No low battery notification

[Kevin_Brown]

Originally had a Flex, now a One for 18 months. About four months ago I quite receiving low battery notification from the app, and no emails either.

I've gone two days with dead battery several times, thereby losing all tracking. And my multiple requests to allow owners to manually input data in the phone apps for reasons like this have been ignored by Fitbit. It just happened again today so I'm extremely angry with Fitbit.

While trying to troubleshoot this problem, I noticed that the phone app no longer keeps data locally before sending to FitBit, but rather needs to connect to the Internet to provide data. WHY has Fitbit gone this route?!?

My wife just won a Flex at work 2 months ago and can't tell if it's charging or not (1/2 the time it isn't) so she's already quit using it and has told her co-workers how rotten Fitbit has gotten.

Why is Fitbit going backwards so rapidly? I'm >thisclose< to giving up on Fitbit after four years of 24x7 use.

[Kevin_Brown]

Nice forum, no editing of posts. Lame Fitbit, so lame!

[Rich_Laue]

 About the Flex and charging,  according  to the help doc and the Flex manual:

Your Flex's LED indicator lights will pulse to show the battery level every few seconds.
Each solid indicator light represents progress towards the total charge. It may take up to 3 hours to fully charge your Flex. When it's charged, all 5 indicator lights will blink.

As for battery notifacation. This will happen after a sync while the battery is low. The server only knows the battery level during the last sync. It sounds like you might need to sync more frequently. Also as the battery gets low, the One will first display a low battery icon when you look at your stats on it.

As for manually adding data, this feature has always existed..

As for where the data is stored,  Fitbit has never strored anything locally on the phone, or computer, this has not changed. 

Now if you want to edit your post,  i do this several times a day. In the right top corner of the post is an "option menu". Clock on it and you will see an entry called "edit".

If you happen to be using a mobile device, you'll need to put the web page in desktop mode. Either press the Browsers menu, then request desktop mode, or scroll to the bottom of this page and press "full".

Please click on the Blue Linked words for more info.

[PureEvil]

Hello @Kevin_Brown,

Sorry you're having some difficulties.  Let's address these issues one a time:

First, make sure that you have low battery notification set on your notifications page.  There's the possibility that it may have inadvertently been set to no notifications.

Second, your battery will typically last at least a day once it hits a low battery state.  However, you need to sync regularly in order to get these notifications.  Some folks elect not to sync for days at a time because they think that it may prolong their battery (oh, the irony) or because they want to be stealthy during a challenge.  Unfortunately, if you don't sync your Fitbit during this time, it has no way to know that it has hit a low battery state.

Third, you do not lose all tracking.  You lose any steps you get while the Fitbit was discharged.  That said, the Fitbit behaves much like a wall clock.  If it is completely out of power, it stops tracking time and once it has power it continues to track time right where it left off.  In order for it to get the correct time, it needs to sync before you continue to use.  Otherwise, any activity that you do will register on the day when it lost its charge.

Fourth, I've used a Fitbit from the time of the Fitbit Ultra.  It has never kept your stats locally.  It has always needed an internet connection in order to sync your tracker.  In fact, if you don't use it while connected to the internet, that's another plausible reason why you have stopped getting notifications.  I believe that the way it works is:

1. When a Fitbit 'syncs' it collects information from your tracker (step count, stairs count, battery level, etc) and sends it to the Fitbit servers.
2. The server decides that it needs to alert you about something (you just got your step goal or your tracker's battery level is low, etc.) and it either sends you mail or alerts you through the Fitbit App.

Note:  It can't alert you if you don't sync appropriately...  In other words, have internet connectivity.  This is also the reason why Fitbit Connect has always had the options to tweak proxy settings.  It needs internet connectivity.

Fifth, the Flex 101 page and product manual is very explicit about how the Flex charges:

"While your Flex is charging, an indicator light will pulse to show the battery level every few seconds. Each indicator light represents progress towards the total charge. When the Flex has charged completely, all 5 indicator lights will blink."

Finally, you can edit your posts, you need to click on the options next to the post like this:

Just select "Edit" and you should be able to amend your post.

I hope this helps.

[PureEvil]

@Rich_Laue, nice!  You got me by a few minutes! 

[Rich_Laue]

@PureEvil, i thinkk i just hit send before you. Very well laid out post you did. 

EDIT: You thoight of a couple things that never crossed my mind. 

[Kevin_Brown]

Thanks guys.
First, there are no options for me when posting from mobile Chrome as I am now, so no editing unless I'm on a laptop. And because I work 12hrs/day on a laptop, I don't spend any outside of work time on it. When I get on a laptop I'll take a look at the page code to see what scripting they likely are using instead of a good old html text link at the bottom to edit. For things like forums, simple code is ALWAYS better.

