router, and professional APs (all Unifi), which can easily "outrun" my 400mbps WAN connection, somehow I seriously doubt my WLAN speeds are the bottleneck, and if so, they were VERY exclusive to the Ionic.

Oh, yeah, and you need to make sure you have no music with DRM (good luck if you bought some music in the "DRM peak era", and didn't RIP it to a CD, or similar), and no music with pretty much any special characters, none of this is going to work, so remove all those titles as well (fun stuff, trying to deep-dive your tracks and figure out what *might* work).

If all these line up, then (pretty much only then) you can transfer a handful of music, typically in a few hours (I could've listened to the podcasts much faster than it took to transfer them).

I gave up, returned my Ionic, and went back to my Charge2.  The return for me was more because I had horrible luck getting it to sync though, via Bluetooth, my success-rate was maybe 1/10, whereas my Charge2 would sync, happily, every single time, same devices (PC, Android phone).

Maybe, possibly, FitBit will rewrite their Music plug-in, and maybe use one of the many library-indexers out there, that are known-good.  Then they need to debug the transfer process, although I'm pretty sure they know/already knew this, when they shipped it, or shortly thereafter (as someone who works on s/w as a day-job, I have trouble believing they weren't seeing this in testing).

Lastly, they need to fix their Bluetooth issues on the Ionic, so it'll sync, very consistently, like previous models did (like the Charge2 I went back to).

I decided that the chance of all this happening was "slim", given that it was released this way, and I'd bet sales aren't exactly "awesome" for the Ionic, at this point...

I really like my Charge, and my Charge2, and I still haven't seen a wearable that does as good with basic biometrics. I hope they both fix this, and move on to a new device, with similar characteristics to the Ionic, but with actual (like the Charge series) reliability...

[Bjsquilter]

You are a genius! Your instructions were fantastic.

Opened iTunes and selected ‘songs’. From the song list I unchecked everything that wasn’t an AAC file. Didn’t realize how many booklets I had from albums I purchased.

Got rid of some old playlists I don’t listen to and created a Treadmill playlist with 7 songs.

Did a search for the iTunes Music Library and used that path in Fitbit Connect (click on the gear and put that path in the bottom section). My Dell PC used the folder name of ‘My Music’ in the path. Fitbit connect kept telling me it was an invalid path. I renamed that folder to ‘Music’ and it was accepted.

Because you said ‘looking for Ionic’ was actually an indexing operation (Fitbit Connect should say that instead), I just let it go and walked away. Don’t know how long it actually took, but when I went back....surprise! It had listed the playlists in iTunes. I checked the two that I wanted and they downloaded perfectly.

You did what Fitbit programmers couldn’t. Instead of reposting the same instructions over and over again, you found a workaround that solved the problem.

Looking forward to putting more songs on the Ionic thanks to you.

So sorry to hear about your syncing and other problems. You must have been terribly frustrated. The watch not syncing is a game changer. No data, no good.

Thanks again.