In a stable computer system (comprising of hardware and software), it is reasonable to assume that unwanted conditions arise in a reproducible way. However, the operating system that has been in use in Versa and Ionic Fitbit models has not been stable since their launch, from what I can see on these forums. Even to assume that going through an update procedure to replace the O/S will go equally as well across all devices, cannot be made. Yet, only a successful updating of the O/S is going to bring about an end to the spurious errors which many have experienced, and that the moderators here are powerless to help you with, save for doing a reset, power down cycle or factory reset, which at best may give you breathing space until the next spate of failures occur. They also seem to be truly excellent at smiling while delivering what they know full well is yet another exercise in futility for all involved.
I'd also like to comment that I find it quite unusual that the developers have not included a factory reset or even a power down cycle on conclusion of the O/S update in their "how to update" document.
To admit that a released product is unstable is extremely embarrassing for any company. Even if your product has many thousands of bugs, that's better than having a system that experiences random glitches. What is essentially means is that the developers don't have effective control of the execution of the software. When developers are not up to the task for any reason, the first thing that needs to happen is that an effective team are put in control. "Team" includes those that are affecting the performance of the software engineers, not just the software engineers themselves. With an effective team in place that ensures stability in any released product, it's a good idea to include all pertinent details in any error report, as only then can causal connections between conditions and erroneous outcomes be confidently made.
I can only give generic suggestions here as I don't own a Versa or Ionic (only Surge and Charge 2). If it were me, I'd be doing a five minute power down before each attempt of the firmware update, as well as after. And then confirm that the firmware version number is as expected. If that didn't work, I'd also include factory resets. Doing what is required to reduce the time for the update helps in more ways than just your patience. It means less time for random errors to occur, possibly corrupting the incoming firmware. There can be no fixing of the many issues on Versa/Ionic except with a firmware update that not only is stable in its performance as a fitness tracker / smartwatch, but it also can be absolutely relied on to update to future firmware versions.
I haven't yet heard from those that have already updated, that the random glitches in previous firmware are happening again. So if it were me I'd be putting in considerable effort to get the update done, including a short distance between wifi router and devices accessing it, and minimising the fitbits competition to wifi. For now forget about whether you need the added features of the firmware update. You need a stable system first and foremost.
My applicable background:
Wrote a testing system that teased out instabilities in software systems at a low level, and used it on a couple of thousand apps. The first thing I used it on was itself, and then my other software development tools. Ignorance is bliss right? lol
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