On the Flex, my wife gave up on it and it sits on my desk. I can hardly ever get it to flash anything except one LED, once, no matter how I fiddle with it in the USB charging harness. I think we'll just give up on it and turn it into recycling.

On the One, I wear it 24x7 and am connected to the Internet 24x7 via my Nexus 6. I have reset the One many times, yet no change in behavior. I have notifications turned on, and haven't even been to that page in well over a year to turn it off.

My Nexus is connected to the Net via an extremely reliable 165mb/sec connection at my home (& home office) and I'm always connected via high speed LTE when outside of the home. I have it set for All Day synch and Always Connected. And of course, the 2-3 resets per week with no improvement.

Looks like it's shot and needs to be put out to pasture.
I'll look at the other devices on the market to see if there's a better architecture.

Thanks again for weighing in.

[Kevin_Brown]

Since no editing... Adding here. Checked and last sync was 00:23 this morning. Exclamation point, so no sync now. Reset the device, no sync. Turned BT off and on, no sync. Force sync several times in app, finally sync.

Clearly problem there, but still no reason for no low battery notification from app (why have to go to website to do just app notification?)

Again, looks like a dying device, so will replace with something else.

[PureEvil]

@Kevin_Brown,

Let's see here...

Regarding editing your posts:  I just tried editing from my phone (Microsoft Lumia 950) and it works.  Granted you have to be in the full version of the site.  If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, you'll see this:

Click on Full (as indicated above) and you'll have the option to edit your post.

Regarding your Flex:  While it does sound grim, I would try to restart it and clean the contacts on both the charging cable and the flex itself.  If that doesn't help, contact support.  They may have a few more suggestions.  While I rarely use my Flex anymore, it still seems to run like a champ years later.

Regarding your One:  I don't mean to sound like I'm making excuses, but it sounds like the crux of our (lack of low battery notifications) problems is inconsistent syncing.  There are a number of reasons why this can occur, but the one I see most frequently is having multiple devices trying to sync.  A Fitbit will sync with any nearby device that will talk to it (this is how Fitbit Connect works in fact, it syncs all nearby Fitbits even strangers').  If you have multiple devices (PC and phone) trying to sync, it may get confused.

Tweaking notifications from the App unavailable:  Like I had mentioned before, I used a Fitbit from the days of the Ultra (before the mobile apps were available).  All of the original UI and settings were stricly web based.  When they started to develop their mobile Apps they moved their frequently tweaked settings to their mobile Apps and they left some on their website.  I think this is a reasonable compromise since they then don't have to develop the UI across 6 platforms (Windows/Android/iOS x tablet/phone) and all of those platforms have access to the website (by virtue of having a browser).  Or allow me to frame it differently... given a finite amount of time and resources, knowing you can't have both, would you have Fitbit work on other features (like say, team challenges) or have them plumb this UI to all 6 versions of their Fitbit App?

I hope this helps.

[Rich_Laue]

Here is one of the several videos on Youtube about how to clean your Fitbit Flex.

While it is not needed, since i spent the time to edit and put together these screen shots, using strickly the phone. I'm  posting thos. 

[Kevin_Brown]

Frank,

Thanks for the tip on the Full option.  I also could have requested Desktop from within Chrome, but generally don't think of going that route unless I am doing something pretty significant such as financial or other similar important form filling activities.  

I'll stop with my criticism of the site with this addition, the amount of mobile users over desktop on the Internet has crossed the tipping point.  Websites now need to make mobile their target for interactivity rather than a follow on to the desktop versions, and I would especially think so with Fitbit.

Regarding the Flex, it's new.  But I went ahead and cleaned the elements with electronic cleaner, but no difference. I think the charging cable is the problem, perhaps the contacts aren't perfectly aligned. When I jam the Flex hard into the charging cable and twist it back and forth hard enough to break the cable or the device (I just don't care at this point),  I see contact that is then lost. I can buy replacements from Amazon for <$4 each so maybe I'll give one a try.  Sad that a new device has this problem.

I don't sync with my laptop, only my phone.  I run multiple laptops with one per customer due to security reasons, none allowing USB port use, they are shut down.  On my personal business laptop I have too many USB devices running to add in Fitbit.  As for my wife's Flex, that's new only in the past six weeks and as I indicated, it's been dead almost all of the time since she received it.  So no confusion between devices.

You're right, all signs point to the BT connection.  My Nexus 6 reliably connects to a high powered speaker right on the ragged edge of BT range, as well as my various cars and personal business laptop for file exchange.  So the phone's fine, leaving the One as the problem.

