Exclamation mark next to fitbit logo on the computer

[LisaMichelleG]

Does anyone else hav an exclamation mark next to their fitbit logo on the top right of their mac computer? My fitbit one appears to be working fine and it's fully charged but that exclamation mark is there and the first 3 options when I click on it are gray and can't be clicked on.  Does anyone know what this means and how to fix it? Thanks in advance.

[TandemWalker · Accepted solution]

Hi @LisaMichelleG. It can mean a number of things. But since your One is working properly and changed, it's probably just that the USB dongle temporarily lost Bluetooth connection to your computer. Just sign off your account, unplug the dongle, clear  your browser cache; and then plug the dongle back in and sign back to your account. Please let us know how it goes.

TW

[John917]

These are good suggestions but you might be able to restore connectivity by simply unpluging the dongle and plugging it back in. If the exclamation point goes away then it was a simple solution. IO have to do this with my Mac whenever I shhut down the compter and restart.

[LisaMichelleG]

I tried both of the suggestions and between the two - it worked!! Thanks so much to both of you.

[LisaMichelleG]

I spoke too soon - the exclamation mark came back.  I tried the suggestions again but this time I couldn't get it to turn off.  Should the dongle always be plugged in?

[TandemWalker]

Hi again @LisaMichelleG. You don't have to have the dongle always plugged in, especially if you have both a desktop and a laptop and want to take the dongle with you when you travel. But otherwise, I would leave it plugged in all the time. Please tell me more about your computer configuration and confirm that your Fitbit One is fully charged.

TW

[LisaMichelleG]

Hi TW,

The exclamation point is gone for now so thank you.  I do want to ask though - what is the dongle for? I only have a desktop and I rarely travel.  I haven't been leaving it plugged in or actually doing anything with it and my fitbit has been working fine.  Can you please tell me what it's for and why I need to leave it plugged in? Thanks so much!

[TandemWalker]

Hi @LisaMichelleG.

The Fitbit dongle is only needed when you want to sync the data from your Fitbit One to your account at www.fitbit.com via the Fitbit app or Fitbit Connect. You may or may not need to have it plugged in, subject to your computer's operating system. If you have Windows 10, you do not need to have it plugged in. But with earlier versions of Windows and Mac users, the dongle has to be plugged into a USB port on the computer in order to sync. I have a Mac and keep the dongle plugged in all the time. I suggest you do the same, thus reducing the chances of losing it. Moreover, by having it in all the time, your tracker will automatically sync every time you're within 15 feet of your computer (if the computer is turned on of course.) Have a nice day. Cheers!

TW

[TandemWalker]

Just one more thing @LisaMichelleG. Whenever you want to direct a post to specific contributor to a thread, instead of just keying in initials or a username, start with the at sign (@) and key in the first one two letters of the username. This will cause a drop down list to show up from which you can click on the appropriate name. In doing so, the user will automatically receive an email notification that his or her name was used, with a link to the thread - subject of course to one's notifications being set accordingly. Catch you later!

TW

[LisaMichelleG]

Hi @TandemWalker
Thank you for your response but I’m still confused. My data syncs from my fitbit one to my account at fitbit.com even if the dongle is not plugged in. I use an iPhone and I have the app so maybe it’s doing it that way with wi-fi? My computer is an iMac with OS X El Capitan version 10.11.2. The only reason why I don’t want to always keep the dongle plugged in is I don’t have enough USB ports. So with that info, is there still a reason to keep it plugged in (except that it will make it easier not to lose)? Thanks so much for your help.

[John917 · Accepted solution]

If you are satisfied with the Fitbit synching with your iPhone and the frequency with which it synchs then there is no reason to keep the dongle installed.  Its only purpose is to receive the information from your tracker to upload to the Fitbit servers which your iPhone appears to be doing. Just keep the dongle where you can find it if you should need it in the future.

[LisaMichelleG]

@John917 Got it! Thanks so much.