Trouble syncing Charge HR due to VPN

[gabm]

I use PIA VPN and often find it difficult to get my HR to sync.  Sometimes Fitbit will kick me off entirely and not let me login due to the VPN connection.  I try disconnecting the bluetooth and VPN on my iPhone and can't log in.  Turn it off and on.  Nothing.  This is becoming increasingly frequent and annoying.  Fitbit, please work with cloudflare and get this figured out.  Thank you.

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity

[SantiR]

@gabm Welcome to the Fitbit forums! Thanks for taking the time to share the situation you are experiencing with your Charge HR not syncing due to VPN.

I've seen other users in these forums stating that turning off VPN has helped them to sync. It seems that the way VPN configures network settings might interfere with some apps, including the Fitbit app.

To locate VPN settings on your phone, go to the phone Settings > General > VPN, nevertheless, if you're unable to log in to the Fitbit app and you haven't set up a VPN, please try to log in by turning off the WiFi on your phone and use your cellular data (the Fitbit app doesn't require much data for your to log in), if you're able to log in, turn on WiFi again.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted! 

[gabm]

I understand that turning off the VPN might help but I do not want to turn off my VPN.  I use it to protect my data and privacy.  I'm not sure why Fitbit won't address the issue.  I've seen numerous other people complain about this issue.

Incidentally, five minutes after I posted my original statement my Fitbit synced up for the first time in days.  Coincidence?

Please respect your customers and address the situation.  Thank you.

[Le_S]

Yeah, it was a coincidence.  I'm on a VPN as well and I can watch the sync hang in the Fitbit desktop app interface. Turn off the VPN and the operation starts again "finding tracker, ..." with a near immediate completion.

Fitbit needs to get their vendor (Cloudflaire?) to straighten this out.

[Dsrich]

A VPN does the same thing to me - hangs and fails, then forces me to log in and won't let me until I turn off the VPN. This is an intentional invasion of privacy, as is Google's requirement that you turn on Location to sync a Bluetooth device. The only option I see is to quit buying their product until they fix it, and demand refunds on what you did buy - they aren't paying attention until it costs them money.

As a road warrior, I have to have a VPN on at all times, so this really pisses me off.

[LilGator]

I am having this issue on my phone as well. Not only can I not sync, but it breaks the connections with my scale and myfitnesspal. I can log off the vpn and sync, but the connection is still broken. This just started up recently and its crazy annoying.

[Dsrich]

I think they are adding VPNs to their block list as fast as they can find them. I see this as hostile in the extreme, and will not buy another of their products. In the meantime, I am looking for a wrist monitor that doesn't require a web connection to let me copy the data off, and that is hard to find. I am not sure why, but everyone in the business seems they think that they need your data more than you need your privacy.