Versa 3 weather and other apps not staying connected to phone

[stefstefstef]

My Versa 1 finally kicked the bucket after 3.5 years of continuous use and I got the Versa 3 a few weeks ago. So far, VERY unimpressed with the changes and performance.

The biggest issue I have is that where the Versa 1 used to hold some memory of weather, or my agenda, or exercise/sleep/health history on the device, the Versa 3 doesn't seem to at all, and depends on a NEAR CONSTANT connection to the phone in order to preserve any data. For example, I used to be able to set my phone down in the kitchen, on the other side of my house, and go to my office and use my Fitbit Versa 1 to check calendar events in Agenda, or check the weather for the day. It would always say "last synced 45 minutes ago" or whatever, but it would still show SOMETHING. Now, with the Versa 3, if I am even 20 feet away from my phone, it will say it has no data and it needs a phone connection to display even the most basic things, like the activity history, sleep history, or weather.

The point of having a "smartwatch" is not to have to be as tethered to my phone, but I find that with the Versa 3, if I don't have it constantly nearby, the device is basically useless aside from telling you the time and its other functions don't work. Are there plans to improve this in any way -- either with a firmware update or app update?

I've tried everything -- removed the app, disconnected the Versa 3 and reconnected, restarted bluetooth, restarted location services, restarting the devices. Literally holding the phone in one hand and syncing the app and then retrying the connection on the Versa on my other hand -- still no change.

If there's nothing in the nearterm to fix this, I'm sad to say, I'm giving up on the Fitbit ecosystem. I've loved the Versa 1 so much and just hate how useless the new model is!!

[Guy_]

Hi @stefstefstef - Versa 1 is a great watch.

Your poor connection issue may be a watch fault. If you just got it return it for a refund most shops do 30 days, Fitbit 45 days.

Buy a new one as that level of connection is not normal.

[stefstefstef]

Hi @Guy_ -- thanks for your response. So you haven't noticed this issue with the Versa 3? Interesting. My husband also bought one but was about to return it, I might try using his instead and see if the same issues persist. I'll update once I've had a chance to test it out. Hoping it's just that I got a lemon but I recall him saying he had the same issues when he had the Ionic several years ago. We'll see, stay tuned! 😁

[stefstefstef]

I tried my husband's Fitbit Versa 3 for one day and did a side by side with the Samsung Watch 4. I found that the "new to me" Versa 3 did perform slightly better than the other one I initially tried (Sleep stats, for example, were always visible regardless of phone connection, which is what I would expect but was not the case on the first one I tried). However, Weather and Agenda apps still needed a constant connection. Exercise stats in Today also required a phone connection. So, one slight improvement, but some issues with connectivity still persist.

I am going to test it thru the weekend out of curiosity, but the Samsung Watch provided excellent connectivity throughout, and in side by side comparisons seems more accurate in step count (didn't overcount steps if I was just waving my arms around, for example) and was nearly identical to the Fitbit in other stats (heartrate, sleep, calories burned, active zone minutes, distance). It's too bad the Samsung Watch doesn't have the amazing battery life and fast charge of the Fitbit (a huge disadvantage of that watch) and the sleek aesthetics of the new Versa, but in the end the functionality is still way more important to me. Which is why I am so frustrated with Fitbit -- these connectivity issues seem like they should be easy fixes from a software update or firmware update perspective. But the development resources on Fitbit's product team seem unwilling to listen to feedback from users and try maintain their customers and marketshare. Does Fitbit really want to stay bucketed in the "fancy pedometer" category that they made their name on, or advance into the market of wearable tech and health devices? I would expect the latter, but until they figure out how to make their watches usable for anything but counting steps and telling the time, they will continue to lose users.