Updates don't show up.

[NateMate]

Heya. I'm stick on 32.10.15, ever since I first set up my Versa, ever since 2 months ago.

August 15, something like that. So, any idea how to force a firmware update? Or just, you know, fix this thing?

I exhausted all the options possible, forgetting from bluetooth, forgetting from account, factory resetting, and since August 15, you can guess that it has died a couple times.

And, "conviniently," it also died tonight. Just to check these off the list for you.

[NateMate]

I meant the battery died, not the watch, before anyone gets the wrong idea.

[Glenmcd]

If you can't get or don't want a refund, then you are stuck with these issues until a time that Fitbit fix them.  Nobody knows when or even if this will happen.  If it makes you feel better, try the suggestions from various threads here.  None of them address the cause, which is data corruption caused by faulty firmware, including in the firmware released Oct 2018.  Many however, may allow you to get some level of acceptable performance, until the next glitch happens.  These include resets, factory resets, disconnecting/connecting, uninstalling/installing etc.  Again, none of these address the causes.

At least one source of data corruption occurs only in idle periods, so theoretically if you are wearing your watch at all times, there's one less source of corruption.  You do need to charge regularly, so try having a fan or other vibration source near the watch as it charges.  Ridiculous eh?  But it might be interesting to find out if this temporarily solves glitches such as screen corruption.

I apologise if this doesn't sound upbeat, but some people would rather hear the truth than something that gives a false sense of security.  Real security will come when Fitbit has solid firmware on offer.  That's yet to come, for Versa, Ionic and Charge 3.  Meanwhile, I personally suggest make do with a Surge or Charge 2, or just go with some other brand, such as Garmin or Samsung.  Or if you can't afford any of these options, just wait it out and keep an eye on pinned threads here.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Glenmcd can you please elaborate on "screen corruption" and glitches in Fitbit OS connection? Thx

[Glenmcd]

---

@Marrrmaduke wrote:

@Glenmcd can you please elaborate on "screen corruption" and glitches in Fitbit OS connection? Thx

---

Sure.  What's happening inside the firmware is that certain instructions are writing to places that they shouldn't be writing to, or at least are writing the incorrect values.  For the Ionic, here's a long thread that has some great close up photos of corrupted screens:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Ionic-screen-glitch/m-p/2723176#M55415

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Ionic-screen-distorted/m-p/2996678#M72356

Some Versa screen corruption threads:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Fitbit-Versa-Screen-giving-issues/m-p/3002894#M51464

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Versa-screen-corrupted/m-p/2990609#M50677

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Display-not-working/m-p/2989693#M50593

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Versa-screen-corrupted/m-p/2979791#M49842

Charge 3 screen corruption threads (seperate to the blank-screen-off-charger issue):

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-3/Charge-3-screen-has-a-white-line-across-the-screen-from-lef...

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-3/Dark-line-on-Charge-3-screen-Missing-pixels/m-p/3001853#M43...

Most faults allow you to get to know them because when you do X, Y happens.  So then you know that if you don't want Y to happen, just stop doing X, if possible, until such time that the manufacturer fixes the fault, and then you can do X again without Y happening in response.  Data corruption isn't like that.  When you do X, sometimes Y happens, sometimes Z.  Or A or B.  Or A and B.

While I can mention some issues that many users have reported, that doesn't necessarily help you with being able to avoid or predict them.  Doesn't sync.  Wifi connection not reliable.  Connection to GPS not reliable.  Batteries suddenly draining much faster is almost certainly a side effect from code that is incorrectly doing things that happen to use more battery power.  Batteries usually don't just suddenly develop a hardware fault when the firmware is updated.  Unrequested restarts (crashes).  Heart rate not working.  Ghost steps when watch is allowed to idle (charging or just resting on a shelf somewhere).  And perhaps the most frustrating of all, inability for many people to update their firmware quickly and reliably.

One test that I'd like to see happen:

A person owns two Versas (could be done using 2 Ionics).  Perform factory reset on both.  Setup each, but to two different Fitbit accounts.  Drain batteries completely on both.  Charge both, and install latest firmware and software on watch/phone/computer.  Place watch #1 on left wrist.  Place watch #2 on right wrist.  When interacting with #1, do precisely the same at same time with #2.  Record everything on both watches.  Attempt sync on both around same time.  Go for a run wearing one on each wrist.  Go for a swim.  For a drive.  Sleep wearing one on each wrist.  Compare everything, including heart rates, steps, floors, calories.  Note battery level regularly.  Then get Fitbit to explain why the two sets of results are so vastly different.

[NateMate]

They would've been better off using Wear OS, instead of trying to be falsely different.

They ended up being different, in the fact, that their "best" lines of products, are slow, die fast, are full of corruption, and the only thing useful for me on the store, (that by the way, also glitches all the time,) is the flashlight apps, and the calculators.

If they ask for 200$, at least they should make a product that deserves that amount of money, after all, they have competitors.

For that amount, I could've gotten a Ticwatch Pro, for just 10 more bucks, Ticwatch S, for same amount, Ticwatch E, for 50 less, Misfit Vapor, for 30 less, Garmin Vivomove HR for my father, same amount, Fossil Q Gen 4, or even a Gear S3, both for 50 more. And I'm not mentioning the price it was to get it delivered to my country.

I could've gotten some nice VR equipment for that, like an Oculus Go, starting at the base price, or with the delivery price, Asus mixed reality, or an Oculus Rift.

Talk about money thrown out the window.

[NateMate]

Oh, and the Oculus Rift would be with Touch. And I didn't even mention Playstation VR, that's 20 bucks more, than just the base amount I spent on this.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Glenmcd thank you for the explanation! ☺️