How do I sync my Charge 4 with a computer?

[Scoey]

I bought a Fitbit Charge 4 about a month ago. I want to set it up on my home computer (running Windows 10). I bought the Fitbit dongle, but can't get it to work. I have looked at many, many of the answers/solutions, but nothing is working. Can somebody give me step-by-step instruction on how to get the dongle to sync the Fitbit with my computer?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[AlejandraFitbit]

Welcome to the Community, @Scoey.

Thanks for troubleshooting this syncing issue. If you want to know if your tracker will sync with your computer, I recommend taking a look at the help article: Will syncing work on my phone, tablet, or computer?.

Let me know if you need anything else.

[BCJBishop]

Does Fitbit plan to support Windows 10 again for its current and future devices?

Rather than requiring a Google search on “Smart watches that support windows 10”.

Can you list the Fitbit devices that support Windows 10?

[Scoey]

No, this reply doesn't answer my question. Fitbit Charge 4 is compatible with Windows 10.I cannot sync the Fitbit with my computer (Windows 10). I bought the Fitbit dongle. I guess I have wasted money on the Fitbit and the dongle.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Thanks for getting back, @Scoey and @BCJBishop, it's great to see you around.

To answer your inquiries about the Charge 4 syncing with computers, our newest models don't sync with computers. You need to sync your units directly with a mobile phone.

Let me know if you need anything else. 

[Scoey]

I was told by a Fitbit rep to purchase the $20 dongle and it would sync to my computer. It didn't. I have tried to sync with my cell phone; that doesn't work, either. I am returning the Fitbit and dongle, and will be looking at other (not Fitbit) trackers that are easier to setup.

[hobie3]

Is this a final answer or do they plan to fix this? I use my phone rarely so it's not always powered on. It is much more convenient to sync with my computer. 

[SunsetRunner]

It's incredible how Fitbit continues to remove functionality and limit features. I have a phone running Android 6 and a Windows 10 PC. At this point, I have no options for using my Charge 4, since it won't sync with my computer and requires Android 7 for the mobile app. Why do they insist on doing such anti-consumer things? It's beyond frustrating.

[tompabes]

I think that you guys are probably rare birds in 2021...

People usually have a smartphone, those who don't probably are not so tech-savvy and don't have a smartwatch either, so that is probably why Fitibit is dropping support for Windows 10. I'm wondering what other brands sync with Windows 10.

If you were talking about Windows 10 Mobile, that is a dead OS that is not supported anymore even by Microsoft.

Android 6 came out in 2015 and I wonder how many users are still actively using an Android 6 device as their main device.

I would just upgrade my smartphone. This is just the beginning, you'll start seeing less and less apps supporting Android 6. Any decent mid-range smartphone will greatly outperform a 2015 smartphone.

I'm not here to defend Fitbit and do not work for them, but... you're saying it's anti-consumer, aren't you just asking too much? There might also be technical reasons why older version of operating systems cannot be supported.

And here we're talking about a *new* device, not supporting an OS that is 6 years old.

[PutzBoy78]

Recommending people upgrade their devices every time a company unilaterally changes the standard is not ideal for most people.  Many people do not participate in the consumerism economy of annual device upgrades, etc because their lifestyle does not require new features or processing power.  I am one of those people and I don't find language that looks down on people for not upgrading just for sake of upgrading to be helpful.

The compatibility requirements for the charge 4 were unilaterally changed from android 7 to 8 recently.  This requirement is not defined on the box and the installation instructions do not verify compatibility during installation causing further confusion.  Since the charge 4 was initially supported on android 7 there is no reason it cannot continue to be supported on 7.

This removal of older version of the application from the app stores is another form of forced obsolescence.  It is not a coincidence that the company that markets Android, also controls the app store, and also owns fitbit.  This removes the incentive for fitbit to provide backward compatibility and in fact encourages forcing upgrades to benefit other lines of business within alphabet inc.  People like Scoey are not part of fitbits target market because fitbits motivation is no longer about encouraging personal fitness.

[JEfromCanada]

I realize this is a late comment, but here goes anyway... I bought a Fitbit Charge 4 yesterday and synced it to my phone.  Today, I got a notification that the Fitbit needed a firmware update, but the phone (as phones do) keeps going to sleep if I'm not actively using it, so I don't think the Fitbit was getting updated.

So, I downloaded the Fitbit app from the Microsoft Store onto my Windows 10 machine and (after several attempts) was able to connect to the Fitbit Charge 4.  But it hadn't actually paired to it.  In finally got pairing (from my Windows computer) to work after resetting the device.  So now I see the device, and I can sync the device; but after the reset, it is no longer offering me an update to the firmware!

So I went back to my phone and had to re-connect and repair the device.  After doing that, the phone indicates there IS an update available for the Fitbit.  Now, I need to figure out how to keep the phone "alive" while it is updating the device.  It seems that if the phone goes to sleep, the update fails to continue.

[SunsetRunner]

Instead of insulting people and making assumptions... Some people may have been gifted a smartwatch, and might not have the disposable income to just up and replace things that need upgrading. Manufacturers should be taking this into account instead of assuming everyone has the means to change for changes sake.

[jaimesuz2]

My cell phone broke so I have to use an old cell phone until I get it repaired or purchase another one. My laptop runs Windows 10 and my desktop runs Windows 8.2 and I am not upgrading either. It seems that if my laptop is trying to find don't want to upgrade just yet. It seems that if my laptop bluetooth is trying to discover my Charge 4 that the Charge 4 should be able to respond to a simple sync function automatically. It would be so easy. 

[GetFit2]

I agree with almost everyone here. I've (3) Charge 2's in succession - the display dies at almost exactly the 2 year mark. That aside, once you got things setup, it was generally reliable, and, IMPORTANTLY, COULD KEEP TIME WITHOUT BEING SYNC'd! My most recent Charged 2 died differently: the battery melted down. I put this down to having been at altitude 6200ft for 10 days. No more Charge 2's so went with a new Charge 4 - a generation back - deliberately. Have just finished removing all software from phone and laptop, and reinstalling, because the phone had stopped syncing. It's easy to recognize this as the thing is suddenly is half an hour off. Frustrating. Like the OscMod has been replaced with an R-C time constant*!*! Very unhappy to learn that new models no longer can sinch to a laptop. I've done a lot of design and FitBit clearly isn't doing enough usability studies or these sync issues wouldn't have gone on all these years. And to accuse people of being "old fashioned" or "out of step" is really unacceptable.

[PorkyBaker]

I addressed this issue for the UK a year or so ago. Using government figures, it works out that about 5 million people in the UK do not have a smartphone.

[willjoe]

1. Check Your Phone's Bluetooth Connection
The first thing you should do if your Fitbit won't sync is to check the Bluetooth connection between your phone and your Fitbit device. To sync your device with the Fitbit app, you need to have Bluetooth turned on and be within range of your phone.

If you're not sure if your Fitbit is connected, open the Fitbit app and tap on the Today tab. A pop-up will appear that will notify you if your Bluetooth is off and the app is unable to sync. Meanwhile, if your Fitbit Versa 2 or Versa 3 won't sync and you see the phone disconnected icon on your device, it's telling you it can't communicate with your phone.

To fix this, simply turn on Bluetooth on your phone and try to sync again.

Regards,

Diana