Why does my location need to be on to sync.

[AprilD]

This is my second charge hr. I updated less than 3 months ago and I want to know why  does my location need to be on to sync?. I have never had to have it on before to sync until bout 2 weeks ago. I am very unhappy bout this. If it does have to be on all the time to sync than I have wasted money on something that I can't use. 

[adex08]

I'm using Samsung Galaxy S6 running android 7.0
As I said above, the device syncs fine, even if location services are off.
That error message seems to be useless for sync.

[Rich_Laue]

Some have reported that the app will do a background sync without location services on, but no one has reported that a forced sync works without at least running a 3rd party app to fool the phones OS.

Note we are not talking about location being on and monitored, it is location services being unlocked..

Think of it as your front door lock.

Having the door unlocked does not mean that everyone walking by the house will be walking into the house.

[adex08]

So you can do background sync without the need of location, but you cannot
do it when the app is in foreground. This is crazy.

[Rich_Laue]

I haven't been able to, c I don't know if it is possible now, I have seen a few reports in the past implying that the user was able to so a sync without location services being enabled.

Of course this was possible before Android 6 but then so was it possible for someone to gain access and control of your phone through Bluetooth at the time of a sync

[AlvaroFitbit]

@adex08 It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community! Not sure about the technicallities but Google pushed this change on their OS since Android 6. Still you can refer to this article for more information. Still it is interesting reading that background syncing works without the GPS being on as @Rich_Laue mentions in his posts.

I'll be around!

[adex08]

@AlvaroFitbit I understand what Google did. Scanning for Bluetooth devices needs location permission as it is possible to calculate user location when scanning Bluetooth devices.

I will repeat this probably for the 3rd time.

What I don't understand is why Fitbit needs to scan Bluetooth devices to sync as long as my Versa device is already paired. Scan for what?

[Rich_Laue]

As a user of Fitbit products, I do not know, but doing a search I find this change has affected multiple companies, including one cloud based scale, a thermometer and Garmin.

BTW your tracker does not need to be pared to the phone for the Fitbit app to sync it's data. Simply log into your account in the Fitbit app of any phone and tye tracker will sync.

[adex08]

I honestly don't understand the comparision with other companies.
Who cares about other companies?
I don't care about logging in on more that one phone, I doubt more than a
few care about this.
What I would like to see is Fitbit stop scanning for all Bluetooth devices
and just use my PAIRED Versa watch to sync.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@adex08 thank you for your reply. I don't know the reasons behind this. I could think about the app handling the bluetooth connections with paired devices, being able to sync with several trackers/watches and that it can add new devices at any moment. Also since it has voice queues the sound should be sent to bluetooth devices (headphones or speakers) like any other app would. If you have any specific feedback you can share it in our Feature Suggestions board.

@Rich_Laue thank you for your post and insight

I'll be around!

[SunsetRunner]

Hi folks,

i recently bought an ionic and was very confused that i need to turn on location services to be able to sync the device. This is not my first tracker. I also own an amazfit pace which has a very similar feature-set. But why does amazfit do not need location services to sync my device to their cloud??? So i totally agree to what @adex08 has said. Since i am a developer to i see no valid reason to scan for devices after the pairing process.

[Rich_Laue]

This has to do with the steps that happen sitting a sync, Fitbit requests the BR Max and Android requires Location Services to be running before the OS will hand the address over.  This change was made by Android when it closed a security hole in BT.

Garmin along with a few other trackers and I know of one scale,  also need location services on

[SunsetRunner]

Yeah you already said that before. But like others already said this is not googles or androids fault. Why is the BT MAC required by fitbit to synchronize to the fitbit-cloud? Like i said amazfit (xiaomi) does not require location services to sync. And fitbit is not just right because garmin is doing it wrong, too. 

[adex08]

Garmin, like Fitbit is just trying to get as much data from the users, by
blaming it on an android limitation which does not exist.
I'm sure Fitbit likes to know that on Saturday, you met with your friend
John, who also has a Fitbit, for a run, or whatever and use this
information however it wants.
Fitbit can do this, as it can scan for Bluetooth devices all the time.
They might even share this info with Garmin or who knows who.
So there's you privacy, travelling through air, to wherever Fitbit likes.

[Rich_Laue]

This goes back to the days before the smart phone Fitbit app.  Fitbit connect was setup to sync any and every Fitbit that it was able to see.  The app would then send the data along with the Trackers bluetooth MAC address to the Fitbit server. The server then uses three MAC address to identify the Fitbit account to drop the data into. 

The Win 10 version of the Fitbit app still has this sync any Fitbit option .

When the phone app syncs, the app does a BT Mac inquiry and Android requires that location services needs to be turned on for this to be successful. 

Your Amazefit may not require location services, but their are many other connected devices from other companies that still do require android's location services to be turned on.  However none of them, including Fitbit require location services to be enabled on a windows or iOS device. Do you really think Fitbit cares to know only the location of Android devices but not iOS or windows?

Do a search and you can find the details on https://developer.android.com.

[jseglem]

The Charge 3 uses the phone's location services, I have other Bluetooth devices that do not need location services turned on and interact with apps.

FYI - A Bluetooth device is not required to use its BD_ADDR as the Device Address that it broadcasts. It can use a Random Device Address for this purpose. While there are rules governing the generation and classification of a Random Device Address, they most often do not allow to recognize from its value if the Device Address is random, or a BD_ADDR. It could use a RDA and not require location.

There should be an option to NOT HAVE TO use your cloud services to use a Fitbit device and sync it to my phone. I know this wont change because everyone is pushing their cloud services.... The answer (as suggested by a Fitbit member) is to return it and use something else. Basically I deleted your app and will only use it randomly for updates. I just manually enter my exercise into MyfitnessPal. Besides your food database is terrible.

[Rich_Laue]

The Charge 3 only uses the location services when the user requests that the GPS to be turned on as when recording a run, walk, or bike ride.

The operating system wants the location services enabled before ot will pass on the information that the Fitbit app requests during a sync.  Only an app may ask for the actual location,  having location services enabled allows an app to request the phones location. Fitbit does not request the phones location during a sync (look away the location looks),  if they did they would also request ot on iOS ans win phones. 

When you activated your Fitbit account,  you did agree to the terms of an online account,  with your Fitbit data being stored into this account. 

Before creating the account you had the option to return it to disagree

[Rich_Laue]

---

@amarurecor wrote:

That's a bold faced lie.  Bluetooth absolutely does not require location.

---

 Nobody daoud Fitbit requires your location to sync,  ans nobody says bluetooth needs location services. 

Android,  not Google,  says that if an app is going to search for or request a BT MAC address, location services must be enabled.  This change happened when Android closed a security risk that would allow an unwanted control of your phone during such a request. 

BTWTurning location services on does not turn on the GPS or any of the other forms of detecting the phones location anymore than unlocking a door makes a person walk through said door. 

[Cut]

Just to add more data to this discussion...

I have an S9+ running Android 9 paired to my Charge 2.

The Android Fitbit app always shows me the annoying "Enable Location to Sync" message, but when I ignore it, it just syncs anyway - both to the app and to my dashboard on the Fitbit website. I find this super irritating (which is how I came to find this thread... ;)) because it suggests subterfuge even if none actually exists - and whatever the reason for it, it does seem to throw doubt on the whole "this is all just a Google thing" explanation.

Cheers

Cut

[F4Running]

I went to my phone settings and stopped the invasion of my privacy. I can sync without location turned on now.

Settings (on your phone)

Apps

Fitbit

Permissions

Location off

[Rich_Laue]

@F4Running without adding the type of phone you have, your post is not telling us much.