Here's another idea for Fitbit which they will never implement - have the phone app notify the user when the device hasn't synched in X hrs, configurable by the user.  I use Fitbit for health tracking, not running. So I'll go a day, maybe two without firing up the app and looking at the data.  No sync, and now I have a dead One battery and lost (never captured) data for 2 days.

I'm still gobsmacked by the fact that they ignore my suggestion of owner updated info.  For example, my wife leaves her Flex at home, goes to work. She tracks week to week, day before vs today etc.  Allow her to input her normal steps at work, mark it as user input.  She gets reasonably accurate trending, and if she's in a work group that is a team, her user input data is highlighted so they can pull it out if that's part of their gamification rules.  Or in my case, two days of no data captured due to dead batt and no notification that it's dead. Very easily added functionality that requires nearly no investment from Fitbit.

My last request was an API into Fat Secret, or license their functionality for Fitbit's app. I don't track food with Fitbit because it doesn't track carbs or fat, both very important to Type 1 diabetics like myself. Four years later, no sign of improving food intake. 

Without the above, the FitBit is just a plain old pedometer.  I had one back in the late 70's & early 80's when I ran.  I trusted it more than I do the One.

[Rich_Laue]

I have found that my One easily lasts 2 weeks, if i only sync it once or twice a day.

A reminder to sync sounds like a great idea, doing a search of the feature request board i see others think so also. I encourage you to add your vote.

A note on third party chargers for the Flex. Some do not have the hole to do a proper reset, the description will say somerhing about this. While others will say that throes can be ides to reset the Flex.

Another thing is that it has been reported that putting the Flex in its cheger wrong may streach the cable, making it harder to charge later.

Putting it in the bracelet wrong has also been known break the bracelet into two.

[PureEvil]

Hello @Kevin_Brown,

Regarding your wife's Flex: You mentioned you originally started with the Flex, if you still have the charging cable from that Flex, you might try that one instead.  You may be able to narrow down which is the bad component.  Yes, it may be new, but every company has a mismanufactured device every now and again.  Also, even if it was a prize, I would suggest contacting support.  You never know what they'll say.

Syncing your Fitbit without the dongle:  If you're running Windows 10, the Fitbit App does not require the dongle to sync.  It can sync through just bluetooth LE.  So you may be able to sync through any one of your laptops.

Syncing through bluetooth and your phone:  As I mentioned before, Fitbits can get confused if there are multiple devices trying to communicate with it and (also mentioned before) Fitbit Connect communicates with any nearby Fitbit.  So it's not necessarily the case that the reason you are not reliably syncing is because you are running multiple devices that would sync with your Fitbit.  If your neighbor (nextdoor, upstairs, or downstairs) is running a computer with Fitbit Connect, it may interfere with your syncing.  Remember, bluetooth has a range of 40 feet or so.  If you can see other wi-fi nodes besides yours, there's a fair chance that someone else's computer may be trying to chat with your Fitbit. 

Notification if no syncing within X hours:  Before you assert that they will never implement it, you should consider entering a feature request.  If other users agree, it'll get the votes and Fitbit will consider it.  Simply stating that they'll never do it without even posting the request and giving them an opportunity to address it is a bit obtuse isn't it?

Having your wife enter her steps manually:  This is already available.  If you go to your activities page, and go to the very bottom (click on the walking icon) and enter your steps as a walking activity, like this:

Yes, they'll reflect on your dashboard.  This is screenshots from my inactive account.  Fitbit does track manually entered activity differently, for instance they do not count towards badges nor Fitbit challenges.

Suggestions for minimizing impact of discharged Fitbit: I'm far too obsessive about my steps, so I check it several times a day and sync several times a day, so I find the idea of losing charge for days at a time to be pretty bizarre.  Regardless, here are a handful of workarounds to prevent (or minimize) the impact of a discharged Fitbit:

• Charge it every day.  I don't mean excessively.  For instance, plug it in when you step into the shower and put it back on when you finish.  Charging it for 10-15 minutes each day will keep it running indefinitely.
• Create an IFTTT recipe that will alert you (through text, for instance) if you haven't met your daily step goal.  If you haven't synced today, it'll certainly fire.
• Set alarms on your Fitbit One to certain times (say 9am and 5pm), before long you'll get used to feeling it buzz at those particular times.  When it doesn't you'll know it's probably dead.

Fitbit not tracking carbs or fat:  While I don't log my food through Fitbit, I entered two items to see if they tracked carbs and fat in the Food Log:

And they seem to register just the way I would expect.  May I trouble you to elaborate on how you expect it to tabulate your carbs and fat?  Or better yet, just enter the suggestion to the feature request section.

Integration with FatSecret:  The Fitbit API is pretty rich and many applications and services integrate with it.  Their API supports logging of food.  I suggest you petition the folks at FatSecret to use the Fitbit API to push their information to Fitbit.

I hope this helps.